Schwerer Panzerspähwagen

Infobox Weapon|is_vehicle=yes | name=Schwerer Panzerspähwagen


caption=German Sd.Kfz 232 (8-Rad) in the Ardennes during the Battle of France (May 1940).
type=armored car
origin=Nazi Germany
length=5.9 m (19.35 ft)
width=2.2 m (7.21 ft)
height=2.9 m (9.51 ft)
weight=8.3 tons
suspension= 6 or 8 wheels
speed=85 km/h (53 mph)
speed_off=31 km/h (19 mph)
vehicle_range=300 km (186 mi)
primary_armament=20 mm KwK30 L/55
secondary_armament=7.92 mm MG34 MG
armour=8-15 mm (.31-.59 in)
engine= 8-cyl petrol
hp=155
kW=
engine_power=155 hp (115.58 kW)
crew=4 (commander, gunner, driver, secondary driver)

The term Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (Heavy armored reconnaissance vehicle), covers the 6 and 8 wheel armoured cars Germany used in during the Second World War.

In the German Army, armoured cars were intended for the vital role of reconnaissance, scouting ahead of the Panzer tank units to assess enemy strength and intentions.

History

The heavy Panzerspähwagen were a large and ungainly but a very fast addition to the German mobile arsenal of the early war years. The original 6-rad (6 wheels) versions were based on a 6x4 truck with armoured body, but by 1937 they were being replaced by the 8-rad versions. During the replacement, the Sd.Kfz numbers were carried directly over; differentiation is made by the addition of 6-Rad or 8-Rad (Ger: "6 wheel" or "8 wheel") in the vehicle name.

These vehicles first saw combat with the campaign against Poland and in the Battle of France. The radio communication cars proved their ability in infantry support, especially during street fighting. Later they saw use in both Russia and North Africa. Extreme climatic conditions in both these areas proved too severe for the vehicle. In Russia, adverse ground conditions immobilized 150 Sd.Kfz 232s during the first wet season of the campaign. In the desert, heat and sand created serious maintenance problems. Still, the eight-wheeled cars turned out to be the best vehicles that Rommel had for long raids in across the wide desert territory.

Armour

The Sd.Kfz. 232 had 15 mm of slightly sloped homogenous steel armor on the front, 8 mm on the sides, and 10 mm on the back, with 6 mm and 5 mm of armour on the top and bottom respectively. This armour proved to be ineffective against anything heavier than a machine gun. In later years, additional spaced front armour plate was added to provide better protection.

Armament

All Sd.Kfz. 232 were armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon. This cannon was based on the 2 cm FlaK 30 Anti-Aircraft gun, and was capable of firing at a rate of 280 rounds per minute, a very high rate for any armoured vehicle.

The 2 cm cannon proved to be ineffective against many Allied tanks, and experiments were made towards replacing it with a heavier gun which resulted in the Sd Kfz. 234 Puma. Great success was also achieved by replacing the regular armour-piercing explosive ammunition with an early version of APDS, but this ammunition was in chronically short supply.

Movement

Production versions of the SdKfz. 232 were fitted with a 155 hp (116 kW), eight-cylinder Büssing-NAG L8V-G petrol engine, which gave a top speed of 85 km/h (53 mph) and a range of 300 km (170 miles).

Crew

A crew of four was typical. The commander and gunner in the turret, and the driver and secondary driver in the front of the hull.

Six wheels

All 6-rad versions were produced from 1932 to 1937. The designation Sd.Kfz is Sonderkraftfahrzeug (special purpose vehicle) - many used for reconnaissance in force.

d.Kfz. 231

The first of the German armored cars, the Sd.Kfz. 231 was based on a modified 6x4 truck chassis. The 231 was armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon, and a Maschinengewehr 13 machine gun. It had a second driver in the rear so that the vehicle could be driven either forwards or backwards with relative ease. The 231 was introduced into service in 1932 and was replaced in 1937 when the German Army switched to 8-wheeled armoured cars instead of 6-wheeled. Despite being replaced, they were used by Aufklärungs "(reconnaissance)" units during the Invasion of Poland and in the Battle of France, they were withdrawn afterwards for use in internal security and training. The crew consisted of a commander, gunner, driver, and a radio operator/rear driver.

d.Kfz. 232

The 232 carried a Fu. Ger.11 SE 100 medium range radio and a Fu. Spr. Ger. "a" short range radio. This model was visually distinctive because of the heavy "bedstead" antenna over the body of the car. At the point where the antenna was connected to the turret a special joint was installed which supported the aerial but still allowed the turret a full 360° traverse.

Sd.Kfz. 263

A radio vehicle "Funkspähwagen" equipped with extra long-range radio equipment and an additional radio operator. To support the additional equipment, the turret was omitted, the superstructure was raised, and a only a single ball-mounted machinegun was mounted.

Eight wheels

d.Kfz. 231

An eight-wheeled armored car with a similar turret as was used in the Sd.Kfz 231/6-Rad (six-wheeled) vehicle.

d.Kfz. 232

The Sd.Kfz. 232 (8-Rad) was produced from 1938 to 1943, when it was superseded by the Sd.Kfz. 234/2 "Puma". The 232 were not withdrawn from service; many of the old vehicles were upgraded with new radio communication equipment, replacing the "bedstead" with more modern and compact wire antennas. These vehicles are often referred to as Sd.Kfz. 232 (Fu) (8-Rad) (Fu; Funkapparat; radio, Rad;wheel) It was armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon that had a muzzle velocity of 899 m/s, the 232 also carried a 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 machine gun.

Sd.Kfz. 233

Converted 232 chassis, adding the short barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 gun in an open fixed superstructure.Due to the short length of the barrel this gun earned the nickname of "Stumpy". One hundred and nine of these vehicles were built at the Büssing-NAG plant, between December 1942 and October 1943. A further 10 were converted from 231/232 chassis in October 1942. This variant of the Sd.Kfz. series entered service during 1942 and remained in use throughout the war. They were issued as a platoon of six vehicles in support of reconnaissance battalions.

Sd.Kfz. 263

An eight wheeler with a fixed superstructure and a single 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 machine gun. A dedicated radio vehicle with the bedstead frame aerial. This was based on the Sd.Kfz. 232/3 series.

Sd.Kfz. 234

The Sd.Kfz. 234 series were all eight wheel drive, of a similar size and appearance to the Sd.Kfz. 232/3 series which they replaced. The most obvious visible difference is the single-piece mudguards compared to the two-piece mudguards on the 232/3 series.

Sd.Kfz. 234/1

The Sd.Kfz. 234/1 was fitted with a 2 cm KwK 38 L/55 gun and coaxial 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 machine gun in a rotating six-sided open turret (the open turret was protected from grenades by a mesh-covered frame).

Sd.Kfz. 234/2 "Puma"

This version was armed with a 5 cm KwK 39/1 L/60 gun previously used on Panzerkampfwagen III. It weighed nearly 12 tons but was still capable of 85 km/h (53 mph). It was one of the best armored cars available, mainly due to the cannon which made it capable of countering some light tanks as well as infantry. The armored car could be driven backwards by the radio operator in an emergency as well. Production started in 1943 but was stopped in the second half of 1944. The other three 234 variants were kept in production until the end of the war.

Sd.Kfz. 234/3

This version, like the Sd.Kfz. 233, carried the short 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 gun, in a raised open superstructure.

Sd.Kfz. 234/4

Another variant of the 8 wheeler, but mounting a 7.5 cm PaK 40 L/46 anti-tank gun in a fixed mount.

ee also

* Leichter Panzerspähwagen

External links

* [http://www.wwiivehicles.com/germany/armored-cars/sdkfz231-6-rad.asp SdKfz 231 6-rad at WWII vehicles]
* [http://www.wwiivehicles.com/germany/armored-cars/sdkfz231-8-rad.asp SdKfz 231 / 233 8-rad at WWII vehicles]
* [http://www.wwiivehicles.com/germany/armored-cars/sdKfz-234.asp SdKfz 234 at WWII vehicles]
* [http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Waffen/panzerspahfahrzeuge.htm Summary of all SdKfz at WWII vehicles]