Armored car Sd.Kfz. 231

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Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-wheel) during the autumn maneuver of the IX. Army Corps 1935
Sd.Kfz. 232 (6-wheel) during a maneuver, 1935
Sd.Kfz.232 (8-Rad) in France 1940
Sd.Kfz.233 in Yugoslavia 1943
Heavy eight-wheel armored car type GS (SdKfz 231) in the Defense Technical Study Collection in Koblenz

The name Panzerspähwagen Sd.Kfz. 231 was used for two different vehicles of the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht :

  1. Armored car Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-wheel): It was introduced into the Reichswehr in 1932 as a 6-wheel armored car . 800 units had been built up to 1935.
  2. Armored car Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad): From 1937, the successor was a fundamentally differently designed 8-wheel version that was produced until 1943. About 600 pieces of this version were made. The Sd.Kfz 231 (Psw 231 for short) was one of the best armored wheeled vehicles at the beginning of the war. It was more off-road and more heavily armored than the Sd.Kfz. 222 . It was also suitable for fighting infantry and lightly armored targets.

Sd.Kfz. 231 and 232 (6-wheel)

In June 1929, building conditions for a 6-wheeled car had already been issued. The three companies Magirus , Daimler-Benz and Büssing-NAG were based on existing truck chassis; the scout cars of the same size differed in their engines and weight. The heavy armored car with the designation Sd.Kfz. 231 were available from the Büssing-NAG company with a four-cylinder engine G, which enabled the vehicle to reach a speed of 70 km / h. Of the four-man crew, one was used to drive backwards, a speed of 32 km / h could be achieved. The scout car was 5570 mm long, 1820 mm wide, 2250 mm high and weighed 5.35 t. The armament consisted of a 2 cm KwK with 200 rounds and a MG 13 with 1300 rounds. The fuel supply was 90 l, consumption around 35 l per 100 km.

The vehicle from the Magirus company, also a Sd.Kfz. 231, had a six-cylinder S 88 engine with which the car reached 62 km / h forwards and backwards. The 6 t heavy vehicle consumed around 40 l / 100 km and therefore had a fuel supply increased to 110 l. This company also has the Sd.Kfz. 232, the armored radio car, which was easily recognizable by the large, curved roof antenna. The total height increased to 2870 mm. These two types were also supplied by Daimler-Benz. A six-cylinder M 09 engine with an output of 68 hp was installed here. The speeds were identical to those of the Büssing pattern. The fuel supply of 105 l was sufficient for a distance of 300 km.

The armored car Sd.Kfz. 232 (Fu) was the radio and command version, it differed from the otherwise identical Sd.Kfz. 231 thanks to the large loop antenna for the medium-range radio.

In Sweden, based on the chassis of the Sd.Kfz. 231 built its own L181 armored car. This was very different from the German Sd.KFZ. 231 was delivered to Denmark and the Netherlands. The Wehrmacht used captured specimens as L 202 (h) armored cars .

Sd.Kfz. 231 to 233 (8-wheel)

The 6-wheeled vehicles did not achieve the necessary off-road mobility, so that the production of 8-wheeled vehicles was started. These received the Sd.Kfz. Numbers from the vehicles they were supposed to replace. The result of the development was the 8-wheel-driven type GS. The special features of this vehicle were:

  • all 8 wheels driven and steered ( all-wheel steering )
  • The same speed forwards and backwards
  • Ability to change direction in less than 10 seconds
Sd.Kfz. 231 with 2 cm KwK 30

First, the heavy armored car Sd. Vehicle 231 (8-rad) with a weight of 8 t. It was 5850 mm long, 2200 mm wide and 2350 mm high. Driven by a Büssing-NAG L 8 V eight-cylinder V engine with a displacement of 7.9 liters and 155 hp, the vehicles reached a speed of 90 km / h. The engine, which was later enlarged to 8.4 liters, developed 180 hp and allowed a speed of 100 km / h. All eight wheels were driven, which gave the vehicles good mobility in the field. However, the vehicles were only armored with 10-14 mm at the front and 8 mm at the sides, which is why an armored shield 10 mm thick was attached to the bow from mid-1940. From 1942, the front armor was reinforced to 30 mm and the more recent 2-cm KwK 38 was installed. For the KwK 30/38 180 rounds and for the MG 34 2100 rounds of ammunition were carried, the fuel supply was 150 l.

Series production began in 1936 and lasted until December 1943, with 607 Sd.Kfz. 231 and 232 were produced, which were used on all German fronts.

Sd.Kfz. 232 (Fu)

With the heavy armored car (Fu) Sd. Vehicle 263 (8-rad) was again a radio and command version with a foldable frame antenna (from around 1942 replaced by star antennas). Only 1500 rounds of ammunition for the MG 34 were carried.

Sd.Kfz. 233 with 7.5 cm KwK 37

The heavy armored car (7.5 cm) Sd. Vehicle Instead of the turret, 233 had installed the short-barreled 7.5 cm combat vehicle cannon 1937 L / 24 , which was nicknamed "Stummel", which was also carried over to the entire combat vehicle . 32 rounds of ammunition were carried for the cannon, which was installed as the main armament in Panzer IV (Ausf. A to F). The weapon had a field of view of 12 ° and the vehicles weighed 8.58 t. The first 12 vehicles were used on November 16, 1942 in Tunisia with the Africa Corps . A total of 129 vehicles were built from autumn 1942 to the end of 1943 based on the tank structure of the Sd. Vehicle 263 built.

Sd.Kfz. 263 (radio)

The armored radio car Sd. Vehicle 263 (8-rad) was a vehicle used for long-range radio with an elevated, closed structure without a tower. The armament consisted only of a MG 34. An additional crew member was required to operate the additional radio equipment, a foldable loop antenna and a telescopic antenna were used as antennas.

Technical data (6 × 4)

  • Armament: primary: 2 cm KwK 30
  • Armament: secondary: 7.92 mm MG
  • Armor min / max: 8 / 14.5 mm
  • Crew: 4 men
  • Top speed: 70 km / h
  • Engine power: 65 hp
  • Vehicle weight: 5 t
  • Overall dimensions: 5570 × 1820 × 2250 mm

Technical data (8 × 8)

  • Armament: primary: 2 cm KwK 30
  • Armament: secondary: 7.92 mm MG 34
  • Armor min / max: 5/18 mm
  • Crew: 4 men
  • Top speed: 85 km / h
  • Motor: Bussing-NAG eight-cylinder - V-type engine ( gasoline engine ) with PS 155, PS 180 later (8.4 liters capacity)
  • Vehicle weight: 7.55 t to 7.7 t
  • Overall dimensions: 5850 × 2200 × 2340 mm

swell

  • German heavy armored car . Waffen-Arsenal, Volume 89, Podzun-Pallas-Verlag
  • Werner Oswald : Motor vehicles and tanks of the Reichswehr, Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 9th edition, ISBN 978-3-613-02370-3
  • Regulation H.Dv. 299 / 5b, Training Regulations for the Fast Troops, Book 5b, Training on Heavy Armored Reconnaissance Vehicles (Sd. Kfz. 231 and 232), 1938

Web links

Commons : Sd.Kfz. 231  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Sd.Kfz. 232  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Sd.Kfz. 233  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files