Leichter Panzerfunkwagen Sd.Kfz 260 from the left
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The Leichter Panzerfunkwagen Sd.Kfz 260 was a medium range radio car based on the same basic design as the Panzerspahwagen (FU) Sd.Kfz 223, but without a turret.
The Sd.Kfz 223 was the first car in a family of light armoured cars based on the Horch 801 chassis, which was the lightest of three chassis that had been designed in the mid 1930s to be the basis of a new family of four wheel drive vehicles for the German army. The Sd.Kfz 223 was armed with a 7.92mm machine gun carried in a manually powered turret.
The Sd.Kfz 260 had a similar superstructure to the Sd.Kfz 223, with sloped armour – 14.5mm at the front and 5-8mm elsewhere. Later in the war the front armour was increased to 30mm. The main difference between the two types was that the Sd.Kfz 260 had no turret, but instead had a slightly raised section of superstructure to give more room for the crew of four.
The Sd.Kfz 260 used the original version of the chassis, the Horch Type 801/ EG 1, which was powered by a 75hp Horch engine.
The Sd.Kfz 260 was equipped with the FuG 7 radio, with a 1.4m rod antenna. This radio was normally used to communication with Luftwaffe aircraft carrying a FuG 17 radio, to coordinate close air support.
The Sd.Kfz 260 also carried a FuSpr.A short range radio, which was used for communication between vehicles in the same unit.
The same basic design was also used for the Sd.Kfz 261, which carried a longer range radio.
The Sd.Kfz 260 and Sd.Kfz 261 entered service in 1941. They were used by the signals troops of the HQ units of regiments, brigades and divisions in the Panzer Truppen and to armoured companies in signal corps battalions (Nachrichten battalions). Both remained in use to the end of the war.
Stats
Production:
Hull Length: 4830mm
Hull Width: 1990mm
Height: 1780mm
Crew: 4
Weight: 4260kg
Engine: 75hp Horch/ Auto-Union 8-cylinder V-petrol engine
Max Speed: 80km/ hr
Max Range: 320km (road), 200km (terrain)
Armament: None
Armour: 5-14.5mm (later 30mm)
German Half-Tracks and Wheeled Vehicles 1939-1945, Alexander Lüdeke.
Looks at the armoured cars and half-tracks used by the German Army before and during the Second World War, focusing on the development and technical descriptions of each type and its major variants. Each type gets one or two pages, supported by photos of the vehicle. A useful short reference book on these essential vehicles, covering both the many types developed in Germany and the smaller number of captured vehicles pressed into service. [read full review]
