Schwere Panzerspahwagen Sd.Kfz. 232 (6-rad) from the right |
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The Schwerer Panzerspahwagen (Fu) Sd.Kfz 232 was a radio version of the Schwerer Panzerspahwagen Sd.Kfz 231 (6-rad) and saw service during the invasions of Poland and France.
The Sd.Kfz 231 (6-rad) was a six wheeled heavy armoured car, which combined a standard armoured body with chassis from Magirus, Bussing-NAG and Daimler-Benz. It was armed with a 20mm cannon and 7.92mm machine gun carrying in a fully rotating turret.
The Sd.Kfz 232 was a radio car version of the same vehicle. It was almost identical, apart from the radio equipment. It had a ‘bedstead’ frame aerial on top of the vehicle. Antenna arms came down to a rotating central pivot on the turret, which was thus still able to rotate freely. The extra equipment made the vehicle slightly heavier than the standard 231. The majority of Sd.Kfz 232 (Fu) (6-rads) were built on the Bussing-NAG chassis.
Production figures are uncertain, but the most likely figures put production of the Sd.Kfz 231 and Sd.Kfz 232 at a combined total of 123.
The Sd.Kfz 232 was issued to the motorized Aufklarungs detachments in the motorised forces. The Sd.Kfz 231 and Sd.Kfz 232 normally operated together, normally in pairs with one of each type.
As with the Sd.Kfz 231 they served in the occupation of Austria and Czechoslovakia and the invasions of Poland and France. They were then withdrawn from front line service because of their poor cross country performance, and replaced with the eight wheeled Schwerer Panzerspahwagen (Fu) Sd. Kfz 232 (8-rad).
Stats
Production:
Hull Length: 5570mm
Hull Width: 1820mm
Height: 2870mm
Crew: 4
Weight: 5700kg
Engine: 68hp Daimler-Benz M09 6-cylinder petrol engine
Max Speed: 70km/ hr (road)
Max Range: 300km (road), 150km (terrain)
Armament: One 20cm KwK 30 L/55 and one 7.92mm MG 13
Armour: 8 to 14.5mm
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]
