Heavy Panzer SDKFZ 263

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The heavy Panzerspähwagen was a large but very fast and highly versatile addition to the German Army. The original 6 Rad (6 wheeled) versions were based on a 6x4 truck with an armoured body, but by 1937 they were being replaced by the 8 Rad versions. During the replacement, the Sd.Kfz. (Sonderkraftfahrzeug, special vehicle) numbers were carried directly over; differentiation is made by the addition of 6-Rad or 8-Rad in the vehicle's name.

These vehicles were used throughout the war in various guises and first saw combat in the campaign against Poland and in the Battle of France. Later, they saw use in both the USSR and North Africa. Extreme climatic conditions in both these areas proved too severe for the vehicle. In the USSR, adverse ground conditions immobilized 150 Sd.Kfz 232s during the first wet season of the campaign.^{[citation needed]} The speed of the eight-wheeled cars made them the best scouting vehicles that Rommel had for long range reconnaissance across the wide desert territory.[

 

Armour

The Sd.Kfz. 232 had 15 mm of slightly sloped homogeneous steel armour 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 was designed to provide protection from small arms fire and HE fragments; it was ineffective against heavier weapons. After the French campaign, additional spaced frontal armour plate was added to provide better protection. Armour was increased up to 30 mm in the later Sdkfz. 234 series. However, it was not designed to provide protection from anti-tank weapons.

Armament

The Sd.Kfz. 232 was armed with a 20 mm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon. This cannon was based on the 20 mm FlaK 30 anti-aircraft gun, and was capable of firing at a rate of 280 rounds per minute.^{[citation needed]}
The 20 mm cannon was not designed to defeat enemy tanks; experiments were made towards replacing it with a heavier gun, which resulted in the Sd Kfz. 234 Puma. The Puma's 50 mm gun could penetrate and knock out Allied armoured cars and light tanks, but this was not the vehicle's role. The role intended was for the car's armour to protect the crew from small arms fire during reconnaissance missions.
Using high explosive ammunition, the 20 mm autocannon was highly effective against infantry and unarmoured vehicles. 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.^{[citation needed]}

Powerplant

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 (190 mi).^{[citation needed]}

Crew

A crew of four was typical. The commander and gunner sat in the turret. The SdKfz232 employed an unusual dual driver arrangement, with one driver seated at each end of the vehicle. This allowed the vehicle to be driven in either direction (forward or backward) with equal ease.