SdKfz 232 - Definition and Overview

The Schwere Panzerspähwagen (SdKfz 232), more commonly referred to as the 232 is a German armoured scout car used in World War II.

History

In the German Army, armoured cars were designed for the vital role of reconnaissance, scouting ahead of the Panzer spearheads to assess enemy strength and intentions. The 8-wheeled heavy Panzerspähwagen was large and ungainly but a very fast addition to the German mobile arsenal of the early war years. The SdKfz 232 was actually one of an entire family of Schwerer Panzerspähwagen SdKfz 231/232/233 and 263 (8-rad). The 232 version differed from the other models mainly in the specialized wireless radio communication equipment, Fu.Ger.11 SE 100 medium range radio and Fu. Spr. Ger. "a" short range radio. The visible attribute of this model was the "bedstead" antenna which was welded on top of the body of the car. At the point where the antenna was connected to the turret a special joint was installed which allowed the turret to stay mobile and rotate 360 degrees.

These vehicles first tasted combat with the campaigns against Poland, France and the Low Countries. 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, "General Mud" immobilized 150 SdKfz 232s already 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 for long raids in wide desert territory that Rommel had.

SdKfz 232 (8-Rad) production was stopped in 1943 with the appearance of SdKfz 234 Puma, also an eight-wheeler, which some sources rank as the best armoured car of World War II. The service use of the 232 didn't end there, however. Many of the old vehicles were upgraded with new radio communication equipment, replacing the "bedstead" with more modern and compact wire antennae. This vehicles are often referred to as SdKfz 232 (Fu) (8-Rad) Other were converted to a gun version, the Sd.Kfz 233 Stummel. Several SdKfz 232 still fought for Berlin during the last days of the war.

Armor

The SdKfz 232 had 15mm of slightly sloped homogenous steel armor on the front, 8mm on the sides, and 10mm on the back, with 6mm and 5mm of armor on the top and bottom respectively. This armor 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 models of the SdKfz 232 were armed with a 20mm KwK30 L/55 cannon. This cannon was based on the 20mm FlaK 30 anti-tank gun, and was capable of firing at a rate of 280 rounds per minute, a very high rate for a tank. The Panzer II also had a 7.92mm machine gun mounted coaxially with the main gun.

The 20mm cannon proved to be ineffective against many Allied tanks, and experiments were made towards replacing it with a heavier gun which produced the Puma. Great success was also had by replacing the regular armor-piercing explosive ammunition with an early version of APDS solid ammunition, but this ammunition was in chronically short supply.

Movement

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

Like all of Germany's World War II afv's, the SdKfz 232 was fueled by gasoline.

Crew

The SdKfz 232 had a crew of four: The commander, gunner in the turret, and the driver and secondary driver in the front of the hull.

Designs based on chassis

• Schwere Panzerspähwagen 232, 600 produced