Armored cars were used by the Wehrmacht to back up reconnaissance troops. The early production cars were soundly constructed, capable of carrying out their appointed tasks, but they relied on speed, maneuverability and lightness to achieve their ends: to this end they sacrificed armor protection and gun-power. It was not until very late 1943 that they introduced new series of armored cars: Schwerer Panzerspahwa-gen SdKfz 234. The series represented one of the most advanced concepts in wheeled fighting vehicle to appear during World War Two.
With no little prescience, since Germany had yet lo become involved in the North African campaign, the He-ereswaffenamt initiated design work in August 1940 on a new Panzerspahwa-gen fur Kolonialzwecke - heavy armored car intended for service in hot climates. This project was also known as the Achtradwagen (ARK)' (eight-wheeled vehicle), or '8RTp' (eight-wheeled, tropical). Basic design requirements included: a chassis similar to the SdKfz 231 8-wheeled heavy armored car, but fitted with an air-cooled diesel engine; increased fording abilities; a monocoque hull instead of a frame; a superstructure similar to that of the SdKfz 231 but with thicker armor (30 mm thick front plates); ventilation for the crew compartment. Bussing-NAG was selected for the detailed design of the chassis and superstructure, and Tatra-Werke for the diesel engine.
Название: SdKfz 234 (Armor PhotoGallery 4)
Издательство: Progres Publishing House
Год издания: 2003
автор: Wojciech J. Gawrych
Серия: Armor PhotoGallery 4
Язык: английский
ISBN: 83-916483-3-8
Страниц: 64 pages
Формат: pdf
Размер: 77,6 Mb
Скачать бесплатно / free download
=============================
=============================
