SD.KFZ. 231 EARLY TYPE

Sd.Kfz 231/232/233 (8-Rad) were German heavy armored cars of the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were created in 1935, and serial production continued in the period 1936-1942, ending with the production of about 600 cars. The Sd.Kfz 231/232/233 series was powered by a Bussing-NAG V8 engine with 150 HP, and later with a Bussing-NAG L8V-GS engine with a capacity of 180 HP. The armament of the Sd.Kfz 231 20mm KwK 30 cannon and a single 7.92mm MG34 machine gun. The Sd.Kfz 231/232/233 (8-Rad) series of vehicles was created to replace the non-mobile Sd.Kfz 231 (6-Rad) vehicles produced in 1929-1935. They have four-axle and eight-wheeled undercarriages and armor plates at a large angle. As a result, a series of cars was created with very good off-road characteristics, high mobility, low failure rate of the entire structure and good resistance to small arms. The entire series consisted of several cars. Sd.Kfz 231 (8-Rad) was a reconnaissance vehicle with a crew of four. Shortly thereafter, it was modernized - Sd.Kfz 232, which was a radio communication vehicle armed only with a single MG34 machine gun. In the course of the war, it was decided to create the Sd.Kfz 233 vehicle, which instead of the KwK 30 cannon, had a 75 mm KwK L / 24 short-barreled cannon. This vehicle served primarily as a fire support. The Sd.Kfz 231/232/233 vehicles served on almost all fronts of World War II, taking a particularly intensive part (Sd.Kfz 231 and 232) in military operations in the period 1939-1943.