German Heavy Armored Cars: Sd.Kfz. 231, 232, 233, 263, and 234 in World War II

German Heavy Armored Cars: Sd.Kfz. 231, 232, 233, 263, and 234 in World War IIDuring WWII, Germany fielded a variety of six and eight wheeled armored cars, which were used in numerous ways, including reconnaissance, antitank, infantry support, and other roles. The earliest of these vehicles, the 6 Rad, or six wheeled vehicles, were based on 6 4 truck chassis. Once the limitations of this design became evident, later models utilized specially designed all wheel drive power trains, with the final model, the 234 series,

During WWII, Germany fielded a variety of six- and eight-wheeled armored cars, which were used in numerous ways, including reconnaissance, antitank, infantry support, and other roles. The earliest of these vehicles, the 6-Rad, or six-wheeled vehicles, were based on 6 × 4 truck chassis. Once the limitations of this design became evident, later models utilized specially designed all-wheel-drive power trains, with the final model, the 234 series, incorporating a unibody design. Similarly, armament evolved from 7.92 mm machine gun to 75 mm PaK 40 cannon and 7. 5 cm StuK40 howitzers. Based on the author’s earlier work, through over 250 photographs this volume explores 12 major types of these vehicles and delves into the subtle changes made during production.

260 color and b/w photos