| Under the Treaty of Versailles Germany was forbidden to build tanks and was allowed only a limited number of armored cars, primarily for internal security use. Those built for the army were prohibited from having revolving turrets and the design was also limited in other ways to prevent them being used as fighting vehicles. Both standard army and police armored cars were heavy and, despite four-wheel drive, virtually road-bound. Despite the absence of suitable vehicles for training the German army was interested in the possibilities of the armored car for medium and distant reconnaissance for which it was specially suited; it fitted the concept of a compact and mobile hard-hitting, fast-moving reborn army. The armored car was used to back up the motor-cyclists, who were the spearhead of the reconnoitering thrust. |
| Specifications for armored cars were issued in 1927, and included the possibility to change from forward to reverse driving (having one driver in the front and a second in the rear made movement in either direction possible without turning). The crew was to consist of five men: commander, driver(s), gunner(s) and a wireless operator. The resulting models were tested extensively in secret in Germany and, by special arrangement, in Russia. |
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| Three firms (Daimler-Benz, Bussing-NAG and Magirus) were engaged in the development of a 6-wheeled armored car, resulting in three versions with different functions in 1935: |
| Sd.Kfz. 231 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (6 Rad) | 6-wheeled armored car with 20mm gun and one MG |
| Sd.Kfz. 232 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (6 Rad) | 6-wheeled armored car with same armament
and a medium range wireless set |
| Sd.Kfz. 263 Panzerfunkwagen (6 Rad) | 6-wheeled armored car with non-revolving turret
and long range wireless set |
| The long gap between the front and rear wheels was a noticeable characteristic of the 6-wheelers. They had duplicate steering positions with alternative controls; the second steering wheel and controls came into action when the reverse gear in the direction box was engaged. The Sd.Kfz. 232 had a horizontal frame aerial for transmission consisting of parallel tubes carried on two outriggers at the back of the car. The frame had a central bearing which rested on a turret support shaped like an inverted 'U", which allowed the turret to turn beneath the aerial without transmitting any movement to it. |
| The German army also put out a requirement for a light 4-wheeled armored car, resulting in the lightly armored Kfz 13 and 14 in 1933. By 1937 the 4-wheel Sd.Kfz 221 series was in production, which had an open-topped turret with 360 degree traverse mounting a 7.92mm MG. There were six versions in the 221 series, including the Sd.Kfz. 222 Leichter Panzerspähwagen mounting a 20mm gun and MG in the turret with a hinged wire grille for overhead protection, and the Sd.Kfz. 260/261 Leichter Panzerfunkwagen. |
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| In 1935, with the Rhineland re-occupied and Germany re-established in their own eyes, the provisions of the Versailles Treaty were openly defied. The 8-wheeled armored car designs were examined and developed into the following versions in 1938: |
| Sd.Kfz. 231 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (8 Rad) | armed with a 20mm gun and MG |
| Sd.Kfz. 232 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (8 Rad) | as above, but with a wireless set |
| Sd.Kfz. 233 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (8 Rad) | armed with a 75mm gun StuK L/24 |
| Sd.Kfz. 263 Panzerfunkwagen (8 Rad) | no turret, heightened hull with MG in front plate
and a long range wireless set |
| For some reason the germans gave these 8-wheeled vehicles the same vocabulary as those of the earlier 6-wheeled cars. To distinguish between the two the description (6 Rad) or (8 Rad) was added. The 231 series (6 Rad) were used by Panzer divisions until the 8-wheelers took their place, and some were in action in poland and France. The Schwerer Panzerspähwagen Sd.Kfz. 233 had an open superstructure in which was mounted a 75mm StuK (SturmKanone) L/24. The 233's assault gun was intended to provide supporting fire for the more lightly-armed 8 Rad 231 and 232 cars. |
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| The 234 series, with all eight wheels both driven and steered, were formidable cars with a more powerful armament and heavier armor. Hitler himself ordered the installation of the long 75mm gun on the 234 chassis, which would have been ideally suited to the anti-tank role. The variants of the Sd.Kfz. 234 is as follows: |
| Sd.Kfz. 234/1 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen | armed with 20mm Kwk and MG in open turret |
| Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen Puma | 50mm Kwk L/60 and MG in enclosed turret |
| Sd.Kfz. 234/3 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen | turretless, 75mm StuK L/24 in open mounting |
| Sd.Kfz. 234/4 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen | turretless, 75mm Pak L/48 in open mounting |
| The 234 series came into service in 1943 and can be distinguished from the earlier 8-wheeled armored cars by the different mudguard arrangement, the earlier cars having a break between the front pair and rear pair of mudguards on each side. |
