Leichte Panzerspähwagen für Tropen

[Petrus]

In forums other than AHF I have recently found some info on a project of a light armoured car that supposedly was to serve with German troops in Africa.

Here is a drawing that shows the vehicle in question:



And a handful of info on that:

On july 21 1941 the Waffenamt requested a design for a new armored car. This new panzerspähwagen ( armored recce vehicle) should be based in a shortened Sd.Kfz 234 chassis, using its same frontal and sides with a redesigned rear armor and engine compartiment and m,any commom parts as possible and practical.
As an adaptation for the western desert the vehicle had several ventilation ports, also its engine a brand new Tatra V910 diesel was air cooled intean using a more complicated ( and somewhat inconvenient in Libya) water coolant.
The main armament was an automatic k.w.K 38 20 mm gun and a coaxial Mg 34. The proyected weight was 7 tons and the panzerspähwagen should use a turret heavily based in the one of the Sd.Kfz 222, open top with antigrenade mesh screen.
Büssing Nag was awarded with an contract of 500 vehicles to be ready in 1943, however the low priority of the project and the lack of the new Czech engines demorated the design until 1943 , 2 prototipes were made, one in july 1942 and other in October 1943 . In that date Germany was already pushed out Afrika, The project was obviously cancelled, there was no more need of that vehicle.

Leichte Panzerspähwagen für Tropen
Type: Recce armored car for hot climates.
Armor: Max 30 mm min 10 mm
Engine: Diesel Tatra V910 V8 125 hp
Speed: 70 km/h
Weight: 6900kg
Crew: 4, commander, Gunner/loader, front driver and rear driver

I have several questions regarding the project:

1. Was it real? (or rather is for example a post-war fantasy)
2. Did it have a Sd.Kfz. number allocated?
3. Do you know more on the project, including detailed data (e.g. dimensions) and pictures/drawings.

I would be really grateful for any input.

Best regards,
Piotr

[NagaSadow]

Hello!

1. Yes, it was real. Two prototypes were indeed built in 1942/1943.
2. No.
3. So far, i've seen only two different pictures. One in Panzer-Tracts 13 and the other one in the Spielberger book about armored cars (Militärfahrzeuge 4 - Gepanzerte Radfahrzeuge des deutschen Heeres).

[Petrus]

Thank you for your answer.

It would be interesting to see the pitcures you've mentioned. Anyone has them?

By the way, I wonder why the Germans opted for a heavier Puma as their armoured car and discarded light armoured cars at all, replacing them with half-tracks. Perhaps, I think they preferred Puma's eight-wheel drive and its weight and bulk were a price for better mobility. Albeit it seems to me that a smaller and lighter four-wheeler would be not so bad a vehicle for reconnaissance, may be even it could be better in some tactical situations.

Best regards,
Piotr

[Keessmit]

Leichte Panzerspähwagen für Tropen

A question about the V910 Tatra engine: The V910 engine was the prototype T103 engine used in the Panzerspaewagen 234 series as well as in the Tatra T111. It is however a 12 cylinder engine and apparently too big and powerfull for the 4x4 Leichte Panzerspaehwagen fuer Tropen. Tatra developed also an eight cylinder engine in WW2, but I don’t think it was ready in 1942/1943.
It leaves me with the question: Which engine powered the Leichte Panzerspaehwagen fuer Tropen prototypes?

Best regards
Kees

[brano]

If this vehicle was to be powered by a Tatra 6-cylinder diesel engine, then only the Tatra 104 experimental engine, which was half the Tatra 910/103/111 engine. The photo of the engine T 104 is dated to April 1943 and I do not know what vehicle to be mounted.