Germany
SdKfz 231 Schwere Panzerspähwagen (8 rad)
Ordnance classification - SdKfz 231

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The SdKfz 231 Schwere Panzerspähwagen was designed in 1935, manufactured by Duutsche Werke based on the existing 8 x 8 drive 8 Wheel Armoured Car and was in use from 1936 to 1943.

General Details Specifications Operational Date(s) 1936 - 1943 Ordnance classification SdKfz 231 Quantity Produced 507 Weight unknown Crew 4 M.G's small 1 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 5.85 mtr Width 2.20 mtr Height 2.35 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 53 mph Max Cross Country Speed 19 mph Range Road 188 miles Range Cross Country 84 miles Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity unknown Horse Power 150 hp Power/Weight unknown General Information The SdKfz 231 Schwere Panzerspähwagen was designed in 1935, manufactured by Duutsche Werke based on the existing 8 x 8 drive 8 Wheel Armoured Car and was in use from 1936 to 1943. The vehicle was powered by Bussing-NAG 'L8V' petrol powerplant producing 150 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 53 mph with a range of about 188 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 19 mph and a range of about 84 miles. It was armed with 1 light machine gun. Its main armament consisted of a 2.0cm Kwk 38 L/55 which could penetrate 18 mm of flat plate at 100 metres After experience with the 6 wheeled heavy armoured cars, Germany started the development of the 8 wheeled vehicles in the early 1930s. These vehicles had all wheel drive and steering making them more effective cross country. The vehicle was armed with a 2.0cm Kwk 38 L/55 gun in a rotating turret. Armour Details Turret Front 15mm @ 20° (16mm) Side 8mm @ 30° (9mm) Rear 8mm @ 30° (9mm) Top 6mm @ 85° (6mm) Superstructure Front 15mm @ 28° (17mm) Side 8mm @ 35° (10mm) Rear 8mm @ 35° (10mm) Top 6mm @ 87° (6mm) Hull Front 18mm @ 35° (22mm) Side 8mm @ 35° (10mm) Rear 10mm @ 25° (11mm) Top 5mm @ 90° (5mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 22 mm - Minimum 5 mm

Weapon Details 2.0cm Kwk 38 L/55 2.0cm Kampfwagenkanone 38 L/55 (translates as Tank Gun) History Improved version of the 2.0cm KwK 30 L/55 used on the Panzer II Ausf J and onward Manufactured 1940 - 1945 Calibre 20mm Length L/55 Rate of Fire 220 rpm   Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content 2.0cm PzGr 39 (AP Armor Piercing) 20mm 0.12Kg 899M/Sec Quoted Penetration 23mm @ 100mtr/30° ( ≈ 26mm/0°) Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.12 0.25 0.59 1.68 Penetration(mm@30°) 18 13 9 5 Penetration(mm@0°) 21 16 11 6 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 81 2.0cm PzGr 40 (APCR Armor Piercing Composite Rigid) 20mm 0.115Kg 1060M/Sec Quoted Penetration 40mm @ 100mtr/0° Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.1 0.21 0.47 1.26 2.88 7.67 Penetration(mm@30°) 35 31 25 17 10 4 Penetration(mm@0°) 41 36 30 20 12 5 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 93 34 2 2 cm Sprgr. 39 (HE High Explosive) 20mm 0.132Kg 995M/Sec 0.006Kg explosive Maximum Range 2000 Mtr Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.11 0.22 0.5 1.35 3.05 8.12 Direct Fire Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.11 0.22 0.5 1.35 3.05 8.12 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 90 25 2 Blast/Fragmentation Effects Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill 0 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill 0 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill 1 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr 0 mm An explosion within 0 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's. An explosion within 1 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties. The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will not cause any significant armour damage.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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Page Last Updated: 2019-11-21 13:29:44