Germany
SdKfz 233 Schwere Panzerspähwagen (8 rad)
Ordnance classification - SdKfz 233

Tweet The SdKfz 233 Schwere Panzerspähwagen was designed in 1941, manufactured by Deutsche Werke Schichau based on the existing 8 x 8 drive 8 Wheel Armoured Car and was in use from 1942 to 1945. General Details Specifications Operational Date(s) 1942 - 1945 Ordnance classification SdKfz 233 Quantity Produced 109 Weight 8.7 tonne Crew 4 M.G's small 1 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 5.85 mtr Width 2.20 mtr Height 2.25 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 50 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 17 hp/tonne General Information The SdKfz 233 Schwere Panzerspähwagen was designed in 1941, manufactured by Deutsche Werke Schichau based on the existing 8 x 8 drive 8 Wheel Armoured Car and was in use from 1942 to 1945. The vehicle was powered by Bussing-NAG 'L8V' petrol powerplant producing 150 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 50 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 7.5cm StuK 37 L/24 which could penetrate 54 mm of flat plate at 800 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 7.5cm StuK 37 L/24 AP gun to act in the close support role. Armour Details Turret Front n/a Side n/a Rear n/a Top n/a Superstructure Front 15mm @ 30° (17mm) Side 8mm @ 35° (10mm) Rear 8mm @ 35° (10mm) Top 6mm @ 87° (6mm) Hull Front 30mm @ 35° (37mm) Side 8mm @ 35° (10mm) Rear 10mm @ 25° (11mm) Top 5mm @ 90° (5mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 37 mm - Minimum 5 mm Weapon Details 7.5cm StuK 37 L/24 (Tank Gun) Calibre 75mm Length L/24   Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content K. Gr. rot Pz (AP Armor Piercing) 75mm 6.8Kg 385M/Sec Quoted Penetration 38mm@500m/30° Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.26 0.53 1.1 2.33 3.71 5.28 7.09 9.17 Penetration(mm@30°) 63 58 53 46 40 35 30 25 Penetration(mm@0°) 73 68 62 54 47 41 35 29 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 54 22 6 2 1 7.5 cm Sprgr.34 - short (HE High Explosive) 75mm 4.4Kg 385M/Sec 0.454Kg explosive Maximum Range not shown as gun elevation is limited Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.26 0.53 1.1 2.33 3.71 5.29 7.09 9.17 Direct Fire Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.26 0.53 1.1 2.33 3.71 5.29 7.09 9.17 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 54 22 6 2 1 Blast/Fragmentation Effects Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill 3 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill 6 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill 16 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr 1 mm An explosion within 3 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal. An explosion within 6 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's. An explosion within 16 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 penetrate 1 mm of the tank armour including the roof.

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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