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Germany
SdKfz 234/4
Ordnance classification - SdKfz 234-4

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The SdKfz 234/4 was designed in 1943, manufactured by Bussing-NAG based on the existing 8 x 8 drive 8 Wheel Armoured Car and was in use from 1943 to 1945.

Flag of World War 2 Germany
Photo of SdKfz 234/4
SdKfz 234/4 scale illustration

General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1943 - 1945
Ordnance classificationSdKfz 234-4
Quantity Produced89
Weight11.5 tonne
Crew4
M.G's small1
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length6.02 mtr
Width2.31 mtr
Height1.97 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed51 mph
Max Cross Country Speed19 mph
Range Road563 miles
Range Cross Country253 miles
Fuel TypeDiesel
Fuel Capacityunknown
Horse Power220 hp
Power/Weight19 hp/tonne
General Information
The SdKfz 234/4 was designed in 1943, manufactured by Bussing-NAG based on the existing 8 x 8 drive 8 Wheel Armoured Car and was in use from 1943 to 1945.

It was armed with 1 light machine gun , a 7.92mm MG 42. Its main armament consisted of a 7.5cm Pak 40 L/46 which could penetrate 128 mm of flat plate at 400 metres

The SdKfz 234 series of heavy armoured cars was a development of the earlier SdKfz 231 series. These armoured cars had all wheel drive and steering, but were more heavily armoured than the 231 series, and were therefore heavier at around 11 tonnes.

The 234/4 was armed with a 7.5cm Pak 39/40 L/48 AP in an open topped enclosure, this would have been used as a stopgap Anti Tank weapon. The vehicle could be driven in reverse by the radio operator in the rear of the vehicle.

Armour Details
Turret
Front15mm@40°(20mm)
Side15mm@0°(15mm)
Rear15mm@38°(19mm)
Topn/a
Superstructure
Front30mm@35°(37mm)
Side8mm@30°(9mm)
Rear10mm@22°(11mm)
Top6mm@88°(6mm)
Hull
Front30mm@30°(35mm)
Side8mm@30°(9mm)
Rear10mm@40°(13mm)
Top5mm@90°(5mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 37 mm - Minimum 5 mm



Weapon Details
Flag
 7.92mm MG 42
7.92mm Maschinengewehr 42
(translates as Machine Gun) 		Blank
History
In 1943 as Germany started to run short of raw materials, a new machine gun design was created, based on the MG34 but designed for simple manufacture and less raw materials. It became the German Army main machine gun, and again had the bipod, the Anti Aircraft and tripod for heavy machine gun use. It was simpler and more reliable than the MG34 especially in conditions on the Eastern Front. It had a very high rate of fire 1200rpm.
Percentage of bullet types used during the war were SmK(8%) SmK(H)(1.5%)
ManufacturerMauser-Werke
Manufactured1942 - 1945
Calibre7.92mm
Rate of Fire1200 rpm
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
S.m.K.H tungsten cored
(AP Standard Small Arms) 		7.92mm 0.013Kg 910M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 13mm@100m/30°
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.33 1.04
Penetration(mm@30°) 15 11 6
Penetration(mm@0°) 18 13 7
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98


 
S.m.K
(BALL Standard Small Arms) 		7.92mm 0.012Kg 785M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 8mm@100m/30°
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.2
Penetration(mm@30°) 5
Penetration(mm@0°) 6
Hit Probability(%) 98


Weapon Details
Flag
 7.5cm Pak 40 L/46
7.5cm Panzerabwehrkanone 40 L/46
(translates as Anti Tank Gun) 		Blank
photo of 7.5cm Pak 40 L/46 from Wikipedia
History
This was an enlarged 5cm Pak 38 so looks very similar, but with improved performance especially against the Russian T34
ManufacturerRheinmetal-Borsig
Manufactured1941 - 1945
Calibre75mm
LengthL/46
Rate of Fire14 rpm
Number of Rounds 12
 
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
7.5cm Pzgr 39 L/48
(AP Armor Piercing) 		75mm 6.8Kg 792M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 96mm @ 500mtr/30° ( ≈ 110mm/0°)
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.26 0.53 1.13 1.8 2.57 3.44 4.46
Penetration(mm@30°) 130 121 110 96 84 72 62 51
Penetration(mm@0°) 151 140 128 112 98 84 72 60
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 96 77 44 25 15


 
7.5cm Pzgr 40
(AP40 Armour Piercing Tungsten Cored) 		75mm 4.1Kg 920M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 115mm @ 500mtr/30° ( ≈ 132mm/0°)
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.11 0.23 0.47 1.02 1.67 2.45 3.42 4.63
Penetration(mm@30°) 151 138 123 105 88 72 58 45
Penetration(mm@0°) 175 160 143 122 102 84 68 53
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 98 81 48 25 8



7.5cm Sprgr 34
(HE High Explosive) 		75mm 5.8Kg 548M/Sec 0.640Kg explosive
Maximum Range not shown as gun elevation is limited
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.18 0.38 0.77 1.63 2.61 3.71 4.98 6.44
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.18 0.38 0.77 1.63 2.61 3.71 4.98 6.44
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 81 41 22 8 3
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill3 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill6 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill17 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr1 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 17 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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