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The Sd.Kfz. 234 (''Sonderkraftfahrzeug 234'', or Special Purpose Vehicle 234), was a family of armoured cars designed and built in Germany during World War II. The vehicles were lightly armoured, armed with a 20, 50 or 75 mm main gun, and powered by a Tatra V12 diesel engine.〔Fletcher, David. ''Hup, Two - Three - Four''. Classic Military Vehicle, 2001, Volume 1 Issue 4 p. 48-51.〕 The Sd.Kfz. 234 broadly resembles the appearance of ''Sd.Kfz.'' 231 (8 ''rad'').〔Hogg, p.221, "SdKfz 234/2".〕 == Development == Armoured wheeled vehicles were developed early in Germany, since they were not subject to the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. The Sd.Kfz. 234 belonged to the ARK series (type designation of the chassis) and was the successor to the earlier Sd.Kfz. 231/232/233 (8-Rad), which belonged to the GS series. The combat experience of fast-moving, hard-hitting wheeled reconnaissance vehicles during the Wehrmacht's early invasions of Poland and France impressed German military officials, but indicated some deficiencies in existing designs. A new armoured car project was thus undertaken in August 1940, incorporating several lessons from the Wehrmacht's own external operations.〔Green, Michael. Anderson, Thomas. Schulz, Frank. ''German Tanks of World War II''. Zenith Imprint, 2000.ISBN 9780760306710〕 The latest Büssing-NAG Sd.Kfz. 232 variant, the Sd.Kfz. 234 was designed later that year.〔Hogg and Weeks, p.185, "SdKfz 232, 233, and 234 (8 rad) Armoured Cars".〕 It was to have a monocoque chassis with eight wheels, and an air-cooled engine for use in North Africa.〔Hogg and Weeks, p.185, "SdKfz 232, 233, and 234 (8 rad) Armoured Cars".〕 Chassis were built by Büssing-NAG in Leipzig-Wahren, while armoured bodies were provided by Deutsche Edelstahlwerke of Krefeld and turrets by Daimler Benz in Berlin-Marienfelde and Schichau of Elbing, with engines from Ringhoffer-Tatra-Werke AG of Nesseldorf.〔Hogg and Weeks, p.185, "SdKfz 232, 233, and 234 (8 rad) Armoured Cars".〕 The vehicle had four-wheel steering and was able to quickly change direction thanks to a second rear-facing driver's seat; the transmission had six forward and reverse gears, with traction over the eight wheels. Power was provided by an air-cooled Tatra 103 diesel engine. The first and possibly best known version was the Sd.Kfz. 234/2; it had a turret armed with a 5cm L/60 gun, which was originally intended for the VK 1602 ''Leopard'' light tank. It was produced from late 1943 to mid 1944. This variant was replaced in production by the second version, the Sd.Kfz. 234/1, which had a simpler open turret (''Hängelafette 38'')〔(panzernot.net, Sd Kfz 234/2 - The Sd Kfz 234 )〕 armed with a 2 cm KwK 38 gun; it was manufactured from mid 1944 to early 1945. The SdKfz 234/3, produced simultaneously with the 234/1, served as a support vehicle for the reconnaissance vehicles. It had an open-topped superstructure, in which a short-barreled 7.5cm K51 L/24 gun was installed. This gun, was intended for use against "soft" targets; however when using a hollow charge shell the penetration power exceeded that of the 5cm L/60 gun. This variant was produced from mid 1944 to the end of 1944, before switching production to the 234/4. The final variant produced was the Sd.Kfz. 234/4, which replaced the L/24 gun with the 7.5cm L/46 PaK 40. This was yet another attempt to increase the mobility of this anti-tank gun; however the 234 chassis was stretched to its limits, and it carried limited ammunition (twelve rounds) due to lack of storage space. This variant was manufactured from the end of 1944 to the end of hostilities in 1945. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「SdKfz 234」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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