Design :

The 39M Csaba emerged from an agreement signed with the Weiss Manfred factory of Csepel, Budapest, after Straussler’s AC2 armored car design had been rejected by the British army. It was closely based on the Alvis C2. This was an independent suspension four-wheeled vehicle with a conventional framework wrapped in 9 mm (0.35 in) riveted armor plates in a sloped, lozenge shape, as can be seen from a front view. The protection was sufficient against small arms fire and shrapnel only, but the main task of this vehicle was reconnaissance, not engaging enemy units. However, its armament was quite potent compared to the protection, with a 20 mm Solothurn autocannon, also used by the first Toldi tank, comparable to the gun used by the German Panzer II.
This was completed by a coaxial 8 mm Gebauer 37/38M machine-gun while a second one could be attached to a special AA mounting in the rear hatch of the turret. Normal provision was 200 rounds for the main gun, and 3000 for the machine-guns. A Ford G61Tengine supplied by the German subsidiary of Ford in Köln, V8cyl, 90 hp, 3560 cc engine was coupled with a 5 forward, 5 reverse gearbox, and carried 135 l of gasoline. It could climb a 30 degree slope and 1 meter (3.28 ft) high vertical obstacle, and had a 0.5 m (1.64 ft) maximum fording depth. It also had two driving positions – one at the front as normal, and an additional one at the rear.
The 40M Csaba was a command version armed only with the turret-mounted 8 mm machine gun. This vehicle was fitted with a second R-4T radio, which had a large lattice radio mast.

Production :

The production of the Csaba continued intermittently from 1939 to 1944; in total, 118 armored vehicles were built (experimental chassis and 117 serial).

The first order for 8 training (from non-armored steel) and 53 linear vehicles was issued in 1939 ( No. Pc-101 – Pc-161 ). Production lasted from spring to the end of 1940. At the same time, a second order for 20 normal and 12 commander Csaba ( No. Pc-162 – Pc-181, Pc-400 – Pc-411 ) followed. At the same time, the Pc-162 became the prototype of the 40M command variant. The order was fully completed only in the first half of 1942. Such a long delay in production was due to the fact that in winter and spring, due to insufficient infrastructure in a difficult terrain, cooperation between allied enterprises was extremely difficult. To some extent, this problem was solved only during 1941. At the same time, two cars were assembled with No. RR-511and RR-512 intended for the police. Armored vehicles with Nos. Rs-182 – Rs-199 became command radio vehicles with Nos. Rs-400 – Rs-417 .

In 1943, armored vehicles were not produced, since the plant was overloaded with the production of Turan tanks.

In October 1943, the last order for 23 normal and 27 command vehicles took place. However, its implementation began only in February 1944, when by the end of the first half of the year 6 command vehicles ( No. Rs-412 – Rs-417 ) and 6 normal vehicles were completed, and until November only 10 more normal Csaba ( No. Rs-200 – RS-215 ).

Thus, in total, Manfred Weiss produced one prototype, 97 normal, 18 command and 2 police Csaba.

1939 – 1

1940-61

1942 (1st half) – 34

1944 – 22

In combat :

In April 1941, armored vehicles were used in the war against Yugoslavia. Hungary allocated units of the 3^rd Army (ten brigades) to participate in the war, three of which were consolidated into a « mobile corps » (Gyorshadtest). Each of the three brigades of the « mobile corps » received an armored reconnaissance battalion of three companies. Each battalion consisted of a company of 18 L3/35 tankettes , a company of 18 Toldi tanks and a company of 12 Csaba  armored cars , including two training ones; one more vehicle was at the battalion headquarters (the state also provided for one command vehicle). On June 27, 1941, Hungary declared war on the USSR and took part in the Operation Barbarossa. Initially, the 1st, 2nd motorized and 1st cavalry brigades each consisted of 15 vehicles, another 3 Csaba were in the 1st mountain brigade. In total, there were 48 armored cars, later 9 more vehicles arrived for replenishment. Csabas, like other Hungarian armored vehicles in 1941, were used in the southern direction. In December 1941, when the Hungarian troops were taken to the rear for replenishment, only 17 of the 57 vehicles involved remained. In the battles for Stalingrad, along with the 1st Cavalry Brigade, all of its 18 Csaba armored cars were lost. In April 1944, the 2nd Panzer Division left for the front with 14 Csaba. In August only 12 cars remainded. In the summer of 1944, there were 48 vehicles in the army, 10 more came from industry in the fall. They fought in southern Poland and in Hungary itself, repelling the advance of the Red Army in 1944-45.  Today, not a single sample of this armored car has survived.

Variants :

39M Csaba  is the base model. Armament consisted of a 20 mm 36M anti-tank rifle and one or two 8 mm machine guns. 100 units produced .

40M Csaba  – command variant equipped with three radios and a loop antenna . Armament consisted of one 8 mm machine gun. 18 units produced .

Lenght : 4,52m

Widht : 2,1m

Height : 2,27m

Weight : 5,95t

Crew : 3-4

Armor : 9mm

Armament : 20mm Solothurm AT gun ; 2x8mm MG

Engine : Ford V8, 90hp

Range : 150km

Speed : 85km/h