The Sd.Kfz. 247 Ausf.B model is here

History :

This type of military equipment, such as an armored car, appeared before the First World War. Initially, its functions were somewhat similar to those later found in tanks. However, later the functions changed somewhat. Insufficient maneuverability and weaker armor than tanks forced the use of armored cars more as a reconnaissance vehicle. Even before the start of the First World War, the first staff armored car appeared. It became the Opel-Darracq Kriegswagen für höhere Truppenführer, which at the same time turned out to be the first German armored car. In total, the crew of the armored vehicle was 6 people. Only one copy of such an armored car was made, but sometimes some ideas turn out to be in demand much later. By the mid-30s, the German army had decided what armored vehicles it needed and what they should do. It was supposed to have two classes of armored reconnaissance vehicles – light and heavy. Unlike earlier German armored vehicles, the new models were supposed to be produced on all-wheel drive chassis. Light chassis were developed and produced by Horch, heavy ones by Büssing-NAG. At the same time, in the second half of the 30s, another, small-scale machine appeared. It was closest to the American Scout Car, although it was more often used as a staff armored vehicle. We are talking about Sd.Kfz.247 (4 Rad), sometimes also known as Sd.Kfz.247 Ausf.B. This “unscheduled” armored car is worth talking about. It should be noted that initially the vehicle, known as the schwerer geländegängiger gepanzerter Personenkraftwagen (heavy all-terrain armored vehicle for transporting personnel), was created on a different chassis. Like a number of other armies in the world, the Wehrmacht (and before that the Reichswehr) was based on a 6X4 chassis. Such was the Krupp L2H143 chassis, one of the most recognizable German pre-war army trucks. Better known as the Krupp Protze, this truck was equipped with a flat-four engine. A similar power plant was originally installed on the Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A. The first version of Sd.Kfz.247 is worth talking about separately. One thing can be said with certainty – calling the resulting vehicle “all-terrain” was extremely difficult. The armored personnel carrier turned out to be too heavy, and the engine was clearly not enough. That’s why the series turned out to be tiny. In 1938, the idea arose to create something similar, but on a different chassis. With a more powerful engine, and most importantly, with all-wheel drive. This same chassis was found by the manufacturer of the base for light armored reconnaissance vehicles. That is, at Horch. The main problem was that the Horch 801 chassis, which was used for light armored reconnaissance vehicles, was not suitable. A front-mounted power plant was required. However, it didn’t take long to look for an alternative. The fact is that the Horch 801 chassis also had a “regular” brother – the Horch 108. This model was produced since 1937 as a single heavy cross-country passenger car (s. gl. Einheits-Pkw). To be honest, calling it a “passenger car” was as cynical as calling the German “uniform” armored cars light. In fact, it was more like a truck. The carrying capacity of 1.5 tons directly hinted at this fact. True, instead of the usual body with folding sides, the Horch 108 received an 8-seater body, which the generals did not disdain. In fact, the s.gl.gp.Pkw was a light wheeled armored personnel carrier. This status played a negative role in his fate, since it was not very clear for whom he was needed. The fact is that already in the fall of 1939, work began on a similar vehicle using the base of the Sd.Kfz.10 half-track artillery tractor. This vehicle, later designated Sd.Kfz.250, also had a crew of 6 people. Judging by how slowly the work on s.gl.gp.Pkw proceeded, already in 1939 there was no urgency. Additional fun was brought to the event by the fact that the contractor for the s.gl.gp.Pkw work was Daimler-Benz werk 40. Daimler-Benz and Horch had a relationship like a cat and a dog.

The prototype s.gl.gp.Pkw, also known as Sd.Kfz.247 (4-rad), was manufactured in the first half of 1940. A body with an original configuration was installed on the Horch 108 Typ 1b chassis. Some technical solutions were similar to the family of light armored reconnaissance vehicles, but nothing more. The driver and front passenger had a roof over their heads, the rest were located in the troop compartment open on top. It looked a little irrational. With a total length of the car of 5 meters, there was room inside for only 5 passengers, plus a driver. Here it is appropriate to recall the BTR-40, which, with the same dimensions, could accommodate 10 people. Sd.Kfz.247 (4-rad) was unlucky twice. While work on the prototype was underway, the “Shell plan” began to work. It meant simplifying the “single SUVs” available in the series. This also applied to the Horch 108. Therefore, in 1940, the Horch 108 typ 40 chassis appeared. In the case of the armored car, the chassis was designated Horch 108 Typ 1c. As a result, it was only in July 1941 that serial production of the Sd.Kfz.247 (4-rad) finally began. In 1941, 54 vehicles were delivered, in January 1942, 4 more, and that was all. The vehicles received chassis numbers 140001-140058. Production of the Horch 108 was discontinued, and the priority for the Daimler-Benz werk 40 was armored reconnaissance cars. The fact that the prospects for the Sd.Kfz.247 (4-rad) were extremely vague was clear back in the summer of 1941. It was precisely as a vehicle for transporting personnel, as it was originally intended, that the s.gl.gp.Pkw was no longer particularly relevant. The reconnaissance half-track armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.250/1 went into large production, accommodating the same 6 people, as well as a single MG 34 machine gun and a radio station. Not all Sd.Kfz.250s had a radio installed, but the Sd.Kfz.247 (4-rad) was not supposed to have one. Finally, the production of Sd.Kfz.250/1 was launched at several factories. Against this background, the production volumes of s.gl.gp.Pkw looked microscopic. The most important thing is that even the place of the Sd.Kfz.247 in the weapon system was similar to the Sd.Kfz.250/1. According to the state K.St.N.1162 dated October 1, 1938, one Sd.Kfz.247 was supposed to be part of the headquarters of the reconnaissance company. There was just a small problem. It was called « absence of a radio station. » What the Red Army is often criticized for fully applied to the Wehrmacht. A headquarters vehicle without a radio station is a so-so idea. The most interesting thing is that the updated staff of K.St.N.1162 dated November 1, 1941 no longer included the index Sd.Kfz.247. It also disappeared from the manuals. But the designation s.gl.gp.Pkw remains. That is, the car was no longer called Sd.Kfz.247. However, all produced vehicles of this type went to the army as staff armored personnel carriers. At the same time, they continued to be produced without any radium equipment. In this form, they looked like the fifth wheel in a cart, which is why the troops got out of it as best they could. In most front-line photographs, Sd.Kfz.247 (4-rad) have something that was not included in their standard configuration. That is, a radio station. The composition of radium equipment could be different. Some armored vehicles received a set of radium equipment Fu.Spr.Ger.a, some Fu.Spr.Ger.f. They took what was at hand. In this form, the armored vehicle became more suitable for work as part of a reconnaissance company headquarters. True, the frankly unsuccessful layout of the rear part of the armored hull did not contribute to the comfortable work of the crew. The placement of the radio station did not make the fighting compartment more spacious. Another pressing issue was the provision of weapons to the Sd.Kfz.247 (4-rad). The armored car essentially didn’t have one. Yes, there was an MP 38 submachine gun, but you have to understand that you couldn’t fight much with it. Therefore, some crews welded swivels for the MG 34 machine gun. They did not have to go far: the necessary parts were available on the Sd.Kfz.251 and Sd.Kfz.250 armored personnel carriers. The latter began to appear in the state of K.St.N.1162 in 1942. Despite the extreme small number, Sd.Kfz.247 (4-rad) can still be seen in photographs. The peak of their combat use was 1942. It is from this period that most of the photographs of these armored vehicles date back. However, they can also be seen in photographs taken in 1943. By that time, half-track armored personnel carriers of the Sd.Kfz.250 family were increasingly being used instead. By the way, they began to gradually replace armored reconnaissance cars. As the battles of 1941-42 showed, the cross-country ability of armored vehicles on the Horch chassis was not the best. Half-gooses were clearly more preferable here.

Not a single armored car of this type has survived to this day, but they quite often come across at military-historical events. The fact is that they are well suited as prototypes for creating replicas. Unlike armored reconnaissance vehicles, which had the engine at the rear, here the task is noticeably easier. At least 5 such replicas are known, at least 1 of which was made in Russia. It was made by the body factory of Alexander Bushuev, which specializes in replicas. It looks quite similar to the original, although with conventions. In conclusion, it is worth noting that the Sd.Kfz.247 (4-rad) turned out to be an extremely dubious combat unit. A staff armored vehicle without a radio station, without weapons, and also cramped. It’s not very clear what they were counting on when ordering such an armored vehicle. Here it’s even better not to look at the BTR-40, but at the Scout Car M3/M3A1. Even the pre-war M3 was clearly superior to its German counterpart. This largely explains why the production volume of Sd.Kfz.247 (4-rad) was so meager.

Text from Yury Pasholok