WWII German Heavy Armoured Cars

[@PremierHistory]

Which version of German Heavy Armoured Car do you think was the best? Welcome back! If you are new here make sure to hit subscribe to expand your knowledge on Military History and join the growing Premier History Community!

[@OscarReyes-zh8ub]

Thanks for this, `Premier History’; I had no idea of the existence of this material. I’m just an old illustrator, so I find them fierce and cute, with a strong steampunk flavor. I hope more details & angles of view of these cars will soon appear on your site or elsewhere

[@zali13]

The Puma!

[@TabiTheCat]

pewma, not the PUUUMA?

[@affenrodeo226]

i really like the 222 and the "Puma" with his 50mm cannon

[@MrStromRider]

The Puma without a doubt, mobility with sufficient fire-power for its intended purpose

[@ulrichkalber9039]

the 233 was NOT intended as anti-tank. the snubnose gun was intended to use HE against bunkers and was more intended to play the role of an early Pz IV.

[@simongee8928]

Agree. This was the problem encountered with the early PzKfw.IV armed with the same short 75mm. It was intended to be used against defences and fortifications, with the PzKfw.III armed initially with a 37mm. cannon working in the anti tank role.

[@moose6790]

yeah I was a bit skeptical when he said that after knowing the short 75 was for anti infantry or anti fortification uses

[@jadeasereht4638]

Huh that’s something I didn’t know do you have a source so I can do some more research?

[@ulrichkalber9039]

@@jadeasereht4638 that the short 75mm was intended for firing HE on Bunkers and soft targets can be found here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.5_cm_KwK_37 Spielberger also describes this weapon in his publications about the Panzer IV, StuGIII and armored cars.

[@jadeasereht4638]

@@ulrichkalber9039 alright thank you my friend.

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

Not only 8 wheeled... They were also 8 wheel drive and had 8 wheel steering with a front AND rear driving position. Absolutely cutting edge for the time.

[@frenzalrhomb6919]

Well there's your "German Engineering" in action. I can't for the life of me, understand why it is that even these Sdkfz Vehicles are accused of being "over engineered," but then again, sometimes I think that's just shorthand for "better than ours!!"

[@damianolanzoni9583]

​@@frenzalrhomb6919 I think that they are "over engineered" in the sense that their complexity can be detrimental on a frontline situation. I mean: they are great vehicles with great capabilities; but the more complex they are, the more they need highly specialized technicians for repairs and a greater number and variety of spare parts. The T-34 was not an overall great tank: but it was so simple that it could be repaired on the battlefield by someone with basic capabilities and it needed less and simpler spare parts. Simplicity of construction and repair is a factor that must be considered when dealing with a conflict that requires such large numbers of vehicles.

[@postpwnmalone]

​@frenzal rhomb if you need an example of what people mean by over-engineering look at the kettenkrad

[@lenney872]

@@damianolanzoni9583The t34 wasn’t a simple tank by any means compared to other ones. It was just manufactured very cheaply and many corners cut.

[@whathaveicreated1197]

that isn't cheap though I think

[@dgerdi]

Those Sdkfz were quite flawless in comparison to the heavier tanks. They were very quick and well armed for skirmishes. But the problems came, when fuel shortages limited their speed and range. Those cars were depended on speed alone as they were hitable only with huge luck while in full speed.

[@neutr4l1zer]

The term sdkfz were used for all German armoured, tracked or the even just halftracked vehicles. This includes both the armoured cars and heavier tanks you refer to.

[@dgerdi]

@@neutr4l1zer You are right. My fault. I always called these recon cars and the troop transporters „Sdkfz“. My mistake.

[@k3D4rsi554maq]

Interesting information.

[@taktikbegeistert8506]

That is an argueable statement, those 8 wheelers had there roles, that was recon in a terrain that was suited for wheeled vehicles, in cross country they could hold there own when the ground was able to bear them. But my question is, do you need a howitzer or heavy AT gun for the task of recon? Those modifications came later in the war i know, but they where part of the gooing down of motorized units, those vehicles had less and less use as recons but in going fast to the worst spots to help kick out fires, and because of their high speed they could come to rescue very quick, but 30mm of armour are not what i would want when i need to go fight back an attacking force, that made my comrades call for help in the first place. I would make the (also argueable) statement, that the hight of german recon use was the time when they changed from the 4 wheeld to the 6 and early 8 wheeled vehicles, after that it went more and more to lightly armoured very fast fire brigade, with limited cross country abilitys (granted i see that in the shadow of the eastern campaigns but is it wrong to generalyse here?) never the less those vehicles ARE beautiful to watch, they indeed give a feeling of readiness to unleash roaring high speed manouvers.

[@nightshade4873]

to add to Neutr4l1zer's comment, Sd.Kfz. designation is there to denote that a platform is motorized Sonder = Special (at the time, Motorization of platforms was new along with mechanization of armies) Kraft = Power, or rather in the context, Motorized Fahrzeug = Vehicle/Platform/Carriage, synonymous with Wagen/Wagon Sonderkraftfahrzeug = Special Motorized Platform very similar to the US Ordnance designation of GMC which is an abbreviation of Gun-Motor-Carriage.

[@scottfoster2639]

WWII had the coolest looking armoured cars.

[@BlueSkyCountry]

With the rest of the world still retaining a lot of Victorian aesthetics and mannerisms in the 1940s, the Germans were building vehicles that look like they were meant for use on the Moon and Mars, with names that sound like computer chipsets.

[@walterschumann2476]

I have told others that only the turreted 50 mm gun version was called the Puma, thank you for confirming this.

[@methodeetrigueur1164]

This turret was intended for the leopard tank which never saw the light of day. It is a replacement.

[@raka522]

The SDKFZ 234 was the non plus ultra of scout vehicle development and led to the development of the 'Luchs' scout tank after WWII in Germany. The SDKFZ 234 was the only armored vehicle of the Wehrmacht that had a diesel engine, and it was also extremely quiet. After the war a test of this vehicle was carried out in the UK, and it was found that it had exceptional cross-country mobility, which the Allies could not match.

[@edi9892]

Few things to point out: 1) they can support infantry or attack enemies where enemies would not normally expect tanks. They can cross smaller bridges, squeeze past narrow alleys or traverse forests. 2) the 50mm was a high velocity cannon and the armour penetration was further increased by tungsten core ammunition, which was lighter than regular ammunition but featured a tungsten rod which was denser and harder than steel. This increased the muzzle velocity and terminal ballistics, but not so much the regular ballistics. They were the predecessor of discarding sabot and later APFSDS. The ammunition was however expensive and hard to get limiting their usefulness, especially late in the war. 2) the 75mm did not rely on impact to penetrate armour. It was a low pressure low velocity howitzer that would lob explosives onto the enemy. Against steel, HEAT rounds were used. The problem was that the spin of the projectile reduced the effect. Plus, triggering the explosion at the right moment instead of glancing off or crushing the round was still challenging. Thus, they lost probably 50% of their potential performance. 3) 8 wheels are faster than tracks and can keep moving fast even if two wheels are destroyed. They are however more prone to getting stuck and can't climb as steep of a slope as tracked vehicles can.

[@taurus2016]

That this concept still works today can be seen from their "grandchildren". "Luchs" armored reconnaissance vehicle and "Fuchs" armored personnel carrier.

[@asiangaming8409]

FUCH is more of a ACV instead of APC role

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

8 wheel power, 8 wheel steering.. i like it 👍 Made a model once as a kid, the one with the short canon and open top.

[@janmale7767]

I served in the SADF where we had 'Ratel' as an infantry fighting vehicle also 8 wheeled,with different gun layouts from 20mm cannon, to a 75mm cannon and machine guns.

[@user-to6us5ol7e]

2:00 Sd. Kfz 232 I think it was more advanced than other countries. And The impact of these ideas is great.

[@WestValleyTransparency]

Yes. Its enginuity led to development of other vehicles such as the LAV, Stryker, BTR, Patria, Rosomak, and many others!

[@user-to6us5ol7e]

@@WestValleyTransparency sun You are right :)

[@ThommyofThenn]

Correct.

[@user-to6us5ol7e]

@@ThommyofThenn sun Thank you for reading :)

[@k3D4rsi554maq]

Indeed!

[@Revener666]

The Sd. Kfz. 233 is for artilley support not anti tank.

[@thunderK5]

Correct. That one is indeed wrong.

[@TanksEncyclopediaYT]

Dear Premier History, Our illustrations are free to use for non-commercial purposes only with proper crediting, which you have clearly failed to do. This usually includes mentions in both the description and the video of the website and the particular illustrator. Please rectify your description and keep this in mind for future videos.

[@Panzerram]

🤓

[@tamzidkarim9402]

Sdkfz 233 with its shorts barrel 75mm gun looks more of an Infantry Fire Support rather than anti tank purpose vehicle

[@roadstarman58]

You forgot the sdkfz 263 heavy radio car. It used the same chassis as the 231/232/233. It had a raised superstructure with no turret and a single MG34 mounted on the front of the superstructure. It had a 'bedframe' antenna similar to the sdkfz 232, but also had the ability to deploy a tall pole mounted star antenna for long range communications. There were also 6 x 4 heavy armored cars using the same sdkfz 231/232/263 designation. They were built on truck chassis and the front axle was not powered. They became obsolete pretty quick as cross country wasn't nearly as good as the others.

[@ThommyofThenn]

Some very nice weapons on these highly mobile systems. In particular I am interested in the autocannons being used in a ground support role.

[@JeepWrangler1957]

I think the Puma was a good one. Armed enough to but up a fight if they encountered a heavy force until the broke contact. Much better than the ones used by the Red's, American's and Brit's.

[@delinquenter]

Our Puma's were definitely the superior armoured cars and stole the show of WW2. Their different variants offered alot of versatillity in our special roles. This cutting-edge technology obviously was also alot more expensive and harder, to fund and maintain. If it weren't for our clever logistics, then there would have been way less variants for a much shorter time period.

[@ValdarBrodd]

The 50mm Puma is the coolest.

[@nickellison2785]

The 234/3 wasn’t known as the Stummel (Stump), that was the name given to the SdKfz 251 half track with the 7.5cm L/24, and that gun wasn’t for anti tank purposes like you said the SdKfz 233 was, it was a low velocity howitzer for firing HE shells at bunkers, infantry, and other hard targets.

[@methodeetrigueur1164]

Many are missing. The first models of SdKfz 231 and 232 had only 6 wheels (6 Rad). They quickly became obsolete and were replaced by models with 8 wheels (8 Rad). On the other hand, there is no mention of the SdKfz 263…

[@pyeitme508]

Ok nice, wish for US & USSR ones soon

[@PremierHistory]

Great idea PYeitme, nice one

[@capdetigla]

Nah brah we should wait for spain and poland, hour long video for each man

[@Ben-mw9vz]

Boarhound moment

[@pyeitme508]

@@PremierHistory YA!

[@TheSympathydenied]

Why would you wish the ussr to get those weapons

[@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle]

3:51 my understanding is the Puma came out of a failed PzII variant. They had already built the turrets when the program was cancelled. So they mounted the turrets on chassis of the 234/1 and called it 234/2

[@ataxpayer723]

Most NATO countries and the US military are now re-introducing 8 wheeled recce and combat armoured vehicles.

[@GrafXohoo]

Heavy Armored Cars *exist* .50 cal "brrrrrrrrrrrrrt" Heavy Armored Cars *does not exist*

[@LDN76]

For me as a kid these were THE german war vehicles. Not the tanks, not the planes but these eight wheeled cars did it for me.

[@grievetan]

Imagine if Puma had 75 mm gun with a turret

[@delinquenter]

It would have toppled over. Trust me, if it was possible, we Germans would have done it xD But considering it's maneuverability, the PaK 40 varient bassically served that purpose already without a turret.

[@13stalag13]

I always loved the Puma version!

[@mikepette4422]

I think everyone does it just looks dangerous

[@Pimthrow]

I think Sdkfz 233 was not against tanks. The short 7,5 cm way an infantry support gun.

[@peterhans8433]

Yes it was the Ig18 aka (Infanterie geschütz 18) However he isn’t incorrect either becouse they were equipped with Ap and heat rounds but more as a self defence tool incase they come in contact with tanks rather then beeing the hunter themselves (can also be seen by the ammo loadout they carried as the Ap and heat rounds were usually way less than the He rounds)

[@Unknown1355]

@@peterhans8433 That's incorrect too, it used the same KwK 37 from Panzer IV. IG18 can't even use the same ammunition, KwK uses much more powerful rounds and had a longer barrel. Plus HEAT was not available during early war, that came later.

[@masudashizue777]

If I were a German soldier, I would have wanted to serve on a Puma, with its speed and defensive capabilities.

[@Absaalookemensch]

With the turret hatches open, a Puma looks like Mickey Mouse with a flute.

[@wwiiinplastic4712]

David Doyle just released another of his Legends of Warfare series on the 231, 232, 233, 234, and 263 both 6- and 8-rad versions. Plenty of excellent photos as is true of all of his books. I have a kit of each of these vehicles. The Puma is definitely the crowd favorite. Re: the 233 that was meant as an artillery support vehicle for the recon battalions to help when they came up against obstacles such as small AT bunkers, once it became harder for the Luftwaffe to provide air support against those types of road blocks. The 231/232 didn't carry a big enough gun to bust concrete so the 233 would come toss a round in to clear out the nest. They were also effective as AT themselves when using AP rounds for the 7.5cm StuK L/24 gun the 233 mounted.

[@x_hibernia]

When armoured car get a nickname like squeezy boy you know there can be only one winner

[@briansteffmagnussen9078]

Best, This depends solely on the sutuation they are used in as an combined force. In this light none are the best alone.

[@SuperLaplander]

To me the variant equipped with the PAK40 gun seems like a good one.

[@A.G.798]

Wow, der deutsche 8 Rad Spähpanzerwagen ,seiner Zeit weit voraus, schnell, zuverlässig und Beweglich, zumal hervorragend Bewaffnet. Toll.

[@357Striker]

The 234/2, and the puma is the typical in all ww2 games and the ones I most love

[@mitch40aw]

The Puma was my favourite

[@lazargrujic5754]

2:02 What is the purpose of iron bars on armored car?

[@user-to6us5ol7e]

Hi (^^♪ It 's a command vehicle, so it 's an antenna.

[@outlander1939]

It is the radio antenna.

[@kevinlutz5994]

It looks like the Russians putting bed springs on late WWII tanks.

[@e.a.corral4713]

Puma was such a beautiful weapon.Wanted to build 1?

[@adriangabrieljones881]

Thjank you for the video!

[@delinquenter]

Es gab eine paar Fehler in dem Video, was die Fähigkeiten angeht, die diese Fahrzeuge besaßen und die Rollen, die sie erfüllten, die in der Kommentarsektion von gebildeten Fans angemerkt wurden. Nichts desto Trotz war dies ein gutes Video, welches unsere beeindruckenden Radfahrzeuge des zweiten Weltkriege gut darstellte.

[@MXB2001]

The AMX 10 is the spiritual descendant of the Puma. As a kid I built models of the Puma and the 232. Sitting on my shelves still. Most interesting is that they carry licence plates. I remember applying the tiny sticker.

[@colerend4431]

AMX 10 is not a spiritual descendant of a Puma. It was designed to replace the AML 90's

[@charlesvanonselen6251]

Puma was excellent !

[@tsr207]

Not only were they vulnerable to tank fire and infantry weapons- RAF Typhoons wreaked havoc on them - their rocket projectiles going straight through them - the rocket exhaust taking the crew out !

[@HarborLockRoad]

And youd expect what out of an armored car???

[@coreydarr8464]

A larger amount of armoured cars the first two or three years of the war with the same amount of tanks would have made things move faster!

[@Superelksch]

well, i am a fan of the SdKfz 247, especially the 4 wheels variant, it just looks good to me.

[@Anvilarm07]

What a great video. I have not seen a lot of that footage, and I've always found the German heavy AC fascinating. Thank you.

[@alexshield7532]

ofcourse the puma

[@johnceglarski9460]

I always liked the 231 best.

[@panzerpoodle]

Puma I think, range and speed were formidable

[@franzliszt4257]

The 234 had no equals until the late 50's when the BTR appeared (and even so, the original BTR was hampered by its pathetic propulsion system using two gas engines). In WWII there was no comparable Allied product. Note: the engine was the powerful aircooled Tatra Diesel - again, nothing comparable appeared until the 50's.

[@davidrobinson4553]

I'm more into naval history so don't know enough to make an informed choice on which is the best but as a young lad in the 70's I made the Airfix Puma kit and this sparked an interest in the type, just for this I'll go with the actual Puma variant. It seem the concept is making itself felt on the battlefield once more (that's if it ever really went away) using modern ISTAR systems and tactic swith smaller well armed units proliferating in the forces of many militaris arond the world. A very informative video, Thank You 👍🇬🇧🍻

[@johncavendish9373]

Had to be the Puma I made an Airfix kit of one of these bad boys back in the 70s.

[@PremierHistory]

Amazing machine and looked great too

[@alessiodecarolis]

Wasn't from Matchbox Puma 's kit? Airfix made the 7.5 Pak version of the 234, I build it, sadly they never did the other versions, with the same hull Airfix could've done the whole family!😠

[@Ungabunga_man]

Just discovered your channel, good content, but the Initials PH conjures the thoughts of a different video platform....*que drum intro

[@eeveelutionlover4344]

2:33 pack Puma

[@mrdkohlen3659]

Puma have 4 crew members, comander was also radio operator

[@eeveelutionlover4344]

3:47 low case Puma lol

[@RoyBennett-dz2cq]

They should reintroduce them they look good

[@peterhans8433]

He missed the spw 222 and spw 221 with the 20mil and panzerbüchse 41 respectively🤔

[@UtopianMatt]

The Speed Memes live on in warthunder

[@user-ku5em2cq8w]

It’s literally the cyber truck lol

[@at1970]

Not only were there never enough of them like everything else in the german army, they looked great.

[@frenzalrhomb6919]

Dose anyone know if the 234/4 had a traversable turret? Serious question. I'd appreciate your answers, thank you.

[@Silentplains791_YT]

Driva, gunna, loada, radio operataa. Lol the accent

[@generacionmarttin]

Sadly lots of errors and missinformation in this video. For starters, Sd.Kfz is not only for these vehicles but ALL vehicles, tanks, bikes, cars, trucks and everything in the german military branch.

[@brittakriep2938]

No Sonderkraftfahrzeug means simply, that is no ordinary vehicle like an ordinary car, truck/lorry or motorcycle. Sonder means about Special.

[@N0die]

> fascinatingly designed > surprisingly scant in numbers You hate to be on the receiving end of one of these, but I bet you’d hate being assigned duty in one of them as well (often with an empty stomach) 🤔

[@tbhc415]

we all know the "puma" was the best one

[@_____Skywalker_____]

3:33 900km of range? Fr? I dont believe it, probably wrong info

[@alanstrong55]

May I drive one on Hill Street in Oceanside, CA? It would be fun.

[@richardwarner3705]

Puma👍

[@alextakacs768]

MAN!! This is exactly what i been wondering about why the Germans did not have fast moving armored vehicules?? And here they are!! They sure had them!! So what went wrong for Germany?? My guess is fighting on at least 2 Fronts and never had enough supply of machines and ammunition not even enough soldiers!!! They even run out of gas!!

[@lordterra1377]

Love how in Warthunder the German Scout cars and Scount Tanks can't scout.

[@kryptex1154]

the puma can, but the rest are all rated as tank destroyers, and only tanks designated as light tanks can scout

[@jimwind7589]

How did access to rubber and what alternative was used to equip these AFVs?

[@kiviston_laiskin]

The 234/1 has a mg 42 not a mg 34

[@crownprincesebastianjohano7069]

Great vehicles. But it says even more that only 478 of all marks were built. That is really so little. Such an effective, multi-purpose vehicle should have been built in the many 1000s.

[@HarborLockRoad]

Well, take into account germany barely built 11 thousand tanks overall in WW2... Compared to shermans and t34s being built in numbers like 25 thousand , EACH. Germany wasnt so much defeated as overwhelmed by numbers.

[@mattholland8966]

I favor the Puma

[@normandixon4571]

all of them

[@Sid_Black]

What about the version that had a gun, that would force its ammo from a larger diameter into a smaller one?

[@jamesricker3997]

Overly complicated with a short barrel life. Sabot rounds made it obsolete

[@HarborLockRoad]

Puppchen

[@nightshade4873]

if you're referring to squeeze-bore guns, they did exist albeit were very limited, they would shorten barrel life for very little gains and would be manufacturing intensive. examples include the Tetrarch with the Littlejohn adaptor fitted to their 2-pounder guns, the Jagdpanzer IV's Kwk 39 7.5cm L/48. i don't remember well but i've read on some article that the Panzer III's Kwk 39 50mm gun was also squeeze bore, same gun that is used on the SdKfz. 234, but i can't remember if what the article claimed is true.

[@Flattergeist612]

The sd.kfz.'s 234 has 2 drivers

[@cliffordnelson8454]

Too bad the US is obstinate as to not recognize the advantages of true wheeled armored vehicles. The HUMVEE is just a horrible idea since it is not a good replacement for the Jeep, and is not a good replacement for a armored vehicle. Exactly what does the HUMVEE do well?

[@dayros2023]

The USA should adopt the Centauro II.

[@cliffordnelson8454]

@@dayros2023 Definitely more intelligent than using the HUMVEE as an armored vehicle.

[@cliffordnelson8454]

@@MrJedi5150 Have you figure it out now. The idiocy of trying to use a HUMVEE as an armored vehicle. What astounding idiocy. And a lot of Americans paid dearly for that stupidity.

[@marksides9757]

And the US was stuck with the Greyhound and a 37mm gun. Politics and a bit of logistics kept us stuck with designs that were inferior. We could have easily copied these units, the Panzer IV, and even the T34/85. We could have modeled the M10 after the Stug with a turret. My thoughts and arm chair historian changes to history. I'm sure the purists will ambush. lol

[@lmyrski8385]

Video misses a few important things considering it is named "WWII German Armoured Cars." What about all the 4 wheeled armored cars, which were shown but not mentioned? Or the 6-rad (wheel) cars? Sd. Kfz. 263 is missing? The video for the Sd. Kfz. 234/1 shows earlier cars. Perhaps the video should be called "Some of the WWII German Armoured Cars?"

[@pyrtwistPyrtwistWorldInMotion]

Title says "Heavy" not light armored cars

[@lmyrski8385]

@@pyrtwistPyrtwistWorldInMotion It does now, it didn't.

[@chrisdonahue524]

"Huge speeds"

[@Super_Szn]

What was the cage used for on top of the armored cars?

[@jackgraves5121]

Video says radio antenna.

[@Super_Szn]

@@MrJedi5150 this, thank you

[@Silentplains791_YT]

Pewmah

[@kaineuhauser9353]

Many flaws in the Information. But nice Video footage

[@depan]

234/2 puma 🥰🥰

[@Tommy-he7dx]

These Machines were ideal for the Blitzkrieg, but the war evolved.

[@eeveelutionlover4344]

Puma

[@greatndit]

OMG PYUMA 🤣😂🤣 what else ? haitlir ? birlain ? Girmen ?🤣😂🤣

[@nasp669]

To bad the best things go to the wrong side

[@Ryuko-T72]

Pewma

[@youngchaosfernandes]

The Pewma

[@jantschierschky3461]

Puma ?

[@jessgatt5441]

To my thinking the purpose of armored cars is to transport the seventy-five millimeter, high velocity gun, to points on the battlefield.

[@awesomejinx7190]

It’s z not zed

[@vickyking3408]

Depends where you come from,I would also say zed😊

[@mirandela777]

Lot of inaccuracy on this crap, the short barrel, low pressure gun is NOT an AT gun, lol, but a bunker buster - it fires a LOW velocity HE shell, the opposite of an real AT gun - who use AP rounds and HIGH velocity. Secondly, he have no clue these vehicles were very unreliable, ze germans ( unlike the russians, years ahead of them in tanks design) were unable to produce a diesel engine ( they wanted a diesel engine for them) and they beg the Czech for an engine - first one was a failure, second engine, a decent reliable one, was ready only at the end of the war, when was already too late... I stop watching at half, obvious the author have no clue what he is blabbing about.

[@josh05683]

There is no such thing as a “heavy armored car”.

[@m36489]

Bot

[@josh05683]

This channel is a dumpster fire when it comes to thorough research on facts. Every single video has false information littered throughout.