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01-24-2012, 05:06 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: near Houston
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[WWII] SdKfz 231 6x4 armored car (Germany)
SdKfz 231 armored car
Copyright 2012 by Brandon Cope When the Wehrmacht began rearming in the 1930's, the SdKfz 231 was one of the first armored cars to enter service for it. It was a large 6x4 wheeled vehicle that was little more than an armored body atop a truck chassis. It served a vital training role and was still in service in sufficient numbers by 1939. It was used in significant numbers in Poland and France, but was greatly hampered by it's poor cross-country mobility. It was used in smaller numbers in Russia in 1941, but afterward was relegated to internal security and, coming full circle, training. Over 1,000 were built. The SdKfz 231 has a crew of four: driver, commander and second driver in the body and gunner slit between the body and turret. The turret was manually rotated at 8 degrees per second by the gunner. The armored car used 2.7 gallons of fuel per hour at routine usage. Subassemblies: Heavy Small Wheeled chassis +3, Medium Weapon turret +2, ten off-road wheels +1. Powertrain: 60-kW gas engine with 60-kW wheeled transmission and 26.4-gallon standard fuel tank; 4,000-kWs batteries Occupancy: 3 CS Body, 1 CS Both. Cargo: 10.5 Body. Armor Body: F 4/25, RL 4/25, B 4/15, T 4/15, U 4/15 Tur: F 4/25, RL 4/25, B 4/15, T 4/15, U 0/0 Weaponry 20mm Long Ground Autocannon/20mm KwK38 [Turret:F] (200). Ground LMG/ MG 34 [Turret:F] (1,500). Equipment Body: Small radio transmitter and transceiver, backup driver option. Statistics Size: 19'x6'x7' Payload: 0.59 tons Lwt: 6.2 tons Volume: 41 Maint.: 120 hours Price: $2,350 HT: 12. HP: 500 [body], 150 [turret], 36 [each wheel] gSpeed: 40 aAccel: 2 aDecel: 10 aMR: 0.25 aSR: 4 Very High Ground Pressure. 1/8 Off-Road Speed. Design Notes The design speed was 50 mph. The turret HPs, cost and weight were doubled. Weight was increased 12.7%. The second driver was seated at the back of the vehicle, facing to the rear. He drove if the vehicle had to retreat quickly. Variants The early models were armed with the KwK 30 and MG 13, but these were replaced early in the war. The SdKfz 232 had a Medium radio set with a large and distinctive antenna frame over the body and turret. The SdKfz 263 was a command variant with additional radio gear. The turret was replaced by a fixed superstructure was was armed with only a single machinegun.
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A generous and sadistic GM, Brandon Cope GURPS 3e stuff: http://copeab.tripod.com Last edited by copeab; 01-26-2012 at 10:02 AM. Reason: rear driver, KwK 30, 10 wheels |
01-24-2012, 10:44 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Sweden (but mostly this forum)
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Re: [WWII] SdKfz 231 6x4 armored car (Germany)
Sweet. Although it might be worth noting that most of the 231's were armed with the 20mm KwK 30 (1939-1940).
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- Yeah sure, but what’s the purpose behind the survival of the species? To what end do we need to survive? - I 'unno. I'ma go watch Terminator 3. Then goto bed dude. You keep pondering the Universe. |
01-24-2012, 10:54 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Udine, Italy
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Re: [WWII] SdKfz 231 6x4 armored car (Germany)
Equipment: backup driver option. I'd also specify that the second driver is ready to drive in the other direction. This was a feature of armored cars of the era, the idea being that when you scout along a road, sometimes you want to get away from an ambush site quickly. Instead of driving in reverse, or making a U-turn for which you might not have enough space, the second driver takes control and takes the car out of trouble.
For another example, see this old article (should still come up for free): Designer's Notes, GURPS WWII: Grim Legions which is the designer's notes article for this item the Autoblinda AB41 is at the end. Last edited by Michele; 01-25-2012 at 12:58 AM. |
01-24-2012, 11:11 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: near Houston
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Re: [WWII] SdKfz 231 6x4 armored car (Germany)
Boy, I should have waited another day to post this design ...
Yes, the second-driver listed under crew sat facing the rear and drove to 'get out of trouble'. Several pre-WWII armored cars had this feature.
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A generous and sadistic GM, Brandon Cope GURPS 3e stuff: http://copeab.tripod.com |
01-25-2012, 01:00 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Udine, Italy
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Re: [WWII] SdKfz 231 6x4 armored car (Germany)
No problem! I see you've edited, that's fine now.
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01-24-2012, 11:09 AM | #6 | |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: near Houston
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Re: [WWII] SdKfz 231 6x4 armored car (Germany)
Quote:
That book also notes that there was provision for an AA machinegun atop the turret. However, I haven't come across a photo with one actually mounted.
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A generous and sadistic GM, Brandon Cope GURPS 3e stuff: http://copeab.tripod.com |
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01-24-2012, 11:26 AM | #7 |
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Sweden (but mostly this forum)
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Re: [WWII] SdKfz 231 6x4 armored car (Germany)
My books says otherwise. When the cars were produced, between 1932-1937, they were armed with the KwK 30. I don't know the exact date when they replaced it with the KwK 38, but you can be assured that the vehicles operating in Poland and France had the KwK 30. The later ones still operational would probably be armed with the KwK 38 (Operation Barbarossa and beyond). I know that the 231 (8-rad) changed to the KwK 38 sometime during 1941-42.
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- Yeah sure, but what’s the purpose behind the survival of the species? To what end do we need to survive? - I 'unno. I'ma go watch Terminator 3. Then goto bed dude. You keep pondering the Universe. |
01-24-2012, 11:41 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: near Houston
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Re: [WWII] SdKfz 231 6x4 armored car (Germany)
Umm, our books don't contradict each other. Both of our sources say the SdKfz 231 had the KwK 30 early and the KwK 38 late. My book just doesn't say when the change was made, just that one was made.
Edit: This issue is also somewhat moot, as the two cannons are the same in game terms in GURPS WWII.
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A generous and sadistic GM, Brandon Cope GURPS 3e stuff: http://copeab.tripod.com |
01-24-2012, 12:08 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Sweden (but mostly this forum)
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Re: [WWII] SdKfz 231 6x4 armored car (Germany)
Quote:
Though there are differences between the two weapons. The KwK 30 has a RoF of 5 and the KwK 38 has a RoF of 8.
__________________
- Yeah sure, but what’s the purpose behind the survival of the species? To what end do we need to survive? - I 'unno. I'ma go watch Terminator 3. Then goto bed dude. You keep pondering the Universe. |
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01-25-2012, 05:54 PM | #10 | |
World Traveler in Training
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
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Re: [WWII] SdKfz 231 6x4 armored car (Germany)
Quote:
Egads, has it already been two years?? It seems like not that long ago!
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"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." -- Kierkegaard http://aerodrome.hamish.tripod.com Last edited by Phaelen Bleux; 01-25-2012 at 05:58 PM. |
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armored car, germany, wwii |
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