With a solid combination of speed, firepower and protection, the SdKfz 231 was used in typical armored car roles to include light reconnaissance and combat, security and training - the latter of considerable importance for the German Army lacked any tanks in which to train its tankers with during much of the interwar years under the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty - allowing armored cars such as the SdKfz 231 to dutifully fit the need. SdKfz 231 units also served as direct fire support platforms in relation to infantry that were being shuttled to battle at speed on trucks or half-tracks (otherwise known as mechanized infantry). Additional duties saw SdKfz 231s attached to Panzer formations to supply these groups with basic reconnaissance. Their rather interesting and somewhat formidable appearance was naturally showcased throughout German propaganda efforts to show off German strength and ingenuity in a build up to war.
Production of the SdKfz 231 spanned from 1932 to 1937 to which some 1,000 examples were eventually produced. The Daimler-Benz name suited the vehicle for only a portion of its production life for the concerns of Bussing-NAG and Magirus were also involved, leading to slight differences in overall designs across these manufacturers (headlamps, wheels, fenders and the like) as well as different engine types being utilized - though all were very comparable in their finalized and respective forms. It should be noted that a bulk of the production was, however, Daimler-Benz in origin.
One of the key notable (and rather obvious) detriments of the SdKfz 231 series was its rather long wheelbase (this being an automobile measurement marked from the center of the front wheel to the center of the rear wheel) and lack of all-wheel drive. Not only did this provide the SdKfz231 with a rather ungainly appearance but it potentially made it unwieldy with a wide turning radius if the rear driver position was not use to good effect. The wide gap between the first and second axles could also see the SdKfz 231 getting stuck over uneven terrain when attempting to climb. Additionally, the armor added onto a civilian-minded truck chassis only worked against the design to make for a heavier vehicle than desired, the selected powerplants eventually deemed underpowered for this type of vehicle class. As such, off-road mobility was hampered and crossings of solid, flat ground were often encouraged. Of note was also the type's rather tall profile thanks to its turret structure which made concealment another tactical issue.
The SdKfz 231 was available in enough numbers to keep her in operational service for some time, ultimately participating in the early maneuvers concerning the occupations of Austria and Czechoslovakia and in the battles of both Poland and France where German "Lightning War" was used to good effect. By 1940, the type's usefulness in combat had begun to fade and the design was inevitably relegated to secondary roles and training. The Germany Army decided to standardize on dedicated eight-wheeled armored cars by then, eight wheels having shown greater promise in the realm of cross-country mobility for the near-future.
To extend the battlefield usefulness of the SdKfz 231 line, the vehicle was evolved into the SdKfz 232 and the SdKfz 263 (the latter originally known as the Kfz.67b) in the middle of the 1930s. The SdKfz 232 was nothing more than the base armored car design modified with heavy long-range radio equipment and primarily based on the Magirus SdKfz 231 chassis. This included the fitting of a radio aerial framework about the turret and hull while still maintaining full traverse of the turret (the framing being fixed in place). This version was initially known as the "gepanzerten Kraftwagen (Fu) (Kfz.67a)" until April of 1936 to which it then became the "SdKfz 232". The SdKfz 263 was similar in scope to the SdKfz 232 with an aerial framework added but its turret was fixed and lacking the 20mm cannon, reducing the vehicle's combat effectiveness. Only a machine gun in a limited-traverse ball-mount was retained. Like the SdKfz 232, the SdKfz 263 was based on the Magirus production chassis. To differentiate the models, the original SdKfz 231 became known as the "Kanonenwagen" or "Gun Vehicle" while the SdKfz 232 was classified as a heavy reconnaissance car and the SdKfz 263 categorized as a battlefield command vehicle.
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