Light reconnaissance armored car “Light Armored Cars” (2 cm), Sd.Kfz.222 The reconnaissance armored car was developed in 1938 by the Horch company and in the same year began to enter the troops. All four wheels of this two-axle machine were driven and steered, the tires were resistant. The multifaceted shape of the hull is formed by rolled armor plates located with a direct and reverse slope. The first modifications of armored vehicles were produced with an 75 hp engine, and subsequent ones with an hp 90 power. The armament of the armored car initially consisted of a 7,92 mm machine gun (special vehicle 221), and then a 20 mm automatic cannon (special vehicle 222). Armament was installed in a low multifaceted tower of circular rotation. From above, the tower was closed with a folding protective grille. Armored vehicles without turrets were produced as radio vehicles. Antennas of various types were installed on them. Special vehicles 221 and 222 were the Wehrmacht's standard light armored vehicles throughout the war. They were used in armored car companies of reconnaissance battalions of tank and motorized divisions. In total, more than 2000 machines of this type were produced. The German concept of lightning war required good and quick reconnaissance. The purpose of the reconnaissance subunits was to detect the enemy and the location of his units, to identify weak points in the defense, to reconnoiter the strong points of defense and crossings. Ground reconnaissance was supplemented by air reconnaissance. In addition, the scope of tasks of the reconnaissance subunits included the destruction of enemy combat barriers, covering the flanks of their units, as well as pursuing the enemy. The means of achieving these goals were reconnaissance tanks, armored vehicles, as well as motorcycle patrols. Armored vehicles were divided into heavy ones, which had a six- or eight-wheel undercarriage, and light ones, which had a four-wheel undercarriage and a combat weight of up to 6000 kg. The main light armored vehicles (leichte Panzerspaehrxvagen) were Sd.Kfz.221, Sd.Kfz.222. Parts of the Wehrmacht and SS also used captured armored vehicles captured during the French campaign in North Africa, on the Eastern Front and confiscated from Italy after the surrender of the Italian army in 1943. Almost simultaneously with the Sd.Kfz.221, another armored car was created, which was its further development. The project was created by Westerhuette AG, the F.Schichau plant in Elblag (Elbing) and by Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen Hannover (MNH) in Hannover. (See also “Medium armored personnel carrier “Special vehicle 251”) Sd.Kfz.13 Sd.Kfz.222 was supposed to receive more powerful weapons, allowing it to successfully fight even with light enemy tanks. Therefore, in addition to the MG-34 machine gun of 7,92 mm caliber, a small-caliber cannon (in Germany classified as machine guns) 2 cm KWK30 20-mm caliber was installed on the armored car. The armament was housed in a new, more spacious ten-sided tower. In the horizontal plane, the gun had a circular firing sector, and the declination / elevation angle was -7g ... + 80g, which made it possible to fire both at ground and air targets. Armored car Sd.Kfz. 221 On April 20, 1940, Heereswaffenamt ordered the Berlin company Appel and the F.Schichau plant in Elbloig to develop a new carriage for the 2 cm KwK38 gun of 20 mm caliber, which made it possible to give the gun an elevation angle from -4 degrees to + 87 degrees. The new carriage, named “Hangelafette” 38. was later used in addition to Sd.Kfz.222 on other armored vehicles, including the Sd.Kfz.234 armored car and the reconnaissance tank “Aufklaerungspanzer” 38 (t). Armored car Sd.Kfz. 222 The turret of the armored car was open at the top, so instead of a roof it had a steel frame with wire mesh stretched over it. The frame was hinged, so the net could be raised or lowered during combat. So, it was necessary to recline the net when firing at air targets at an elevation angle of more than +20 degrees. All armored vehicles were equipped with TZF Za optical sights, and some of the vehicles were equipped with Fliegervisier 38 sights, which made it possible to fire at aircraft. The gun and machine gun had an electric trigger, separate for each type of weapon. Pointing the gun at the target and rotating the tower was carried out manually. Armored car Sd.Kfz. 222 In 1941, a modified chassis was launched into the series, designated as the "Horch" 801/V, equipped with an improved engine with a displacement of 3800 cm2 and a power of 59.6 kW / 81 hp. On machines of later releases, the engine was boosted to 67kW / 90 hp. In addition, the new chassis had 36 technical innovations, of which the most important were hydraulic brakes. Vehicles with the new “Horch” 801/V chassis received the designation Ausf.B, and vehicles with the old “Horch” 801/EG I chassis received the designation Ausf.A. In May 1941, the frontal armor was reinforced, bringing its thickness to 30 mm. The armored hull consists of the following elements: - frontal armor. - stern armor. - inclined frontal armor of a rectangular shape. - sloping rear armor. – booking wheels. – grid. - fuel tank. – a partition with an opening for an iodine fan. - wings. - bottom. - the driver's seat. - instrument panel. - rotating tower poly. - armored turret. The hull is welded from rolled armor plates, the welded seams withstand bullet hits. The armor plates are installed at an angle to provoke a ricochet of bullets and shrapnel. The armor is resistant to hitting rifle-caliber bullets at an encounter angle of 90 degrees. The crew of the vehicle consists of two people: the commander / machine gunner and the driver. Frontal armor. Frontal armor covers the driver's workplace and the fighting compartment. Three armor plates are welded to provide sufficient space for the driver to work. In the upper frontal armor plate there is a hole for a viewing block with a viewing slot. The viewing slit is located at the level of the driver's eyes. Sight slits are also found in the side front armor plates of the hull. Inspection hatch covers open upwards and can be fixed in one of several positions. The edges of the hatches are made protruding, designed to provide additional ricochet of bullets. Inspection devices are made of bulletproof glass. Inspection transparent blocks are mounted on rubber pads for shock absorption. From the inside, rubber or leather headbands are installed above the viewing blocks. Each hatch is equipped with an internal lock. From the outside, the locks are opened with a special key. Back armor. Aft armor plates cover the engine and cooling system. There are two holes in the two rear panels. The upper opening is closed by the engine access hatch, the lower one is intended for air access to the engine cooling system and the shutters are closed and the exhaust hot air is discharged. The sides of the rear hull also have openings for access to the engine. The front and rear of the hull are attached to the chassis frame. Wheel reservation. The front and rear wheel suspension assemblies are protected by removable armored caps, which are bolted into place. Lattice. To protect against hand grenades, a welded metal grill is installed at the rear of the machine. Part of the lattice is folded, forming a kind of commander's hatch. Fuel tanks. Two internal fuel tanks are installed directly behind the bulkhead next to the engine between the upper and lower side rear armor plates. The total capacity of the two tanks is 110 liters. The tanks are attached to the brackets with shock-absorbing pads. Baffle and fan. The fighting compartment is separated from the engine compartment by a partition, which is attached to the bottom and armored hull. A hole was made in the partition near the place where the engine radiator was installed. The radiator is covered with a metal mesh. In the lower part of the partition there is a hole for the fuel system valve, which is closed by a valve. There is also a hole for the radiator. The fan provides effective cooling of the radiator at ambient temperatures up to +30 degrees Celsius. The temperature of the water in the radiator is regulated by changing the flow of cooling air to it. It is recommended to keep the coolant temperature within 80 - 85 degrees Celsius. Wings. The fenders are stamped from sheet metal. Luggage racks are integrated into the front fenders, which can be locked with a key. Anti-slip strips are made on the rear fenders. Floor. The floor is made up of separate steel sheets, the surface of which is covered with a diamond-shaped pattern to increase friction between the shoes of the crew of the armored vehicle and the flooring. In the flooring, cutouts are made for the control rods, the cutouts are closed with covers and gaskets that prevent road dust from entering the fighting compartment. Driver's seat. The driver's seat consists of a metal frame and an integrated backrest and seat. The frame is bolted to the floor marshmallow. Several sets of holes are made in the floor, which allows the seat to be moved relative to the floor for the driver's convenience. The backrest is adjustable tilt. Instrument panel. The dashboard contains control devices and toggle switches for the electrical system. The instrument panel is mounted on a shock-absorbing pad. A block with switches for lighting equipment is attached to the steering column. Armored car versions There were two versions of the armored car with a 20 mm automatic cannon, which differed in the type of artillery gun. On the early version, the 2 cm KwK30 gun was mounted, on the later version - 2 cm KwK38. Powerful armament and an impressive ammunition load made it possible to use these armored vehicles not only for reconnaissance, but as a means of escorting and protecting radio vehicles. On April 20, 1940, representatives of the Wehrmacht signed a contract with the Eppel company from the city of Berlin and the company F. Shihau from the city of Elbing, providing for the development of a project for installing a 2 cm “Hangelafette” 38 gun turret on an armored car, designed to fire at air targets. The installation of a new turret and artillery weapons increased the mass of the armored car to 5000 kg, which led to some overload of the chassis. The chassis and engine remained the same as on the early version of the Sd.Kfz.222 armored car. The installation of the gun forced the designers to change the hull superstructure, and the increase in the crew to three people led to a change in the location of the observation devices. They also changed the design of the nets that covered the tower from above. The official documentation for the car was compiled by Eiserwerk Weserhütte, but armored cars were built by F. Schiehau from Edbing and Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen from Hannover. Export. At the end of 1938, Germany sold 18 Sd.Kfz.221 and 12 Sd.Kfz.222 armored vehicles to China. Chinese armored cars Sd.Kfz.221/222 were used in battles with the Japanese. The Chinese re-armed several vehicles by installing a 37-mm Hotchkiss cannon in the turret cutout. During the war, 20 armored vehicles Sd.Kfz.221 and Sd.Kfz.222 were received by the Bulgarian army. These machines were used in punitive actions against Tito's partisans, and in 1944-1945 in battles with the Germans on the territory of Yugoslavia. Hungary and Austria. The price of one armored car Sd.Kfz.222 without weapons was 19600 Reichsmarks. A total of 989 machines were manufactured. Performance characteristics Combat weight 4,8 t Dimensions: length 4800 mm width 1950 mm height 2000 mm Crew 3 person weaponry 1x20 mm automatic cannon 1x1,92 mm machine gun Ammunition 1040 shells 660 rounds Booking: forehead 8 mm brow tower 8 mm engine's type carburetor Maximum power 75 hp full speed 80 km / h Power reserve 300 km Sources: P. Chamberlain, H. L. Doyle. Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two; M. B. Baryatinsky. Armored cars of the Wehrmacht. (Armor collection No. 1 (70) - 2007); G.L. Kholyavsky "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Tanks 1915 - 2000"; Regulation H.Dv. 299 / 5e, training regulations for the fast troops, booklet 5e, The training on the light armored scout vehicle (2 cm Kw. K 30) (Sd.Kfz. 222); Alexander Lüdeke Weapons of World War II.