Sd.Kfz. 247
Sd.Kfz. 247 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 247) was an armored car used by the German armed forces during World War II. Before the war, ten six-wheeled models (Ausf. A) were built; this was followed during the war by 58 four-wheeled models (Ausf. B). DescriptionThe Sd.Kfz. 247 had an open-topped, thinly armored body mounted on a wheeled chassis. It was unarmed as its six-man crew was not intended to fight; rather, it was intended for use by the commanders of motorcycle and motorized reconnaissance battalions, although neither version was fitted with any radios.[1] Its armor was intended to stop 7.92-millimetre (0.312 in) armor-piercing bullets at ranges over 30 metres (33 yd). Photographic evidence shows some Ausf. B vehicles were retro-fitted with a star-shaped radio antenna mounted inside the crew compartment, and an additional armor plate bolted to the lower glacis of the hull.[2] Ausf. AKrupp built ten Ausf. A models on the chassis of its six-wheel "Krupp Protze" truck in 1937. Its 3.5-litre (210 cu in) 4-cylinder air-cooled gasoline flat engine (Krupp M 305) of 65 hp (66 PS), gave it a top speed of 70 km/h (43 mph) and a range of 350 km (220 mi).[1] Like all of the other vehicles that used this chassis, the Ausf. A had very limited cross-country mobility, drivers being advised to stay on roads and trails. It weighed 5.2 t (5.1 long tons; 5.7 short tons), was 5.2 m (17 ft 1 in) long, 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) wide and 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) tall.[3] Ausf. BDaimler-Benz built 58 of these in 1941—1942 on a four-wheel drive heavy car chassis (s.Pkw. Typ 1c). The front-mounted engine was an 8-cylinder, 3.823-litre (233.3 cu in) Horch 3.5 petrol engine, giving it a road speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). It had a maximum range of 400 km (250 mi).[1] Armour
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