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Skylow — Watch The Tank
Published: 2005-08-22 21:34:56 +0000 UTC; Views: 2312; Favourites: 36; Downloads: 170
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Description
Panzers Phase II Concept DrawingsRelated content
Comments: 5
Leichter Panzerspähwagen (Armoured Unit in drawing)
The Leichter Panzerspähwagen
(roughly "Light Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle") were a series of light
4 x 4 armoured cars produced by Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1944.
They were developed by Eisenwerk Weserhütte of Bad Oeynhausen.
Chassis were built by Auto Union in Zwickau and assembled by F. Schichau of Elbing and Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen in Hannover-Linden.
It used the standard sPkw I Horch 801 (heavy car) chassis with an angled armoured body and turret.
The rear mounted engine was a 90 horsepower (67 kW) Horch 3.5 petrol engine, giving it a road speed of 50 mph (80 km/h) and a cross-country speed of 25 mph (40 km/h).
It had a maximum range of 185 miles (300 km).
Armour
Front and sides were made of 8 mm steel;
thinner 5 mm plates protected the top, rear, and bottom.
Cast vision ports later replaced ports cut into the armour.
The open topped turret was fitted with wire mesh anti-grenade screens.
Variants
SdKfz 221
Base model armed with a single 7.92mm MG34.
SdKfz 222
Armed with a 20 mm autocannon and a 7.92mm MG34 machine gun.
A third crew member as the gunner, relieving the commander of that task. Some versions included a 28 mm armored piercing cannon.
A prototype version included a 50mm cannon.
2 armored prototype versions were completed.
SdKfz 223
A radio car version, armed like the 221 with a 7.92 mm machine gun. Included additional radio equipment, and had a large "bed-frame" antenna over the vehicle.
Over 500 of the SdKfz 223 were produced.
Throughout WWII, Germany carried out an extensive program of armored vehicle development, deploying a vast range of armored vehicles to the front line.
Amongst these vehicles, the compact 4WD Sd.Kfz.222 remains one of the most famous and popular.
Featuring welded plate armor particular to German vehicles at that time, the Sd.Kfz.222 was fitted with a rotating open top turret protected by grenade deflecting mesh screens.
The 222 was equipped with an anti-tank and anti-aircraft 20mm main gun and a 7.92mm machine gun.
Featuring a 4WD chassis with fully independent suspension and optional
4-wheel steering, it had a top speed of 90km/h.
An exceptional off-road vehicle, the Sd.Kfz.222 was seen on all fronts.
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Panzer Army Africa
As the number of German armed forces committed to the North Africa Campaign of World War II grew from the initial commitment of a small corps the Germans developed a more elaborate command structure and placed the now larger Afrika Korps, with Italian units under this new German command structure, a session of different German commands were created to manage the Axis assets in Africa:
Panzer Group Africa, (Panzergruppe Afrika) August 1941 – January 1942
Panzer Army Africa, (Panzerarmee Afrika) January 1942 – October 1942
German-Italian Panzer Army, (Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee)
October 1942 – February 1943
Army Group Africa, (Heeresgruppe Afrika) February 1943 – May 1943
Panzer Group Africa
After the initial campaign when Rommel was technically under the command of the Italians, the German Armed Forces High Command
(German acronym OKW) created a larger command structure in Africa, creating a new headquarters called Panzer Group Africa
(Panzergruppe Afrika).
On August 15 1941 Panzer Group Africa was activated with Rommel in command, and command of the Afrika Korps was turned over to
Ludwig Crüwell.
The Panzer Group controlled the Afrika Korps plus some additional
German units that were sent to Africa, as well as two corps of Italian units.
Panzer Army Africa
Panzer Group Africa was redesignated as Panzer Army Africa
(Panzerarmee Afrika) on January 30 1942.
German-Italian Panzer Army
Panzer Army Africa was redesignated as German-Italian Panzer Army (Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee) in October 1942 during the long retreat after the defeat at the Second Battle of El Alamein during the
Western Desert Campaign .
Army Group Africa
In February 1943 the headquarters was upgraded to
Army Group Africa (Heeresgruppe Afrika) to manage the defense of
Tunisia during the final stages of the North African Campaign, its combat units
– including the Afrika Korps –
were turned over to the Italian First Army.
Command of the Army Group was turned over to Hans Jürgen von Arnim in March, and it surrendered on May 13, 1943, ending the Axis presence in Africa.
Order of battle
Throughout its existence this headquarters controlled the well-known Afrika Korps, and for most of its life it controlled a number of other German and Italian units as well.
The following overview of its assets is taken from lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de, with dates corrected
Order of battle of Panzer Group Africa
Panzer Group Africa (Rommel)
As of September 1941:
(during Rommel's first push into the Western Desert)
German Afrika Korps
Italian XXI Corps
German 15th Panzer Division
Order of battle of Panzer Army Africa
Panzer Army Africa (Rommel)
As of January 1942:
(during Rommel's second push into the Western Desert)
German Afrika Korps
Italian X Corps
Italian XXI Corps
Italian Marmarica Corps
German 90th Light Africa Division
Italian 55th Division Savona
As of April 1942:
(before and during the Gazala battles and the Siege of Tobruk)
German Afrika Korps
Italian X Corps
Italian XX Motorized Corps
Italian XXI Corps
German 90th Light Africa Division
As of August 1942:
(during the Battle of El Alamein)
German Afrika Korps
Italian X Corps
Italian XX Motorized Corps
Italian XXI Corps
Italian 133rd Armored Division Littorio
Order of battle of the German-Italian Panzer Army
German-Italian Panzer Army (Rommel)
As of November 1942:
(during the withdrawal from the Western Desert)
German Afrika Korps
Italian X Corps
Italian XX Motorized Corps
Italian XXI Corps
German 90th Light Afrika Division
Italian 136th Motorized Infantry Division Giovanni Fascisti
Italian 17th Infantry Division Pavia
As of February 1943:
(defending southern Tunisia)
German Afrika Korps
Italian XX Motorized Corps
Italian XXI Corps
German 164th Light Afrika Division
German Ramcke Parachute Brigade
Order of battle of Army Group Africa
From February 1943:
German Fifth Panzer Army (northern Tunisia)
Italian First Army (southern Tunisia)
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Awesome. I like the desert-ish light this scene has. Also it looks realistic. Something unordinary made ordinary under the circumstances. I mean... It's not every day you see a tank being lifted around. However in war times it's common.
Anyways, cool job.
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