8 WHEELED ARMORED CAR SDKFZ 233 (75mm L/24) IN 1/15 SCALE. The story of German armored cars is a remarkable one, years of study by dedicated professionals, superb leadership on the battlefield, sound training and high tactical skill, combined with a forceful and imaginative equipment policy, produced some notable achievements. Good though the German equipment was, however, it was above all the German's ability to achieve surprise, their great flexibility...and the fighting spirit and determination of their soldiers, which was the telling factor in many of their successes. In keeping with the emphasis placed on speed and mobility, the German armed forces in World War II were supplied with a dazzling array of armored fighting vehicles capable of performing almost every battlefield function. Taking pride of place among the German divisions were such excellent armored cars such as this 8 wheeled armored car Sdkfz 233 armed with a 7.5 cm Stuk (Sturmkanone) L/24 which was intended to provide supporting fire for the more lightly-armed 8-Rad 231 and 232 armored cars. Ably supported by a range of self-propelled anti-tank guns, infantry-support guns and heavy artillery. For the infantry there were the armored cars and half-tracks, allowing them to keep up with the tanks in true Blitzkrieg style. When Germany went to war with the Soviet Union in 1941, she had the most professional and modern army in the world. Pride of place belonged to the Panzer Divisions. The embodiment of a radically new concept of warfare---the Blitzkrieg. These Panzer Divisions were designed as a highly mobile, self-contained fighting force, that was capable of smashing through the Russian defenses, creating confusion and destruction. To achieve these aims each German division was equipped with a formidable range of fighting vehicles, armed with superior optical sighting equipment, who in general the Russians had inferior devices. In addition, the Germans would mount anti-aircraft type optical equipment on certain anti-tank guns which were well suited for long-range fire. German guns had much better rate of fire than the Russian guns, and also the German quality and availability of radio equipment was much better than the Russian ones (for example, Soviet tanks used an AM radio while the Germans used a more efficient FM set). Throughout most of the war only one soviet tank in ten had a radio while all German ones did. The German weapons had a better unit of fire which was a higher combat factor. Optical equipment was decisive in armored vehicles, Germany's optics industry was the most advanced in the world, and their high-velocity guns and artillery were much more accurate at longer ranges as a result. The combination of more highly trained personnel, better signals and optical equipment made the German artillery considerably more efficient than the Russians. The Russians needed every man at the front, thus, Russian "offensives" were usually massed Soviet infantry attacks. It was the Soviet infantry that did most of the fighting (and dying) throughout the war. The Germans, capable of more efficient "combined arms" operations for which it was the mechanized forces of the Germans which delivered the "knock-out punch" to the Soviets. The German campaign against Russia between 1941and 1945 was, to a significant extent, the only one that really mattered during World War II. Beginning in June 1941, this campaign occupied the total effort of some 71% of all German ground forces at that time. This included 88% of Germany's 41 motorized divisions. By the end of 1942 the total number of German divisions available had risen from 209 to 262. And 77% of them were in the east. This included 79% of Germany's armored divisions. By mid 1944, when the "second front" in the west was opened, Germany still devoted over 60% of her ground forces to the eastern front. The Russian campaign was the most brutal and costly military campaigns ever fought, close to 25 million people died during those four years of fighting in the east, of these 13.7 million Soviet soldiers were killed, another 7 million civilians died. The Germans lost about 2 million dead on the eastern front, another 2 million civilians were "lost" (and presumed dead) during the mass flight from eastern Germany as the Soviet armies advanced.
Pictures of my collection:
8 WHEELED ARMORED CAR SDKFZ 233 (75mm L/24) IN 1/15 SCALE
