Sd Kfz 234/3 (7.5cm) (GE363)

Sd Kfz 234/3 (7.5cm) (GE363) includes one Sd Kfz 234/3 (7.5cm) armoured car with crew. The Sd Kfz 234 series was the second German variant of the 8-wheeled armoured car concept (designed to replace the Sd Kfz 231 and variants). Instead of having an armoured hull bolted to a chassis the new design combined the chassis in the armoured hull. Check out the Sd Kfz 234/3 (7.5cm) in the online store here...

Devil's Charge The Germans had been in retreat since the Allied breakout from Normandy, finally settling into defensive lines on their frontier as Autumn turned into Winter. In early December 1944 it seemed, to the Americans facing them in the Ardennes forests of Belgium and Luxembourg, unlikely that the Germans would attack. Learn more about Devil's Charge here...

The most famous of the Sd Kfz 234 series was the Sd Kfz 234/2 Puma armed with a 5cm KwK 39 L/60 gun mounted in an enclosed turret. The upgrade to the 5cm gun was an attempt to address a common complaint by armoured car crews; that when forced to engage the enemy they lacked sufficient firepower needed to force a decisive outcome.

The Sd Kfz 234/3 (7.5cm) in Flames Of War

Armour     Name Mobility Front Side Top Equipment and Notes Weapon Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower Sd Kfz 234/3 (7.5cm) Jeep 3 0 0 Hull MG. 7.5cm KwK37 gun 24"/60cm 2 9 3+ Hull mounted.

To further the German quest for superior firepower, a close-support version was developed, mounting a 7.5cm L/24 gun; this version was designated the Sd Kfz 234/3. The 7.5cm gun taken of early Mark IV panzer tans when they were was mounted in an open-topped superstructure that replaced the turret. The 7.5cm gun was mounted with its original shield, and to proivde the crew with additional protection, the sides of the fighting compartment were raised, to match the gun shield.

A secondary armament was provided by a MG34 mounted parallel to the vehicle’s main gun and afforded the crew a much needed deterrent when facing enemy infantry. However, by late 1944 the war was going badly for the Germany and in November Hitler ordered that the short-barrelled 7.5cm gun be replaced with the 7.5cm PaK40 anti-tank gun to further increase the vehicle’s potency. Therefore, production of the Sd Kfz 234/3 ceased in December 1944 in favour of the Sd Kfz 234/4.   Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Mark Hazell

Hull-mounted Guns Some tanks mount weapons in the front of the hull instead of in a turret to save weight or to make them easier to produce. A hull-mounted weapon mounted in the front of a vehicle has a 180-degree Field of Fire covering everything in front of a line drawn across the front of the vehicle. If the weapon is mounted at the rear of the vehicle, the Field of Fire covers everything to the rear of a line drawn across the rear of the vehicle.

Content of the Sd Kkz 234/3 Blister Pack

Contact the customer service team at customerservice@battlefront.co.nz if you have any issues with any of the components.

Description of Components

a. 1x Loader figure. b. 1x Commander figure. c. 1x 7.5cm main gun.

d. 4x Twin wheel sets. e. 1x Resin hull.

Assembling The Sd Kfz 234/3 (7.5cm)

Step 1. Begin assembly by attaching each of the four wheel sets to the resin hull.	Step 2. Next, attach the 7.5cm main to the resin hull at the front of the fighting compartment.	Step 3. Finally, add the crew figure to the inside of the fighting compartment.