Sd.Kfz.234/4

Sd.Kfz.234/4

Sd.Kfz.234/4

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.7	4.7	4.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Tank destroyer

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Description

The S.Pz.Sp.Wg. (7,5 cm) Sd.Kfz.234/4 "Pakwagen" (Full name: Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 7.5 cm Sonderkraftfahrzeug 234/4 Panzerabwehrkanonenwagen) is a gift Rank II German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 3.0. It was introduced during Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica" in the "Operation S.U.M.M.E.R." event of 2017 that lasted from 28 July to 28 August, unlocked after obtaining 7 tanker Marks of Distinction.

The Sd.Kfz.234/4 is easily picked out by its long gun and gun shield. If recognized, the enemies will see the vehicle as an easy target (in high BR's), but also as a deadly priority target!

This armoured car is a lot of fun to play. The long 75 mm gun and the 234 chassis work very well hand in hand. The best way to play this mini-beast is to get on the enemies flanks as fast as possible (terrain permitting) and hide in the bushes. Take shots with hit probabilities, but hold fire more uncertain hit chances. Remember that the 234/4 can be and will be torn up by 12.7 mm machine gun fire, assume the position has been spotted after firing and move out via reverse. Do not engage in a straight-up gun battle or the 234/4 becomes scrap metal.

The 75 mm gun is strong enough to destroy most tanks with one hit, meanwhile the 234/4 has a great speed of 30-40 km/h forwards and backwards to relocate. Because of this, it is possible (though not necessarily needed) to use the 75 mm and return fire while making haste. Terrain foliage such as bushes are great assets for concealment, shadows as well so use them and stay hidden.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Vision ports)
• Structural steel (Side skirts)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	30 mm (40°) Front plate 15 mm (70°), 30 mm (55°) Front glacis 30 mm (35°) Lower glacis	8 mm (34-35°) Top 8 (19-35°) + 4 mm	10 mm (21-46°)	5 mm
Gun shield	4 + 4 mm (18-29°)	N/A	N/A	N/A

Notes:

• Wheels provide 10 mm of armour thickness.
• Belly armour is 12.7 mm thick.
• Can be hull broken.

The best way to deal with this tank is to catch it out of position and/or from behind. Because of its low armour values, it can be easily penetrated with 12.7 mm Mg fire or HE shells to the open roof. Most AP and APHE shots will simply over-penetrate the vehicle's front armour and will not do much to the crew compartment unless aimed at specific crew locations or it hull-breaks the Sd.Kfz.234/4. As such, explosive ammunition or machine gun fire are the more preferred methods of elimination.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
11.7	N/A	98 (AB)
		90 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	298	367
Realistic/Simulator	186	210
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	25.47	31.37
Realistic/Simulator	15.90	17.95

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm PaK 40/3 L46
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
36			-5°/+22°	±20°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	12.33	17.06	20.72	22.91	24.38
Realistic	8.3	9.8	11.9	13.16	14.0
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
7.67	6.78	6.25	5.9

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
PzGr 39	APCBC	147	146	133	118	105	93
PzGr 40	APCR	197	195	170	144	121	102
Hl.Gr 38B	HEAT	80	80	80	80	80	80
Sprgr. 34	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
PzGr 39	APCBC	792	6.8	1.3	15.0	28.9	+4°	48°	63°	71°
PzGr 40	APCR	990	4.2	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	66°	70°	72°
Hl.Gr 38B	HEAT	450	4.4	0.0	0.1	872.1	+0°	62°	69°	73°
Sprgr. 34	HE	570	5.7	0.1	0.1	686	+0°	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Sd.Kfz.234/4

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
36	31 (+5)	13 (+23)	1 (+35)	No

Left empty: 31 (+5)

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG 34
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
2,000 (150)				1,200	-20°/+50°	±45°

Usage in battles

Move fast and get into a spot that gives:

1. Great cover, either hard cover or visual cover (so rocks and or bushes are great)
2. Great visibility
3. Ease of egress
4. The ability to get deadly side shots

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Premium bonus
• Adequate ammo supply for prolonged combat
• Can move forward and backwards with equal speed
• Lower profile than the Marder III H
• Essentially a Marder III H on wheels
• Eight-wheel drive gives it good surface traction and handling, much better manoeuvrability
• Doesn't have the tendency to get flipped when turning like the Marder III H

Cons:

• Very weak armour, can be penetrated by aircraft weapons and heavy machine guns
• Open-topped, making it very vulnerable to attacks from the air or artillery
• Can be disabled by aircraft simply by ramming it
• Limited gun traverse
• Crew compartment is littered with ammo
• Is longer than the Marder III H
• Vehicle will be immobilized if one driver is knocked out despite having two drivers in its layout
• Unlike other German tanks, it has a very bad gun depression only -5

History

Development

The blitzkrieg tactics in Poland and France gave the Germans a new appreciation of mobile and lethal reconnaissance vehicles. The Germans especially valued the armoured cars due to their speed, firepower, and their pre-war build-up as they were not restricted by the Versailles Treaty. The Germans started with armoured cars like the Sd.Kfz.231 family, each with different armaments. However, these vehicles had its flaws and in August 1940, Germany sought a replacement following the conclusion of the Battle of France.

The new vehicle was built off an improved Sd.Kfz.232 chassis made in monocoque construction by Büssing-NAG, its armoured body was made by Deutsche Edelstahlwerke, the turret by Daimler-Benz and Schichau, and air-cooled diesel engines by Ringhoffer-Tatra-Werke AG. The monocoque chassis design was built with an eight-wheel steering system, six forward and reverse gears, as well as having an additional driver seat in the rear for quick reversal get-aways. This construction led to Sd.Kfz.234 family. Vehicle construction first started in 1943 as the Sd.Kfz.234/2, which had a turret originally intended for the VK 1602 Leopard mounting a 5 cm L/60 gun, construction continued on this vehicle until mid-1944. The Sd.Kfz.234/2 earned the nickname "Puma" from the soldiers using it.

Production for Sd.Kfz.234/2 shifted towards other armaments in 1944 that replaced the original. This produced variants such as the Sd.Kfz. 234/1 which replaced the turret with an open-top one carrying a 2 cm KwK 38, this was produced between mid-1944 to early 1945. Right besides that, the Sd.Kfz.234/3 was produced with an open-top structure to mount a 75 mm howitzer, this was produced from mid-1944 until the end of 1944. At the Sd.Kfz.234/3's production end, it was replaced by the Sd.Kfz.234/4, also known as the "Pakwagen", that had the armament replaced by a 7.5 cm PaK 40 anti-tank gun. This last variant was produced from the end of 1944 to the capitulation of Germany in World War II. A total of 478 Sd.Kfz.234 armoured cars were produced, 200 of the 234/1, 101 of the 234/2, 88 of the 234/3, and 89 of the 234/4.

Combat usage

The Sd.Kfz.234 cars were originally intended for the conflicts in North Africa. However, the engine development took abnormally long to complete and by the time it was ready, the North African theater had concluded. Nevertheless, they served in the Western and Eastern front with success, but was impeded by its low production count.

The Sd.Kfz. 234/2 variant was arguably the most popular, as the staple of the 234 family. The vehicle served in the Panzer Lehr Division, 1st and 2nd SS Panzer Division, 2nd, 7th, 13th, and 20th Panzer Division. The Sd.Kfz.234 in the recon companies were allocated in 19 or 25 vehicles per division, further split into platoons up to six vehicles and one as the headquarters. However, due to their low production numbers, this allocation was rarely kept in full strength in the war,

The Sd.Kfz.234 first saw combat in Normandy after D-Day in the stationed Panzer Lehr and 2nd Panzer Division in the Sd.Kfz.234/2 variant. The divisions used these vehicles in recon roles until their withdrawal behind the Seine River, with Panzer Lehr having 8 Sd.Kfz.234/2 of the original 26 it had. These divisions were rebuilt in the fall of 1944 with the Sd.Kfz.234/1 and Sd.Kfz.234/3 after the 234/2 ceased production.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Sd.Kfz.234/4 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen