Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) (GE364)

Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) (GE364) includes one Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) Armoured Car & two Crew figures. For the most part German armoured car designs during the Second World War were more than adequate for the roles they needed to fulfil. However, one very common complaint from armoured car crews was the lack of sufficient firepower when forced to engage the enemy. Check out the Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) in the online store here...

Desperate Measures! January, 1945: In the west, the German Ardennes offensive failed to achieve its goal of forcing the Allies to the negotiating table. In the east, the Germans traded ground for time, falling back into western Poland and east Prussia and establishing Festerplatz, or fortress cities. Despite the setbacks, Germany itself was still in German hands and the Allied advances had all been stopped. Learn more about Desperate Measures! here...

In November 1944, Hitler ordered that the production of Sd Kfz 234/3 to cease and replacing it would be the Sd Kfz 234/4. While the Sd Kfz 234/3 featured the short barrelled 7.5cm KwK51 L/24, the Sd Kfz 234/4 was to be armed with the formidable 7.5cm PaK40 anti-tank gun. The 7.5cm PaK40 complete with gun shield but minus its wheels was mounted on a pedestal mount centre of the fighting compartment; this effectively turned the vehicle into a wheeled tank destroyer. However, the design was not without its limitations; as with any hull mounted gun, the PaK40 was severely restricted by its inability to traverse.

Ammunition stowage was also an issue. Due to the size of the rounds, only twelve could to stow aboard the vehicle at any one time. If this wasn’t enough, the open topped fighting compartment left the crew vulnerable to small arms fire and shell fragments. Despite these limitations, production of the Sd Kfz 234/4 didn’t cease until March 1945. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Victor Pesch

The Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) in Flames Of War
Armour      Name  Mobility  Front  Side  Top  Equipment and Notes  Weapon  Range  ROF  Anti-tank  Firepower    Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) Jeep 3 0 0 AA MG, Recce. 7.5cm PaK40 gun 32"/80cm  2 12 3+  Hull mounted.

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.