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ADGZ

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Steyr ADGZ
ADGZ in 1936
TypeArmored car
Place of originAustria
Service history
Used byAustria
Nazi Germany
Free City of Danzig
Independent State of Croatia
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerSteyr
Designed1934-1935
ManufacturerSteyr
Produced1935-1941
No. built52
Specifications
Mass12 tons
Length6.26 m (20 ft 6 in)
Width2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
Height2.56 m (8 ft 5 in)
Crew6

Armor11 mm (0.43 in)
Main
armament
20mm KwK 35 L/45 (with 100 rounds) or 45 mm wz. 1932 (19-K) (T-26 model 1933 turret)
Secondary
armament
3 x 7.92mm MG34 or 2 x 7.92mm MG34 and 1 x DT machine gun
EngineAustro-Daimler M612, 6-cylinder, 12 litre
150 hp (110 kW)
Suspensionwheel 8×4
Operational
range
450 km (280 mi)
Maximum speed 70 km/h (43 mph)

The Steyr ADGZ was an Austrian heavy armored car used during World War II. It was originally designed for the Austrian Army (designated as the "M35 Mittlerer Panzerwagen") in 1934, and delivered in 1935–1937.

History

[edit]
An ADGZ covers SS troops during an attack on the Polish Post Office in Danzig, 1 September 1939.

The Austrian army was using the ADGZ armored car at the time of the Anschluss, with 12 being used by the army and 15 by police. The Germans also employed the vehicles for police work, with some taken by the Waffen-SS and utilized on the Eastern Front, as well as in the Balkans for anti-partisan activity and other purposes.

The SS ordered an additional 25 ADGZ armored cars, which were delivered in 1942. An interesting feature of the vehicle was that there was no "rear"; either end was capable of driving the unit.

As part of the initial operations of the Invasion of Poland, the SS Heimwehr Danzig used three ADGZ armored cars during the attack on the Polish Post Office in Danzig, but one was lost during the battle. Some ADGZs were also supplied to the Army of the Independent State of Croatia.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Mahé, Yann (April 2011). "Le Blindorama : La Croatie, 1941 - 1945". Batailles & Blindés (in French). No. 42. Caraktère. pp. 4–7. ISSN 1765-0828.