
The Leichter Panzerspahwagen were a series of
light four-wheel drive armoured cars produced by Nazi Germany from
1935 to 1944.
The rear mounted engine was a 67 kW Horch
3.5 petrol engine, giving it a road speed of 80 km/h and a
cross-country speed of 40 km/h. It had a maximum range of
300 km.
Used by the reconnaissance battalions (
Aufklarungs-Abteilung ) of the Panzer divisions, the type
performed well enough in countries with good road networks, like
those in Western Europe. However, on the Eastern Front and North
Africa, this class of vehicle was hampered by its relatively poor
off-road performance. In those theaters, it gradually found itself
replaced in the reconnaissance role by the Sd.Kfz. 250 half-track.
The Sd.Kfz. 250/9 was the Sd.Kfz. 250 with the same turret as the
Sd.Kfz. 222.