Panzerstahl German Sd. Kfz. 234/3 8-Wheeled Armored Car - 3.Panzer Division, 1945 (1:72 Scale)

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German Sd. Kfz. 234/3 8-Wheeled Armored Car - 3.Panzer Division, 1945 (1:72 Scale)

Panzerstahl German Sd. Kfz. 234/3 8-Wheeled Armored Car - 3.Panzer Division, 1945

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List Price: $39.99

Our Price: $34.99 Pre-order! Ship Date: December 2024

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Availability: Pre-Order
Product Code: PS88015

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Panzerstahl PS88015 German Sd. Kfz. 234/3 8-Wheeled Armored Car - 3.Panzer Division, 1945 (1:72 Scale) "We must do everything we can to promote anti-tank defense, and work just as hard to guarantee successful counter-attacks through the instrument of powerful tank forces of our own."
- Major-General Heinz Guderian, "Achtung Panzer!"

On August 5th, 1940, an order was given to design an eight-wheeled armored car similar in design to the Sd. Kfz. 231. Unlike the previous design, where the armored body was bolted to the chassis, the Sd. Kfz. 234 armored hull was to serve as the chassis, thereby strengthening the overall integrity of the vehicle. Furthermore, the armored car was to have heavier armor and a 12-cylinder air-cooled diesel engine that would enable it to operate in the hot climate of North Africa as well as the cold steppes of western Russia. Two trial versions were built and an initial order was made for 500 vehicles, which was later increased to 1,500. The initial requirement was for a vehicle equipped with the 5cm KwK 39/1 gun (Sd. Kfz. 234/2). In January 1944, the order was cut to limit the Puma production to 100 vehicles so that two new variants could be created, one mounting a 2cm KwK gun and the other a more powerful 7.5cm KwK gun.

The 234/3 variant featured one 7.5cm K51 L/24 gun in an open-topped superstructure replacing the turret. 88 were built between June and December 1944.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a German Sd. Kfz. 234/3 8-wheeled armored car that was attached to 3.Panzer Division. Pre-order! Ship Date: December 2024.

Dimensions:
Length: 3-1/4-inches
Width: 1-1/4-inches

Release Date: ?

Historical Account: "Unto the Breach" - The 3.Panzer Division participated in the 1939 invasion of Poland, where it was the most numerically powerful Panzer Division, with 391 tanks. It was engaged in the northern sector, operating from Pomerania, and advancing via Toruń to Brest-Litovsk. In May 1940 it was part of the German forces invading Belgium, advancing via the Albert Canal to Brussels and into France. Like the other German tank divisions the 3rd lost one of its two tank regiments in late 1940 to allow for the creation of further tank divisions, and gained an Infantry regiment instead.

The Division was ordered to prepare for service in Libya, North Africa that same year to help support the Italian efforts there. The deployment was cancelled by Hitler due to the invasion of Greece on October 28th, 1940. The Division was instead diverted to Operation Felix though the operation was never initiated.

The 3.Panzer Division was part of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which began on June 22nd, 1941. Initially it was engaged in the central sector of the advance but was then redirected south to participate in the Battle of Kiev. From there it participated in the Battle of Moscow, advancing towards Tula. With the Soviet counterattacks in the winter of 1941-42 the division acted as a stand-by emergency force and, in March 1942, participated in the defense of Kharkov. The division participated in the Case Blue, the German attack in the southern sector of the Eastern Front in June 1942, in which the 3.Panzer Division advanced towards the Caucasus. Initially successful the operation was ultimately a failure, with the division suffering heavy casualties in the process, especially in the fighting around Mozdok. It narrowly escaped encirclement on its retreat by crossing the frozen Sea of Azov near Rostov.

The 3rd Panzer Division took part in the Battle of Kursk, attacking west of Belgorod. Following the German failure the division was engaged in the defense and retreat that followed. It remained on the Eastern Front for the remainder of the Second World War, fighting in Ukraine, Romania, Poland and Hungary. At the end of the war saw the division engaged in Styria where it evaded Soviet forces and managed to surrender to the US Army instead. The majority of the divisions soldiers were released from captivity by July 1945.