Sd Kfz 13

With only 147 built, the Kfz 13 was still important in the development of German mechanize doctrine. Seen as nothing more than the Adler car chassis with an armoured bathtub on top; it was used in Aufklarungs (reconnaissance) detachments in both the Polish and French campaigns. After these two campaigns the older design was relegated to training and internal security. The open top being defenseless to grenades and the poor off road handling made it more suitable for training and police work. I would not be surprised if a few of these were found on the back roads of the Balkans used by police units. The retro look works well with historical gaming as well as the What Ifs including Dad’s Army (Sealion) and A Very British Civil War.

Now if I was starting out fresh with wargaming I would be playing using 20mm miniatures as many of the vehicles I would want are rare in anything but models done in 1/76 or 1/72 scales. One of which is the Kfz13 until now. After a conversation with Craig over at Gaming Models he was able to build the base Kfz13 model and I heard from him he was working on two other versions, the radio version and one for artillery spotting. This is great for my Germans for Poland and Sealion.

Before sharing the images of the models here are two You Tube videos of these armored cars in action by reenactors.

Here we have the armored cars just primed and waiting for the initial coat of German Gray. There are two Sd Kfz 222s and two Sd Kfz 13s.

 This is a photo where I am trying to test out my new macro lens.

While armed, it looks like it could be a touring car. The MG 34 though, could come in handy for those with long commutes.

Additional resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kfz_13

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/maschinengewehrkraftwagen-kfz13.htm