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Austro-Daimler Panzerwagen

1904 WORLD WAR 1

History of Austrian Daimler armored vehicles

Armored vehicles appeared in the decade before World War I (1914-1918) and were spearheaded by designs such as the Austrian-Daimler "Panzerwagen" in 1904 and the French Charron model in 1906. During this period, the cavalry remained on the battlefield as the main information-gatherers until the machine gun turned the cavalry into cannon fodder.

Aircraft were eventually used for this role, but armoured vehicles were developed to address this problem head-on on the ground - capable of providing mobility and firepower while protecting their crews.

The Austro-Daimler armoured car was developed in 1904 and became one of the first true examples of WWI-era armoured vehicles. It was based on an existing car chassis and was equipped with an armored superstructure to protect the engine and drive components as well as the crew. Compared to other assault vehicles of the time, the body provided protection against small arms fire and had rounded edges that gave the vehicle a distinctive look.

A traditional four-wheel arrangement was used, with solid rims in the front group and spokes in the rear group. 4x4 suspension is used to provide some off-road capability. At the rear of the hull is a 360-degree rotating turret for 1 or 2 x 7.92mm Schwarzlose (or similar) water-cooled machine guns.

Three crew members - driver, commander and full-time gunner - and bolted armor protection to a thickness of 4mm. The driver and commander sat side by side in the center of the hull, with sights in their place, and the gunner in the turret.

The vehicle weighs 5,500 pounds and has an overall length of 4.8 meters, a width of 1.75 meters, and a height of 2.75 meters. Power comes from a 4-cylinder petrol engine in the Daimler model with 40 hp.

At the time, the armoured vehicle was a groundbreaking Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV). It houses the entire crew under its modest armor scheme and relies on a full-suspension 4x4 wheel arrangement. On paved surfaces, road speeds can reach 28 mph and range is up to 150 miles.

Despite the obvious advantages on the battlefield, the series still suffers from qualities that other wartime armored vehicles have - they are heavy, and although they are suspended, there is little (if any) true off-roading capability, and provides equally high performance along the horizon for targets. During this time of war, many military figures still respected the value of the cavalry, refusing to consider the car in battle.

Both the Austro-Hungarian (1906) and German (1905) armies used the Austro-Daimler design, so it's no surprise that neither side adopted the type. Only when German war planners experienced firsthand the success of the Belgian Minerva vehicles, which used guerrilla tactics against their troops, did the Germans learn to appreciate armored vehicles in war and ordered the development of a local solution in 1915. This time in the war, armored vehicles were used by more modern armored vehicle designs - and the arrival of tanks - thus leaving no more than two complete examples in history.

In addition, the advent of trench warfare limited the overall tactical value of armored vehicles, making tank development even more important.