SdKfz 123 Panzerspahwagen II (Luchs)

History of SdKfz 123 Panzerspahwagen II (Luchs)

The German tank series in the early days of World War II (1939-1945) included the Panzer I, Panzer II, Panzer III and Panzer 4 series. The Panzer I became more of an infantry support vehicle, while the Panzer II was developed to enhance this product by supporting armor protection and better armament.

The Panzer III is designed to engage enemy tanks head-on, while the Panzer 4 acts as a fire support role. Of course, the situation of the war ultimately determined the real roles on the battlefield, so many products were developed beyond their expectations, and a large number of production variants appeared soon.

One of the more advanced developments of the Panzer II system was the SdKfz 123 Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. L "Luchs" (meaning "Luchs") (VK 1303). It was also called "Panzerspahwagen II" because it was designed for specialized high-speed reconnaissance missions.

At the end of the development phase, the Luchs' design line was seldom, if ever, seen in the original Panzer II light tank series - it featured a true cannon turret and overlapping wheels (the only Panzer II to do so ) and cover a crew of four - essentially a brand new tank.

Luchs were developed as an improvement on the earlier Panzer II Ausf. M (VK 1301), which itself will be paired with the Ausf. Type H. The Ausf. M was to be equipped with a 50cm KwK 39/I gun as standard armament, but was eventually tested with a 20cm KwK 38 L/55 gun. The Luchs were developed from this work, with the planned goal of squeezing extra speed out of the design and introducing inherently strong off-road capability - something the original Panzer II clearly lacked.

With these qualities, the Luchs could properly scout enemy positions under cover from anywhere outside the main German combat zone. A torsion bar suspension system provides the required off-road quality, and the large overlapping wheels will help transfer weight to the ground. Radio adaptations will be standard, including FuG12 and FuG Spr. Ger f sets. The overall size becomes 4.63 meters long, 2.48 meters wide and 2.2 meters high.

The weight is 11.8 tons.

The German authorities were so impressed with the modification that they ordered about 700 or 800 (different sources) Luchs scout tanks. The first 100 vehicles in the series will carry 20mm guns (330 rounds), while all future deliveries will be equipped with 50cm guns. Both versions carry a 7.92mm MG34 coaxially mounted machine gun that fires 2,250 rounds.

The larger turret design will provide significantly better firepower options than the original Panzer II brand.

The lynx is powered by a 180 hp Maybach HL66P 6-cylinder in-line petrol engine. This is mated to a ZF Aphon SSG48 six-speed gearbox. Featured performance specs are 37 mph road speed and a working range of up to 161 miles (96 miles off-road).

From September 1943 to January 1944, MAN took over serial production of the Luchs design and managed the first 100 units. However, the reliability of the field was quickly called into question, and the general obsolescence of the Panzer II was evident.

That's the problem with the production line, hundreds of orders in Germany have now been reduced to the original 100. This ditched the planned 50cm armed variant.

The Luchs were mainly operated by two German Army companies, while parts of the stockpile were also allocated to smaller reconnaissance units when needed. The series fought until the final days of the war before being discarded forever.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

320 x 20mm projectile.

2,250x7.92mm ammo.

Changes