ADGZ

Steyr ADGZ
ADGZ in the Sudetenland, 1938
Type	Armored car
Place of origin	Austria
Service history
Used by	Austria Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Steyr
Designed	1934-1935
Manufacturer	Steyr
Produced	1935-1937
No. built	42
Specifications
Mass	12 tons
Length	6.26 m (20 ft 6 in)
Width	2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
Height	2.56 m (8 ft 5 in)
Crew	6
Armor	11 mm (0.43 in)
Main armament	20mm KwK 35 L/45 (with 100 rounds) or 45 mm wz. 1932 (19-K) (T-26 model 1933 turret)
Secondary armament	3 x 7.92mm MG34 or 2 x 7.92mm MG34 and 1 x DT machine gun
Engine	Austro-Daimler M612, 6-cylinder, 12 litre 150 hp (110 kW)
Suspension	wheel
Operational range	450 km (280 mi)
Maximum speed	70 km/h (43 mph)

The Steyr ADGZ was originally developed as a heavy armored car for the Austrian army (its designation was "M35 Mittlere Panzerwagen") from 1934 and delivered from 1935-37.

History

An ADGZ covers SS troops during an attack on the Polish Post Office in Danzig, 1 September 1939.

The Austrian army was using the ADGZ armored car at the time of Anschluss. 12 were used by the army and 15 were used by the police. The Germans used them for police work and some were taken on by the SS and used on the Eastern front and in the Balkans.

The SS ordered an additional 25 ADGZ which were delivered in 1942. An interesting feature of this vehicle was that there was no "rear:" either end was capable of driving the unit.

As part of the initial operations of the Invasion of Poland, the SS Heimwehr Danzig used three ADGZ armored cars during the attack on the Polish Post Office in Danzig, and lost one during the battle.

After the invasion of the USSR a few ADGZ armored cars were rearmed with turrets from the Soviet T-26 model 1933 light tank.

External links

• Pictures of ADGZ at World War Photos