WORK IN PROGRESS: 234/2 “Puma” – UNREAL ENGINE READ
Emanating from a specification written in August 1940 for use in undeveloped areas, the base requirements were:
Eight wheels
Air-cooled diesel
Increased fording ability
Armored hull serving as the chassis instead of a frame
Stronger armor than the Sk.Kfz.231
Ventilation for the crew compartment
By July 1941, the description listed the following:
Weight of 12 metric tons
Speed of 80 to 90 km/h, adjusted max speed to 85 km/h
Side armor proof against 7.92 armor-piercing bullets fired from machine guns or rifles
Fording ability of 1.2m
Armament of 2cm Kw.K. 38 (long-barrel) & 7.92mm MG34
500 km range
2 development vehicles to be delivered after December 1941
By July 1942, the requirement was updated to include the 5cm Kw.K. 39/1 and a 7.92mm MG42. In the same timeframe, driving trials revealed the diesel engine needed modification due to noise, which was ultimately resolved. The first Sd.Kfz. 234 armed with the 5cm Kw.K.39/1 was completed in December 1943, and the official designation 234/2 followed in March 1944.
The practical result was a heavy armored car with great speed, capable of driving just as fast forward or backward, with substantial trench-crossing and fording ability, and a road range of 1,000 kilometers. Of note, the distance from Benghazi, Libya to Alexandria, Egypt is approximately 1,100 kilometers.
The 234-series was a family of vehicles which could provide:
reconnaissance (234/1 - 2cm Kw.K. 38)
combined reconnaissance/screening (234/2 - 5cm Kw.K.39/1)
direct fire support to friendly units (234/3 - 75mm/L24 low-velocity)
anti-tank support (234/4 - 75mm/L46 Pak40)
It was a complex and groundbreaking design that influenced armored car design for decades.
234/2 PUMA IN-GAME FUNCTIONALITY:
Commander/Loader (Position 2) fires smoke mortar grenades in salvos of three (left & right) with no reloads. The orientation of the 5-cm gun determines deployment of smoke grenades.
Commander/Loader has a 360-degree periscope with binocular zoom
Commander/Loader uses H-key to open/close hatch.
Gunner (Position 3) uses H-key to open/close hatch but does not have a rotating independent view. It is fixed based upon the orientation of the main gun.
The Puma is a reconnaissance vehicle that can fight its way out of tough tactical situations, but it is not a tank. It is a unit with very limited supply, whether at garrison, brigade, or headquarters within a Hero Builder subscription.
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