ADKZ
When developing the ADGK project, Austro-Daimler engineers identified the prospects for three-axle armored vehicles. Such a technique looked interesting and promising, but its full potential could only be achieved with the help of an all-wheel drive chassis. This is how a new project ADKZ appeared, the development of which started in 1935. The task of the project was not only to create a new armored car with high performance, but also to solve several problems that accompanied the Austrian three-axle vehicles of that time.
The chassis for the new armored vehicle was created on the basis of developments in civilian trucks. The three-axle chassis had wheels with bullet-resistant tires. Controlled single-wheel wheels were attached to the front axle, and gable wheels on the two rear axles. A Daimler M650 105 hp gasoline engine was installed in the rear of the chassis.
For the ADKZ armored car, an original armored body of a characteristic shape was developed. To improve a number of parameters, the Austrian designers decided to move the engine to the stern, and move the turret with weapons forward. All this affected the appearance of the hull and the armored car as a whole. The hull was proposed to be welded from armor plates of different thicknesses. So, the parts of the forehead of the hull were 14.5 mm thick, the sides and stern were 11 and 9 mm, respectively. The roof and bottom of the armored car had the same thickness, 6 mm. The tower was made of sheets 11-14.5 mm thick. An interesting feature of the armored hull are the attachments for additional rollers provided in the lower part of the front plate. Two small additional "wheels" were intended for easier overcoming of ditches, etc. obstacles.
The layout of the internal volumes of the ADKZ armored car is a bit similar to that used on the ADGZ car. In the front and middle parts of the hull there was a fighting compartment with crew positions of four. The front control post was located behind the frontal sheet. In accordance with the views of that time, the new armored car received two control posts, the second was placed in the rear of the fighting compartment. Two driver-mechanics were supposed to drive the armored car, however, if necessary, one of them could be excluded from the crew.
On the roof of the hull there was a hexagonal tower, assembled from armor plates of different thicknesses. Its front plate had two ball mounts for weapons. Thanks to these units, the 20-mm Solothurn cannon and the 7, 92-mm Schwarzloze machine gun could be guided independently of each other. On the outer surface of the tower, mounts were provided for the handrail antenna of the radio station.
During the creation of the ADKZ project, Austro-Daimler became part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch conglomerate. Such transformations did not affect defense developments in any way, with the exception of changing the full name of new projects. The first prototype of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch ADKZ armored car was built in 1936. It was intended for testing and therefore did not receive some of the equipment. It lacked a radio station with an antenna on the tower, weapons and front rollers. The weight of the empty armored car of the new model reached 4 tons. According to calculations, the combat weight of the vehicle should have exceeded 7 tons. The three-axle armored car turned out to be relatively compact: the length is less than 4.8 meters, the width is 2.4 m and the height is 2.4 m.
During the tests of the first ADKZ armored car, some problems with the original chassis were identified. It took time to eliminate them, which is why the construction of the second armored car started only in 1937. It differed from the first in a modified chassis and power plant, as well as an updated body. The hull contours were slightly refined, removing some details and corners. In addition, a number of new parts were installed on the body. For example, the second prototype received headlights recessed in the wings, as well as an additional searchlight, which was installed on the tower, between the cannon and the machine gun. Also, the crew hatches have undergone revision.
In 1937, both prototypes of the ADKZ armored car were tested and showed fairly high performance. On the highway, the cars accelerated to 75 km / h, and also behaved confidently on dirt roads and rough terrain. The firepower of the cannon and machine gun looked promising.
The history of the ADKZ project ended shortly after the end of the tests. Based on the results of a comparison of two vehicles of this model with the ADGZ armored car, it was decided to adopt the latter. The four-axle armored car surpassed the three-axle competitor in a number of parameters, both in terms of running characteristics and armament. The comparison of the two combat vehicles ended with the signing of a contract for the supply of ADGZ.
ADAZ
In 1936, Austrian designers made another attempt to create a simple three-axle armored car with high performance. In the new project, called ADAZ, it was supposed to widely use the developments on the ADGK armored car. So, the chassis and body of the new car had to resemble the corresponding units of the previous development.
According to some sources, as the basis for the ADAZ armored car, a new chassis was chosen, developed on the basis of the units of the ADGK three-axle armored car. Six single wheels were to be mounted on a leaf spring suspension. All six wheels were supposed to be driven.
Various units of a promising combat vehicle were located in accordance with the "classical" scheme. The gasoline engine was placed under an armored hood at the front of the vehicle. Behind it, the main armored hull was placed, completely given over to the control compartment. Unfortunately, there is no data on the proposed type of engine, which is why it is impossible to talk about the possible running characteristics of the armored car. In the front of the habitable volume, the driver and the gunner, armed with a 7, 92 mm machine gun, were housed side by side. The second machine gun or gun was supposed to be installed in a rotating turret. The third crew member was to be responsible for the use of this weapon. In the aft part of the armored hull, it was proposed to make a second control post. In the future, a second driver could be added to the crew. For embarkation and disembarkation of the crew, two doors in the sides and a hatch in the turret roof were provided.
The technologies available at that time in Austria made it possible to make a three-axle armored car with a combat weight of about 6 tons, bulletproof armor and good weapons: a cannon and a machine gun. Nevertheless, the economic situation in the country forced the Austrian military to carefully consider the choice of new technology. It is precisely because of the limited financial capabilities of the Austrian army that the ADAZ project did not go beyond the creation of design documentation. In 1936, the Austro-Daimler (Steyr-Daimler-Puch) proposal was reviewed by a commission of the Austrian military department and rejected.
ADG
The second development in 1936 was the ADG project. This project was to some extent an alternative to ADAZ and was similar to it in a number of main features. The ADG armored car was supposed to receive a three-axle all-wheel drive chassis, bulletproof booking and machine-gun armament.
The six-wheeled chassis for the ADG armored car was developed with extensive use of existing developments and technologies. It was proposed to equip it with a gasoline engine, mechanical transmission and single-sided bulletproof wheels. There is no data on the alleged power plant. Judging by the available information, the ADG armored car could receive a gasoline engine with a capacity of 80-100 hp. To increase the cross-country ability, the armored car could receive rollers under the bottom and freely rotating spare wheels fixed on both sides of the hull.
The armored body of the ADG machine was proposed to be assembled from sheets of various thicknesses. As follows from the available materials, the lower part of the body was a box of complex shape, consisting of vertical sheets. The sheets of the upper part of the body, in turn, had to be installed at an angle to the vertical. The shape of the stern of the armored hull of the ADG car makes one recall the M.25 project by Fritz Heigl.
The body of the ADG armored car was conditionally divided into two compartments: the engine compartment in the front part and the habitable one, which occupies the rest of the internal volume of the body. In front of the fighting compartment there were the driver's and gunner's workplaces. The latter was to receive a 7, 92 mm machine gun. The driver and the shooter could observe the situation through hatches closed with covers with viewing slots. On the roof of the hull, it was proposed to place a large turret with a commander's workplace, a machine gun and a 20-mm cannon. The crew had to get into and leave the car through two doors in the sides and a hatch in the roof of the tower. According to some reports, a second driver and another shooter could be included in the crew of the ADG armored car. The second control post and the third machine gun in this case should have been located in the rear of the hull.
The ADG armored car repeated the fate of another vehicle developed in 1936. The seven-ton armored car of the new model had no advantages over direct competitors such as ADAZ, ADKZ and ADGZ. Based on the comparison of projects and tests of several prototypes, the ADGZ was recognized as the best armored car for the Austrian army. The ADG armored car has joined the list of Austrian armored vehicles that remain at the development stage.
ADSK
In the same 1936, the Steyr-Daimler-Puch company took up perhaps its most interesting armored car project. Unlike the previous ones, the new armored car was proposed to perform patrol, reconnaissance and security tasks. Given this purpose, the armored car, dubbed ADSK, can be considered one of the first armored reconnaissance vehicles.
The specificity of the intended tasks of the ADSK armored car determined the main features of its appearance. It was decided to make the most compact and light vehicle capable of operating behind enemy lines. In this regard, the light Austro-Daimler ADZK tractor was taken as the basis for a promising armored car. This vehicle could carry up to seven fighters with weapons or tow a trailer weighing up to 2 tons. The chassis of this vehicle, after some modifications, became the basis of the ADSK armored car.
Thus, a promising reconnaissance armored car received a four-wheel drive chassis with a 65 hp Steyr engine. Wheels with bullet-resistant tires were equipped with leaf springs. An interesting feature of the chassis of the ADZK car and, as a result, of the ADSK armored car was a small wheelbase - only 2 meters. The two-meter base in combination with the 1410 mm track determined the choice of the basis for the compact armored car.
An armored hull of the original shape was installed on the base chassis. From the front corners, the armored car was protected by a one-piece frontal sheet 7 mm thick. The sides of the car consisted of two panels of the same thickness, installed at an angle to each other. In the aft part, the hull narrowed sharply, forming a characteristic engine casing. In the upper part of the frontal sheet, two observation hatches were provided, covered by covers. Similar hatches were also found on the side and stern sheets. In the lower sheet of the left side there was a relatively large door for embarkation and disembarkation.
As part of the ADSK project, two versions of a promising armored car were developed. They differed from each other in a number of features. So, in the first version, the crew of the car had to consist of two people: the driver and the commander. The workplace of the first was located in the front of the corps, the commander was placed in a rotating turret on the roof. It should be noted that none of the ADSK armored cars built for a number of reasons never received a turret. Because of this, during the tests, the entire crew was inside the hull. The second version of the armored car had two control posts and therefore a second driver was included in the crew. For the comfortable placement of the co-driver and the engine, the armored hull had to be significantly redesigned. The engine was moved to the port side, and a radiator shutter was installed on the stern armor plate.
In 1937, the Steyr-Daimler-Puch company began construction of six prototypes of the ADSK armored car in two versions. During tests, armored cars of both versions on the highway developed speeds of up to 75 km / h. At the same time, the cars turned out to be relatively light and compact. The combat weight did not exceed 3200 kg. The total length of the ADSK armored car was 3, 7 meters, width - 1, 67 m, height - no more than 1, 6 m. Even after installing the turret, the new Austrian armored vehicle could maintain a low height.
According to the test results, the Austrian army in 1937 ordered the construction of an installation batch of five ADSK vehicles. During the tests, the customer identified some additional requirements that had to be taken into account when preparing for the production of the first batch of armored cars. The most noticeable changes have undergone the shape of the frontal part of the hull. Instead of a single frontal plate, the ADSK was equipped with a three-plate structure. At the junction of the upper and middle, at the starboard side, a ball mount for the machine gun was provided.
By the spring of 1938, Steyr-Daimler-Puch did not manage to deliver a single ADSK armored car to the customer. After the Anschluss, the Austrian armored vehicles went to the German military. Those did not finish building the installation batch of armored cars, but accepted prototype vehicles into operation. For several years, they were used to a limited extent as police vehicles.
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For 10-12 years, the Austrian defense industry managed to develop and implement several projects of promising armored vehicles. Starting with the Heigl Panzerauto M.25 project, Austrian designers were able to go from machine-gun armored vehicles based on the chassis of commercial trucks to vehicles developed from scratch, armed not only with machine guns, but also with cannons. It is easy to see that by the mid-thirties, the Austro-Daimler company, which was engaged in the creation of Austrian armored cars, managed to achieve some success in this area.
However, the potential of Austrian armored cars was not fully revealed. At first, this was hampered by the country's economic problems, and then big politics intervened. The annexation of Austria to Germany actually put an end to its own development of military equipment. The SS order for the supply of 25 ADGZ armored cars was the first and last contract of this kind. Germany had a large number of types of its own technology and therefore did not need Austrian ones. Finally, at the end of World War II, European countries began to abandon armored vehicles, replacing them with other types of armored vehicles. Austria was no exception and no longer developed new armored cars.
