Kfz 13

Kfz 13
Type	Armoured car
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	1933–1941
Used by	Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	Daimler-Benz
Produced	1932–35
No. built	187 147 Kfz 13, 40 Kfz. 14
Variants	Kfz 14
Specifications
Mass	2.1 t (2.1 long tons; 2.3 short tons)
Length	4.2 m (14 ft)
Width	1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
Crew	2 (Kfz 13) 3 (Kfz 14)
Armor	8 mm (0.31 in)
Main armament	MG 13, later MG 34 with 1,000 rounds of ammunition
Engine	Adler "Standard 6" water-cooled six cylinder 2,916 cm³ inline engine 51 hp (38 kW)
Fuel capacity	70 litres (15 imp gal)
Operational range	380 km (240 mi)
Maximum speed	70 km/h (43 mph) road

The Kfz. 13 (also Maschinengewehr-Kraftwagen) was the first armoured reconnaissance vehicle introduced by the Reichswehr after the First World War and, by 1935, 147 units of this lightly armoured vehicle had been delivered to the fleet. The Kfz. 13 was based on a civilian car, the Adler Standard 6. Although the Kfz. 13 was equipped with all-wheel drive, the vehicle had poor cross-country capability and the added weight led to overheating. The unarmed version, the Kfz. 14 communications vehicle, was equipped with a radio set instead of the machine gun.

The Kfz. 13 & 14, along with other armored reconnaissance cars, was spearheaded the Invasion of Poland, where it was found that their thin armor was readily penetrated by Polish anti-tank weapons. By the time Poland surrendered, 23 cars of both types had been destroyed. The cars next saw action in the Battle of France, where they once again saw losses, but performed a bit better due to the better roads there. The vehicles continued being used in the Balkans and invasion of the Soviet Union. All of the cars sent to the Soviet Union were destroyed by 1941 and all remaining cars were retired from active service that same year, afterwards only being used for training or by second-line troops.

Kfz 13 (left)

Left: a Kfz 13; right: an armoured Sd.Kfz. 232 with large loop antenna (6-wheeled radio and command vehicle)

See also

• List of German military equipment of World War II
• D-8 Armored Car - Contemporary Soviet design based on Ford Model A.