Ehrhardt E-V/4 (E-V/4 Panzerkraftwagen Ehrhardt)

History

The armored vehicle concept was baptized with firepower during World War I, when mechanized vehicles quickly replaced the once-proud cavalry units. This development was natural and logical for the emergence of the machine gun as a battlefield device, which quickly limited the tactical use of this light and unarmored unit.

So a cavalry charge (or infantry charge, for that matter) goes straight into defending enemy territory without much protection, and is therefore suicide rather than a military strategy. As the automobile itself became a part of everyday life around the world, it opened up to military engineers the prospect of serving the armed forces with the concept of an "armored vehicle" - a concept that was successfully touted at the start of World War I by the Belgian Army and Their "Minerva Armored Vehicle" is essentially a militarized station wagon disguised for war.

Armored vehicles can now provide troops with the armored protection they need against enemy machine gun jets, while using their own, effectively turning them into mobile fire platforms. These systems can do most of the things cavalry can't, hitting the enemy head-on, breaking through prepared defenses, or using guerrilla-style tactics and "hit-and-run" attacks to defeat the enemy.

Its wheeled nature also allows it to traverse terrain at relatively acceptable speeds. Despite the promise of this new weapon of war, armored vehicles were still in their infancy during the First World War, and their importance was only recognized as the war progressed.

Having gained experience with the receivers in Minerva, Belgium, early in the war, the German Imperial authorities took notice and implemented an internal program to produce homegrown competition designs. They commissioned the German companies Bussing, Daimler and Ehrhardt to produce corresponding prototypes. In 1915, the Ehrhardt company responded with the armored car Ehrhardt E-V/4. This type is very traditional for vehicles.

Her rectangular design has four spoked wheels concentrated at each corner, the engine faces forward, the cab is aft, and the formal crew cab is used for gunfire. The front wheel receives a flange to deflect mud buildup between the tire spokes. The wheels at the rear, partially covered by side skirt armor, are actually doubled to alleviate concerns about ground pressure. What makes this vehicle so unique on the battlefield is its faceted engine and utility pod, which is covered with plate armor.

The thickness of the armor measures 9mm at its widest point. There are viewing windows for the crew to view, and there is a movable turret on the roof of the crew cabin. The listed operations team consists of up to nine employees. This includes not only the driver, but also the rifle group that is supposed to operate the machine guns - up to six 7.7mm general purpose machine guns can be fitted throughout the Ehrhardt armored vehicle design.

About 1,250 rounds of 7.92mm ammunition were carried on board.

The engine is drawn through a slotted front grille, and power is provided by a single 80-horsepower gasoline powerplant. Top speed is around 38 mph on paved roads, and significantly lower on rough terrain. The maximum range is about 155 miles. Weight is 8 US short tons.

The car is 17.4 feet long, 6.6 feet wide and 9 feet tall.

Bussing and Daimler also submitted their designs, with Daimler's design closer to Ehrhardt. All three submissions were seriously oversized for the "hit-and-run" role the German Army had prepared for them (Bussing's submission turned out to be the largest of the three), and each was predictably heavy And unmanageable, to put it mildly?the price paid for armor and weapons.

All of this requires the use of several personnel to operate vehicles and weapons.

Three prototypes were further evaluated to form a platoon of camouflaged armored vehicles. Originally shipped to the Baltic region and then to the fabled Western Front, neither of those experiences bodes well for new cars, as they are too heavy to navigate Europe's rough, muddy off-road terrain, or more Or less, limiting their tactical use. Another attempt was made, during which three cars were transferred to the Eastern Front against the troops of the Russian Empire.

Since then, its intrinsic value was finally revealed, until the German authorities demanded more armored vehicles.

Ehrhardt was asked to provide 20 more cars while trying to correct some of the problems found on the prototype earlier. The design was lighter by nearly two tons, and the vehicle now received improved frontal armor. The vehicles officially entered service with the German army under the new name "Panzerkraftwagen Ehrhardt 1917" and were quickly deployed to strengthen the defenses of the Eastern Front. From there, Earhart's carriage served from 1917 until the end of the year, when it was called closer to home for internal local security.

In this role, the car is actually signed, and more cars are ordered. The armored vehicle proved so popular that even captured enemy models were sent back to the Bundeswehr for service. The German Empire finally surrendered to the Allies, and an armistice was signed in November 1918.

The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, placing much of the blame for the war on Germany itself. The treaty also severely limited its army, limiting its standing army to just 100,000 men, no tanks, and no aircraft production. Notably, it allowed the production of armored vehicles to continue, effectively extending the life of the Ehrhardt family.

More were ordered this year, and decades later they did not enter service until just before the start of World War II. By then, the armored vehicle would have evolved into a completely different beast, capable of mounting weapons of various calibers and traversing harsher terrain.

Ehrhardt finally completed 33 E-V/4 armored vehicles.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

1,250 x 7.7mm ammo

Changes