Steyr schweren Schienenpanzerspahzug (s.Sp.)

History of Steyr Heavy Rail Armored Scout Platoon (s. Sp.)

The Industrial Age (1820-1840) saw a huge expansion of the railway industry, which meant that railway networks were laid to connect major cities and regions. Road trips that used to take weeks to months now take weeks to days. The American Civil War (1861-1865) was the first conflict that really proved that trains were a viable component on the battlefield - useful for moving troops and war supplies back and forth.

During World War I (1914-1918), the platoon adopted a more purposeful concept, and in some examples, the platoon was armored and armed for direct combat or support roles. Although the range of the armored train was limited by the existing track network, it proved so effective that all major empires at the time used this type in one form or another.

By the Second World War (1939-1945), the armored train had developed but retained its basic values.

In 1943, with World War II in full swing, the Germans commissioned Steyr-Daimler-Puch to design, develop and produce a new heavy armored cruiser for reconnaissance and denial missions. This class should use components from existing platforms and form the "Heavy Rail Armored Spahzug" (see Col.). For example, the main weapons, turrets, etc. are taken from a large number of Panzer IV medium tanks. The turrets were simply built around a rough, angled armor structure.

The superstructure is superimposed on the existing train carriages.

The machine gun could be mounted on key panels and operated from inside the vehicle, with the gunner intervening using the aiming slot. The placement of the turret on the superstructure allows for full 360-degree traversal, although the short 75mm gun shape of the Panzer 4 tank series was used due to availability.

However, these weapons are still powerful, especially when HE (High Explosive) shells can be used against "soft" targets. A purpose-built "command vehicle" - which could accommodate squads of infantry - could be attached to these "gun carriages," and the units could be self-propelled or attached to locomotives as needed.

Additional support wagons can then be attached to the group to form a formidable itinerant "fortress on wheels" - complete with heavy rail armoured reconnaissance platoons.

In practice, self-propelled trams are used to scout positions near contested terrain or to support ongoing infantry operations, using large-caliber artillery against unsuspecting elements. Denial of strategic rail junctions and bridges can also be achieved as wagons can move anywhere the rail network allows.

Of course, all that changed the moment an Allied bomb or explosive device destroyed the trackand then stopped the car from moving forward.

The concept of the Heavy Rail Armoured Scout began construction in May 1944 and entered service around November of the same year. Of the 16 planned full systems, only 6 were realized, which ran until April 1945, the last month of the war in Europe.

When not considered trophies, these cars were stripped of their wartime utility and scrapped.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

Not available.

Changes