The Kfz 13 ‘Adler’ armoured car is an early war scouting vehicle armed with a single machine gun. Its ‘bath tub’ appearance makes it a recognisable vehicle during the Blitzkrieg years of the Second World War.
Following Germany’s defeat in World War One, the German military, under the Versailles treaty, was forbidden to have tanks and could only have armoured cars for Police units. In later years this was extended, in small part, to the German Army. As the interwar period progressed there became a ned for the Germans to develop a light scouting vehicle and Adlerwerke in Frankfurt-on-Main proposed to base use the sturdy chassis of the Standard 6 commercial vehicle. This formally became the Panzerspähwagen Kfz. 13 and later became known simply as the Adler (Eagle).
Its light armour was capable of stopping small arms infantry fire. However, for better visibility and strength, the body was of a “bath-tub” style, with no access doors, and completely open topped. This left the crew unprotected against shrapnel.
The Adler saw service in the invasion of Poland and the campaigns of 1940 in France and the Low Countries. Although then largely relegated to training duties as newer armoured cars were developed, the Kfz 13 Adler could still be found in the active service during the struggle against the Soviet Union…
Dan Hewitson
Tom Mecredy
Craig Nixon