Le.Pz.Sp.Wg - 3 Serie and 4 Serie Ausf.A Fahrgestell - Inside Track | Renault TSF Tank Kent

As Panzer Tracts No.13-1 showed there are many variations of le.Pz.Sp.Wg. not just those governed by the role of the car such as Sd.Kfz.221, 222, 223, 260 and 261. The Weald Foundation team is currently working on three chassis. We are taking the opportunity to expand on the Panzer Tracts research by documenting for the first time the differences between the chassis Serie . The 3.Serie chassis is noticeably different to the 4 Serie example!. Remedial work was done on our Brittany Sd.Kfz.223 - 3.Serie Fahrgestell (chassis) decades before it was acquired by Weald Foundation. This needed to be correctly re-worked. The areas requiring special attention on this 3.Serie chassis were the front and rear and the round spring housings at each suspension assembly point. The areas where the spring housings had been welded to the chassis in the original process had cracked. We have concluded that this was caused by the weight of the armoured body and fittings – engine etc – which were too heavy for the Fahrgestell when used in rough conditions over a long period of time. This caused the Fahrgestell to flex outwards from the bottom as the vehicle under load across uneven terrain bounced up and down causing great strain on the 8 spring retainer points of the chassis. Our investigation shows that this problem was addressed to some extent in the 5.Serie chassis where the chassis underwent a design strengthening change so-called Ramenverstärkung. Back to the differences. We planned to use our 4.Serie chassis as a reference basis given that it is very complete, until we discovered a series of design differences. A combination of referencing original images from the period and other chassis had to be undertaken to avoid unforced errors in relying too heavily on our 4.Serie chassis. The first difference was uncovered when we planned how to repair the rearmost chassis rail ends of the 3.Serie. These had apparently been blown off during the detonation of a charge that was allegedly set off under the engine when this Sd.Kfz.223 broke down in Sizun, Brittany in August 1944. The original end sections appear to have been retained but were badly re-attached to the chassis. These have now been removed and while we were doing this work, we recorded the first difference, but more was to follow:. • The internal plating of the chassis rail is not continued as far with the 3.Serie and the rail shelf itself is exposed. The top rail shelf is clear to see in the original image provided and our Brittany chassis images. The corresponding rear area of our 4.Serie chassis rail area is clearly not the same showing the extended interior panel. • The second difference is clear in these images – the circular pressed hole in the 4.Serie chassis rail interior, designed to reduce the weight of the chassis, is not present at the same position in the 3.Serie chassis. • The next difference is the spring retainers and associated suspension points integrated into the chassis. We noticed what appears to be an initial basic Ramenverstärkung in the 4.Serie chassis which is manifested by small strengthening ribs which have been welded on to the top of the spring retainers (see grey green fully assembled images). The naked 3 Serie spring retainers show none of the ribs fitted( see Dunkelgelb painted chassis images) • A further difference is on the spring retainer support braces. These are simple braces with the 3.Serie yet have additional internal spars fitted to the rearmost and foremost spring retainer (see attached images) (see attached images of both) • The final images show the state of the apparently original rearmost chassis rail points covered in weld, now cut from the chassis and the relatively pristine 4.Serie counterparts. We are working on recovering these original sections and plan to insert new external and internal plates cut to size and worked in to match the original finish required. Being aware of such a list of differences will allow Weald Foundation members to identify if the correct Serie Fahrgestell have been matched with period Panzeraufbau (bodies).

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