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AMD-35 - The Soviet Trophy Panhard 178
French armored cars AMD-35. used in the Wehrmacht under the designation Panard 178 (f), at repair base No. 82 in Moscow. The front armored car has already been repaired and is intended for transfer to the Red Army. The car was repainted in the standard Soviet protective color 4B0. April 1942
History
When the Wehrmacht rolled through France in 1940, they inherited hundreds of these rugged AMD-35 armored cars, renaming them the Panzerspähwagen P204(f). The Germans loved them for their heavy armor and unusual dual-steering setup, which let drivers whip the vehicle backward almost as fast as it could go forward. They shipped them straight to the East to scout the Soviet expanse. But as the Red Army clawed back territory during the winter counter-offensives of 1941 and 1942, they didn’t just push the Germans back; they scooped up an ungodly mountain of abandoned, broken, and captured enemy hardware.
Suddenly, Soviet logicians and mechanics at depots like Base No. 82 found themselves staring at a logistical chimera: a French chassis, German field modifications, and an absolute void of native spare parts or 25mm ammunition.
Yet, desperation breeds ingenuity. Rather than letting a solid armored hullgo to waste, the technicians at the Moscow base dragged this particular P204(f) into the shop, patched up its battle or operational scars, and completely overhauled it. In a symbolic and practical touch, they stripped away the German markings and slathered the entire vehicle in standard Soviet 4BO protective olive green paint, preparing it to be handed right back to the Red Army to fight its former owners.
It wasn’t the start of some massive, standardized program the Soviets weren’t about to set up supply lines for French tankettes but in the grinding attrition of 1942, if a vehicle rolled and shot, the Red Army would take it.
Serving with the 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich,” this particular P 204(f) belonged to the SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion 2. A close look at its registration reveals it carries an official SS license format, pointing to a vehicle sourced directly through SS supply channels rather than standard Wehrmacht stocks. Its tactical markings further identify it as part of a specialized motorized cavalry reconnaissance unit that relied heavily on requisitioned French armor. According to Trackstory n°2, this setup highlights how mixed and ad-hoc early-war German formations could be when outfitting their reconnaissance elements with captured equipment.
Specifications
General
- Origin: France, Captured by Germany then captured by the Soviet Union
- Combat Weight: 8.2 metric tons
- Crew: 4
- Dimensions: 4.79 m (L) × 2.01 m (W) × 2.31 m (H)
- Wheelbase / Drive Configuration: 4×4, all-wheel drive
Armament
- Primary Armament: 25 mm SA 35 L/72 semi-automatic gun
- Ammunition Capacity: 150 rounds
- Elevation Limits: -12° / +15°
- Turret Traverse Rate: 14°/s (Manual)
- Ammunition Types:
- Modèle 1934 APCBC: Solid armor-piercing shot
- Muzzle Velocity: 900 m/s
- Modèle 1934 APCBC: Solid armor-piercing shot
- Secondary Armament: 1x 7.5 mm Reibel MAC 31 coaxial machine gun
- Ammunition Capacity: 3,750 rounds (150-round drum magazines)
Armor Protection
- Armor Material: Riveted face-hardened steel plates
- Hull:
- Upper Front Plate: 20mm / 30°
- Lower Front Plate: 20mm / 15°
- Sides: 15 mm / 0°
- Rear: 15 mm / 0°
- Roof / Floor:*7mm
- Turret (APX 3):
- Front / Mantlet: 20mm
- Sides: 15mm
- Rear: 15mm
- Roof: 7mm
Mobility
- Engine: Panhard 4IS 4-cylinder liquid-cooled petrol engine
- Power Output: 105 hp at 2,000 RPM
- Power-to-Weight Ratio: 12.8 hp/ton
- Transmission: 4 forward / 4 reverse manual transmission
- Max Speed: 72 km/h (Forward and Reverse)
- Operational Range: 300 km
“Soviet soldiers pose during training with french made AMD 35 (Panhard 178) armored vehicles, which previously served in the Wehrmacht and were captured during Battle of Moscow.”
