A fully operational replica of the German Sd.Kfz. 222 light armoured car was built to take part in reenactments at Stalin Line.
The armoured car itself was developed in 1936 for the reconnaissance battalions of Wehrmacht armoured divisions. It was armed with a 20 mm KwK 30 gun and a coaxial MG 34 machine gun. At ranges of up to 500 metres, the gun's armour-piercing round could penetrate 20 mm of armour, while its sub-calibre round could penetrate 49 mm at ranges of up to 100 metres. A total of 989 armoured cars of this type were produced by the end of the war.
The Sd.Kfz. 222 replica was built using the engine, transmission, running gear and controls from a Toyota passenger car.
The hull was assembled from ordinary 7 mm steel plate.
Once the hull was complete, a proper turret ring and a turret with 15 mm-thick walls were made, together with a working gun with a rifled barrel and mechanisms for traversing the turret and elevating the gun.
The next stage was to produce the external fittings and numerous hatches of the armoured car.
By February 2020, work on the replica was nearing completion.
On 9 March 2020, the Sd.Kfz. 222 replica successfully completed its road trials and took its place in the Second World War wheeled vehicles hangar.
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