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Combat photos of SdKfz 234-2, top left of knocked-out Puma with cracked turret and burnt wheel spokes, open hatches indicate the crew was able to evacuate before vehicle was engulfed in flames. Bottom right Puma with hit to rear engine area. About 2000 variants of SdKfz 234s were produced, only 101 234-2 variants were manufactured, most being destroyed on battlefield, hence very difficult to find a Puma in war museums throughout the world.
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Rollover : ( Rollover JPG link ) | Pumas at collection points, top left showing its differential gear system to compensate turning radius of all 8 wheels. Bottom right is Puma with classic camouflage of African-Yellow base color with Dark Brown stripes to break up vehicle silhouette. Both Pumas have the Star Aerial (also called Crow's Feet) for FuG8 command radio set, used to communicate with rear echelon headquarters, a smaller FuG5 radio set is carried inside the turret for communication with nearby vehicles.
- War commencement in 1939, Germans using Frame Aerial on its vehicles for HQ communication, which resembled a gigantic bedstand frame, easily recognized and targeted by the enemy as communication vehicles. In early 1940s, Germans also used a Pole Aerial, which was telescopic antenna reaching about 30 feet, it was cumbersome to manually operate. By late war years, Star Aerial was introduced to render communication vehicles as inconspicuous as possible. This aerial was apply to all communication vehicles including 8-rad Pumas, SdKfz 250 halftracks, and Panther tanks.
Puma command car at train depot preparing for embarking on railroad flatcars, with Star-array antenna for regimental HQ communique, large stowage box on rear left fender ( on Italeri model kit, box situated on right rear fender ), spare wheel on vehicle rear, foliage netting around 5cm gun barrel, left muffler seemed to have been destroyed via obstacle collision. In front of Puma is Sdkfz 7 8-ton troop carrier halftrack, generally used as heavy artillery prime mover.
SdKfz 7 | AGT
Sd.Kfz. 7 | Wiki
SdKfz 7 mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8t half tracks | WW2V
At WW2 commencement, German radio command vehicles had Frame-array antenna ( which resembled rectangular bed frame ) for long distance communication. Its Frame-shape made it prime target for enemy gunners, thus by 1943 Germans introduced Star-array antennae which was offered better compact and concealment.
WWII German Recon Vehicles, using NVIS Antenna Systems | TTL
German Tank Radios | ARC
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Burnt-out Panzer Lehr Puma at Marolles Les Braults ( Pays-de-la-Loire region ) - Normandy, August 1944 Falaise Pocket battles. Looks like vehicle was hit by Allied ground-attack aircraft since open hatches meant crew already evacuated when it was it. Turret side has massive penetration hit, probably from aerial anti-armor rockets. Resulting burn-out reduced left-side rubber wheels to ashes. Given staunch Allied superiority in Normandy, most of German forces moved at night to avoid daytime aerial assaults, any vehicle caught in the open more or less ended up like this Puma.
IL2 Normandy - Operation Overlord ( Flight-Sim PC game ) | YouTube
Attack Air "Normandy and Beyond" | Youtube
Marolles-les-Braults Map — Satellite Images of Marolles-les-Braults | MPC
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Movie still of destroyed Puma at French town during American St. Lo offensive, Puma was fighting rear guard since it had its turret pointed to rear, resulting fire burned off rubber rimmed wheels.
D-Day - The Battle Of Normandy - Part 3 of 4 | YouTube
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