Sd.Kfz.222 (China)
| This page is about the SPAA Sd.Kfz.222 (China). For the German version, see Sd.Kfz.222. |
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Contents
Description
The Sonderkraftfahrzeug 222 (Sd.Kfz.222) was the second variant in the series of light four-wheel-drive armoured reconnaissance vehicles (Leichter Panzerspähwagen) manufactured in Germany between 1935 and 1944. A substantial quantity of German-made equipment was transported to China in 1933, marking the start of the Kuomintang government's army reorganizing program. When these tanks were shipped, they were still painted in the dark grey of the German army. The Chinese Nationalist Army emblem was painted on the right rear side of the armoured car body and under the turret after it arrived in China, but the original German emblem was retained. The Sd.Kfz.222 was deployed by the Chinese Nationalist Army's special motorized unit. Its mission is to protect Chongqing and defend against Japanese paratroopers that may attack the city. The Chinese Sd.Kfz.222 is the early model; thus, it differs slightly from that of the German army's Sd.Kfz.222.
Introduced in Update "Sky Guardians", the Chinese Sd.Kfz.222 offers the Chinese Army's early-rank ground units swift attack autocannon armoured cars, which are extremely rare in Chinese tanks. As the autocannon lacks the penetrative capacity to penetrate the many light tanks prevalent in the early ranks, players should always try to flank the enemy whenever possible. However, since the main autocannon has a high elevation angle of attack, this light tank can also be deployed for anti-aircraft tasks. Without a doubt, this light armoured car will provide Chinese Army ground forces players with valuable insights into other nations' doctrine during World War II.
General info
Survivability and armour
The Sd.Kfz.222 is overall a poorly protected vehicle.
The frontal hull consists of 14-30 mm armour plates, which can only stop heavy machine gun rounds and, with good angling, non-HVAP autocannon shells. Thus vehicles with heavy machine guns or autocannons are highly dangerous, for example M13 MGMC, Pz.II, Sd.Kfz.234/1, etc. Any projectile with a larger calibre will go through its armour with ease. The rest of the vehicle is covered in 8 mm plates, which are barely enough to stop rifle-calibre bullets. At point blank range, even rifle-calibre machine guns have a good chance of penetrating the Sd.Kfz.222. The thin armour also makes the vehicle highly vulnerable to shrapnel from bombs and near-miss high explosive shells, so stay away from diving planes or artillery strikes.
The post-penetration survivability is low. There are only 3 crews, with 2 sitting closely together in the turret making them easy to be taken out by a single shot. However, the vehicle will sometimes survive a shot or two, but don't count on that. The open-topped turret also makes HE, HEAT, bombs, and explosive rockets very lethal due to their overpressure. Therefore, the Sd.Kfz.222 will be knocked out with a single shot from howitzer-equipped vehicles like the M8 HMC, the Chi-Ha, or the 15cm sIG 33 B Sfl.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | ___ mm | ___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom |
___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Turret | ___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet |
___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Cupola | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm |
Notes:
Mobility
The Sd.Kfz.222 is a highly mobile vehicle, so the player should utilise this trait and avoid the flaws in protection.
On flat paved road, the vehicle can quickly accelerate to around 60 km/h thanks to its 18 hp/t power-to-weight ratio. This speed is comparable with famous fast tanks like BT-5. In offroad conditions, the vehicle can still maintain an average speed of around 50 km/h, allowing it to get to any location in a timely manner.
The -16 km/h reverse speed seems significantly lower than forward speed, but it is fast enough to pull the vehicle out of danger if it is not far from a cover behind. Other wise, it may be better to turn the vehicle around.
The vehicle's 4 wheels can all steer, making it very agile to navigate through confined environments like a small town, or to quickly change driving directions.
The only flaw in mobility is that, at high speed, it is awkward to precisely control the direction as the vehicle tend to "snake" around when trying to steer. Also, it takes a few seconds to fully come to a halt when braking at high speed. Lastly, due to the vehicle's light weight (only 5t), it cannot quickly ram through obstacles like metal fences without losing speed, so avoid driving into them.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 87 | 17 | 3.9 | 107 | 143 | 27.44 | 36.67 |
| Realistic | 81 | 16 | 66 | 75 | 16.92 | 19.23 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
The Sd.Kfz.222 is armed with a single 20 mm KwK30 autocannon paired with a coaxial rifle-calibre machine gun. The Sd.Kfz.222 possesses a quick turret traverse and elevation speeds, and can elevate its gun to 80 degrees, allowing you to aim at and track aircraft with comfort. Compared to its German counterpart, the 20 mm KwK30 autocannon fires at a slower rate than the KwK38, but has double the ammunition per magazine. The KwK30 doesn't have access to the PzGr.40 belt, which grants it a higher penetration. This is a bigger disadvantage than one might expect, and limits the Chinese Sd.Kfz.222 more to its stated role as SPAA, especially in uptiers. Against many of its contemporaries, however, the penetration at point blank should be enough to deal with armoured cars and light tanks. There is more bullet drop on the KwK30 than the KwK38 autocannon, but the low penetration means it shouldn't be used to snipe, and it is not noticeable enough to really affect anti-air performance. The lower BR on the Chinese Sd.Kfz.222 should place you against weaker enemies than the German one anyway, making the lack of HVAP belts not as noticeable.
| 20 mm KwK30 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 180 (20) | 280 | -7°/+80° | ±180° | - | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Realistic | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: API-T · HEFI-T*
- Sprgr.: HEFI-T*
- PzGr.: API-T
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | ||||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| HEFI-T* | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| API-T | 37 | 34 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 6 | |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HEFI-T* | 900 | 0.12 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 10.2 | 79° | 80° | 81° | ||||
| API-T | 800 | 0.15 | - | - | - | 47° | 60° | 65° | ||||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Machine guns
The MG13 Dreyse is a normal coaxial MG with a significantly lower rate of fire than its original German version. The MG is capable of elevating alongside the main cannon and can be utilised in AA work as a reserve weapon while loading the main gun or just attracting enemy planes to get a shot. It has decent penetration for a rifle-calibre MG, so it can be used in rare circumstances against very lightly-armoured vehicles or exposed crewmen.
| 7.92 mm MG13 Dreyse | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 900 (75) | 500 | - | - |
Usage in battles
The Sd.Kfz.222 is a fast vehicle capable of keeping up with the fastest of Rank I vehicles. This opens up numerous opportunities for you, as unlike the Flakpanzer I or the Flakpanzer 38, you are not nearly as vulnerable to gunner snipes as you would be with them. In addition, you are not nearly as well suited for AA work as you only have room for a maximum of 9 magazines (including the one you have loaded), so prolonged AA work will simply burn your ammunition long before the Flakpanzers even needed to start getting worried. The closest analogue one can compare the 222 to is the Sd.Kfz.234/1 (basically a Puma chassis with the same turret). Instead of shooting planes, one can actively use the 222 as a speedier version of the Pz.II, attacking enemy tanks. Your lack of armour and excellent speeds encourage flanking or ambushing roles. Remember enemy weak spots and avoid armour you can't handle.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High speed especially on paved road, comparable with fast foes like BT-5
- All-wheel steering, very agile navigating through urban areas
- Fast turret traverse, can keep up with high-speed targets like planes
- Good -16km/h reverse speed, helpful to retreat from danger
- 20-round magazine is beginner friendly
- Very small profile, easy to hide in bushes
Cons:
- No HVAP shells unlike the German version, cannot penetrate armoured targets like H.39, D2, etc.
- Very poorly protected, even a heavy machine gun can frontally penetrate it
- 7-second reload is quite slow
- 280 rounds/min fire rate is slower than the German version, requiring extra aiming skills to hit planes
- Only 9 magazines of 20 mm rounds can be carried compared to 18 in the German Sd.Kfz.222, limiting ones potential without any restocking of ammo
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Related development
- Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
External links
| Eisenwerk Weserhütte | |
|---|---|
| Sd.Kfz.221 | Sd.Kfz.221 (s.Pz.B.41) |
| Sd.Kfz.222 | Sd.Kfz.222 · ␗Sd.Kfz.222 |
| China anti-aircraft vehicles | |
|---|---|
| Radar SPAAG | PGZ09 |
| Gun and Missile SPAAG | PGZ04A |
| Missile SPAA | Antelope |
| Other | ZSD63/PG87 · ZSL92 · WZ305 |
| Germany | ␗Sd.Kfz.222 |
| North Vietnam | Phòng không T-34 |
| USA | CCKW 353 (M45) · ␗M42 |
| USSR | Tor-M1 |
