Panhard Type 178 Armored Car (1935)
Initially designed for French cavalry forces, the Panhard Type 178 proved a popular patrol vehicle for colonial security.
In the French Army inventory, the Panhard Type 178 was formally designated as the AMD Panhard Modele 1935 and, as its designation suggests, entered service in 1935. Design of the vehicle was conventional by even today's modern standards and displayed faceted sloped armor for light ballistics protection. The overall appearance was rather clean and something like revolutionary for its time. There was a standard operating crew of four personnel with the driver in the center hull, his forward facing protected by a hinged armored slotted panel. Fenders covered each wheel system to help keep loose dirt and mud away from the surface of the vehicle. The Type 178 measured a running length of 15 feet, 9 inches with a height of just 7 feet, 7 inches. Armor protection was between 7- and 20-mm in thickness. Weight was approximately 8 tons. Power was supplied by a single Panhard 8-cylinder engine delivering 105 horsepower. The gearbox allowed for four forward and four reverse speeds and was efficient enough to allow up to 26 miles per hour in reverse. Top speed was 45 miles per hour with a maximum range of 186 miles.
Armored vehicles such as the Type 178 proved invaluable in the upcoming world war for they were highly flexible compact combat elements that could be rapidly deployed as needed. Their speed and inherent ranges made them excellent reconnaissance vehicles able to probe or harass enemy defenses as needed. As such, they were usually lightly armed and armored for the role and assigned to mechanized cavalry or infantry elements. The Type 178 was initially fielded with a short-barreled cannon along with one or two 7.5mm caliber general purpose machine guns. After some practice, the armament arrangement of choice became the fitting of a high-velocity 25mm L/73 cannon along with a coaxial 7.5mm machine gun. Armament counts included 150 rounds of 25mm ammunition and 3,750 rounds of 7.5mm ammunition. Other variants existed that dropped some or all of the armament for their intended roles including a command vehicle which fitted a fixed hull superstructure with no primary armament. These versions allowed for additional internal storage space for the implementation of additional radio and communications equipment.
The Type 178 was fielded in the German Invasion of France in 1940 and proved of some value. However, the original 25mm gun was found to be inadequate and appropriately replaced with a 37mm type and then further upgraded to a 47mm model. Production ramped to feverish paces but only a few were up-gunned in this manner. France soon fell and, with it, its war-making capabilities including existing products such as tanks, aircraft and, of course, the Type 178 armored car. Even the German Army found value in the excellent French Type 178 systems and reconstituted them back into service with their own forces under the designation of Panzerspagwagen Panhard 178 P204(f). Nearly 200 examples were given to German Army elements by the middle of 1941 and these represented the base French design with no German modifications whatsoever. A slightly modified form was only later fielded by the Germans and these were used to patrol railways. As such, the chassis was removed of its rubber-tired and steel wheels and fitted instead with rail wheels sporting flanges. These vehicles were used to patrol the areas ahead of vital supply trains to protect both train and track from ambush or partisan efforts. The railway versions were fielded on both the Eastern and Western Fronts of the war and at least 43 examples were modified for this use.
By 1944, the Germans were being pushed back along multiple fronts. The Type 178 was sent back to the Renault factory in Paris for the installation of the 50mm KwK L/42 cannon over that of the original 25mm system. This made for a more formidable wheeled vehicle that could tackle at least light-armored and soft-skinned vehicles and deter any direct enemy infantry actions. France proper was liberated from Axis control by the end of 1944 and, with it, came the liberation of the wartime facilities. In a short time, the Type 178 was back in production for the French Army as the Type 178B and served with Free French forces from there on. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.
Specifications for the
Panhard Type 178
Armored Car
Country of Origin: France
Manufacturer: Panhard - France
Initial Year of Service: 1935
Production: 1,143
Focus Model: Panhard Type 178A
Crew: 4
Overall Length: 15.72ft (4.79m)
Width: 6.59ft (2.01m)
Height: 7.05ft (2.15m)
Weight: 9.0 US Short Tons (8,200kg; 18,078lbs)
Powerplant: 1 x Panhard ISK 4F II bis 8-cylinder gasoline engine developing 105 horsepower.
Maximum Speed: 45mph (72 km/h)
Maximum Range: 186 miles (300 km)
NBC Protection: None
Nightvision: None
Armament:
1 x 25mm SA35 main gun
1 x 7.5mm Reibel machine gun
Ammunition:
Not Available.
Variants:
Type 178A - Pre-War Production Models; 729 examples completed; fitting 25mm cannon and 7.5mm machine gun.
Type 178B - Late-War/Post-War German/French Production Versions; 414 examples completed; fitting 47mm SA35 cannon and 1 x 7.5 machine gun.
AMD Panhard Modele 1935 - Formal French Army Designation.
Panzerspahwagen P204(f) - Germany Army Designation for captured French systems.
Operators: France; Italy; Nazi Germany; Syria
By Decade:
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• VIEW ALL
• Compare Tanks
By Type:
• 4x4 Military Vehicles
• 6x6 Military Vehicles
• 8x8 Military Vehicles
• Artillery Gun Systems
• Anti-Aircraft (AA) Guns
• Anti-Aircraft (AA) Vehicles
• Anti-Tank (AT) Guns
• Anti-Tank (AT) Vehicles
• Armored Cars
• Armored Personnel Carriers (APC)
• Battlefield Robots
• Halftrack Vehicles
• Heavy Tanks
• Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV)
• Light Tanks
• Main Battle Tanks (MBT)
• Modern Combat Tanks
• Medium Tanks
• Military Motorcycles
• Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS)
• Reconnaissance Vehicles
• Special Purpose Vehicles
• Self-Propelled Guns (SPG)
• Tank Destroyers
• General Purpose / Utility Vehicles
By Nation:
• Afghanistan
• Britain
• China
• France
• Germany
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel / Israeli Army
• Italy
• Libyan Army
• North Korea / North Korean Army
• Pakistan
• Russia
• South Korea
• Soviet Union
• Syrian Army
• United States
• VIEW ALL
World War 2:
• Artillery
• Infantry Fighting Vehicles
• Tank Destroyers (All)
• Tanks (All)
• Australian Tanks
• British Tanks
• Canadian Tanks
• Cruiser Tanks (UK)
• Czechoslovakian Tanks
• French Tanks
• German Tanks
• German Tank Destroyers
• German FlaK Guns
• German Reconnaissance Vehicles
• Hungarian Tanks
• Italian Tanks
• Japanese Tanks
• Romanian Tanks
• Soviet Tanks
• Swedish Tanks
• US Tanks
• VIEW ALL
World War 1:
• France WW1 Tanks
• Germany WW1 Tanks
• Britain WW1 Tanks
• US WW1 Tanks
• WW1 Artillery
• WW1 Tanks (all)
• VIEW ALL
Spanish Civil War:
• VIEW ALL
Korean War:
Vietnam War:
• VIEW ALL
Cold War:
• Cold War Tanks
• Cold War American Tanks
• Falklands War
• Post-WW2 British Tanks
• VIEW ALL
Gulf War (1991):
• VIEW ALL
Miscellaneous:
©2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • Content ©2003-2013 MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Site Contact Email: militaryfactory at gmail dot com. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® trademarks and protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws.
Top MF Stuff: 2013 Military Pay Scale | Military Ranks | WW2 Weapons | Sniper Rifles | Kts to Mph | WW1 Aircraft | Automatic Rifles | Aircraft Cockpits | Vietnam War Weapons | Main Battle Tanks | Submachine Guns | Shotguns | French Military Victories
Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use. Other images acquired through the public domain. Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.
