39M Csaba

The 39M Csaba was an armoured car produced for the Royal Hungarian Army during World War II.

39M Csaba
39M Csaba armored scout car (1940)
TypeArmored car
Place of originKingdom of Hungary
Service history
In service1939 - 1944(?)
Used byHungarian Army
WarsSecond World War
Production history
DesignerNicholas Straussler
Designed1930s
ManufacturerWeiss Manfred, Csepel
Produced1939 - 1944
No. built102-137
Specifications
Mass5.95 tonnes
Length14 ft 8 in (4.52 m)
Width6 ft 10 in (2.1 m)
Height7 ft 4 in (2.27 m)
Crew3
Armour9 mm
Main
armament
20 mm cannon
Secondary
armament
2 x 8 mm MG
EngineFord, 8-cylinder
90hp
Operational
range
93 mi (150 km)
Maximum speed 40 mph (65 km/h)

Development
Rear view of a 39M Csaba, showing the reverse, driving position

Hungarian expatriate Nicholas Straussler designed several armoured cars for Britain while living there between the two world wars. Straussler came to an agreement with the Weiss Manfred factory of Csepel, Budapest to produce vehicles from his designs for use in his home country – the most prominent was the Csaba (named after the son of Attila the Hun) which was designed based on his experience of the Alvis AC2 armoured car.

After successful trials in 1939, the Hungarian Army placed an order for 61, and a further order for an additional 40 vehicles was placed in 1940. Of these, twenty were used as actual fighting vehicles, with the remainder serving as armoured command cars and reconnaissance vehicles.

The Csaba had a 20 mm Solothurn anti-tank rifle[1] and an 8 mm machine gun fixed on a centrally mounted turret, with 9 mm armoured plating. The vehicle was also equipped with a detachable 8 mm light machine gun fired through the rear hatch in the anti-aircraft role. The crew could dismount and carry this MG when conducting reconnaissance on foot. It also had two driving positions – one at the front as normal, and an additional one at the rear.

The 40M Csaba was a command version armed only with the turret-mounted 8 mm machine gun. This vehicle was fitted with a second R-4T radio, which had a large lattice radio mast.

References

Notes
  1. Zaloga, Steven J. (2018). The Anti-Tank Rifle. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-4728-1722-8.

Bibliography
  • J C M Probst. "Hungarian armour during WW2". Airfix Magazine (September 1976).


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