Sd.Kfz. 9

[Pibwl]

Originally Posted by blazejos

Austin / Austin-Putilovets

Russian license build British Austin armoured cars. This vehicle is already in polish OOB available between 1930-1931. Both versions English imported Austin I until Austin III and Russian build Austin-Putilovets. All captured from Soviets during war in 1920.
Soviets have 73 of them until 1931 in regular army units, 40 of them English build versions. Like in Poland they remove them in 1931-1933 and relegate to second line units. They were in NKVD internal troops rebuild on new ZIS chasis and participated in fights in 1941.

This info is sometimes repeated in the net, but I haven't found info on their service in 1941 in Russian printed sources so far. However, it's worth to copy them from Polish OOB to Soviet early inventory (one generic Austin with transverse turrets, Austin-Putilov with diagonal turrets and Austin-Kegresse should be enough).

Here's an old page on Austin variants and service: http://derela.republika.pl/austin.htm

Austins in foreign service weren't numerous, but some were used by Japan, reportedly by Manchukuo. They were also used for some time by the British (put on Peerless chassis eventually).