Autoblinda 41, AFV

[greg higdon]

I read somewhere that the Romanian Royal Army used the Autoblinda 41. Can anyone verify that? thank, Greg

[Victor]

There was an agreement with the Germans to deliver 8 such machines, but I don't know if they were delivered. The main problem is that the Romanian army designated all its armored cars as AB from 'Autoblindat', which obviously means 'armored car'. Thus I have seen reports of deliveries of ABs, but God knows what they were. The only existing memoirs of a Romanian armored car commander, mention Sdkfz 222s. Personaly, I am very skeptical about the use of the AB 41 in the Romanian Army during 1944.

I have found a report from the summer of 1944, which mentions the vehicles in the garrison of the 1st Armored Division's Special Motorized Group, to which the Reconnaissance Group was subordinated. It mentions one "AB Horch" and 12 "AB Usor" (meaning Light AB). The "AB Horch" is probably a Sdkfz 222. The 12 light ABs are a mistery. I have their engine serial numbers if it helps. They range between 104271 and 104335.

In this topic on AHF: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=93629

Davide Pastore mentioned the following known engine numbers:
10003 (prototype AB 40 - maybe lacks a zero ?)
100143 & 100193 (prototypes AB 43)
100210, 100249 & 100352 (railway AB)

I doubt they reached 104000s with their production.

[Victor]

I have found a status report from January 1944 and it only lists:
- AB Horch 222
- AB Horch 223
- AB Hanomag 251
- AB Adler D7P
- AB Denmag D7

No Italian AB 41.

[edit Homag was in fact "Denmag"]

[mihnea]

What is the German designation for these two vehicles: "AB Adler D7P" and "AB Homag (Hanomag??) D7"?
AB stands for "autovehicul blindat".
The Demag D7 was unarmored so what vehicles do they represent?

[Victor]

Homag was in fact "Denmag". I wasn't paying attention when writing.

It was most likely the Demag D7. "Denmag" was a Romanian misspelling of a German word. Adler also built D7s under license. From what I read, the D7 was the platform on which the Sdkfz 250 was built.