The term Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (German for "heavy armoured reconnaissance vehicle") covers the six- and eight-wheeled armoured vehicles used by Germany during the Second World War.In the German Army, armoured vehicles were used for the traditional cavalry tasks of reconnaissance and screening. They scouted ahead and to the flanks of advancing mechanised units to assess the enemy's position, strength and intentions. Their primary role was reconnaissance, but they would engage similar or light forces, sometimes attempting to capture enemy patrols.Sd. Kfz. 233was equipped with a short-barrelled (L/24) 7.5 cm KwK 37 gun and was based on the open-top superstructure of Sd. Kfz. 263 (8-Rad) radio vehicles. 199 of these vehicles were built at the Birchen factory between December 1942 and October 1943. A further 10 were converted from chassis 263 in October 1942. This variant of the Sd.Kfz. series entered service in 1942 and remained in use throughout the war. They came in the form of a platoon of six vehicles to support the reconnaissance battalion. The official name was the 7.5cm Sd.Kfz.Panzerspähwagen. kfz. 233.