Bolt Action - Panhard 178 armoured car (ENGLISH)

The Panhard 178 – colloquially known as the ‘Pan-Pan’– was an advanced Automitrailleuse de Découverte (AMD or armoured reconnaissance car) designed for the French Cavalry before World War II. Initially designed to help police France’s colonial territories, the Panhard 178 was a revolutionary design, being the first mass-produced 4x4 armoured car.

Over 1,100 were built of varying designs. It had a crew of four and was equipped with an effective 25mm main armament and a 7.5mm coaxial machine gun. The Panhard 178 first saw action in Norway in 1940 during the German invasion. This was followed in the same year with actions in Belgium, Holland and France itself (notably at the Battle of Hannut) before the eventual defeat of France.

Following the German defeat of France, the Wehrmacht repurposed many Panhards under the new designation Panzerspähwagen P204 (f) for use in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.