Lincolnshire-based Neil Whatling is the proud owner of a Cold War Austrian APC that turns heads wherever it goes
‘The high elevation angle of the gun would also allow it to be used in an anti-aircraft role’
Unlike most European nations in the first decades of the Cold War, Austria’s force of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) did not consist of the American-made M113. Indeed, during the mid-1950s, while the United States was developing the M113, the Austrians were developing their own APC.
When one thinks of armoured vehicles, Austria is probably not the first country that springs to mind. However, during the Cold War, it was no stranger to indigenous armoured vehicle development. Indeed, the Saurer APC was one of the first post-World War Two armoured vehicles to be built by the Austrians.
The development of the Saurer APC began in 1956 under the contractor Osterreichische Saurer-Werke of Vienna. A prototype vehicle designated the ‘3K 3H’, was ready by 1958, followed in 1959 by a second prototype designated the ‘4K 3H’. These initial prototypes were propelled by a Saurer 3H 200bhp diesel engine. In 1960, another revised prototype was unveiled, called the ‘4K 2P’. It had a slightly different layout t o …
