The basic idea that infantry on the battlefield would have to be transported in vehicles in order to maintain the speed of the faster armored fighting vehicles of the future was mentioned in German military circles as early as 1927. In 1938, the introduction of the armored personnel carrier (SPW) was decided.
The medium SPW could transport a group of ten soldiers. The chassis offered better off-road mobility than a truck and at the same time better protection thanks to its armor. The standard armament consisted of two MG 34 or MG 42 machine guns to defend or support the dismounted troops.
In the rear, there was a double-wing door - a significant difference to the American M3 counterpart - which made it easier for the crew to mount and dismount.
At the beginning of the attack on Poland, only three out of 400 motorized companies of the Wehrmacht were equipped with medium SPWs. Initially, it was assumed that the riflemen would simply be transported to the battlefield and then dismounted to fight. This is why the first designation for this vehicle was armored personnel carrier. It was only later, when the battle was increasingly fought from a standing or moving vehicle, that the term armored personnel carrier or armored infantry fighting vehicle became established.
Source: Wikipedia: Wikipedia.
