Екінші дүниежүзілік соғыстағы неміс танкжойқышы "Hetzer"

German WWII tank destroyer (Jagdpanzer 38)

the surname

The Jagdpanzer 38 (Sd. Kfz. 138/2), originally the Leichter Panzerjäger 38(t), known mostly post war as Hetzer, was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis. German armoured forces in World War II created a variety of vehicles by mounting anti tank guns on the chassis of obsolete tanks. These machines performed better than expected, but were still vulnerable due to their high vehicle profiles and open topped turrets. Allied bombings took a heavy toll on German production facilities and further increased the need for an easily produced, yet effective light tank destroyer to replace vehicles like the StuG III and Marder series (Marder I, II, and III). Prototypes of the Jagdpanzer 38 were ready by 1944, and mass production began in April of that year. The Jagdpanzer 38 was covered entirely with sloped armour and possessed a compact form and low silhouette, giving it much improved defensive ability over other self propelled guns. Armament consisted of a 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 gun and a remote controlled MG 34. It featured a wide body to accommodate the four man crew, as well as a strengthened lower hull with enlarged wheels, guide rollers, and tracks. Jagdpanzer 38s first entered service in July 1944 and would eventually be assigned to a number of units, including infantry, Panzerjäger and Volksgrenadier divisions. BMM and Škoda continually modified and improved the Jagdpanzer 38 during production of the more than 2,800 vehicles built. Owing to the ease of production and high operating rates, the Jagdpanzer 38 came to serve as Germany's main tank destroyer in the latter period of the war, making an important contribution on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.

The name Hetzer (German for "chaser") was never an official or suggestive name used for this vehicle. It was the designation for a related prototype, the E 10. The Škoda factory for a very short period confused the two names in its documentation and the very first unit equipped with the vehicle thus for a few weeks applied the incorrect name until matters were clarified. However, there exists a briefing paper from Heinz Guderian to Hitler saying that an unofficial name, Hetzer, had spontaneously been coined by the troops. Post war historians basing themselves on this statement made the name popular in their works. The "t" in the original designation stands for "tschechisch" (German for Czech).

The Jagdpanzer 38 was intended to be more efficient than the much more ambitious Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger designs of the same period. Using a proven chassis, it avoided the mechanical problems of the larger armoured vehicles. British historian Mark Axworthy suggests that the design for the Hetzer was likely rooted in the Romanian Mareşal tank destroyer. In November–December 1943, a Romanian commission ordered from Germany and German occupied France several components which could not be made in Romania and this drew German attention to the Mareşal. Hitler approved the development of the Hetzer on 7 December 1943. That same month, Marshal Antonescu, Conducător of Romania at the time, commended the Mareşal project to Hitler. Soon afterwards, on 6 January 1944, Hitler was presented with the plans of the Mareşal M 04 prototype. Axworthy notes that the Hetzer's armament, armour and broader hull were very similar to those of the M 04. He also reports that in May 1944, German Lieutenant Colonel Ventz (a delegate of the Waffenamt) admitted that the Hetzer had followed the Romanian design solution. American historian Steven Zaloga writes that "The Germans were impressed with the overall layout of the Mareşal, and it is credited with being the inspiration for the German Jagdpanzer 38(t) tank destroyer." However, the concept of self propelled anti tank guns with well sloped armour was not new to the Germans. The Jagdpanther was in development before the Hetzer, as was the Jagdpanzer IV. It was built on the Panzer 38(t)'s widened and lengthened chassis with modified suspension (larger road wheels from the Praga TNH n. A prototype reconnaissance tank) and up rated engine. The new engine was a 160 PS Praga AC/2 6 cylinder engine coupled to a Praga Wilson gearbox (5 forward and 1 reverse gear). The chassis was modified to accommodate a larger gun and thicker armour than the Panzer 38(t) tank. Its combat weight was 16 metric tons (versus 9.8 tonnes for the Pz 38(t)) and it could travel at a maximum speed of 42 km/h. It was better armoured than the thinly armoured earlier Panzerjäger Marder III and Nashorn self propelled anti tank guns with a sloped armour front plate of 60 mm sloped back at 60 degrees from the vertical equivalent in protection to about carried a reasonably powerful 75 mm gun, was mechanically reliable, small and easily concealed. It was also cheap to build. The Jagdpanzer 38 succeeded the open top Marder III (based on the same chassis). Starting from April 1944, about 2584 were built until the end of the war. The older Marder III Panzerjäger series retained the same vertically sided chassis as Panzer 38(t). In the Jagdpanzer 38, the lower hull sides slope 15 degrees outward to make a roughly hexagonal shape when viewed from front or rear. This increased the available interior space and enabled a fully enclosed casemate style fighting compartment. Because of the fully enclosed armour, it was 5 tonnes heavier than the Marder III. To compensate for the increased weight, track width was increased from 293 mm to 350 mm.

Befehlswagen 38 Command variant. Fitted with a 30W FuG 8 radio set. Flammpanzer 38 Jagdpanzer 38 modified with a Koebe flamethrower in place of the main gun. Deployed on the Western Front, with first use during the Battle of the Bulge (20 in 352nd and 353rd Panzer Flamm Kompanies attached to Army Group G). Less than 50 units produced. G13 Post war version of the Jagdpanzer 38 built for Switzerland, armed with a StuK 40 gun. 15 cm Schweres Infanteriegeschütz 33/2 (Sf) auf Jagdpanzer 38(t) This self propelled assault gun was developed using the hull of the Bergepanzer 38(t) recovery vehicle with a 15 cm sIG 33/2 mounted in a lightly armoured casemate; the vehicle's enclosed firing compartment was protected by 10 mm of armoured plate on the front and flanks. Developed by BMM in Prague and intended as a replacement for the battlefield attrition in Grille self propelled howitzers. Some sources indicated a high probability that the gun was produced at the Alkett plant in Berlin Marienfelde. 30 built between December 1944 and February 1945.

The Jagdpanzer 38 fit into the lighter category of German tank destroyers that began with the Panzerjäger I, continued with the Marder series, and ended with the Jagdpanzer 38. The 75 mm Pak 39 L/48 gun of the Jagdpanzer 38 was a modified version of the 75 mm StuK 40 L/48 used in the StuG III and StuG IV assault guns. With this gun, the Jagdpanzer 38 was able to destroy nearly all Allied or Soviet tank types in service at long ranges (except heavy tanks), and its fully enclosed armour protection made it a safer vehicle to crew than the open topped Marder II or Marder III series. The vehicle could carry two different armour piercing shells for the Pak 39 gun: the Pzgr. 40 high velocity tungsten cored round, which fired a projectile at 930 m/s that could penetrate 120 mm of armour at 500 meters and 97 mm at 1,000 meters, striking at a 30 degree angle, but was often in scarce supply; and the Pzgr. 39 armour piercing, capped, ballistic capped shell (APCBC) with explosive filler and a tracer element, launching a heavier projectile at 750 m/s that could pierce of armour at 500 meters and 95 mm at 1,000 meters. Based on tests using Pzgr. 39 ammunition, with correct range estimation and competent gunnery, a 99% chance of a first shot hit at 500 m and a 71% chance at 1,000 m was estimated. The vehicle also carried standard high explosive rounds and the Gr. 38 HL/C high explosive anti tank (HEAT) round designed with a shaped charge, but this was less effective and accurate against armoured targets than AP rounds. The Jagdpanzer 38 was one of the most common late war German tank destroyers. It was available in relatively large numbers and was generally mechanically reliable. Like some other late war German SPGs, the Jagdpanzer 38 mounted a remote control machine gun mount that could be fired from within the vehicle. This proved popular with crews, though to reload the gun, a crewmember needed to expose himself to enemy fire. The vehicle's small size made it easier to conceal than larger vehicles. A self propelled gun such as this was not intended for a mobile, meeting engagement or the typical Wehrmacht blitzkrieg style of warfare. Instead, a light self propelled gun like the Jagdpanzer 38 excelled when emplaced along pre determined lines of sight where the enemy was expected to approach and when used in defensive positions to support a prepared ambush. The Jagdpanzer 38 is similar in its dimensions and vertical profile to the minuscule and undergunned Panzer II, a prewar tank. However, by 1944, the majority of tanks were much larger and heavier; a Jagdpanzer 38 waiting motionless in an ambush position was a much smaller target to detect and hit than many other armoured fighting vehicles of the time. Its main failings were comparatively thin side armour, limited ammunition storage, poor gun traverse, and a poor internal layout that made operating the vehicle difficult, as well as leaf springs and drive wheels that were prone to failure due to the increased weight. Using the Jagdpanzer 38 and similar vehicles according to a defensive doctrine would offset some of the disadvantages of poor side armour and limited gun traverse.

The Jagdpanzer 38 first entered service with the Heeres Panzerjäger Abteilung 731 in July 1944. This unit was sent to Army Group North on the Eastern Front. One report from the Eastern Front described how a company of Jagdpanzer 38 destroyed 20 enemy tanks without any losses. 75 Jagdpanzer 38s were used by the Royal Hungarian Army. After King Michael's Coup in 1944, Romania had captured two Hetzers and had used them for a while before they were confiscated by the Red Army. While Romania was still an Axis power, Germany had decided to give them 15 Jagdpanzer 38s. In the meantime, the Royal Coup had happened, so Romania never received the vehicles. As part of a proposed joint production of the Mareșal and Jagdpanzer 38, Germany even gave Romania the licence to produce the Jagdpanzer 38. It's not known whether any examples were produced in Romania. One captured by the Home Army, nicknamed Chwat ("daredevil"), during the Warsaw Uprising. At least two captured vehicles, used by the Polish People's Army, post war. 249 vehicles of the ST I variant were used. 158 vehicles of the G 13 version were used.

Due to the large number produced, the Jagdpanzer 38 is probably the most abundant World War II German tank destroyer remaining today, though many survivors are actually post war Swiss G 13 and Czech ST I variants. In addition to the numerous examples in museums, there are Jagdpanzer 38s of various conditions in private collections. In 2007, a Jagdpanzer 38 was recovered from the Baltic Sea in Jurata, Poland. As of 2012, it was being restored in Gdańsk.