Hetzer

Jagdpanzer 38(t)
JPz 38(t) in museum at CFB Borden in Ontario, Canada
Type	Light tank destroyer
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1944–1945
Used by	Nazi Germany Hungary Czechoslovakia (ST-I) Switzerland (G-13)
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Skoda
Designed	1943
Manufacturer	Böhmisch-Mährische Maschinenfabrik, Škoda
Produced	4 March 1944 – 11 May 1945
Number built	Approx. 2827
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	15.75 tonnes (34,722 lbs)
Length	6.38 m (20 ft 11 in)
Width	2.63 m (8 ft 8 in)
Height	2.17 m (7 ft 1 in)
Crew	4
Armor	8-60 mm (.31-2.36 in)
Main armament	1x 7.5 cm PaK 39 L/48 41 rounds
Secondary armament	1× 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 1,200 rounds
Engine	Praga 6-cylinder petrol, 7.8 litres 160 PS (158 hp, 118 kW) at 2800 rpm
Power/weight	10 PS/tonne
Transmission	5 + 1 Praga-Wilson Typ CV
Suspension	leaf spring
Ground clearance	40 cm (1 ft 4 in)
Fuel capacity	320 litres (85 US gal)
Operational range	177 km (110 mi)
Speed	42 km/h (26 mph)

The Jagdpanzer 38(t) (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), later known as Hetzer ("baiter"), was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis. The project was inspired by the Romanian "Mareşal" tank destroyer.

The name Hetzer was at the time not commonly 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 cleared. However, there exists a memorandum from Heinz Guderian to Hitler claiming 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 vehicle was never named as such in official documents.^{[citation needed]}

Development

The Jagdpanzer 38(t) was intended to be more cost-effective 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.

It was better armored than the lightly armoured earlier Panzerjäger Marder and Nashorn with a sloped armour front plate of 60 mm sloped back at 60 degrees from the vertical (equivalent in protection to about 120 mm), carried a reasonably powerful gun, was mechanically reliable, small and easily concealed. It was also cheap to build.

The Jagdpanzer 38(t) succeeded the Marder III (based on the same chassis) in production 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(t), the lower hull sides slope slightly to increase the available interior space and enable a fully enclosed fighting compartment. Because of the fully enclosed armor, 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.^{[citation needed]}

The Jagdpanzer 38(t) equipped the Panzerjägerabteilungen (tank destroyer battalions) of the infantry divisions, giving them some limited mobile anti-armor capability. After the war Czechoslovakia continued to build the type (versions ST-I and ST-III for training version, about 180 units built) and exported 158 vehicles (version G-13) to Switzerland. Most vehicles in today's collections are of Swiss origin.

By order of Adolf Hitler in November 1944, a number of Jagdpanzer 38(t)s were refurbished straight from the factory with a Keobe flamethrower and accompanying equipment instead of the normal gun. The flame projector, encased in a metal shield reminiscent of that of a gun barrel, was easily prone to damage. Less than 50 of these vehicles, designated Flammpanzer 38, were completed before the end of the war, but they were used operationally against Allied forces on the Western Front.

Further variants were a Jagdpanzer 38(t) carrying the 150 mm sIG 33/2 Howitzer, of which 30 were produced before the end of the war, and the Bergepanzer 38(t), a light recovery vehicle of which 170 were produced. Plans were made to produce other variants, including an assault gun version of the Jagdpanzer 38(t) carrying a 105 mm StuH 42 main cannon, a version mounting the 7.5cm KwK 42 L/70 gun from the Panther, and an anti-aircraft variant mounted with a flak turret. The war ended before these proposed models were put into production. Prototype were also developed for the Jagdpanzer 38(t) Starr, this was a simplified version of the Hetzer and also a step towards the E-10. The design removed the recoil absorber from the main 7.5cm PaK 39 gun, instead attaching the gun to the chassis, and using the Hetzer's bulk and suspension to absorb the recoil. The design was also fitted with a Tatra diesel engine. 10 were built, but never issued. 9 converted back to normal Hetzers and Hitler ordered the remaining prototype destroyed rather than let it be captured at the end of the war.

Variants

• Befehlswagen 38(t) Command variant of the Hetzer. Fitted with a 30W FuG-8 radio set.
• Flammpanzer 38(t) Hetzer modified with a Keobe 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.
• Panzerjaeger 38(t) mit 75mm L/70 Prototype version experimenting with mounting the 7.5cm KwK 42 L/70 gun from the Panther. 3 prototypes built, but the long gun and extra weight caused even bigger problems driving the vehicles. Proposal made by Krupp to modify the Hetzer with a superstructure to the rear to mount the gun, but no more development was done on this idea.
• Panzerjaeger 38(t) Starr A simplified version of the Hetzer which attached the 7.5cm PaK 39 gun to the chassis, and fitted with a Tatra diesel engine. 10 were built, 9 converted back to normal Hetzers. The remaining prototype was destroyed at the end of the war.
• Panzerjaeger 38(t) mit 105mm StuH 42/2 L/28 Proposed version of the Panzerjaeger 38(t) Starr armed with a 10.5cm howitzer.
• ST-I Post-war Czech designation for new manufactured or repaired Hetzers. 249 in service, together with 50 ST-III/CVP driver training vehicles (Unarmed chassis, some with a superstructure). Prototype developments included Praga VT-III armoured recovery vehicle and PM-I flamethrower tank.
• G-13 Post war Swiss version of the Hetzer armed with a StuK 40 gun.

Designs based on Chassis

• Bergepanzer 38(t) Light recovery vehicle based on the Hetzer. Issued to units along with the Hetzer. 170 units produced. A prototype was developed to fit the design with a 2cm Flak 38.
• 5cm Schweres Infanteriegeschuetz 33/2 (Sf) auf Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer chassis mounting a 15cm sIG 33 in a superstructure. Intended as a replacement for the Grille. 30 built, from December 44 .
• Vollkettenaufklarer 38(t) Reconnaissance vehicle based on the Bergepanzer 38. Several prototypes tested, mounting single or twin 2cm Flak 38, and in one case a 7.5cm K51 L/24 gun.
• Vollkettenaufklarer 38(t) Katzchen A fully tracked Armoured Personnel Carrier based on the Hetzer. 2 prototypes built by BMM, and ordered into production, but never built. The prototypes were believed to be destroyed before the end of the war.
• Flakpanzer 38(t) Kugelblitz Proposal to mount the turret from a Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz on a Hetzer chassis. No production due to the war situation.
• Panzerjaeger 38(t) with Panzer IV turret Krupp proposal to mount the turret of a Panzer IV with a 7.5 cm KwK 40 or 8 cm PAW 600 gun on the chassis of Panzerjager 38(t). The proposal was not pursued.
• E-10 Proposed standardized chassis for a 10 to 25 ton armoured vehicle based on an enlarged version of the Hetzer chassis.

Performance

Jagdpanzer 38(t), Hungary, 1944

The Jagdpanzer 38(t) fitted 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(t). The 75 mm PaK 39 L/48 gun of the Jagdpanzer 38(t) 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(t) was able to destroy nearly all allied or soviet tank types in service at long ranges (except heavy tanks) and its fully enclosed armor protection made it a safer vehicle to crew than the open-topped Marder II or Marder III series.

The Jagdpanzer 38(t) was one of the most common late-war German tank destroyers. It was available in relatively large numbers and was generally mechanically reliable. Also, its small size made it easier to conceal than larger vehicles.

Like some other late-war German SPGs, the Jagdpanzer 38(t) mounted a remote-control machine gun mount which 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.

Its main failings were comparatively thin side armor, limited ammunition stowage, poor gun traverse, poor internal layout that made operating the vehicle difficult, as well as torsion bars and drive wheels that were prone to failure due to the increased weight.

Survivors

Owing to the large number produced, the Hetzer is probably the most abundant WWII German tank destroyer remaining today, though many survivors are actually post-war Swiss-built G-13 variants. In addition to numerous examples in museums, there are many Hetzers in various conditions in private collections. They are the only German tank destroyer frequently seen at World War II re-enactments.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007, a Hetzer was recovered from the Baltic Sea in Jurata, Poland. It is currently being restored in Gdansk.

• 

  Polish-captured JPz 38(t) on a barricade during the Warsaw Uprising

• 

  A JPz 38(t) (Swiss G-13 conversion) at the Texas Military Forces Museum in Austin, Texas, USA

• 

  The JPz 38(t) on display at Imperial War Museum Duxford

• 

  JPz 38(t) on display at the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany.

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  JPz 38(t) on display at the National Museum of Military History (Luxembourg)

• 

  JPz 38(t) on display in the Royal Military Museum, Brussels

• 

  Panzerjäger G 13 (Hetzer) der Schweizer Armee on display in the Panzermuseum Thun

Bibliography

• Cristian Craciunoiu; Mark W. A. Axworthy; Cornel Scafes (1995). Third Axis Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941-1945. London: Arms & Armour. pp. 368. ISBN 1-85409-267-7. 
• Doyle, Hillary; Tom Jentz (2001). Jagdpanzer 38 'Hetzer' 1944-45. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-135-4. 
• Scafes, Cornel I; Scafes, Ioan I; Serbanescu, Horia Vl (2005). Trupele Blindate din Armata Romana 1919-1947. Bucuresti: Editura Oscar Print. ISBN 973-668-084-3
• Spielberger, Walter; Tom Jentz (2007). German Light Jagdpanzer: Development - Production - Operations. Pennsylvania, USA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0764326233. 

External links

• Panzerworld.net
• PzFahrer.net—guide to the Hetzer
• Achtung Panzer!
• Surviving Hetzers and G-13 tank destroyers - A PDF file presenting the Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer and G-13 tanks still existing in the world
• Jagdpanzer 38(t) repair and overhaul gallery