Jagdpanzer

Jagdpanzer IV/48

Jagdpanzer (JgPz), German for "hunting tank", is a name given to German self-propelled anti-tank guns.

It typically refers to anti-tank variants of existing tank chassis with a well-armoured casemate fixed superstructure, mounting an anti-tank gun with limited traverse in the front, and usually classed by the western Allies of World War II as a tank destroyer.

History

The Jagdpanzer designs followed on from the more lightly armoured Panzerjäger ("tank hunter") designs which took an anti-tank gun and mounted it on top of a tank chassis with supplementary armour fitted around the gun crew. Also a lot of experience was gained from the Sturmgeschütz series of assault guns for infantry support, which already used heavily armored casemates, completely enclosing the vehicle's crew—although they were associated to the artillery, they were very often used in the anti-tank role.

Tactical use

On the battlefield, the Germans sometimes had to retreat, or try to feign one. Their line of retreat would then preferably pass the location of their anti-tank units who would use their superior firepower to stop the enemy, perhaps even make possible a counter-attack. Therefore the ideal and only valid combat situation for Jagdpanzer units was in the planned ambush, and the skill of the commander of such units lay in correctly choosing and preparing such places long before needed.

In 1945 the Panzerjäger term was applied to all Jagdpanzer types and the earlier Panzerjäger were reclassified as "self-propelled guns".^{[citation needed]}

Types

Notable tank destroyers of World War II in the Jagdpanzer classification include:

• Jagdpanzer 38(t)—sometimes known as "Hetzer", based on the Panzer 38(t) tank
• Jagdpanzer IV—based on the Panzer IV tank
• Jagdpanther—based on the Panther tank
• Ferdinand/Elefant—88 mm PaK on Porsche Tiger I chassis
• Jagdtiger—based on the Tiger II tank

Post-war

After the war the name Jagdpanzer was kept in use in the Bundeswehr, for a number of armoured vehicles used for anti-tank duties. This included the Kanonenjagdpanzer carrying a 90 mm gun and the Raketenjagdpanzers. The first Raketenjagdpanzer was the Raketenjagdpanzer 1 built on the chassis of the SPz Lang HS.30 and armed with SS.11 missiles. The Raketenjagdpanzer 2 was built on the same chassis as the Kanonenjagdpanzer, but was equipped with two SS.11 launch-rails instead of carrying a gun.

Later the Raketenjagdpanzer 2 and the Kanonenjagdpanzer were upgraded to Jaguar 1 and Jaguar 2 tank destroyers, armed with HOT or TOW missiles.

See also

• Tank destroyer