At the final stage of the war, when the battlefield remained with our troops, it was quite often possible to capture various self-propelled artillery mounts abandoned by the enemy due to lack of fuel or having minor malfunctions. Unfortunately, it is not possible to cover all German SPGs in one publication. And in this part of the review, we will focus on the most interesting and most common captured SPGs.
Heavy anti-tank artillery mount ACS "Ferdinand"
Perhaps the most famous German anti-tank self-propelled gun is the heavy self-propelled gun "Ferdinand". Which had the official name 8, 8 cm StuK.43 Sfl. L / 71 Panzerjäger Tiger (P). And it was created on the chassis of the VK4501 (P) heavy tank developed by Ferdinand Porsche, which was not adopted for service.
The self-propelled artillery unit "Ferdinand" is armed with an 88-mm cannon 8, 8 Kw. K.43 L / 71 and is protected by 200-mm frontal armor. The thickness of the side armor was the same as that of the Tiger tank - 80 mm. A machine weighing 65 tons could accelerate on a paved road up to 35 km / h. On soft ground, the self-propelled guns moved at the speed of a pedestrian. Slippery climbs and funnels often became insurmountable obstacles. Cruising in store for rough terrain - about 90 km.
The most powerful 88-mm cannon was ideal for destroying enemy armored vehicles at any distance, and the crews of the German self-propelled guns really scored very large accounts of destroyed and knocked out Soviet tanks. The thick frontal armor made the self-propelled gun practically invulnerable to 45-85-mm projectiles. The side armor was penetrated by 76, 2-mm tank and divisional guns from a distance of 200 m.
At the same time, the overweight self-propelled gun, which originally did not have machine-gun armament, was vulnerable to anti-tank infantry weapons. Poor maneuverability on soft soils led to the fact that "Ferdinands" sometimes got stuck on the battlefield.
Many legends are associated with this self-propelled gun. As in the case of the Tiger tank, according to reports submitted to higher headquarters, our troops managed to destroy the Ferdinand self-propelled guns several times more than they were released. Often, servicemen of the Red Army called any German self-propelled gun with a rear-mounted fighting compartment "Ferdinand". A total of 90 Ferdinand self-propelled guns were built in May – June 1943, of which 8 vehicles in varying degrees of safety were captured by the Red Army.
One captured vehicle in the USSR was dismantled to study the internal structure. At least two were shot at the training ground in order to develop countermeasures and identify vulnerabilities. The rest of the cars participated in various tests, and subsequently all but one were cut for scrap.
Anti-tank self-propelled artillery installation "Nashorn" and self-propelled howitzer "Hummel"
Our fighters often confused the Nashorn (Rhino) tank destroyer with the Ferdinand, which had the official designation 8.8 cm PaK.43 / 1 auf Geschützwagen III / IV (Sf). Until January 27, 1944, this ACS was called "Hornisse" ("Hornet").
"Nashorn" was produced in series from the spring of 1943 and almost until the very end of the war. A total of 494 self-propelled guns of this type were produced. The base for the "Nashorn" was the unified Geschützwagen III / IV chassis, in which the road wheels, suspension, support rollers, idler wheels and tracks were borrowed from the Pz. IV Ausf. F tank, and the drive wheels, engine and gearbox were from the Pz. III Ausf. J. Carburetor engine with a capacity of 265 liters. with. provided a car weighing 25 tons with a speed of up to 40 km / h. The cruising range on the highway was 250 km.
The main armament of the tank destroyer was the 88mm anti-tank gun 8.8 cm Pak.43 / 1 L / 71, the characteristics of which were the same as the 8.8 Kw. K.43 L / 71 gun installed on the Ferdinand. To combat enemy infantry, there was an MG.42 machine gun.
Compared to the Ferdinand, the Nashorn self-propelled guns were much weaker protected, and the wheelhouse did not have an armored roof. The frontal armor of the hull was 30 mm, the side and stern were 20 mm. The armor protection of the cabin 10 mm thick protected the crew from bullets and light fragments.
The anti-tank self-propelled artillery mount was capable of successfully knocking out armored vehicles from ambushes at a distance of more than 2,000 m. However, the weak armor of the Naskhorn could be easily penetrated by a shell fired from a gun from any Soviet tank.
The self-propelled 150-mm howitzer "Hummel" ("Bumblebee") was in many ways similar to the PT ACS "Nashorn". The full name is 15 cm Schwere Panzerhaubitze auf Geschützwagen III / IV (Sf) Hummel. This vehicle was also built on the Geschützwagen III / IV universal chassis, but was armed with a 150 mm sFH 18 L / 30 field howitzer. A 7, 92 mm MG.34 or MG.42 machine gun was used as an auxiliary weapon. The protection and mobility of "Hummel" approximately corresponded to the ACS "Nashorn". From February 1943 to March 1945, it was possible to build 705 self-propelled guns, armed with 150-mm howitzers. Also, 157 ammunition transporters were produced on the Geschützwagen III / IV chassis. In the army, a number of transporters were converted into self-propelled howitzers.
The range of a direct shot from a 150-mm howitzer was approximately 600 m. The calculation of the self-propelled gun, in addition to armor-piercing and cumulative shells against tanks, could use quite powerful high-explosive fragmentation shells. At the same time, the effective firing range reached 1,500 m. The combat rate of fire was 3 rds / min.
Soviet troops captured several dozen self-propelled guns "Nashorn" and "Hummel", which in the Red Army received the designation SU-88 and SU-150. So, as of March 16, 1945, the 366th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (4th Guards Army) included: 7 SU-150, 2 SU-105 and 4 SU-75, as well as 2 Pz. Kpfw tanks. V and one Pz. Kpfw. IV. These captured vehicles were used in the battles at Balaton.
In a separate SAP (27th Army), which was considered as an anti-tank reserve, as of March 7, 1945, there were 8 SU-150 (Hummel) and 6 SU-88 (Nashorn). These vehicles were lost in repelling a German counteroffensive in the Scharsentagot area.
Self-propelled artillery mounts StuG. III and StuG. IV
The most common captured German self-propelled gun was the StuG. III, which received the designation SU-75 in the Red Army. Captured self-propelled guns, armed with 75 mm StuK.37 cannons with a barrel length of 24 caliber, were actively used by the Red Army in the initial period of the war.
In March 1942, the StuG. III Ausf. F, which was armed with a 75 mm StuK.40 / L43 gun with a 43 caliber barrel. The main reason for the creation of this self-propelled gun was the low efficiency of the short-barreled 75-mm StuK.37 cannon against new types of Soviet tanks. On late-production vehicles, 50-mm frontal armor was reinforced by installing 30-mm screens. In this case, the mass of the ACS was 23 400 kg.
In September 1942, the delivery of the StuG. III Ausf. F / 8 with StuK cannon. 40 / L48 with a barrel length of 48 calibers. A self-propelled gun armed with such a weapon could hit all existing Soviet tanks at a distance of more than 1000 m. In addition to enhancing the armament, this ACS in the frontal projection was covered with 80-mm armor, which Soviet 76, 2-mm tank and divisional guns could penetrate at a distance less than 400 m. The thickness of the side armor, as in the previous modifications, remained the same - 30 mm.
The most massive modification was the StuG. III Ausf. G. A total of 7,824 vehicles were produced from December 1942 to April 1945. An increase in protection against 14.5-mm PTR bullets and 76.2-mm cumulative shells of regimental guns was provided by 5-mm armor screens that covered the chassis and sides of the vehicle. To combat the infantry, a remotely controlled machine gun was installed on the roof.
ACS StuG. III Ausf. G in firing position weighed 23,900 kg. 300 hp carburetor engine with. could accelerate the car on the highway to 38 km / h. Tanks with a volume of 310 liters were enough for 155 km on the highway and 95 km on the dirt road.
Strengthening the armament and protection of the StuG. III ACS went in parallel with the Pz. Kpfw. IV medium tank. At the same time, with the same thickness of armor and an identical 75-mm cannon, the self-propelled gun, when conducting a fire duel with enemy tanks at medium and long distances, looked preferable to the "four". The frontal armor of the hull and the casemate had a slope, and the relatively low silhouette of the self-propelled guns reduced the likelihood of hitting. In addition, the StuG. III SPG was much easier to camouflage on the ground than the taller Pz. Kpfw. IV tank.
75 mm StuK cannon. 40 / L48 was quite adequate for fighting tanks. Through penetration of the frontal armor of the T-34-85 tank hull with a caliber armor-piercing projectile at a course angle of 0 ° was achieved at distances of up to 800 meters, and at a course angle of 30 ° - up to 200-300 meters.
Close to these data was the recommended range of opening fire on tanks for 75-mm guns, which was 800-900 meters. And also the results of a German study of statistics on the destruction of tanks and self-propelled guns in 1943-1944, according to which about 70% of targets were knocked out by 75-mm guns at distances of up to 600 meters. And at distances over 800 meters - only about 15%. At the same time, even in the absence of through penetration of the armor, 75-mm shells could create dangerous secondary chips from the rear side of the armor when fired from a distance of 1000 m. The 75-mm cannon's capabilities in the fight against heavy tanks were significantly more limited. Thus, the IS-2 was considered sufficiently resistant to the fire of German 75-mm guns with a barrel length of 48 calibers at a distance of more than 300 m.
Taking into account the fact that more than 10,000 StuG. III self-propelled guns of all modifications were built, this self-propelled gun became the most massive example of German armored vehicles used in World War II. Self-propelled guns of the StuG. III family, armed with StuK.40 guns, were very good tank destroyers and successfully combined sufficient firepower with a relatively low cost.
Similar to the StuG. III Ausf. G characteristics were the StuG. IV self-propelled guns, created on the chassis of the Pz. Kpfw. IV medium tank. The reason for the design of this combat vehicle was the insufficient number of well-proven self-propelled guns StuG. III. The production of the StuG. IV ACS was carried out at the production facilities of the Krupp-Gruzon Werke company, which was engaged in the production of the Pz. Kpfw. IV medium tank.
In terms of security and firepower, the self-propelled guns created on the basis of the "troika" and "four" were equal. The StuG. IV self-propelled gun was armed with the same 75 mm StuK.40 L / 48 cannon. A rifle caliber machine gun was installed on the roof of the wheelhouse. Frontal armor thickness - 80 mm, side armor - 30 mm. A vehicle with a combat weight of about 24 tons could accelerate along the highway to 40 km / h. The power reserve on the highway is 210 km, on the dirt road - 130 km.
From December 1943 to April 1945, 1170 StuG. IVs were produced. It is noteworthy that since the second half of 1944, German enterprises produced more self-propelled guns on the chassis of the "four" than the Pz. Kpfw. IV tanks. This is due to the fact that ACS were much cheaper and easier to manufacture.
Tank destroyer Jagd. Pz. IV
In January 1944, serial production of the Jagd. Pz. IV (Jagdpanzer IV) tank destroyer began. As follows from the designation, the chassis of the PzIV Ausf. H.
Tank destroyers of the first transitional modification were armed with a 75-mm cannon with a barrel length of 48 calibers. From August 1944 to March 1945, the Panzer IV / 70 tank destroyer was produced, with a "Panther" cannon. A tank destroyer with such a powerful weapon was seen as an inexpensive alternative to the Panther.
Tank destroyers Panzer IV / 70 were produced at the enterprises "Vomag" and "Alkett" and had significant differences. In total, the German tank industry managed to deliver 1,976 self-propelled guns.
The thickness of the frontal armor of the Panzer IV / 70 (V) self-propelled gun with a 70 caliber gun was increased from 60 to 80 mm, and the weight increased from 24 to 26 tons and exceeded the load limit for the PzKpfw IV chassis. As a result, the car was overweight and the front rollers were overloaded. Due to the large length of the gun barrel, the driver had to be very careful on rough terrain, since there was a high risk of damaging the barrel against an obstacle when turning or scooping up the soil with the muzzle.
Even with the reliability problems of the undercarriage and mediocre mobility on the battlefield, the Panzer IV / 70 tank destroyer was a very dangerous foe. An armor-piercing projectile fired from the 7, 5 cm Pak.42 L / 70 cannon could hit Soviet medium tanks at a distance of up to 2 km.
During the war, our troops captured several hundred serviceable StuG. III, StuG. IV and Jagd. Pz. IV. In the official reports submitted to the higher headquarters, no difference was made between these machines and were referred to as the SU-75.
Captured self-propelled guns, armed with 75-mm guns, along with other German and domestic self-propelled artillery installations, were operated in self-propelled artillery and tank regiments of the Red Army. They were also armed with separate battalions, equipped with captured armored vehicles.
Now it is difficult to establish how many SU-75s were in the Red Army at the final stage of the war. Apparently, we can talk about several dozen cars. Apparently, these self-propelled guns did not often participate in direct clashes with enemy armored vehicles. And for the most part they were seen as a mobile anti-tank reserve.
Nevertheless, there are cases when captured SU-75 self-propelled guns were actively used in hostilities.
On March 12, 1945, in Hungary, in a battle in the vicinity of the city of Enying, the command of the 3rd Ukrainian Front tried to use a combined tank battalion, in which, in addition to other armored vehicles, there were SU-75s. However, even before the captured self-propelled guns entered the battle with the enemy, the battalion was attacked from the air by Soviet attack aircraft, as a result of which two vehicles burned out and five got stuck trying to get out of the fire.
In the 366th GTSAP, in the battles near Balaton, the SU-75 fought along with the ISU-152 self-propelled guns, and in the 1506th SAP, one battery was armed with 6 captured SU-75 and 1 SU-105.
Unlike the Pz. Kpfw. V and Pz. Kpfw. VI tanks, mastering the SU-75 did not have any particular problems for well-trained Soviet crews. Against the background of the capricious Panthers and Tigers in operation, the ACS based on the Troika and Four were quite reliable and maintainable. In this regard, captured self-propelled guns with long-barreled 75-mm cannons were used as tank destroyers until the last days of the war.
The StuG. III and StuG. IV captured from the enemy (along with the Pz. Kpfw. IV tanks) were also used in the Red Army as armored recovery vehicles, tractors, armored vehicles of forward artillery observers, fuel and ammunition transporters.
To do this, in the field tank repair shops, guns were dismantled from self-propelled guns, and towers were removed from tanks. The freed up useful volume inside the armor space and the capacity reserve made it possible to install additional equipment on the machines: a winch, a crane boom, a welding machine or an external fuel tank.
In the first post-war years, captured demilitarized armored vehicles were used in the national economy.
Self-propelled artillery StuH.42
In addition to the StuG. III self-propelled gun on the Pz. Kpfw. III tank chassis, the StuH.42 self-propelled gun was also produced, armed with a 10.5 cm StuH.42 gun with the ballistics of a light 105-mm leFH18 / 40 field howitzer.
During the combat use of the StuG. III assault self-propelled guns, it turned out that sometimes the destructive effect of a 75-mm projectile is not enough to destroy field fortifications. In this connection, an order was received for an SPG with a 105-mm gun capable of firing all types of standard rounds of a 105-mm light field howitzer with a separate case loading. Production of the StuH.42 self-propelled guns began in October 1942. Until February 1945, 1,212 cars were delivered.
To combat tanks, the ammunition load included cumulative shells with armor penetration of 90-100 mm. In order to increase the rate of fire, a unitary shot was created with a cumulative projectile in a special elongated sleeve. The firing range at visually observed targets with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile is up to 3,000 m, with a cumulative projectile - up to 1,500 mm. Combat rate of fire - 3 rds / min.
At the final stage of hostilities, the Red Army had several StuH.42 self-propelled guns, which, under the designation SU-105, were used in conjunction with the SU-75.
Self-propelled artillery installations Marder III
In the first half of 1942, it became quite obvious that the light tank PzKpfw. 38 (t) (Czech LT vz. 38) was hopelessly outdated and had no prospects in its original form. In this regard, at the production facilities of the Boehmisch-Mahrish-Maschinenfabrik in Prague (the former Czech CzKD), several types of ACS were produced using the PzKpfw.38 (t) chassis.
In April 1942, the first serial tank destroyer, designated 7, 62 cm Pak (r) auf Fgst, left the assembly shop of the Prague plant. Pz. Kpfw. 38 (t). In March 1944, the self-propelled gun was renamed Panzerjager 38 fuer 7, 62cm Pak.36. But much more this SPG is known as the Marder III.
The main armament of the self-propelled gun was the 7, 62 cm Pak. 36 (r) L / 51, 5, which was a modernized and modified version of the captured Soviet 76-mm divisional gun of the 1936 model (F-22). For self-defense against infantry, there was a 7, 92 mm MG.37 (t) machine gun.
Since the F-22 gun was originally designed for a much more powerful ammunition and had a large margin of safety, at the end of 1941 a project for the modernization of the F-22 was developed. The captured guns mod. 1936, the chamber was bored, which made it possible to use a sleeve with a large internal volume. The Soviet sleeve had a length of 385.3 mm and a flange diameter of 90 mm. The new German sleeve was 715 mm long with a flange diameter of 100 mm. Thanks to this, the powder charge was increased by 2, 4 times. Due to the increased recoil, a muzzle brake was installed. In fact, German engineers returned to the fact that V. G. Grabin proposed in 1935.
Thanks to the increase in muzzle energy, it was possible to significantly increase the armor penetration. German armor-piercing tracer projectile with a ballistic tip 7, 62 cm Pzgr. 39 weighing 7, 6 kg had an initial speed of 740 m / s and at a distance of 500 m along the normal could penetrate 108-mm armor.
In smaller numbers, shots were fired with an APCR shell 7, 62 cm Pzgr. 40. At an initial speed of 990 m / s, a projectile weighing 3, 9 kg at a distance of 500 m at a right angle pierced 140 mm armor. The ammunition load could also include cumulative shells 7, 62 cm Gr. 38 Hl / B and 7.62 cm Gr. 38 Hl / С with a mass of 4, 62 and 5, 05 kg, which (regardless of range) along the normal ensured penetration of 90-100 mm armor.
For the sake of completeness, it is pertinent to compare the 7.62 cm Pak. 36 (r) with a 75 mm anti-tank gun 7, 5 cm Pak. 40, which, in terms of cost, a complex of service, operational and combat characteristics, can be considered the best of those mass-produced in Germany during the war years. At a distance of 500 m, a 75-mm armor-piercing projectile could penetrate 118-mm armor along the normal. Under the same conditions, the armor penetration of a sub-caliber projectile was 146 mm.
Thus, it can be stated that the guns had practically equal armor penetration characteristics and confidently ensured the defeat of medium tanks at real firing distances. It should be admitted that the creation of the 7, 62 cm Pak. 36 (r) was, of course, justified, since the cost of conversion was much cheaper than the cost of a new gun.
The "Marder III" cannon was mounted on a cruciform carriage mounted in a fixed low-profile riveted wheelhouse open at the top and rear. The gun itself was covered with an u-shaped shield 14.5 mm thick, which protected it from bullets and shrapnel. The frontal part of the hull and the front of the cabin had a thickness of 50 mm, the sides and stern of the hull - 15 mm, the side of the cabin - 16 mm.
The vehicle with a combat weight of 10.7 tons was equipped with a 140 hp carburetor engine. with. and could move along the highway at a speed of 38 km / h. In store down the highway - 185 km.
Serial production of the Marder III tank destroyer armed with the 7, 62 cm Pak gun. 36 (r), continued until November 1942. In total, 344 new self-propelled guns were built, another 19 self-propelled guns of this type were converted from linear light tanks Pz. Kpfw. 38 (t).
The reason for the termination of the production of "Marder III" was the lack of captured 76-mm divisional guns F-22 in the warehouses.
The need of the Wehrmacht for tank destroyers on the Eastern Front was so great that the production of "Marders" not only could not be stopped, but also had to be increased monthly.
From November 1942 on the Pz. Kpfw. 38 (t) instead of 7, 62 cm Pak 36, they began to install the 7, 5 cm Pak anti-tank gun. 40/3. This modification of the "Marder III" was originally called the Panzerjäger 38 (t) mit Pak. 40/3 Ausf. H. And in November 1943, the tank destroyer received its final name - Marder III Ausf. H.
As in the previous modification, the open-type fixed wheelhouse was installed in the middle of the hull.
The visual differences between the models with 76, 2 and 75 mm guns were in the structure of the wheelhouse and in the external differences of the guns.
The security of the car remained almost the same. Combat weight - 10, 8 tons. Speed on the highway - 35 km / h, cruising range on the highway - 240 km.
Serial production of tank destroyers Marder III Ausf. H lasted from November 1942 to October 1943. During this period, 243 self-propelled guns were produced, another 338 self-propelled guns of this type were converted from linear light tanks.
In May 1943, a new modification of the Marder III Ausf. M with a fixed wheelhouse of an open type in the aft part of the armored vehicle hull. The Marder III Ausf. H and Marder III Ausf. M were absolutely identical.
This tank destroyer was well suited for ambush operations. By reducing the thickness of the armor plates in the frontal projection to 20 mm, it was possible to reduce the production cost, and the combat weight became 300 kg less. 150 hp engine with. accelerated on the highway to 42 km / h. In store down the highway - 190 km.
Self-propelled installation Marder III Ausf. M turned out to be the least protected modification, but the most mobile, high-speed and passable, as well as the least noticeable. In general, despite the design differences, Marder III Ausf. H and Marder III Ausf. M had almost the same combat effectiveness.
Until May 1944, 975 self-propelled tank destroyers Marder III Ausf were built. M. In total, until June 1944, 1,919 Marder III self-propelled artillery mounts, armed with 76, 2 and 75-mm guns, were delivered to the customer.
Taking into account the fact that the Marder III tank destroyers of all modifications were very actively used in hostilities on the Eastern Front, they were sometimes captured by the Red Army.
In terms of the level of protection of the cabin, the Marder III was approximately on the same level with the Soviet ACS SU-76M. At the same time, the anti-tank capabilities of the German self-propelled gun were significantly higher. It is known that several captured Marders were in service in 1943-1944. in units with T-70 tanks and SU-76M self-propelled guns. At least one tank destroyer Marder III was captured by partisans.
Anti-tank self-propelled artillery mount Hetzer
By the end of 1943, it became clear to the Wehrmacht command that the Marder III light anti-tank self-propelled guns no longer fully meet the tasks assigned to them. "Marders", which had powerful weapons, were covered with bulletproof armor. The wheelhouse, open from above and behind, did not protect the crew from mortar mines and fragmentation grenades.
Due to the fact that the Eastern Front was grinding self-propelled guns built on the Pz. Kpfw. III and Pz. Kpfw. IV chassis faster than they had time to produce them, at the beginning of 1944 the question of creating a new adequately protected tank destroyer, capable of acting in the same battle formations with line tanks.
The new anti-tank self-propelled gun was supposed to be as simple as possible, cheap, suitable for production in large quantities, and effective on the battlefield. Since German tank-building enterprises, due to bombing and lack of resources, were chronically unable to cope with the production of the required amount of armored vehicles, in order not to reduce the production of German tanks, it was proposed to build a new vehicle on the basis of the outdated light tank Pz. Kpfw 38 (t). The Pz. Kpfw. V. tank was taken as the technological standard. For the same man-hours spent on the production of one "Panther", it was necessary to make 3 self-propelled guns with equal firepower.
Much credit for the creation of the new tank destroyer belongs to the engineers of the Boehmisch-Mahrish-Maschinenfabrik (BMM) company in Prague. The design and assembly of the machines was carried out at a high pace. The first 3 test vehicles were manufactured in March 1944, and in April the tank destroyer was put into service under the name Sd. Kfz.182 Jagdpanzer 38 (t) Hetzer. Skoda also joined the production of Hetzer, which in July 1944 delivered the first 10 cars. The data on production volumes vary greatly, but with a high degree of probability it can be argued that by April 1945, BMM and Skoda managed to build about 3,000 Jagdpanzer 38 (t) self-propelled guns.
The main armament on the Hetzer was a 75-mm PaK.39 / 2 cannon with a barrel length of 48 calibers. Ballistic characteristics of the PaK.39 / 2 are identical to the KwK.40 and StuK.40 cannons. Sights allowed for firing with armor-piercing caliber projectiles at a distance of up to 2,000 meters, sub-caliber projectiles up to 1,500 meters, and high-explosive fragmentation projectiles up to 3,000 meters. On the roof in front of the left hatch was an MG.42 machine gun with remote control.
ACS protection was differentiated. Frontal armor 60 mm thick, set at an angle of 60 °, held 45-76, 2-mm armor-piercing shells well. Onboard 15-20 mm armor protected from bullets and shrapnel. The relatively small size and low profile contributed to the decrease in vulnerability.
PT ACS "Hetzer" was driven by a 150 hp carburetor engine. with. The highest speed is 40 km / h, the cruising range on the highway is 175 km and 130 km on rough terrain. Since the mass of the vehicle was relatively small - 15.75 tons, the specific pressure on the ground did not exceed 0.76 kg / cm². Thanks to this, the Hetzer's cross-country ability in off-road conditions was higher than that of most German tanks and self-propelled guns.
Like any armored vehicle, the Hetzer had flaws. The crews complained about the cramped working conditions and poor visibility from the car, which was not typical for the Panzerwaffe. At the same time, this ACS performed well in combat. The modest size, mobility and maneuverability made it possible to feel confident on rough terrain and in street battles, and the power of the weapons was sufficient to solve most problems.
At the final stage of the war, the Red Army captured several dozen serviceable and recoverable Jagdpanzer 38 (t). However, there is no reliable information about the use of trophy "Hetzers" in the Red Army.
Anti-tank self-propelled artillery installation Waffentrager
Another interesting SPG built using the PzKpfw.38 (t) base and captured by our troops during the hostilities in Germany was the Waffentrager 8, 8 cm PaK.43 L / 71. The terms of reference for the development of this combat vehicle, which in the German classification was called the Waffentrager (weapon carrier), was formulated by the artillery and technical supply department at the end of 1942.
Initially, it was supposed to create an inexpensive single universal platform for 88-127-mm anti-tank guns and 150-mm howitzers. However, due to the overload of design bureaus and factories with other orders, it was only possible to bring the tank destroyer project armed with the 88-mm PaK.43 anti-tank gun to the stage of practical implementation. In February 1944, the final version on the chassis of the Jagdpanzer 38 (t) Hetzer serial self-propelled gun was approved.
The choice of weapons was due to the fact that the 8, 8 cm Pak.43 cannon in the combat position weighed 4,400 kg, and its rolling onto the battlefield by the crew was almost impossible. To transport the Pak.43, a sufficiently powerful tractor was required. The cross-country ability of the tractor-implement hitch on soft soils was unsatisfactory. At the same time, the 88 mm Pak.43 gun was very powerful and ensured a confident defeat for all Soviet tanks used in World War II.
The anti-tank gun 8, 8 cm PaK.43 L / 71 was mounted on a pedestal mount and could fire in a circular sector. True, shooting on the move was not allowed. To protect against hits from small arms bullets, an armor shield with a thickness of 5 mm was installed. The SPG hull was welded and assembled from rolled armor steel sheets 8–20 mm thick.
100 hp carburetor engine with. was in the front of the case. The combat weight of the vehicle was 11.2 tons. The maximum speed on the highway was 36 km / h. The power reserve on the highway is 110 km, on the dirt road - 70 km.
Overall, the SPG armed with the 88mm PaK.43 gun turned out to be very successful. It cost less than other German tank destroyers produced in 1944-1945, and the efficiency when used from pre-selected positions could be very high. In the case of mass production, the Waffentrager had a chance to become one of the best light SPGs in the final period of the war.
After the surrender of Germany, the captured Waffentrager 8, 8 cm PaK.43 L / 71 self-propelled guns were tested at a training ground in the USSR. The test report stated:
“The German self-propelled artillery unit with the RAK-43 cannon belongs to the class of open self-propelled guns with circular fire. In terms of weight (11, 2 tons), it can be attributed to light SPGs of the SU-76 type, and in terms of shot power (52,500 kgm) to heavy SPGs of the ISU-152 and Ferdinand type.
At a distance of 1,000 meters, the probable deviations of the projectile in height and direction did not exceed 0.22 m. The armor-piercing projectile confidently penetrated the armor of the main Soviet tank T-34-85 from all projections and the heavy tank IS-2 from the side and rear projections.
The rate of fire was 7, 4 rounds per minute. The work of the gun crew was also facilitated by the fact that, due to the low line of fire, the gun could be loaded even while standing on the ground.
In addition to this, the two crew members did not have clearly assigned seats. When firing, the commander was outside the vehicle, and the loader could be to the left or right of the gun.
High maneuverability of fire, provided by a circular fire and a unitary shot.
The installation was quickly transferred from the traveling position to the combat position."
It is now not possible to establish how many Waffentrager anti-tank self-propelled guns were built. Probably, before the termination of the work of the German factories engaged in the production of armored vehicles, it was possible to assemble several dozen self-propelled guns.
Two self-propelled guns were captured in May by units of the 3rd Army (1st Belorussian Front) during the assault on Berlin.
In 1945, one of the captured Waffentrager was presented at the exhibition of captured weapons and equipment at the Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after Gorky in Moscow.
In the spring of 1946, this car was sent to the Kubinka training ground, where it was subjected to comprehensive tests.
