Panzer II was withdrawn from active units and transferred to service and rear units at the beginning of 1942. This step made it possible to use the chassis of this vehicle to create self-propelled guns Marder II and Wespe. The latter was developed by Alkett in the middle of 1942, and it was the prototype of this company that was put into mass production. At the same time, prototypes based on Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks developed by other companies were not accepted. Wespe (Wasp) was armed with a 105mm light field howitzer and was mounted on a modified Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf F.
German 105-mm self-propelled gun "Vespe" (Sd. Kfz.124 Wespe) from the 74th self-propelled artillery regiment of the 2nd tank division of the Wehrmacht, passing by next to the abandoned Soviet 76-mm gun ZIS-3 near the city of Orel. German offensive operation "Citadel"
According to the creators, this vehicle was supposed to provide the infantry troops with assault and fire support. First of all, Wespe was intended to complete art. batteries of tank divisions - Panzerartillerie, each of which had 6 Wespe self-propelled guns and 2 Munitionsschlepper Wespe (tractors for transporting ammunition). Wespe took part in battles on all fronts, serving with every tank division from 1943 to 1945.
The hull of the Panzer II was slightly lengthened, the engine was moved forward, and the reinforced suspension had to withstand the force of the recoil. The howitzer was installed inside an armored hull that did not have a roof. The cockpit protected the crew. Also, 32 shells were installed in a circle around the cockpit. The gun could turn in a horizontal plane in both directions by 17 degrees. The 105mm leFH 18 howitzer had the ability to fire with armor-piercing, cumulative and high-explosive shells. The maximum firing range was 8, 4 thousand meters. The 7, 92-mm MG34 machine gun was located inside the vehicle and was used as needed. During the production of Wespe, the driver's seat was slightly changed. Thus, two variants of the car appeared. The early model used the standard Panzer II Ausf chassis. F, later models - on the same chassis, lengthened by 220 millimeters. For the timely delivery of ammunition to the Wespe position, an unarmed Munitions Sf auf Fgst PzKpfw II tractor was developed, capable of transporting 90 shells at a time. The crew of the car consisted of three people. A total of 159 such tractors were produced. If necessary, howitzers were re-installed on the tractors.
German self-propelled guns and self-propelled howitzer Wespe. An overturned M4 Sherman tank is visible in the background. Eastern front
Wespe was developed by the designers of the Alkett company, and production was carried out by Vereinigte Maschinenwerke (Warsaw) and Famo (Breslau). The initial order included 1,000 vehicles, but by the end of 1943 the order had been reduced to 835 vehicles, including ammunition carriers. Between February 1943 and August 1944, 676 Wespe self-propelled guns and 159 Munitions Sf auf Fgst PzKpfw II tractors were produced. The Wespe self-propelled gun was first used in July 1943 at the Kursk Bulge, where it proved to be an effective weapon and was later used until the end of hostilities. By March 1945, 307 Wespe remained in the ranks.
The performance characteristics of the self-propelled unit Wespe:
Weight - 11 thousand kg
Engine - 6-cylinder Maybach HL 62 TRM, 140hp;
Length - 4, 81 m;
Width - 2, 28 m;
Height - 2.30 m;
Armor - 5-30 mm;
Armament:
early versions - 105 mm leFH 18/2 L / 26 and 7, 92 mm MG34 machine gun, later versions - 105 mm leFH 18/2 L / 28 and 7, 92 mm MG34 machine gun;
Ammunition - 32 shots;
Speed - 40 km / h;
Cruising on the road - 220 km;
Crew - 5 people.
Self-propelled howitzer "Wespe" from the 116th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, knocked out on August 12, 1944 near the French city of Mortre by tanks of the 5th Armored Division of the US Army
ACS "Vespe" and "Hummel" (in the background), destroyed by the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front on the territory of Brandenburg in Germany in 1945
ACS "Vespe" after being hit by a large-caliber projectile. The number of the Soviet trophy team is "256". Hungary, Lake Velence region
Tank Museum in Saumur (Musee des blindes, Saumur), Saumur, France
Museum of armored weapons and equipment, Kubinka, Odintsovo district, Moscow region, Russia
