Light tank destroyer: about the shortcomings of the German self-propelled guns Jagdpanzer 38 "Hetzer"

18
Light tank destroyer: about the shortcomings of the German self-propelled guns Jagdpanzer 38 "Hetzer"

About the German self-propelled guns Jagdpanzer 38, also known as the "Hetzer", you can find a variety of reviews. Someone considers this self-propelled artillery installation "a formidable fighter tanks". Others call it not the best combat vehicle of the Wehrmacht.

Whatever it was, but from April 1944 to April 1945, 2612 Hetsers were produced at Czech factories, which is quite a lot. However, the car did have a number of drawbacks, which will be discussed below.



It’s worth starting with the fact that, according to the terms of reference, the self-propelled guns, created on the chassis of the Czech light tank PzKpfw 38 (t), should have weighed 13 tons. However, the first cars, released in April 44th, had a mass of 16 tons, which created an overload of the front rollers.

Later, the weight of the car was reduced by reducing the reservation, but it did not "fit" into the above requirements.

Speaking of armor, for a light self-propelled gun, it was quite good in the Jagdpanzer 38. The forehead armor had a thickness of 60 mm and angles of inclination of 50 (bottom) and 30 (top) degrees. According to some reports, due to the angles of inclination, the armor plates sometimes even withstood a hit from a 76-mm Soviet ZIS-3.

However, the Czech steel was so brittle that after being hit inside the machine, chips formed and fasteners flew off.

The debris did more damage than the projectile itself.

- one of the German soldiers wrote in his memoirs.

The Hetsera's 75mm cannon was able to take on any medium tank without any problems. At the same time, it never reached the declared rate of fire of 12-15 rounds per minute, since the loader in this vehicle was on the left, and reloading the gun was another task.

There were flaws in the machine gun. Despite the fact that he had a remote control, there were only 50 rounds in the drum. At the same time, to reload the machine gun, the loader still had to get out of the combat vehicle.

Finally, the Jagdpanzer 38 self-propelled guns are often called a “blind machine” due to the small number of viewing devices. The commander of the vehicle did not even have an observation tower.

Our news channels

Subscribe and stay up to date with the latest news and the most important events of the day.

18 comments
Information
Dear reader, to leave comments on the publication, you must sign in.
  1. +4
    15 December 2022 16: 35
    However, the Czech steel was so brittle that after being hit inside the machine, chips formed and fasteners flew off.
    Brittleness is the reverse side of strength, as well as the lack of manganese and the use of nickel as an additive
    At the same time, it never reached the declared rate of fire of 12-15 rounds per minute, since the loader in this vehicle was on the left, and reloading the gun was another task.

    Again, this is the reverse side of small geometric dimensions, especially the fighting compartment.
    Any minus is a continuation of the plus
    1. +3
      15 December 2022 17: 13
      I will add a little to the comrade SVP67. The car began to be produced from the second quarter of 1944. When the industry of the Third Reich began to experience an acute shortage of fittings for armored steel. They were not enough for the elite Tigers and Panthers, what to say about the Sudetenland. The Czechs understood this very well and tried to increase the thickness of the front armor plates, but it didn’t work.
      By the way, the Pz-38t produced in the first years of the war did not suffer from such shortcomings.
      Ps. If I'm not mistaken, the Hetzers were the last Wehrmacht production vehicles in service. The latter were decommissioned by the Swiss army in the 70s.
    2. IVZ
      +6
      15 December 2022 19: 56
      Brittleness is the flip side of strength
      . Not strength, but hardness, and even then not always.
  2. +5
    15 December 2022 17: 06
    However Czech steel was so brittle
    - if my memory serves me right, Carius also used Czech armor on the 38th Prague ...
  3. +3
    15 December 2022 17: 37
    Nevertheless, the Czechs conscientiously delivered 2827 pieces to the Germans. And they served in the Wehrmacht along with the Germans.
  4. -2
    15 December 2022 18: 34
    but what will a comparison of a hetzer with a su-76 look like? Hetzer is an extremely mobilization option in the face of a shortage of everything, including alloying elements, especially molybdenum, the gun is at the level of our 85mm, low-profile mobile, for 1944, according to the criterion, the efficiency-cost is very good, especially against Amer’s self-propelled guns and light tanks with inch armor, and the quantity inspires respect for the Czech industry
    1. +2
      15 December 2022 21: 52
      Quote: Ryaruav
      but what will a comparison of a hetzer with a su-76 look like?

      No way, they are different machines.
      It could be compared with the SU-57B

      or SU-76D

      If they were launched into a series and they went to the troops
    2. +1
      15 December 2022 23: 13
      Well, if you compare it in the tundra or tanks, then the hatzer is better.
      If for the purposes for which they were created, then the Su-76 is an infantry support vehicle. Also a mobile option, but better than rolling the ZIS-3 on your hands. In attack, it is simply irreplaceable.
      And the hatzer is an anti-tank weapon. He is blind, but in disguise. Mobility is slower than a running person. As for me, he does not need a covered felling for his tasks. Without it, it would be lighter, more mobile, easier to observe.
  5. 0
    15 December 2022 20: 15
    At the same time, it never reached the declared rate of fire of 12-15 rounds per minute, since the loader in this vehicle was on the left, and reloading the gun was another task.

    Where should the loader be? He should always be to the left of the cannon, this is more convenient, unless he is left-handed. In Hetzer, the loader did not interfere with the gunner, who was in front of him.
    1. +1
      15 December 2022 21: 07
      The loader should be on the right, it was for this placement that the German gun was created. In Hetzer, due to the tightness, it was impossible to arrange it adequately, so the loader was engaged in exciting acrobatics. He had a fence in front of his nose, over which he had to climb.
      1. -1
        15 December 2022 21: 55
        He had a fence in front of his nose, over which he had to climb
        .

        Have you read Wikipedia? commendable
        1. +1
          16 December 2022 12: 11
          A video with an overview of all jobs is on Youtube. At the same time you will see how the ergonomics "was thought out very well."

          If it were necessary to load on the right, then the loader would be placed on the right, and the commander in a standard place.

          On the Jagdpanzer IV or StuG III, the loaders sat on the right. On Hetzer, the narrow body is too cramped for this.
      2. -3
        16 December 2022 08: 17
        З
        the loader should be on the right, it was for this placement that the German gun was created. In Hetzer, due to the tightness, it was impossible to arrange it adequately, so the loader was engaged in exciting acrobatics. He had a fence in front of his nose, over which he had to climb.

        The rate of fire of the PAK 40 cannon itself with a standard calculation of 8 people is 12-15 shots, and here in a self-propelled gun, one will blurt out, while others repeat. If it were necessary to load on the right, then the loader would be placed on the right, and the commander in a standard place. It’s just that the loader was supposed to be behind, besides, he loaded the gun while sitting, he had 9 shells on the left side of the side, which he periodically replenished with the help of the commander. Ergonomics were thought out very well for such a low machine.
  6. +1
    16 December 2022 11: 01
    Well, first of all, it’s enough to repeat that the PAK 40 analogue of the D 5 or S 53 (ZiS S 53) is too lazy to consider the muzzle, but at the same initial velocity, the shells weigh 9.2 and 6.8 kg. Yes, and armor penetration is calculated according to very different methods, and it is necessary to compare directly data from different sources very carefully.
    Now for the car. For the conditions in which it was created, the krakozyabla is quite decent. In any case, the Czechs coped with their task much better than the Germans themselves in a similar situation.
  7. 0
    16 December 2022 16: 10
    Bohemia and Moravia were a protectorate, i.e. The Czech businessman worked well with the lands under the protection of the empire. who were able to supply weapons to 20 percent of the Wehrmacht, the last weapon was released on 05.05.1945/1945/1960, a simple machine gun, of course, the Red Army weapon in this caliber was better. after XNUMX until XNUMX we had them in the armies. am
  8. -1
    16 December 2022 16: 33
    Could they do it then? Now fighter jets are being made in Russia, they exterminate on the ground and in the air.
  9. 0
    16 December 2022 17: 25
    Zapollyansky vehicles for firing from ambush. They can live for a long time in urban battles, but if you take them out into the fields, then their life would be short. Yes, and in the city, if they go head-on (or, moreover, turn the side) on the Su-100 or ISU-152, or head-on on an anti-tank gun, then they are Khan ...
  10. 0
    2 February 2023 11: 15
    This is a little ambush bastard. He waited - fired - knocked out and quickly ran away. Yes - small. Yes, tight. Yes, uncomfortable. But his task is to sit and wait in ambush. You can also be patient. If there are a flock of them, it will be generally bad. But the need for a roof is questionable. Or it can be lifted on racks, as the Americans did on their SS: protection from above, and ventilation, and visibility.

"Right Sector" (banned in Russia), "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" (UPA) (banned in Russia), ISIS (banned in Russia), "Jabhat Fatah al-Sham" formerly "Jabhat al-Nusra" (banned in Russia) , Taliban (banned in Russia), Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), Anti-Corruption Foundation (banned in Russia), Navalny Headquarters (banned in Russia), Facebook (banned in Russia), Instagram (banned in Russia), Meta (banned in Russia), Misanthropic Division (banned in Russia), Azov (banned in Russia), Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Russia), Aum Shinrikyo (banned in Russia), AUE (banned in Russia), UNA-UNSO (banned in Russia), Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People (banned in Russia), Legion “Freedom of Russia” (armed formation, recognized as terrorist in the Russian Federation and banned)

“Non-profit organizations, unregistered public associations or individuals performing the functions of a foreign agent,” as well as media outlets performing the functions of a foreign agent: “Medusa”; "Voice of America"; "Realities"; "Present time"; "Radio Freedom"; Ponomarev; Savitskaya; Markelov; Kamalyagin; Apakhonchich; Makarevich; Dud; Gordon; Zhdanov; Medvedev; Fedorov; "Owl"; "Alliance of Doctors"; "RKK" "Levada Center"; "Memorial"; "Voice"; "Person and law"; "Rain"; "Mediazone"; "Deutsche Welle"; QMS "Caucasian Knot"; "Insider"; "New Newspaper"