Armored vehicles of Germany in the Second World War. Tank destroyer Jgd Pz 38 (t) "Hetzer"
By the end of 1943, the command of the Wehrmacht, it became clear that light anti-tank self-propelled guns of the Marder family no longer fully meet the tasks assigned to them. This was due to the emergence of new opponents of Germany tanksbetter armored and armed. In turn, the "Marders", who also had quite powerful weapons, were protected by armor only nominally. A new, well-armored, compact, self-propelled gun was required - a tank destroyer.
At the same time, a crisis came in the release of assault artillery. In November 1943, Anglo-American aviation subjected to a powerful and highly successful bombardment of the Berlin factory company Alkett. As a result of the airstrike, the workshops and equipment of the largest manufacturer of the main anti-tank weapon, the assault guns, were seriously damaged. The plan for the production of assault guns for 1944 was in jeopardy. To prevent this, Krupp joined in their release in December 1943. Since the latter was the general contractor for the manufacture of medium tanks Pz.IV, it is not surprising that, starting to manufacture assault guns, the Kruppists relied on the "fours". Thanks to the use of the cabin from StuG III, both self-propelled guns were unified by almost 20%. But the new StuG IV assault gun, firstly, turned out to be quite expensive, and secondly, the chassis of the Pz.IV tanks, which the Wehrmacht also lacked, were used for their production. A different solution was needed, for example, involving other enterprises in the production of assault guns. Specialists from the Armed Forces of the Ground Forces (Heereswaffenamt) turned their eyes to the Prague BMM plant (before the occupation - CKD).
The factory was instructed to begin production of the StuG 40 assault gun. But this 23-ton combat vehicle was obviously too tough for him. It was then that they recalled the draft design of the new type of ACS - StuG PA - “the assault gun of the new sample” developed by VMM firm back in August - September 1943. Then it didn’t arouse much interest in the military, but now the factory received an urgent order to finish the project in a very short time.
17 December 1943, the military was introduced to the project documentation of the new combat vehicle. Its design was based on the units of both the Pz.38 (t) serial tank and the prototype TNHnA reconnaissance tank. It was supposed to use a recoilless weapon as a weapon, however, because of its unavailability, the anti-tank 75-mm Cannon 39 cannon was installed on the machine. By January 24 1944 was made a full-size wooden model of ACS, and soon the Arms Directorate ordered two prototypes, assigning the self-propelled gun the traditionally long name “Assault gun of a new type with 75-mm 39 Cancer chassis Pz.38 (t)”. As for the tank forces, the self-propelled unit was given the short name Leichte Panzerjager 38 (t) - a light tank destroyer on the Pz.38 (t) chassis. This mess of names ended in November 1944 with the assignment of the new self-propelled gun the name Jagdpanzer 38 (fighter tank) and the code Sd.Kfz.138 / 2. Finally, December 4 1944, by order of Hitler, the car was given the name Hetzer ("hetzer").
Most often in the literature this name translates as “hunter”, which in general does not contradict the truth, but to be more precise, the “hetzer” is a huntsman, canker, because “hetze” is harassment, that is, dog hunting. The first prototype of the self-propelled gun was made in March 1944. According to its layout, it represented a reckless machine with the placement of weapons in the front hull plate. The hull was made completely welded, with large angles of inclination of armor plates. Thus, the upper front sheet of the hull, which had a thickness of 60 mm, was inclined at an angle of 60 °, 40-mm lower frontal sheet had a slope of 40 °. The side sheets, the thickness of which did not exceed 20 mm, were located at an angle 15 °. The same thickness of the feed sheet - at an angle 40 °. Unlike all previous combat vehicles of the Czechoslovak design, the place of the Hetzer automatic engineer was to the left of the machine’s longitudinal axis. Behind him were placed the gunner and loader, and the place of the commander of the car was at the starboard side of the combat compartment. For the landing of the crew in the roof of the hull, which was made removable and attached to the sides and the front sheet with bolts, there were two hatches that were closed with double flap and single flap. The first was intended for landing the driver, the gunner and loader, the second - the commander.
Apparently, in order to reduce the cost, the Hetzer was not very well equipped with surveillance devices. The driver had two viewing slots with triplex glass blocks in the upper front hull sheet. The gunner could observe the terrain with the Sfl.Zfla periscope sight, and the loader through the periscope sight of the machine-gun mount on the roof of the hull. In addition, in the left hatch of the landing hatch, above the charging point, at an angle 90 ° to the axis of the hull (at the “9 clock” position), a periscopic observation device was rigidly fixed. Another such device was at the disposal of the commander of the machine. It was installed in the hinged cover of the overhead hatch in the position of the “6 clock”, that is, allowed to conduct observation in the stern. The commander could use a stereo tube, but only with the hatch open. With the hatches closed, the car was almost “blind” on the starboard side.
As mentioned above, the 75-mm Anti-tank Cannon 39 / 2 with a barrel length 48 caliber was used as the main armament on the Hetzer. It was installed in a narrow embrasure of the front sheet of the body slightly to the right of the longitudinal axis of the machine. The small size of the fighting compartment with a fairly massive breech of the cannon, as well as its asymmetrical installation in the fighting compartment led to the fact that the tool pointing angles to the right and left did not match (5 ° to the left and to 10 ° to the right). Vertical guidance was possible in the range from -6 ° to + 12 °.
It must be said that for the first time in German and Czechoslovak tank building such a fairly large-sized gun was able to fit into such a small combat compartment. This was made possible by the use of a special cardan frame instead of the traditional gun machine.
Cancer 39 / Cancer 40 designed such a frame for an instrument in 1942 - 1943 for engineer K. Shtolberg, but for some time it did not inspire confidence in the military. However, after studying the Soviet SAU SU-1943 and SU-85 captured in the summer - autumn 152 of the year, the instruments of which were installed as part of the framework, the German command believed that the design was working. The Germans applied the frame first on the medium fighter jets of the Jagdpanzer IV and Panzer IV / 70 tanks, and later on the Jagdpanter. The frame, together with the 39 / 2 Cancer tool and the movable armored vehicle, was borrowed for the Hetzer from the SAG Jagdpanzer IV. By design and ballistics, the 39 / 2 Cancer was identical to the KwK 40 and StuK 40 guns. An armor-piercing projectile leaving the cannon with an initial speed of 790 m / s, at a distance of 1000 m, pierced 88-mm armor located at an angle of 30 °. A piercing projectile with an initial speed of 990 m / s at the same distance was piercing armor with a thickness of 97 mm.
Since the nose of the Hetzer turned out to be heavily overloaded (the empty ACS had a trim to the bow, leading to subsidence of the front section to 8 - 10 cm relative to the stern), the designers tried to make it easier. For this, in particular, in the early-production serial cars, the swinging armor of the gun was cut from the sides and sides, and then the suspension of the front support rollers was strengthened.
Cannons Cancer 39 / 2 equipped with a muzzle brake. However, on ACS Jagdpanzer IV in combat units, it was usually dismantled. When firing, due to the low height of the line of fire, the work of the muzzle brake raised a thick cloud of dust, which made it difficult to aim and unmasked the self-propelled gun. In a battle with enemy tanks, both were very significant. Serial self-propelled guns "Hetzer" left the shop without the muzzle brake of the gun - it was simply screwed, but in the factory.
The defensive machine gun MG 42 was placed on the roof of the ACS in front of the left hatch on the Rumdumfeuer installation and was covered with a corner shield. The fire from it led the loader.
Ammunition of the gun consisted of 40 - 41 shot, machine gun - from 1200 cartridges.
The 6-cylinder carburetor four-stroke in-line liquid-cooled Praga AE engine with a power of 160 hp was installed in the power compartment of the Hetzer. at 2600 rpm The use of this engine brought about changes in the exhaust system. Unlike the Praga EPA engine, which was installed on Pz.38 (t) tanks, the exhaust manifold on this engine was discharged upwards through the roof of the SAU power compartment, and not through the rear wall of the hull, like on a tank. The radiator with a capacity of 50 l was located in the power compartment behind the engine. The power was taken to the fan located behind the radiator from the engine crankshaft. The fuel used was leaded gasoline with an octane rating not lower than 74. It was also allowed to use an alcohol-gasoline mixture and dicalcol. The power system consisted of two gas tanks with a capacity of 220 L (left) and 100 L (right). In the course of engine operation, fuel from the right tank flowed into the left one. The fuel supply was carried out using an electric pump Solex Autopulse. The engine was equipped with two Solex 46 FNVP carburetors. The capacity of the fuel tanks ensured a power reserve of up to 185 km.
The torque from the engine to the gearbox was transmitted using a multi-disk main friction dry friction and propeller shaft. The Praga-Wilson gearbox is a five-speed planetary gearbox with a pre-selected gear. The speed range ranged from 4,1 km / h on 1-th gear to 42 km / h on 5-th, reverse gear provided the movement at a speed of 6,1 km / h. In front of the gearbox were differential, side clutches, final drives and brakes. It should be noted that during the tests of the captured “Hetzer” in the USSR, on a country road with solid ground, the self-propelled gun developed the maximum speed of 46,8 km / h.
The chassis, structurally similar to that of the Pz.38 (t), as applied to the code board, consisted of four single rubberized support rollers with a diameter of 810 mm, borrowed from the TNHnA tank. The track rollers were interlocked in pairs in two balance trolleys suspended on reinforced semi-elliptical leaf springs (the thickness of the sheets was increased from 7 to 9 mm). A cast drive wheel with two removable gear rims along the 19 teeth in each was in front. The guide wheel together with the caterpillar tensioning mechanism was located at the rear. On each side there was one single rubber-supported single skating rink. Each track had 96 - 98 tracks. Track width - 293 mm. The Hetzer track, compared to the Pz.38 (t), has been increased from 2140 mm to 2630 mm. The combat weight of the SAU was 16 t.
The first serial self-propelled guns Jagdpanzer 38 left the gates of the plant in April MMN 1944. The initial order for the 1944 year was 1000 combat vehicles of this type. However, it quickly became clear that the production capacity of the VMM plant would not be enough to carry it out. Therefore, in July 1944 of the year, Skoda plants in Pilsen joined the production of ACS. The appetites of the military increased accordingly: in September, they wanted to get 400 “hetzerov” - 300 from VMM and 100 from Skoda! Further * production growth plans are striking both in their scope and unreality. So, in December, the Wehrmacht wanted 1944 XHUMX (700 + 400) 300, and 1945 1000 machines from each manufacturer in March 500! In reality, the production successes of Czechoslovak enterprises were much more modest. In April, 1944 “Hetzer” were made 20, in May - 50, in June - 100, in July - 110 (10 of them at the Skoda plant). Until February, 1945, both plants transferred only 2000 self-propelled guns to the Wehrmacht. Production reached its peak in January. The 1945 of the year when the 434 “Hetzer” (289 + 145) was manufactured. In March and April, both companies were heavily bombed by American aircraft, and the pace of release of combat vehicles began to subside. In April, managed to make only 117 machines. In total, for the year of production, the factory workshops left the 2827 self-propelled Hetzer units. Baptism "hetzer" received in the 731-th and 743-th anti-battalion battalions of the reserve of the main command (Heeres Panzerjager-Abteilung) in July 1944. Each battalion consisted of 45 vehicles: three companies of 14 vehicles and three self-propelled guns at the battalion headquarters. In August, the Hetzer companies of 1944 began to enter into service with infantry, chasseurs and militia divisions of the Wehrmacht and the SS forces. Each company had 14 machines. In addition, by the end of the war several more anti-tank battalions of the reserve of the main command had been formed. The Hetzer was actively used on all fronts until the last days of the war. On 10 on April 1945 of the year in the combat units of the Wehrmacht and the SS troops there were 915 SAU "Hetzer", of which 726 - on the Eastern and 101 - on the Western Front.
Hetzers were exported only to Hungary. In December, 1944 - January 1945, 75 machines of this type entered service with self-propelled artillery units of the 1 of the Hungarian tank division. They took part in battles in the Budapest area.
On the basis of the Hetzer ACS, 20 flamethrower tanks Flammpanzer 38, 30 ACS Hetzer-Bison with 150-mm infantry guns sIG 33 and 181 BREM Bergepanzer 38 were manufactured. In addition to these machines, the Hetzer served as the basis for the manufacture of prototypes or the design of a whole series of prototypes of reconnaissance tanks, assault howitzers and anti-tank SAU. The most curious of them can be considered tank destroyer Hetzer Starr ("Hetzer-Starr"). The German word "Starr" is translated as "hard" or "fixedly fixed." In this variant, the 75-mm cannon barrel was rigidly connected to the frontal hull sheet, and there were no anti-recoil devices. To ensure horizontal and vertical guidance gun housed in a ball mount. The first prototype was made in May 1944, three more cars in September. All of them were sent to Alkett for further testing. In the winter of 1944 / 45, the VMM factory manufactured an experimental batch of ten Hetzer-Shtarr machines. And some of them were equipped with a Tatra 103 diesel engine with an 220 horsepower, with which the speed of the car increased slightly.
The story of the "Hetzer" will not be complete without mentioning the post-war fate of this combat vehicle. 27 November 1945, the headquarters of the Czechoslovak Army Tank Forces decided to use for the needs of the national defense of the former German combat vehicles - the fighter of the Hetzer tanks, which received the new ST-I index, and the Marder, renamed ST-II. In addition, an unarmed version of the Hetzer, called the ST-II, was adopted by the post-war Czechoslovak Army to train the personnel of the tank forces. Over Czechoslovakia, more than 300 “Hetzers” were found, suitable for restoration and completion.
In February, 1946, the company CKD received an order for the manufacture or overhaul of 50 SAU ST-I and 50 training machines ST-III. The order was executed during 1946 - 1947's. At the same time, the ST-III kept the chassis and powerplant unchanged, while the casing underwent several modifications. A rectangular wheelhouse was installed on its roof, an instructor's turret took the place of the gun, and a rectangular access hatch was cut opposite the driver’s place in the armor.
In February, the 1947 of the year was followed by an order for the 20 ST-I, placed at Skoda, and at the end of the 1949 of the year, by another 30 machine. As a result, the army received 100 new ST-I and 50 self-propelled guns ST-III training machines. In total, taking into account the remaining from the Wehrmacht and the repaired cars in the Czechoslovak army as of 1 in January 1949, there were 246 SAU and three BREM Bergepanzer 38.
All of these combat vehicles entered service with the 21 and 22 tank tanks, which were to become the basis for the formation of motorized divisions. However, in 1948, they were transformed into the 351 and 352 regiments of self-propelled artillery. In these parts, the ST-I tank destroyers and the StuG III assault guns (the Czechoslovak designation ShPTK 40 / 75) were operated until the beginning of the 1950-s. Later, as Soviet-made military equipment arrived at the Czechoslovak People’s Army, the German vehicles were transferred to the reserve and then written off.
In February, 1949, the company CKD began to develop a flamethrower tank on the chassis ST-I. It was planned to arm 75 combat vehicles with flamethrowers. In the prototype, the standard 75-mm gun was dismantled, and its embrasure was muffled by the armor plate. A rotating cylindrical turret was placed on the roof of the hull, in which the German flamethrower Flammenwerfer 41 and the Soviet machine gun DT were located in two separate ball units. The prototype, designated the PM-1, was made by February 1951. However, his tests were not very encouraging - the range of flame throwing was clearly insufficient, only 60 meters. Prague factory Konstrukta took up the modernization of the flamethrower. At the end of May, the 1953, a tank equipped with a new flamethrower with a firing range of up to 140 m, entered testing. However, the military soon said that they were no longer interested in this type of combat vehicle.
After the end of World War II, interest in the ST-I tank destroyer was shown by Switzerland, which was armed with Czechoslovak-made tanks. 15 August 1946 Switzerland ordered eight machines of this type, giving them the designation G-13. Skoda quickly manufactured the required machines, using the groundwork left by the Germans. However, another order for 1946 machines, which followed in November 100, was on the verge of collapse, as there were no 39 / 2 Cancer tools available. Nevertheless, a solution was soon found: it was proposed to install the guns StuK 40, which were produced by the Skoda plant during the war years, into the SAU building. After some constructive refinement, this tool was able to be placed in the combat compartment of the self-propelled gun. In addition, at the request of the customer, instead of the Praga AE gasoline engine, starting with the 65 machine, they began to install Sauer-Arbon diesel horsepower 148. To improve the view, the commander's hatch in the G-13 was moved from the starboard to the left (the commander and loader changed places) and was equipped with a turning periscope. And instead of a defensive machine gun on the stern of the ACS, an anti-aircraft turret was installed. All cars were equipped with Swiss-made radio stations.
ACS liked the Swiss so much that in 1947, they also ordered 50 units G-13. The latest 20 machines were transferred to the customer only February 16 1950 of the year. In service with the Swiss army, these tank destroyers consisted until the 1968 year.
In the acquisition of ST-I was interested and Israel. The Czechoslovak Ministry of Defense was preparing the transfer of 65 self-propelled guns and 6000 75-mm shots. However, the seller and the buyer did not agree on the price and the transaction did not take place.
Acceptance by German crews of new SAU Marder III
At the same time, a crisis came in the release of assault artillery. In November 1943, Anglo-American aviation subjected to a powerful and highly successful bombardment of the Berlin factory company Alkett. As a result of the airstrike, the workshops and equipment of the largest manufacturer of the main anti-tank weapon, the assault guns, were seriously damaged. The plan for the production of assault guns for 1944 was in jeopardy. To prevent this, Krupp joined in their release in December 1943. Since the latter was the general contractor for the manufacture of medium tanks Pz.IV, it is not surprising that, starting to manufacture assault guns, the Kruppists relied on the "fours". Thanks to the use of the cabin from StuG III, both self-propelled guns were unified by almost 20%. But the new StuG IV assault gun, firstly, turned out to be quite expensive, and secondly, the chassis of the Pz.IV tanks, which the Wehrmacht also lacked, were used for their production. A different solution was needed, for example, involving other enterprises in the production of assault guns. Specialists from the Armed Forces of the Ground Forces (Heereswaffenamt) turned their eyes to the Prague BMM plant (before the occupation - CKD).
Column of assault guns StuG 40 in anticipation of the team on the march. In the foreground the assault gun Ausf. G with a direct machine gun shield and additional on-board armor plates, which began to install 1942 on modifications from December. In the background the assault gun Ausf. F / 8, September – October 1942 release early modification
The factory was instructed to begin production of the StuG 40 assault gun. But this 23-ton combat vehicle was obviously too tough for him. It was then that they recalled the draft design of the new type of ACS - StuG PA - “the assault gun of the new sample” developed by VMM firm back in August - September 1943. Then it didn’t arouse much interest in the military, but now the factory received an urgent order to finish the project in a very short time.
17 December 1943, the military was introduced to the project documentation of the new combat vehicle. Its design was based on the units of both the Pz.38 (t) serial tank and the prototype TNHnA reconnaissance tank. It was supposed to use a recoilless weapon as a weapon, however, because of its unavailability, the anti-tank 75-mm Cannon 39 cannon was installed on the machine. By January 24 1944 was made a full-size wooden model of ACS, and soon the Arms Directorate ordered two prototypes, assigning the self-propelled gun the traditionally long name “Assault gun of a new type with 75-mm 39 Cancer chassis Pz.38 (t)”. As for the tank forces, the self-propelled unit was given the short name Leichte Panzerjager 38 (t) - a light tank destroyer on the Pz.38 (t) chassis. This mess of names ended in November 1944 with the assignment of the new self-propelled gun the name Jagdpanzer 38 (fighter tank) and the code Sd.Kfz.138 / 2. Finally, December 4 1944, by order of Hitler, the car was given the name Hetzer ("hetzer").
Jagdpanzer 38 (Fighter Tank) Hetzer
Most often in the literature this name translates as “hunter”, which in general does not contradict the truth, but to be more precise, the “hetzer” is a huntsman, canker, because “hetze” is harassment, that is, dog hunting. The first prototype of the self-propelled gun was made in March 1944. According to its layout, it represented a reckless machine with the placement of weapons in the front hull plate. The hull was made completely welded, with large angles of inclination of armor plates. Thus, the upper front sheet of the hull, which had a thickness of 60 mm, was inclined at an angle of 60 °, 40-mm lower frontal sheet had a slope of 40 °. The side sheets, the thickness of which did not exceed 20 mm, were located at an angle 15 °. The same thickness of the feed sheet - at an angle 40 °. Unlike all previous combat vehicles of the Czechoslovak design, the place of the Hetzer automatic engineer was to the left of the machine’s longitudinal axis. Behind him were placed the gunner and loader, and the place of the commander of the car was at the starboard side of the combat compartment. For the landing of the crew in the roof of the hull, which was made removable and attached to the sides and the front sheet with bolts, there were two hatches that were closed with double flap and single flap. The first was intended for landing the driver, the gunner and loader, the second - the commander.
Apparently, in order to reduce the cost, the Hetzer was not very well equipped with surveillance devices. The driver had two viewing slots with triplex glass blocks in the upper front hull sheet. The gunner could observe the terrain with the Sfl.Zfla periscope sight, and the loader through the periscope sight of the machine-gun mount on the roof of the hull. In addition, in the left hatch of the landing hatch, above the charging point, at an angle 90 ° to the axis of the hull (at the “9 clock” position), a periscopic observation device was rigidly fixed. Another such device was at the disposal of the commander of the machine. It was installed in the hinged cover of the overhead hatch in the position of the “6 clock”, that is, allowed to conduct observation in the stern. The commander could use a stereo tube, but only with the hatch open. With the hatches closed, the car was almost “blind” on the starboard side.
Jagdpanzer 38 (t) Hetzer
As mentioned above, the 75-mm Anti-tank Cannon 39 / 2 with a barrel length 48 caliber was used as the main armament on the Hetzer. It was installed in a narrow embrasure of the front sheet of the body slightly to the right of the longitudinal axis of the machine. The small size of the fighting compartment with a fairly massive breech of the cannon, as well as its asymmetrical installation in the fighting compartment led to the fact that the tool pointing angles to the right and left did not match (5 ° to the left and to 10 ° to the right). Vertical guidance was possible in the range from -6 ° to + 12 °.
It must be said that for the first time in German and Czechoslovak tank building such a fairly large-sized gun was able to fit into such a small combat compartment. This was made possible by the use of a special cardan frame instead of the traditional gun machine.
Trophy SU-85
Cancer 39 / Cancer 40 designed such a frame for an instrument in 1942 - 1943 for engineer K. Shtolberg, but for some time it did not inspire confidence in the military. However, after studying the Soviet SAU SU-1943 and SU-85 captured in the summer - autumn 152 of the year, the instruments of which were installed as part of the framework, the German command believed that the design was working. The Germans applied the frame first on the medium fighter jets of the Jagdpanzer IV and Panzer IV / 70 tanks, and later on the Jagdpanter. The frame, together with the 39 / 2 Cancer tool and the movable armored vehicle, was borrowed for the Hetzer from the SAG Jagdpanzer IV. By design and ballistics, the 39 / 2 Cancer was identical to the KwK 40 and StuK 40 guns. An armor-piercing projectile leaving the cannon with an initial speed of 790 m / s, at a distance of 1000 m, pierced 88-mm armor located at an angle of 30 °. A piercing projectile with an initial speed of 990 m / s at the same distance was piercing armor with a thickness of 97 mm.
Soviet convoy heavy ACS SU-152 on the march, Karelian Isthmus
Since the nose of the Hetzer turned out to be heavily overloaded (the empty ACS had a trim to the bow, leading to subsidence of the front section to 8 - 10 cm relative to the stern), the designers tried to make it easier. For this, in particular, in the early-production serial cars, the swinging armor of the gun was cut from the sides and sides, and then the suspension of the front support rollers was strengthened.
SAU Jagdpanzer IV
Cannons Cancer 39 / 2 equipped with a muzzle brake. However, on ACS Jagdpanzer IV in combat units, it was usually dismantled. When firing, due to the low height of the line of fire, the work of the muzzle brake raised a thick cloud of dust, which made it difficult to aim and unmasked the self-propelled gun. In a battle with enemy tanks, both were very significant. Serial self-propelled guns "Hetzer" left the shop without the muzzle brake of the gun - it was simply screwed, but in the factory.
The defensive machine gun MG 42 was placed on the roof of the ACS in front of the left hatch on the Rumdumfeuer installation and was covered with a corner shield. The fire from it led the loader.
Ammunition of the gun consisted of 40 - 41 shot, machine gun - from 1200 cartridges.
The 6-cylinder carburetor four-stroke in-line liquid-cooled Praga AE engine with a power of 160 hp was installed in the power compartment of the Hetzer. at 2600 rpm The use of this engine brought about changes in the exhaust system. Unlike the Praga EPA engine, which was installed on Pz.38 (t) tanks, the exhaust manifold on this engine was discharged upwards through the roof of the SAU power compartment, and not through the rear wall of the hull, like on a tank. The radiator with a capacity of 50 l was located in the power compartment behind the engine. The power was taken to the fan located behind the radiator from the engine crankshaft. The fuel used was leaded gasoline with an octane rating not lower than 74. It was also allowed to use an alcohol-gasoline mixture and dicalcol. The power system consisted of two gas tanks with a capacity of 220 L (left) and 100 L (right). In the course of engine operation, fuel from the right tank flowed into the left one. The fuel supply was carried out using an electric pump Solex Autopulse. The engine was equipped with two Solex 46 FNVP carburetors. The capacity of the fuel tanks ensured a power reserve of up to 185 km.
The torque from the engine to the gearbox was transmitted using a multi-disk main friction dry friction and propeller shaft. The Praga-Wilson gearbox is a five-speed planetary gearbox with a pre-selected gear. The speed range ranged from 4,1 km / h on 1-th gear to 42 km / h on 5-th, reverse gear provided the movement at a speed of 6,1 km / h. In front of the gearbox were differential, side clutches, final drives and brakes. It should be noted that during the tests of the captured “Hetzer” in the USSR, on a country road with solid ground, the self-propelled gun developed the maximum speed of 46,8 km / h.
The chassis, structurally similar to that of the Pz.38 (t), as applied to the code board, consisted of four single rubberized support rollers with a diameter of 810 mm, borrowed from the TNHnA tank. The track rollers were interlocked in pairs in two balance trolleys suspended on reinforced semi-elliptical leaf springs (the thickness of the sheets was increased from 7 to 9 mm). A cast drive wheel with two removable gear rims along the 19 teeth in each was in front. The guide wheel together with the caterpillar tensioning mechanism was located at the rear. On each side there was one single rubber-supported single skating rink. Each track had 96 - 98 tracks. Track width - 293 mm. The Hetzer track, compared to the Pz.38 (t), has been increased from 2140 mm to 2630 mm. The combat weight of the SAU was 16 t.
A German Hetzer tank destroyer (Jagdpanzer 38 (t) “Hetzer”) captured by Polish rebels on a barricade on Napoleon Square at the beginning of the Warsaw Uprising
The first serial self-propelled guns Jagdpanzer 38 left the gates of the plant in April MMN 1944. The initial order for the 1944 year was 1000 combat vehicles of this type. However, it quickly became clear that the production capacity of the VMM plant would not be enough to carry it out. Therefore, in July 1944 of the year, Skoda plants in Pilsen joined the production of ACS. The appetites of the military increased accordingly: in September, they wanted to get 400 “hetzerov” - 300 from VMM and 100 from Skoda! Further * production growth plans are striking both in their scope and unreality. So, in December, the Wehrmacht wanted 1944 XHUMX (700 + 400) 300, and 1945 1000 machines from each manufacturer in March 500! In reality, the production successes of Czechoslovak enterprises were much more modest. In April, 1944 “Hetzer” were made 20, in May - 50, in June - 100, in July - 110 (10 of them at the Skoda plant). Until February, 1945, both plants transferred only 2000 self-propelled guns to the Wehrmacht. Production reached its peak in January. The 1945 of the year when the 434 “Hetzer” (289 + 145) was manufactured. In March and April, both companies were heavily bombed by American aircraft, and the pace of release of combat vehicles began to subside. In April, managed to make only 117 machines. In total, for the year of production, the factory workshops left the 2827 self-propelled Hetzer units. Baptism "hetzer" received in the 731-th and 743-th anti-battalion battalions of the reserve of the main command (Heeres Panzerjager-Abteilung) in July 1944. Each battalion consisted of 45 vehicles: three companies of 14 vehicles and three self-propelled guns at the battalion headquarters. In August, the Hetzer companies of 1944 began to enter into service with infantry, chasseurs and militia divisions of the Wehrmacht and the SS forces. Each company had 14 machines. In addition, by the end of the war several more anti-tank battalions of the reserve of the main command had been formed. The Hetzer was actively used on all fronts until the last days of the war. On 10 on April 1945 of the year in the combat units of the Wehrmacht and the SS troops there were 915 SAU "Hetzer", of which 726 - on the Eastern and 101 - on the Western Front.
Hetzers were exported only to Hungary. In December, 1944 - January 1945, 75 machines of this type entered service with self-propelled artillery units of the 1 of the Hungarian tank division. They took part in battles in the Budapest area.
15 cm sIG 33 / 2 auf Jagdpanzer 38 (Hetzer-Bison)
On the basis of the Hetzer ACS, 20 flamethrower tanks Flammpanzer 38, 30 ACS Hetzer-Bison with 150-mm infantry guns sIG 33 and 181 BREM Bergepanzer 38 were manufactured. In addition to these machines, the Hetzer served as the basis for the manufacture of prototypes or the design of a whole series of prototypes of reconnaissance tanks, assault howitzers and anti-tank SAU. The most curious of them can be considered tank destroyer Hetzer Starr ("Hetzer-Starr"). The German word "Starr" is translated as "hard" or "fixedly fixed." In this variant, the 75-mm cannon barrel was rigidly connected to the frontal hull sheet, and there were no anti-recoil devices. To ensure horizontal and vertical guidance gun housed in a ball mount. The first prototype was made in May 1944, three more cars in September. All of them were sent to Alkett for further testing. In the winter of 1944 / 45, the VMM factory manufactured an experimental batch of ten Hetzer-Shtarr machines. And some of them were equipped with a Tatra 103 diesel engine with an 220 horsepower, with which the speed of the car increased slightly.
Flammpanzer 38 (t) Hetzer
The story of the "Hetzer" will not be complete without mentioning the post-war fate of this combat vehicle. 27 November 1945, the headquarters of the Czechoslovak Army Tank Forces decided to use for the needs of the national defense of the former German combat vehicles - the fighter of the Hetzer tanks, which received the new ST-I index, and the Marder, renamed ST-II. In addition, an unarmed version of the Hetzer, called the ST-II, was adopted by the post-war Czechoslovak Army to train the personnel of the tank forces. Over Czechoslovakia, more than 300 “Hetzers” were found, suitable for restoration and completion.
In February, 1946, the company CKD received an order for the manufacture or overhaul of 50 SAU ST-I and 50 training machines ST-III. The order was executed during 1946 - 1947's. At the same time, the ST-III kept the chassis and powerplant unchanged, while the casing underwent several modifications. A rectangular wheelhouse was installed on its roof, an instructor's turret took the place of the gun, and a rectangular access hatch was cut opposite the driver’s place in the armor.
In February, the 1947 of the year was followed by an order for the 20 ST-I, placed at Skoda, and at the end of the 1949 of the year, by another 30 machine. As a result, the army received 100 new ST-I and 50 self-propelled guns ST-III training machines. In total, taking into account the remaining from the Wehrmacht and the repaired cars in the Czechoslovak army as of 1 in January 1949, there were 246 SAU and three BREM Bergepanzer 38.
All of these combat vehicles entered service with the 21 and 22 tank tanks, which were to become the basis for the formation of motorized divisions. However, in 1948, they were transformed into the 351 and 352 regiments of self-propelled artillery. In these parts, the ST-I tank destroyers and the StuG III assault guns (the Czechoslovak designation ShPTK 40 / 75) were operated until the beginning of the 1950-s. Later, as Soviet-made military equipment arrived at the Czechoslovak People’s Army, the German vehicles were transferred to the reserve and then written off.
In February, 1949, the company CKD began to develop a flamethrower tank on the chassis ST-I. It was planned to arm 75 combat vehicles with flamethrowers. In the prototype, the standard 75-mm gun was dismantled, and its embrasure was muffled by the armor plate. A rotating cylindrical turret was placed on the roof of the hull, in which the German flamethrower Flammenwerfer 41 and the Soviet machine gun DT were located in two separate ball units. The prototype, designated the PM-1, was made by February 1951. However, his tests were not very encouraging - the range of flame throwing was clearly insufficient, only 60 meters. Prague factory Konstrukta took up the modernization of the flamethrower. At the end of May, the 1953, a tank equipped with a new flamethrower with a firing range of up to 140 m, entered testing. However, the military soon said that they were no longer interested in this type of combat vehicle.
G-13 Hetzer. Swiss Hetzer G-13
After the end of World War II, interest in the ST-I tank destroyer was shown by Switzerland, which was armed with Czechoslovak-made tanks. 15 August 1946 Switzerland ordered eight machines of this type, giving them the designation G-13. Skoda quickly manufactured the required machines, using the groundwork left by the Germans. However, another order for 1946 machines, which followed in November 100, was on the verge of collapse, as there were no 39 / 2 Cancer tools available. Nevertheless, a solution was soon found: it was proposed to install the guns StuK 40, which were produced by the Skoda plant during the war years, into the SAU building. After some constructive refinement, this tool was able to be placed in the combat compartment of the self-propelled gun. In addition, at the request of the customer, instead of the Praga AE gasoline engine, starting with the 65 machine, they began to install Sauer-Arbon diesel horsepower 148. To improve the view, the commander's hatch in the G-13 was moved from the starboard to the left (the commander and loader changed places) and was equipped with a turning periscope. And instead of a defensive machine gun on the stern of the ACS, an anti-aircraft turret was installed. All cars were equipped with Swiss-made radio stations.
ACS liked the Swiss so much that in 1947, they also ordered 50 units G-13. The latest 20 machines were transferred to the customer only February 16 1950 of the year. In service with the Swiss army, these tank destroyers consisted until the 1968 year.
In the acquisition of ST-I was interested and Israel. The Czechoslovak Ministry of Defense was preparing the transfer of 65 self-propelled guns and 6000 75-mm shots. However, the seller and the buyer did not agree on the price and the transaction did not take place.
Led by artillery and destroyed by an internal explosion fighter of tanks "Hetzer" (Jagdpanzer 38). The aircraft's A-011 board number, which was typical of the Hungarian units. In addition, the name Hokosh (Hokos) is inscribed on the front of the hull. The number of the Soviet trophy team "14". One of the canals in the Lake Balaton area
German tank destroyer Hetzer in Prague
"Hetzer" anti-tank company of the SS division "Florian Geyer." Hungary, 1944 year
Undercarriage G-13 in private collection, close to Wehrmacht's Hetzer, but issued by the commander's Swiss viewing instrument
SAU Panzerjager 38 (t) "Hetzer" in the Armored Museum in Kubinka
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