It was not designed to be a close combat vehicle, used at the head of an attack like a tank. It was cheaper and quicker to build than a Panzer IV, Panther or Tiger tank. It was armed with a powerful high velocity 75 mm Pak 39 L/48 gun that could knock-out most enemy tanks. It was only 2.10 m (6 ft 10.6 inches) high which was ideal for ambush tactics. The Jagdpanzer 38 tank hunter was designed to have a very low profile which made it hard to target and easy to conceal. German Jagdpanzer 38 tank hunter self-propelled gun (UK School of Tank Technology)

They could deal out punishment, but they could not take it. They all carried powerful guns but had thin armor, an open-top fighting compartment, and a high profile which made them easy to spot on the battlefield. This resulted in the production of the Marder series and Nashorn anti-tank self-propelled guns. They started using hulls of captured tanks and reliable but obsolete tanks, such as the Panzer 38(t), to mount anti-tank guns and artillery howitzers. Germany needed more armored fighting vehicles that were cheaper to build and quicker to construct. Why this nickname has been associated with this tank hunter is investigated later in the article.Īs the Second World War progressed, it turned into a numbers’ game. Although most official wartime documents do not use the name Hetzer, a few did. The first issue to clear up is the fact that the Jagdpanzer 38 was not officially called the Hetzer during the Second World War.

He has been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.Tank Destroyer – Approximately 2,827 Built Introduction Moran served in the Irish Army and currently serves in the US Army National Guard. Nicholas Moran (aka ‘The Chieftain’) is Director of Militaria Relations at Wargaming America, the company behind World of Tanks. The book concentrates on the technical development of the various designs and the decision making behind that development. Hardback, 228-pages, and filled with reports and photographs taken primarily from Ordnance Branch and Tank Destroyer Board archives, most previously unpublished, the book traces the development of American anti-tank vehicles from the 37mm Gun Motor Carriage T2 through to the 90mm Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Gun M56 Scorpion. This book from Nicholas Moran (aka The Chieftan) fills a gap in the documentation of the US tank killers. Can Openers – The Development of American Anti-Tank Motor Carriages by Nicholas Moran (aka ‘The Chieftain’).

Battle of the bulge anti tank gun