The Jagdpanzer 38 (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), later known as Hetzer ("baiter"), was a German light tank destroyer of theSecond World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis. The project was inspired by the Romanian "Mareşal" tank destroyer.^[1][2]

Name[edit]

The name Hetzer was at the time not commonly used for this vehicle. It was the designation for a related prototype, the E-10. The Škoda factory for a very short period confused the two names in its documentation and the very first unit equipped with the vehicle thus for a few weeks applied the incorrect name until matters were clarified. However, there exists a briefing paper from Heinz Guderian to Hitler claiming that an unofficial name,Hetzer, had spontaneously been coined by the troops. Post-war historians basing themselves on this statement made the name popular in their works, though the vehicle was never named as such in official documents.^[3]

Development[edit]

The Jagdpanzer 38 was intended to be more cost-effective than the much more ambitious Jagdpanther andJagdtiger designs of the same period. Using a proven chassis, it avoided the mechanical problems of the larger armoured vehicles.


It was built on the Panzerkampfwagen 38(t)‘s widened and lengthened chassis with modified suspension (larger road-wheels from Praga TNH n.A prototype reconnaissance tank) and up-rated engine. The new engine was 160 PS Praga AC/2 6-cylinder engine controlled by Praga-Wilson gearbox (5 forward and 1 reverse gear). Chassis was modified in order to accommodate larger gun and thicker armour than regular Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) tank. Its combat weight was 16 metric tons (versus 9.8-tonnes for the Pz 38(t)) and it could travel at maximum speed of some 42 km/h.


It was better armored than the thinly armoured earlier Panzerjäger Marder and Nashorn with a sloped armourfront plate of 60 mm sloped back at 60 degrees from the vertical (equivalent in protection to about 120 mm), carried a reasonably powerful 75 mm gun, was mechanically reliable, small and easily concealed. It was also cheap to build.


The Jagdpanzer 38 succeeded the open-top Marder III (based on the same chassis) in production from April 1944; about 2584 were built until the end of the war. The older Marder III Panzerjäger series retained the same vertically sided chassis as Panzer 38(t). In the Jagdpanzer 38, the lower hull sides slope 15 degrees outward to make roughly hexagonal shape when viewed from front or rear. This increased the available interior space and enabled a fully enclosed casemate-style fighting compartment. Because of the fully enclosed armor, it was 5 tonnes heavier than the Marder III. To compensate for the increased weight, track width was increased from 293 mm to 350 mm.^[4]


Initial production Jagdpanzer 38 did not sit even with the ground because gun, transmission and thicker frontal armor weighed the front down. Leaf springs were strengthened from June 1944 which leveled the posture of the vehicle. From May–July 1944, accessibility was improved in the form of more hatches: commander's smaller hatch opening to the rear, then right rear corner for radiator access, and left rear corner for fuel tank access. From August 1944 lighter inner and outer mantle reduced the weight by 200 kg. These are more conical looking mantle than half cone shaped initial mantles. Also from August 1944, new rear idler wheels were introduced. These had 8, 6, and 4 (not necessarily in that order)lightening holes instead of 12. These simplified the manufacturing process. In September 1944, front 16 spring leaves were increased in thickness to 9mm per leaf, rear 16 leaves maintained 7mm each in thickness. Also in September side Schurtzen's front and rear tips were bent inward to prevent them from catching bushes and get dismounted. It was discovered that driver's periscope housing acted like a shot trap, preventing incoming shells from bouncing off the front glacis. The protruding housing was removed, instead periscope was inserted into vertical cuts to the front armor from October 1944. Also from October 44, flame reducing muffler was introduced. These reduced visibility and backfire. Commander's head cushion was added to the hatch from October 1944. At the same time, road wheel's rims were riveted instead of using bolts. To cope with heavy front, and the necessity to traverse the vehicle to aim, gear ratio was lowered to 1:8 instead of 1:7.33 to reduce the stress on final gears from January 1945. Button-down Jagdpanzer 38 was blind to the right side. Since 20mm side armors (same as late model Panzer II's side armor) were only adequate to protect the crew from fairly small caliber guns, it was important to face the threat forward. Hence, commander's field of view was planned to be improved by installing a rotating periscope in Jagdpanzer 38 Starr, just as Sturmgeschutz III and Elefant had evolved from a single pair of periscopes to all around vision blocks. However, Jagdpanzer 38 Starr came too late to see the action in the field.


By order of Adolf Hitler in November 1944, a number of Jagdpanzer 38s were refurbished straight from the factory with a Keobe flamethrower and accompanying equipment instead of the normal gun. The flame projector, encased in a metal shield reminiscent of that of a gun barrel, was easily prone to damage. Fewer than 50 of these vehicles, designatedFlammpanzer 38, were completed before the end of the war, but they were used operationally against Allied forces on the Western Front.The Jagdpanzer 38 equipped the Panzerjägerabteilungen (tank destroyer battalions) of the infantry divisions, giving them some limited mobile anti-armor capability. After the war Czechoslovakia continued to build the type (versions ST-I and ST-III for training version, about 180 units built) and exported 158 vehicles (version G-13) to Switzerland. Most vehicles in today's collections are of Swiss origin.


Further variants were a Jagdpanzer 38 carrying the 150 mm sIG 33/2 Howitzer, of which 30 were produced before the end of the war, and the Bergepanzer 38, a light recovery vehicle of which 170 were produced. Plans were made to produce other variants, including an assault gun version of the Jagdpanzer 38 carrying a 105 mm StuH 42 main cannon, a version mounting the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun from the Panther, and an anti-aircraft variant mounted with a Flak turret. The war ended before these proposed models were put into production. Prototypes were also developed for the Jagdpanzer 38 Starr, this was a simplified version of the Jagdpanzer 38 and also a step towards the E-10. The design removed the recoil absorber from the main 7.5 cm Pak 39 gun, instead attaching the gun to the chassis, and using the Jagdpanzer 38's bulk and suspension to absorb the recoil. 10 were built, but never issued. 9 converted back to normal Jagdpanzer 38 and Hitler ordered the remaining prototype destroyed rather than let it be captured at the end of the war.^[5][6]