Hetzer - Jagdpanzer 38 (t): The most cost-effective German tank hunter

[sparky]

Loved the Saumur museum , they have ( had) a running king tiger , which wasn't there when I was

 

[Nemowork]

I'm going to have to put that on the 'to do!' list.

Last year i ticked off the Elefant, that leaves the King Tiger and the Puma i need to find from the big cats.

 

[sparky]

is there a Sd-Kfz 234 mark 2 anywhere ?

 

[Nemowork]

not that i've seen. Bovington has a 234/3 with the short barrel 75mm but i dont know of a 234/2 this side of the channel.

The Russians probably have one at Kubinka, they have all the cool stuff but i dont have that sort of budget and getting in there takes an act of the orthodox god, intimate favours to Putin or being a contributer to World of Tanks obviously!

Munster has a 234/4 theyve got on semi-permanent loan from Bovington apparently!

http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_German_Armoured_Vehicles.pdf

 

[sparky]

it's not that hard to go to Russia and since nearly three decade it's not hard getting out either

as for the 234-2 there were only 101 made , mostly used by crack units recon battalions on the eastern front
one can only hope there is one in some bog

 

[marathag]

If you look at a Panzer 3/Stug 3 hull theres a lower front plate to the nose, the semi-vertical nose plate, the sloped upper plate of the nose then the upper deck of the nose with access points for the transmission and gears, then the vertical front plate with the drivers visor. Thats at least five plates that need cutting, welding, fitting, hinges, fitting hatchways into access points, locks etc before you move back behind the drive sprocket..

Look at the Hetzer internals.

How does one get access to work on the differentials? As bad as the Panther, where you had to remove the armor roof above the driver and co-driver

You have to pull the roof, which means the cannon comes too, then you can get at it.

Compare to M4

Or M24

 

[Nemowork]

I wasnt commenting on the problems of maintaining and running it i was talking about the time it takes to build the chassis from a sheet of steel to rolling it out the front gates on a train.

The lower hull is four solid plates, the upper hull is five then you have to add the tricky bit of the hull roof and rear decking.

Not counting the problem of casting and rolling out large sheets of steel and cutting out basic shapes all you need is a decent crane to lift the plates and some basic welding to fit them together.

Your losing time and energy in producing large sheet steel compared to the small plates used in the Stug but your gaining time in reducing handling, welding, number of craftsmen involved and so on. Just the complexity an expense of optics in the Stugs commanders cupola is incredible, the Hetzer lost that in favour of a simple scissor periscope.

All that saves production time and gets more units to the battle front.

One semi-decent Hetzer at your back is better than a Panther still held up in the factory.

 

[MG1962a]

I'm going to have to put that on the 'to do!' list.

Last year i ticked off the Elefant, that leaves the King Tiger and the Puma i need to find from the big cats.

Where was the Elefant? I didn't know any even survived the war

 

[marathag]

Just the complexity an expense of optics in the Stugs commanders cupola is incredible, the Hetzer lost that in favour of a simple scissor periscope.

All you have when buttoned up is the Gunner looking out that periscope with a small field of view, the TC had nothing except a rear facing periscope, and the driver that small frontal periscope.

It's like trying to drive a car with the windows blacked out, except for a pair of binoculars the only way to see forward. Without someone sticking a head out to give him directions, he will be having a rough time

It wasn't rocket science. A TC who can't see the surrounding area is wasted. Might as well have him stay back at the base and make it 3 man tank and give the loader some more room

The KV-1S of late 1942 had a cupola, and the Soviet tanks the Nazis captured, had vision cupolas retrofitted for the TC

But not for a factory built Hetzer

 

[deaf tuner]

I found a couple of things on zhe Hetzer that might interest You (in case You don't already know about, of course):

http://www.pzfahrer.net/driving.html

http://www.pzfahrer.net/improve.html

WWII Weapons: The Hetzer Tank Destroyer