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Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer Tank Destroyer |
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In March 1943, Inspector General of Armored Troops Heinz Guderian determined that there was a need for a light tank destroyer to replace light self-propelled anti-tank guns like the Marders, as well as towed anti-tank guns. The new vehicle was to be reasonably well-armored, have a low profile, and to carry a weapon appropriate to its size.
The resulting vehicle, the Jagdpanzer 38(t), was based on the PzKfw 38(t) – itself a highly versatile Czech design. The new vehicle used a slightly altered suspension mounted on a widened hull, and was powered by a 160hp gasoline engine. It had a secondary machine gun mounted on top of the hull that could be fired remotely from inside the vehicle. Unlike the earlier Marders, the crew was completely enclosed – if cramped – in the fighting compartment behind well-sloped armor plate that was 60mm thick at the front. The 75mm L/48 gun, similar to that mounted on the later marks of the PzKfw IV, was offset to the right to make room for the driver. The weapon had a very limited traverse of traverse 11 ° to the right and 5° to the left, with an elevation of -6° to + 10°.
Production began in April 1944, and 2,584 vehicles were produced from 1944 through 1947, when the Skoda works in Czechoslovakia finally ceased production. It was also used as the basis for flame thrower and recovery vehicle variants. In 1946 the Swiss Army purchased 158 so-called Hetzers, redesignating them as G13. All G13s were phased out in 1970. The vehicle on display is a G13 that was donated in 1971 to the Panzertruppenschule, where in 1982 it was restored to running condition.
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