Jagdpanther

Last updated
Jagdpanther
Jagdpanzer V Jagdpanther 1.jpg
Jagdpanzer V Jagdpanther
Type Self-propelled anti-tank gun
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
In service1944–1945 (Nazi Germany)
Used byNazi Germany
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Produced1943–1945
No. built413 (+ 12 postwar)
VariantsG1, G2
Specifications
Mass45.5 t (44.8 long tons; 50.2 short tons)
Length9.87 m (32 ft 5 in)
Width3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)
Height2.71 m (8 ft 11 in)
Crew5

Armor 80 mm (3.14 in) frontal
100 mm (3.93 in) mantlet
50 mm side
40 mm rear
Main
armament
1 × 8.8 cm Pak 43/3 or 43/4
57 rounds
Secondary
armament
1 × 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun (600 rounds)
Engine Maybach HL230 P30 (V-12 petrol)
700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
Power/weight15.4 PS (11.3 kW) / tonne
Suspensiondual torsion bar
Operational
range
Road:
260 km (160 mi)
Cross-country:
130 km (81 mi)
Maximum speed 46 km/h (29 mph)

The Jagdpanther (German: "hunting Panther"), Sd.Kfz. 173, was a tank destroyer ( Jagdpanzer , a self-propelled anti-tank gun) built by Germany during World War II. The Jagdpanther combined the 8.8 cm Pak 43 anti-tank gun, similar to the main gun of the Tiger II, with the armor and suspension of the Panther chassis. [1]

Contents

It entered service in 1944 and served on the Eastern and Western Fronts. During the last stages of the war, limited German production resulted in small production numbers, shortage of spare parts, and shortened crew training periods of younger operators.

Development

The Jagdpanther was preceded by two attempts at mounting an 8.8 cm gun as a self-propelled anti-tank weapon; Ferdinand - also known as Panzerjäger Tiger (P) - using the ninety-one leftover Porsche-built VK 45.01 (P) chassis from the Tiger tank competition it lost to Henschel in 1942, and the Nashorn on the Geschützwagen III/IV (which used a combination of the Panzer III and Panzer IV components) chassis. Ferdinand proved to be too heavy, and Nashorn lightly armored and under-powered. [2]

A heavy tank destroyer design based on the 8.8 cm Pak 43 gun and the Panther tank chassis was ordered in late 1942. The full-size model by Daimler-Benz was demonstrated in October 1943 before Hitler. MIAG-built prototypes followed in October/November 1943.

Production started in January 1944; in February, Hitler specified the simpler Jagdpanther name instead of its original "8.8 cm Pak 43/3 auf Fahrgestell Panther".

To accommodate the heavier-calibre gun, as on previous Jagdpanzer -style unturreted tank destroyers, the glacis plate and sloped hull sides of the Jagdpanther were extended up into an integral fixed casemate as part of the main hull to provide a roomy interior. The Jagdpanther had side plates armour thickness increased (to 50 mm) to offset the slightly reduced angle of the side plate to provide enough interior space. Lower frontal hull plate was reduced to 60 mm (2.4 in) while upper hull frontal plate was kept at 80 mm (3.1 in). The chassis armour changes were also introduced on the main Panther tank assembly lines with the Panther Ausf. G in spring 1944.

It was armed with the long-barreled 8.8 cm Pak 43/3 L/71 gun, similar to the main gun of the Tiger II ("King Tiger"). The gun was mounted in a central mantlet, giving it a limited traverse of twelve degrees to each side. A single 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun was in a ball mount on the right side of the front glacis plate. The machine gunner was also the radio operator. The driver sat on the left. The gunner had a rangefinder and a periscope telescopic sight. The periscope – linked to the gun mount – was under an armoured housing on the roof.

The Jagdpanther had a good power-to-weight ratio and a powerful main gun, enabling crews to destroy any type of Allied tank. Based on the established Panther Ausf G chassis, the vehicle encountered few mechanical problems. It was crewed by five: driver, radio operator/machine gunner, commander, gunner, and a loader. [3]

Variants

Early production Jagdpanther, coated in Zimmerit, Imperial War Museum Jagdpanther IWM Duxford.JPG
Early production Jagdpanther, coated in Zimmerit, Imperial War Museum

There were two main variants. The earlier G1 1944 model has a small welded main gun mantlet, one-piece Pak 43/3 gun, a modified Panther A engine deck, and had two vision openings for the driver. The G2 Jagdpanther used a Panther Ausf. G engine deck, a larger gun mantlet bolted externally, and a two-piece KwK 43/4 L/71 gun. Some later G1 models had 'hybrid' G2 features such as the larger G2 mantlet as changes to the design were implemented. Zimmerit was applied to G1s up to September 1944, then was withdrawn to decrease production time. Early Jagdpanthers had two vision openings for the driver, whereas late versions had only one. The main gun originally had a monobloc gun barrel, but, May 1944-on, it was gradually replaced by an economical two-part barrel after crews determined barrel wear was uneven. [3]

Reliability

Notes for the meeting with the Führer on 10.28.1944:

According to an oral statement from H.Pz.Jg.Abt. 654 (currently in Grafenwöhr) Jagdpanther with modified lateral transmission gears (Leutnant Rosenfelder) travelled 400 - 500 km without suffering any damage. However, a great tension has been detected in the sprockets.

Der General Inspekteur der Panzertruppen Nr. 3706/44 g.Kdos. [4]

Mike Gibb of the Weald Foundation being interviewed by historian James Holland, disagreed that the Jagdpanther was unreliable. He said that the Jagdpanther owned by the Weald foundation, which he had first hand experience with, had done hundreds of miles without any reliability issues normally raised about the tank. When the vehicle was properly maintained, and properly driven, it was reliable. Gibb theorised that claims about the tank being unreliable may have been with some crews who may have been young and inexperienced and not operated or maintained the vehicle properly. [5]

Production and service

A Jagdpanther
in France, 1944. Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-721-0396-21, Frankreich, Jagdpanther.2.jpg
A Jagdpanther in France, 1944.

A total of 413 Jagdpanthers were produced from January 1944 by three manufacturers: MIAG in Braunschweig produced 268 from January 1944 until the end of the war, Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen Hannover (MNH) produced 112 from November 1944, Maschinenbau und Bahnbedarf (MBA) in Potsdam produced 33 vehicles from December 1944. [6] Planned production was between 100 and 200 a month, but the disruption to German manufacturing made this goal unachievable. [3]

The last 'production' Jagdpanthers were produced at the factory by German staff just after the end of World War II under the supervision of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) during the American and British occupation of Germany. Nine Panthers and a dozen Jagdpanthers were produced, then shipped to England for evaluation. A complete Panther and a complete Jagdpanther produced this way are displayed at the Bovington Tank Museum, Dorset, with brass plates on them explaining their history.

Knocked-out German Jagdpanther tank destroyer near Gheel, 13 September 1944 The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 BU868.jpg
Knocked-out German Jagdpanther tank destroyer near Gheel, 13 September 1944

Jagdpanther equipped heavy antitank battalions (schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilungen) and served mainly on the Eastern Front. [1] [ page needed ] In the West, they were encountered in very small numbers late in the Battle of Normandy; the German 654 schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung ("654th Heavy Antitank Battalion") deployed about twelve Jagdpanthers against the British armed forces. Seven Jagdpanthers of the 1. Schwere Panzerjäger Bataillon 559 were involved in the Battle of Geel in September 1944. [7] :306–307 Later, significant numbers were concentrated in the West for the Ardennes Offensive.

Survivors

Jagdpanther
at Imperial War Museum (London), from above. Note the three shell holes in the side. The rear hatch of the casemate is missing. Jagdpanther IWM.jpg
Jagdpanther at Imperial War Museum (London), from above. Note the three shell holes in the side. The rear hatch of the casemate is missing.

Four surviving Jagdpanthers are restored to running condition one each at the Deutsches Panzermuseum at Munster and the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung (WTS) at Koblenz. The Weald Foundation in the UK restored one Jagdpanther to running condition and has a second undergoing restoration. [8] [9] The Imperial War Museum at Duxford, UK has restored a Panzerbefehlswagen Jagdpanther to running condition.

Seven surviving Jagdpanthers are displayed at

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Higgins, David R. (2014). Jagdpanther vs SU-100. Eastern Front 1945. Osprey Publishing.
  2. AFV Profile No. 10 p17
  3. 1 2 3 AFV Profile No 10 p. 19.
  4. "Pruebas con nuevos engranajes de transmisión laterales en Jagdpanther (Gen.Insp.d.Pz.Tr., 28.10.1944)", Panzer-elmito.org (in Spanish)
  5. Holland, James (1 February 2023). "Inside a German World War 2 Tank Destroyer - History Hit". History Hit. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  6. Panzer Tracts 23 page 23-60
  7. Holland, James (2021). Brothers in arms : a legendary tank regiment's bloody war from D-Day to VE Day. London. ISBN   978-1-473-58889-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. "Jagdpanther (8.8 cm Pak) - Sd.Kfz.173 Ausf. G2" . www.wealdfoundation.org. 2 August 2021.
  9. "Jagdpanther (8.8 cm Pak) (Sd.Kfz.173) Ausf. G2 # 2" . www.wealdfoundation.org.
  10. "Accession record for Museum collection". Tank Museum.
  11. "Sd Kfz 173 Jagdpanther (Tank Destoyer [sic])". Imperial War Museum Collections. Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  12. http://www.wheatcroftcollection.com/home.html. Archived 2 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panzer IV</span> German WWII medium tank

The Panzerkampfwagen IV, commonly known as the Panzer IV, is a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German armored fighting vehicle production during World War II</span>

This article lists production figures for German armored fighting vehicles during the World War II era. Vehicles include tanks, self-propelled artillery, assault guns and tank destroyers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panzer 38(t)</span> Czechoslovak light tank used by Germany during WW2

The Panzerkampfwagen 38(t), originally known as the ČKD LT vz. 38, was a tank designed during the 1930s, which saw extensive service during World War II. Developed in Czechoslovakia by ČKD, the type was adopted by Nazi Germany following the annexation of Czechoslovakia. With the German Army and other Axis forces, the type saw service in the invasions of Poland, France and the USSR. Production ended in 1942, when its main armament was deemed inadequate. In all, over 1,400 Pz. 38(t)s were manufactured. The chassis of the Pz. 38(t) continued to be produced for the Marder III (1942–1944) with some of its components used in the later Jagdpanzer 38 (1944–1945) tank destroyer and its derivative vehicles.

<i>Hetzer</i> German WWII tank destroyer (Jagdpanzer 38)

The Jagdpanzer 38, originally the Leichter Panzerjäger 38(t), known mostly post-war as Hetzer, was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panther tank</span> German medium tank of WWII

The Panther tank, officially Panzerkampfwagen V Panther with ordnance inventory designation: Sd.Kfz. 171, is a German medium tank of World War II. It was used on the Eastern and Western Fronts from mid-1943 to the end of the war in May 1945.

<i>Jagdtiger</i> Heavy tank destroyer

The Jagdtiger is a German casemate-type heavy tank destroyer (Jagdpanzer) of World War II. It was built upon the slightly lengthened chassis of a Tiger II. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 186.

<i>Elefant</i> German heavy tank destroyer of World War II

Elefant was a heavy tank destroyer used by German Panzerjäger during World War II. Ninety-one units were built in 1943 under the name Ferdinand using VK 45.01 (P) tank hulls which had been produced for the Tiger I tank before the competing Henschel design had been selected.

<i>Sturmgeschütz</i> III WW2 German assault gun

The Sturmgeschütz III was an assault gun produced by Germany during World War II. It was the most-produced fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle, and second-most produced German armored combat vehicle of any type after the Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track. It was built on a slightly modified Panzer III chassis, replacing the turret with an armored, fixed superstructure mounting a more powerful gun. Initially intended as a mobile assault gun for direct-fire support for infantry, the StuG III was continually modified, and much like the later Jagdpanzer vehicles, was employed as a tank destroyer.

<i>Marder</i> III German Army tank destroyer

Marder III was the name for a series of World War II German tank destroyers. They mounted either the modified ex-Soviet 76.2 mm F-22 Model 1936 divisional field gun, or the German 7.5 cm PaK 40, in an open-topped fighting compartment on top of the chassis of the Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t). They offered little protection to the crew, but added significant firepower compared to contemporary German tanks. They were in production from 1942 to 1944, and served on all fronts until the end of the war, along with the similar Marder II. The German word Marder means "marten" in English.

<span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Nashorn</i></span> Nazi German tank destroyer

Nashorn, initially known as Hornisse, was a German Panzerjäger of World War II. It was developed as an interim solution in 1942 by equipping a light turretless chassis based on the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks with the 8.8 cm Pak 43 anti-tank gun. Though only lightly armoured and displaying a high profile, it could penetrate the front armour of any Allied tank at long range, and its relatively low cost and superior mobility to heavier vehicles ensured it remained in production until the war's end.

<i>Marder II</i> German Army tank destroyer

The Marder II was a German tank destroyer of World War II based on the Panzer II chassis. There were two versions, the first mounted a modified Soviet 7.62 cm gun firing German ammunition, while the other mounted the German 7.5 cm Pak 40 gun. Its high profile and thin open-topped armor provided minimal protection to the crew. Nevertheless, the Marder II provided a great increase in firepower over contemporary German tanks during 1942 and into 1943. Only four Marder IIs remain today.

<i>Panzerjäger</i> Branch of service of the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War

Panzerjäger is a term used for an anti-tank vehicle, as well as anti-tank units. The term was first used in the Wehrmacht, and also post-war by the German Federal Republic Bundeswehr. The term Panzerjäger was used in the Bundeswehr as a designation of rank.

<i>Sturmgeschütz</i> IV German WW2 assault gun

The Sturmgeschütz IV was a German assault gun variant of the Panzer IV used in the latter part of the Second World War. It was identical in role and concept to the highly successful StuG III assault gun variant of the Panzer III. Both StuG models were given an exclusively tank destroyer role in German formations and tactical planning in the last two years of the war, greatly augmenting the capability of the dwindling tank force available to the German army on the Eastern and Western fronts.

<i>Jagdpanzer</i> IV Self-propelled anti-tank gun

The Jagdpanzer IV, Sd.Kfz. 162, was a German tank destroyer based on the Panzer IV chassis and built in three main variants. As one of the casemate-style turretless Jagdpanzer designs, it was developed against the wishes of Heinz Guderian, the inspector general of the Panzertruppen, as a replacement for the Sturmgeschütz III. Guderian objected against the needless, in his eyes, diversion of resources from Panzer IV tank production, as the StuG III was still more than adequate for its role.

<i>Grille</i> (artillery) German self-propelled gun

The 15 cm sIG 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen 38(t), also known as Grille was a series of self-propelled artillery vehicles used by Nazi Germany during World War II. The Grille series was based on the Czech Panzer 38(t) tank chassis and used a 15 cm sIG 33 infantry gun.

The Panzerkampfwagen I was a light tank produced in Germany in the 1930s. The Panzer I was built in several variants and was the basis for a number of variants listed below.

References