Hetzer

Jagdpanzer 38
Jagdpanzer 38 in museum at Lešany, Czech Republic
Type	Light tank destroyer
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1944–1945
Used by	Nazi Germany Hungary Czechoslovakia (ST-I) Switzerland (G-13)
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	BMM
Designed	1943
Manufacturer	Böhmisch-Mährische Maschinenfabrik, Škoda
Produced	4 March 1944 – 11 May 1945
Number built	Approx. 2,827
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	15.75 tonnes (34,722 lb)
Length	6.38 m (20 ft 11 in)
Width	2.63 m (8 ft 8 in)
Height	2.17 m (7 ft 1 in)
Crew	4
Armor	8-60 mm (0.31-2.36 in)
Main armament	1x 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 41 rounds
Secondary armament	1× 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 1,200 rounds
Engine	Praga 6-cylinder petrol, 7.8 litres 160 PS (158 hp, 118 kW) at 2,800 rpm
Power/weight	10.2 PS (7.5 kW) / tonne
Transmission	5 + 1 Praga-Wilson Typ CV
Suspension	leaf spring
Ground clearance	40 cm (1 ft 4 in)
Fuel capacity	320 litres (85 US gal)
Operational range	177 km (110 mi)
Speed	42 km/h (26 mph)

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

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.

The Jagdpanzer 38 was intended to be more cost-effective than the much more ambitious Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger 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). The chassis was modified in order to accommodate a larger gun and thicker armour than the 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 a maximum speed of 42 km/h.

It was better armored than the thinly armoured earlier Panzerjäger Marder and Nashorn with a sloped armour front 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.