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Jagdpanzer 38 (t) "Hetzer" is a German tank destroyer.
Description[]
When the Panzer 38(t) became obsolete, its excellent chassis was further used for a variety of self propelled guns, among them the successful tank destroyers of the "Marder"-series. Since these vehicles were open topped and thus vulnerable to infantry arms and splinters, a fully closed successor was developed: The Jagdpanzer 38(t), a very advanced design that influenced the development of turretless tanks for the next three decades. It was nicknamed "Hetzer" ("chaser") by the soldiers, despite the fact that it performed best in a defensive role or in ambushes: Its small size and low profile made it hard to detect, its sloped 60mm frontal armor offers good protection and its 75mm gun was capable to destroy most of the contemporary enemy armored vehicles. On the other hand, the Hetzer was extremely cramped inside, making it impossible for the crew to bail out quickly. Its 20mm side armor was even vulnerable to anti-tank rifles at close range. The Hetzer reached the front lines from July 1944 on and performed well, despite its shortcomings. 2600 have been build by Skoda until May 1945.
The Jagdpanzer 38(t) is armed with a 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 mounted in the frontal armor plate and a fully rotating 7.92mm MG 34 or MG 42 on the roof top, which could be used in remote from inside the vehicle. It should be used best in its intended role defending certain areas or to ambush enemy vehicles, while making the best use of the surrounding terrain. In BattleGroup42, there is also a flame tank variant of the Hetzer, the Flammpanzer 38(t): 20 of these vehicles have been converted from regular Hetzers by changing the main gun with a flametrower. They were intended to be used during the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944/45. The Flammpanzer 38(t) can also be found on the fictional map 4701-Antarctica
Gallery[]
