Includes coverage of all the tank destroyers used by the German army
including the Hornisse, the Jagdpanzer 38, the Jagdpanzer IV, and the
Elefant.
From the early days of World War II, it was clear that the Wehrmacht's
antitank units would need to be motorized as existing horse- or
automobile-drawn units were too slow to be effective. Initially,
antitank guns were mounted onto available, usually obsolete, tank
chassis, such as the Panzerjäger I and II. However German engineers
would soon turn to the heavy chasses of the Panzer IV, the Panther, and
the Tiger for their tank hunters. It became apparent during the invasion
of France that enemy antitank guns were both more powerful and better
armored, and improvement became a priority during Barbarossa as German
units faced off against the new Soviet tanks. The appearance of the
Soviet T-34 in July 1941 meant that the Germans had to quickly come up
with something equally powerful. The result was the motorized
panzerjäger, faster and more mobile than older towed versions. This was
followed in 1942 by the introduction of the 7.5cm gun. Further designs
and modifications were informed by reports from the front line.
Some of these conversions were very successful and resulted in fearsome
tank destroyers deployed to great effect by the Wehrmacht. The
lightweight Hetzer, for example, was based on a modified Panzer 38(t)
and entered service in 1944. This small tank became Germany's main tank
destroyer during the final stages of the war, and would continue in use
around the world even after 1945. Though they may not have looked that
intimidating, the Landser were soon won over, and were comforted to have
something reliable to stand between them and the Soviet tanks.
This account, illustrated by hundreds of period photos, examines the
development and deployment of various models of tank destroyers during
World War II.
