87003 WWII HETZER

The Jagdpanzer 38 (t) Hetzer was a German WWII tank destroyer. The first prototypes of the vehicle were created at the turn of 1943 and 1944, and serial production continued in the period 1944-1945, ending with the production of approximately 2,800 vehicles. The Hetzer was powered by a single Prague EPA AC2800 160hp engine. It was armed with 1 75mm PaK 39 L / 48 gun and 1 7.92mm MG34 or MG 42 machine gun. The Hetzer was built on the basis of the tank's chassis Panzerkampfwagen 38 (t), but had a completely new casemate and drive. Its great advantages included a very low silhouette of the vehicle, considerable slope of the armor plates and nice armament. Moreover, the Hetzer could be produced on a large scale at relatively low cost, which was very important for Germany in the last stage of World War II. Production took place especially in the factories of the Skoda company. The downside was the small crew compartment, which made it difficult to operate the gun and reduced its rate of fire. The self-propelled flamethrower Flammpanzer 38 (t) and the technical support vehicle Bergepanzer 38 (t) were built on the basis of the Hetzer vehicle. The Hetzer tank destroyer was used on the western and eastern fronts in the period 1944-1945, e.g. in battles in Poland with the Red Army. After World War II, it was still produced for the Czechoslovak army under the designation ST-1.