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First Generation Tank Destroyers page 1 of 2 |
| The German Army entered the Russian campaign with out-gunned and under-armored vehicles, when compared with the Russian tank designs of the T-34 medium and KV I heavy tank. Even the 50mm anti-tank gun -the best anti-tank gun then used by German tanks and anti-tank troops- were no match for the Russian tanks. The Panther and Tiger represented the long-term answer to the problems of the Russian front, but a more immediate and effective short-term solution was necessary. Any weapon of less than 75mm was now inadequate, and although the PzKpfw IV and the StuG were armed with the 75mm L/24 gun, this gun fired high-explosive shells at low velocity which were unable to penetrate the armor of the new Russian tanks. |
| Obsolete tank chassis provided an ideal mounting for the first generation of tank destroyers, as could those of a number of captured French tanks. In this way, by mounting different versions of the German 75mm Pak 40 anti-tank guns and captured Russian 76.2mm anti-tank guns (re-chambered to take German 75mm ammunition) in fixed, open-topped superstructures, it proved possible to deliver quantities of simple but well-armed tank-destroyers very quickly, so restoring the technical balance on the Eastern Front. However, the crew had little protection in the fighting compartment, and due to the high silhouette it was even vulnerable to conventional artillery. |
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| The majority of these vehicles were named Marder (Marten), a family of six Panzerjägern which were built between 1942 and 1945.The Marder I was based on the chassis of the French Lorraine-tractor, and carried a complete 75mm Pak/40 gun. Only 184 of these vehicles were built, as after a short period they were all quickly removed from the Russian front back to France since they did not perform as expected. Also other chassis from French vehicles were used to carry the Pak 40, like the Renault R35 and the Hotchkiss H39. 358 PzKpfw IBs were converted into Panzerjäger I self-propelled guns armed with the Czech 47mm Pak L/43. |
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a German music hall character |
| The Marder II was based on the chassis of the PzKpfw II and was built in two versions; the first with a 75mm Pak 40 mounted on the front of the open-topped chassis, and a second with captured 76.2mm Russian guns, since the Germans had captured a large number of Russian guns in the initial stage of the war against Russia. The Russian gun was placed further backwards on the chassis. They were used in North Africa and on the Russian front in later 1941 for a short period.Completion of the German Pak 40/2 resulted in mass-production of the Marder II, but production stopped in February 1943 by order of Hitler who intended to concentrate efforts on the manufacture of the Wespe self-propelled howitzer. In total 730 of the first type (December 1941-June 1942) and about 150 of the Russian type were built. |
| To first generation tank-destroyers page II |
