Nashorn -Panzerjäger excellente

After the fighting in Russia hade shown the Wehrmacht that the russians also could build heavy tanks, the need for å better and heavier tankdestroyer became clear.

The solution-take an excellent ant-tank gun like the 88cm PAK 43/1 L/71  and place it on a tank chassis. Of course. So the Nashorn (also called Hornet- the 8,8cm Pak43 (L/71) auf Geschützwagen III/IV (Sd. Kfz. 164) was made by a chassis Alkett made  using their recently developed Geschützwagen III/IV which as its name indicated used components of both the Panzer III and Panzer IV tank and a well known 8,8 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 43/1 L/71. (Same gun that was used on the King Tiger later in the war by the way).

1943-1945 almost 500 were built. The Nashorn was a great tool for its job- taking out enemy armoured vehicles from a distance. Due to its weak armour, it was useless in close combat, but with that gun it didnt need to get in close either.... As a mobile version of the 88mm Anti tank gun it was very effective.

 The Hornisse/Nashorn was issued to the heavy antitank battalions (schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilungen), with which six would eventually be equipped: schwere Panzerjäger Abteilung 560, 655, 525, 93, 519 and 88. Each battalion was equipped with 45 Nashorns.
 

It is reported that in early March of 1945, Lieutenant Beckmann from sPzJagAbt 88 destroyed Soviet IS-2 at the range of 4600 meters near Marzdorf.

 The most notable Nashorn ace was platoon commander of 1st company of sPzJagAbt 519, Junior Lieutenant Albert Ernst. On December 23rd of 1943, he destroyed  14 Soviet tanks in a single day using only 21 round of ammunition. The engagement took place near Vitebsk and Albert Ernst received a nickname "Tiger of Vitebsk". In December of 1943, Ernst destroyed total of 19 enemy tanks and on January 22nd of 1944, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross.




Mainsources:
 Wikipedia , achtungpanzer.com

Elefant -with a killing trunk

The Elefant was a german tank-destroyer based on the Tiger-chassis, its official german name was Panzerjäger Tiger (P) called Ferdinand at first, but after modifications it was renamed" Elefant" (german for elephant)

The origin for the Elefant was 100 chassises made for the Porsche-version of Tiger. When this version was discarded, it was decided to use these 100 chassises to build an anti-tank with the new 88mm Pak anti-tank gun. 91 were built during a few months in early 1943.

In action, several flaws were discovered, and in september 1943 the 50 surviving  units were called back for modifications. After the modifications ( which in short was adding a MG, adding Zimmerit and wider tracks) the germans ended up with the version we call "Elefant".

Action:
When the first version was thrown into battle, it was almost without testing, and the battle of kursk sonn showed big problems-they were to vulnerable to infantry! Later, the Elefant saw action mainly in Italy, but even if it had an enormeous firepwer compared to most allied armoured vehicles, its weight and mechanical issues reduced its effect on the battlefield.

Even so-during the Battle of Kursk, the 653rd Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion (German: schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung, sPzJägAbt) claimed to have taken out  320 enemy tanks, for the loss of 13 Ferdinands. This impressive average ratio was due to its extreme firepower and protection, which gave it an enormous advantage when used in head-on combat or a static defensive role. In fact, most Ferdinands/Elefants were lost due to small problems with tracks, fuelshortage etc which forced the crew to destroy&abondon them.


Surviving units:
Only two Elefants survived the war- one is in the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia, the other one is at the United Staes Army Ordnance Museum at Fort Lee Virginia USA.

Numbers:
Weight: 65 tons
Length:8.14 metres
 Width: 3.38 metres
Height: 2.97 metres
Armour: up to 200 mm of steel....
Armament: 88 mm PaK or 43/2 L71
Speed: 46 km/h (road)

German Panzers in WW2 with numbers

Even if Germany made some of the best tanks in WW2, they (luckily) never stood a chance against the combined production rate of allied tanks and anti-tank weapons. Russia alone produced far more T-34`s than Germany produced tanks all together. I think its interesting to see what tanks Germany had- and maybe even more-how many they had of each type. The list starts with the earliest tank and ends with the last produced

1. Panzer 1 

Produced: 1934-1937

Number built:1493 

In service: 1934-1945

2. Panzer 2

Produced: 1935-1943

Number built: 1856

In service: 1936-1945

3. Panzer 3

Produced: 1939-1943

Number built: 5774

In service: 1939-1945

4. Panzer 4

Produced: 1936-1945

Number built: 8553

In service: 1939-1945 (Germany) up til 1967 other countries

5. Panther

Produced: 1943-1945 (some sources include up till 46- for British forces)

Number built: 6000

In service: 1943-1945 (Germany) also post-war by other countries

6. Tiger

Produced:1942-1944

Number built: 1327

In service: 1942-1945  

7. King Tiger

Produced: 1943-1945

Number built: 493 

In service: 1944-1945

Sturmtiger - the bigger the better?

Sturmtiger or to be more precise - the "Sturmmörserwagen 606/4 mit 38 cm RW 61" was a assault gun built on a Tiger chassis and equipped with a rocket launcher. It was designed to be used as infantry support, especially in urban areas. It looks absolutely insane with that launcher, kinda like a tank that where the cannon is cut of.... The need for such a weapon was clear to the germans after the loss at Stalingrad, the main purpose of it being destroying buildings and fortifications. The gun is actually taken from the Kriegsmarine- and was a depth-charge launcher...the shells are rocket-propelled!

Only 18 was produced, and they was mainly used in the defense of Germany in the late part of the war, being produced from late 1943 until the end of the war.

It was mainly used in three battles- the Warzaw uprising, the Battle of Bulge and the Battle of the Reichswald.


Numbers:
Weight: 68 tons
Length: 6.28 metres
 Width: 3.57 metres
Height: 2.85 metres
Armour: up to 150 mm of steel....
Armament: 380 mm RW 61 rocket launcher L/5.4
Speed: 40 km/h (road)

Surviving units:
There are three Sturmtigers in museums today, located in Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia, Bovington Tank Museum in the UK and one in Germany currently at loan to Deutsches Panzermuseum in Munster.


Sturmtiger firing, I belive this is in the Warzaw uprising.

Captured Sturmtiger

Sturmtiger at museum-look at that insane projectile!!!

Jagdpanther -killer from afar photos and info

Jagdpanther-the "hunting Panther" as it was nicknamed was another one of Germanys big tankdestroyers towards the end of the war.  Its original name in german was ""8.8 cm Pak 43/3 auf Panzerjager Panther" but even though that really rolls of your tongue....Hitler himself changed it to Jagdpanther. The Jagdpanther was based on the Panther chassis and the Tiger gun-a fierce combination indeed....

Production started in february 1944 and lasted pretty much until the end of the war, the total number built being around 415.  It never had any significant impact on the war, but if you were in a tank- that 88mm gun was not something you wanted to see pointing at you...

Survivors:
There are actually three running Jagdpanthers today, two in Germany at Deutsches Panzermuseum in Munster and at Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung (WTS) at Koblenz, the third is in England at the SDKFZ Foundation in the UK-who are currently working on getting a second one running as well!

Besides these four there are at least 7 other surviving Jagdpanthers in the largest tank/war museums around the world like Kubinka in Russia and Bovington.



Numbers:
Weight: 45 tons
Length: 9.87 metres
 Width: 3.42 metres
Height: 2.71 metres
Armour: up to 100 mm of steel....
Armament: 88 mm PaK 43/3 or 43/4 L71
Speed: 46 km/h (road)

Thats just massive isnt it?

Two Jagdpanthers back-to-back  in a street in Normandy 1944

This uniqe photo shows the production of Jagdpanthers next to the Panther whos chassis it used.

Jagdpanthers up to no good....

The crew with umbrellas..thats just bizarre....

Jagdpanthers destroyed, probably at the Battle of Bulge

Jagdpanther today-notice the damage on the side

Panther - the tank that changed the battlefield

The Panther tank-or the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther as its full name is in german ment a crucial change in the design anmd size of tanks. After the invasion of Russia in 1941, the germans were suprised by the resistance from the largest russian tanks, the notorious T-34 in particular. This led to a change in the way the germans designes and built tanks- leading to a necessary change for everyone else as well. The Panther first saw combat in 1943, being rushed inti the largest tank-battle in history- the battle of kursk on the eastern front. Being used to soon it didnt have a big impact on this battle, but the tides of the tanks had changed. Tanks now were getting bigger, stronger and deadlier.

The Panther proved a great success for the germans, even if it was used only after the war had turned on the germans, fighting defensively for the whole career of the Panther. About 6000 units were produced, and it was so well designes and successfull that many captured vehicled were overtaken by allied forces, especially the russians who even had the manual translated into russian. It was even produced for the british army up til 1949...



Numbers:
Weight: 45 tons
Length: 6.87-8.66 metres depending on type
Width: 3.27-3.47metres
Height: 2.99 metres
Armour: up to 80 mm of steel....
Armament: 75 mm KwK
Speed: 34 km/h (road)



Panther in the background, soldiers in the front- probably from 5th SS Panzer "Wiking"

Panthers on the way from factory

Panthers overtaken by russian troops

Panther

Wrecked Panther, battle of Kursk

Panther captured and put into service by British troops

Panther in a museum

Jagdtiger -hunter of the plains

The Jagdtiger-or as the Germans so easily called it "Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B" was a tank destroyer that was based on a lengthened King Tiger chassis. It was the heaviest armoured vehicle used in combat in WW2. It had a MASSIVE 128mm gun that could flatten any allied vehicle from a distance of over 3500 metres!  The Jagdtiger was only produced in small numbers-around 80 was built, and many of them was destroyed by one crew due to mechanical failure or loss of fuel supplies.

Due to its enormeous weight, it ha problems with gear, engine and of course-just simply driving forward on most terrain types...

Only two heavy antitank battalions (schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung), numbered 512 and 653 were equipped with Jagdtigers, with the first vehicles reaching the units in September 1944. One Jagdtiger was even destroyed by the handheld Panzerfaust by own Volkssturm (Volkssturm was at the end of the war often involved in battles they werent ready for) , as the Volkssturm have never seen a Jagdtiger before...

The Jagdtiger never saw much of the action it was bulit for- tankbattles where it could take out enemy tanks from a distance, but at one occasion it proved that at least the gun worked properly- During April 1945, s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.512 saw a great deal of action, especially on 9 April, where the 1st company engaged an Allied column of Sherman tanks and trucks from dug-down positions, and took out 11 tanks and over 30 soft-skins,  some of the enemy tanks having been knocked out from a distance of more than 4,000 m. The combat unit only lost one Jagdtiger in this incident as Allied ground attack P-47appeared

 Numbers:
Weight: 72 tons
Length: 10.65 metres including gun
Width: 3.6  metres
Height: 2.8 metres
Armour: up to 250 mm of steel....
Armament: 128 mm PaK
Speed: 34 km/h (road)

Surviving units:
There are 3 Jagdtigers in museums today- these ale located at the museums in England (Bovington Tank Museum), USA (National Armor and Cavalry Museum) and Russia (Kubinka Tank Museum)




That jeep looks like a toy doesnt it...

Massive gun...

Jagdtiger captured by the americans

Another spoil of war (Sorry for  the swastika...)

Jagdtiger today at Bovington Museum 

King Tiger - best of the beasts

 Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B or as most know it- King Tiger (also called Royal Tiger by some allied forces) was the "improved" version of the Tiger-and what a tank it was.... It came in production in 1943 and saw action from summer 44 and til the end of the war. Only 492 was built, and this was of course way to few to have a real impact on the outcome of the war. By summer 44 Germany had already lost all air-controle and was also weakend by supply shortage, low quality in production and not enough time to train crew.

The King Tiger "Königstiger" took the best from the Tiger and the successfull Panther and combined them into an even bigger and better tank. The armour and armament was still bigger and better than any allied tank, and the successfull curves on the Panther was used to some degree on the King Tiger, making it harder to destroy with tank/anti-tank shells. It had two types of turret- the early "Porsche" turret wich was very sloped, and the Henschel-turret. Henschel&Son/Krupp was the producer/manufactorer of the tank, and we should all be glad this tank didnt come int production until late in the war-the kill/death ratio of the King Tiger agains enemy tanks was impressive, even with severe challenges on all fronts from production, training and supplies. For example, the 103d SS Heavy Panzer Battalion in the period january-april 1945 on the eastern front  had about 500 kills with their King Tiger tanks, with a loss of only 45, most destroyd by own crew to avoid the enemy capturing them after they had had damage/mechanical problems.


 Numbers:
Weight: 69 tons
Length: 7.38 metres
Width: 3.75  metres
Height: 3.09 metres
Armour: up to 180 mm of steel....
Armament: 88 mm Kwk
Speed: 41 km/h (road)

Surviving Units:
There are several King Tigers in museums today, in all of the big countries winning the war- Russia, France, USA and England to name some-there is also on i Germany, in Deutches Panzermuseum in Munster. The only operational is in France in Musee des Blindes.

A King Tiger in Budapest 1944 part of 503d Heavy Panzer Battalion

King Tigers lined up for German Newsreel footage

King Tiger in Budapest, I like the way this photo shows how massive the gun really is...

King Tiger in a museum