The 38 (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), originally the 38(t), known mostly post-war as , was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovak Panzer 38(t) chassis.
German armoured forces in World War II created a variety of vehicles by mounting anti-tank guns on the chassis of obsolete tanks. These machines performed better than expected, but were still vulnerable due to their high vehicle profiles and open-topped turrets. Allied bombings took a heavy toll on German production facilities and further increased the need for an easily produced, yet effective light tank destroyer to replace vehicles like the StuG III and Marder series (Marder I, II, and III). Prototypes of the 38 were ready by 1944, and mass production began in April of that year. The 38 was covered entirely with sloped armour and possessed a compact form and low silhouette, giving it much improved defensive ability over other self-propelled guns. Armament consisted of a 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 gun and a remote-controlled MG 34. It featured a wide body to accommodate the four-man crew, as well as a strengthened lower hull with enlarged wheels, guide rollers, and tracks.
38s first entered service in July 1944 and would eventually be assigned to a number of units, including infantry, and divisions. The 38 equipped the (tank destroyer battalions) of the infantry divisions, giving them some limited mobile anti-armor capability. BMM and Škoda continually modified and improved the 38 during production of the more than 2,800 vehicles built. Owing to the ease of production and high operating rates, the 38 came to serve as Germany's main tank destroyer in the latter period of the war, making an important contribution on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.
Name The name (German for "chaser") was never an official or suggestive name used for this vehicle. It was the designation for another prototype, the E-10 of the Entwicklung series which was supposed to replace all German tanks with more standardized counterparts, including the Jagdpanzer 38 which was still in development. The Škoda factory, for a short period, mistook Hetzer as the new name for the Jagdpanzer 38 in its documentation. Thus the first unit equipped with the vehicle applied the incorrect name for a few weeks until matters were clarified. Subsequently, the vehicle was rarely called Hetzer by its units, but the name did not disappear completely; examples of usages e.g. in Wehrmacht Reports were found until the end of the war. Most notably, there exists a briefing paper from Heinz Guderian to Hitler saying that the unofficial name Hetzer had spontaneously been coined by the troops. Post-war historians basing themselves on this statement made the name popular in their works.Doyle and Jentz, pp. 4–5
Development
When Alketts factory for production of Sturmgeschütz III was damaged in a bomb raid on Berlin, on 26 November 1943, it become necessary to find alternatives. Boehmisch-Mährische Machinenfabrik was considered but it could not produce the, for that time, heavy chassis of the Sturmgeschütz and it was decided to base a new design on the Panzer 38(t) which they already produced. On 17 December the design drawings for the new vehicle was presented and by 24 January 1944 a wooden mock-up was ready.
The design of the Jagdpanzer 38 was influenced by that of the Romanian Mareșal tank destroyer, whose development had started in late 1942, according to contemporary Romanian documents and later works of authors such as Steven Zaloga and Mark Axworthy. This was acknowledged by two German officials: Alkett engineer Wohlrath and Lieutenant-Colonel Ventz. The Germans were pleased by the Mareșal and a mixed production of the two tank destroyers was planned, which never took place due to Romania being overrun by Soviet forces. Hilary Doyle and Walter Spielberger do not directly mention a connection between the two vehicles, but write how in December 1943—the time the Jagdpanzer 38 was being designed—Hitler is known to have already been aware of the Mareșal, which he "extraordinarily liked".
The new Sturmgeschütz was built on the Panzer 38(t)'s widened and lengthened chassis with modified suspension (larger road-wheels from the Praga TNH n.A prototype reconnaissance tank) and up-rated engine. The new engine was a 160 PS Praga AC/2 6-cylinder engine coupled to a Praga-Wilson gearbox (5 forward and 1 reverse gear). The chassis was modified to accommodate a larger gun and thicker armour than the Panzer 38(t) tank. Its combat mass was 16 tonnes (versus 9.8-tonnes for the Pz 38(t)) and it could travel at a maximum speed of 42 km/h. It had a sloped armour front plate of sloped back at 60 degrees from the vertical — equivalent in protection to about — carried a reasonably powerful 75 mm gun, was mechanically reliable, small and easily concealed. It was also cheap to build.
The Jagdpanzer 38 succeeded the open-top III (based on the same chassis). Starting from April 1944, about 2,584 were built until the end of the war. The older III series retained the same vertically sided chassis as Panzer 38(t). In the 38, the lower hull sides slope 15 degrees outward to make a roughly hexagonal shape when viewed from front or rear. This increased the available interior space and enabled a fully enclosed casemate-style fighting compartment. Because of the fully enclosed armour, it was 5 tonnes heavier than the III. To compensate for the increased weight, track width was increased from 293 mm to 350 mm.
Production
The initial production 38 did not sit even with the ground because the gun, transmission and thicker frontal armour weighed the front down. The leaf springs were strengthened from June 1944, which levelled the vehicle. From May–July 1944, accessibility was improved by adding hatches: the commander's smaller hatch opening to the rear, one in the right rear corner for radiator access and one in the left rear corner for fuel tank access. From August 1944, lighter inner and outer mantlets reduced the weight by . These were more conical than the half cone shaped initial mantlets. Also from August 1944, new rear idler wheels were introduced that had 8, 6, and 4 (not necessarily in that order) lightening holes instead of 12. These simplified the manufacturing process. In September 1944, the front 16 spring leaves were increased in thickness to per leaf (the rear 16 remained 7 mm thick). Also in September, the side Schürzen's front and rear tips were bent inward to prevent them from catching bushes and being torn off. It was discovered that the driver's periscope housing acted as a shot trap, preventing incoming shells from bouncing off the front glacis.
The protruding housing was removed, instead the periscope was inserted into vertical cuts to the front armour from October 1944. Also from October 1944, a flame reducing muffler was introduced, which reduced visibility and backfiring. A head cushion was added to the commander's hatch from October 1944. At the same time, the road wheel rims were riveted instead of bolted. To cope with the heavy front, and the necessity to traverse the vehicle to aim, the gear ratio was lowered from 1:7.33 to 1:8 to reduce the stress on final gears from January 1945. A buttoned-down 38 was blind to its right side. Since side armour (same as late model Panzer II's side armour) was adequate to protect the crew only from fairly small-calibre guns, it was important to face the threat frontally. Hence, the commander's field of view was planned to be improved by installing a rotating periscope in the Jagdpanzer 38 Starr, just as the Sturmgeschutz III and Elefant had evolved from a single pair of periscopes to all around vision blocks. However, the 38 came too late to see action.
After the war, Czechoslovakia continued to build the type (versions ST-I and ST-III for training version, about 180 units built) and exported 158 vehicles (version G-13) to Switzerland. Most vehicles in today's collections are of Swiss origin.
By order of Adolf Hitler in November 1944, a number of 38s were refurbished straight from the factory with a Koebe flamethrower and accompanying equipment instead of the normal gun. The flame projector, encased in a metal shield reminiscent of that of a gun barrel, was very prone to damage. Fewer than 50 of these vehicles, designated 38, were completed before the end of the war, but they were used operationally against Allied forces on the Western Front.
Further variants were a 38 carrying the sIG 33/2 Howitzer, of which 30 were produced before the end of the war, and the 38, a light recovery vehicle of which 170 were produced. Plans were made to produce other variants, including an assault gun version of the 38 carrying a 105 mm StuH 42 main cannon, a version mounting the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun from the Panther, and an anti-aircraft variant mounted with a Flak turret. The war ended before these proposed models were put into production. Prototypes were also developed for the 38 , this was a simplified version of the Jagdpanzer 38 and also a step towards the E-10. The design removed the recoil absorber from the main 7.5 cm Pak 39 gun, instead attaching the gun to the chassis, and using the 38's bulk and suspension to absorb the recoil. Three prototypes were built as were eleven pre-production vehicles, of which one was fitted with a diesel engine. Hitler ordered the one prototype committed to combat to be destroyed rather than let it be captured on 31 March 1945. The army requested on 29 April that the gun sights and traversing gear from the nine pre-production vehicles at the Milowitz proving ground, which it deemed not combat worthy, be removed and sent back to the factory to allow combat-ready vehicles to be completed.Doyle and Jentz, p. 43
Variants
38 - Command variant. Fitted with a 30W FuG 8 radio set.Doyle and Jentz, p. 17 38 - 38 modified with a Koebe flamethrower in place of the main gun. Deployed on the Western Front, with first use during the Battle of the Bulge (20 in 352nd and 353rd attached to Army Group G). Less than 50 units were produced. 38(t) 75mm L/70 - Prototype version experimenting with mounting the 7.5cm KwK 42 L/70 gun from the Panther. 3 prototypes built, but the long gun and extra weight caused even bigger problems driving the vehicles. A proposal by Krupp to modify the 38 with a superstructure to the rear to mount the gun, but no more development was done on this idea. 38 - A simplified version of the Jagdpanzer 38, which attached the 7.5cm Pak 39 gun to the chassis, fitted with a Tatra diesel engine. 10 were built, 9 converted back to normal Jagdpanzer 38. The remaining prototype was destroyed at the end of the war.Doyle and Jentz, pp. 42–43 38(t) 105mm StuH 42/2 L/28 - A proposed version of the 38 Starr armed with a 10.5 cm howitzer. ST-I - Post-war Czech designation for new manufactured or repaired 38. 249 in service, together with 50 ST-III/CVP driver training vehicles (Unarmed chassis, some with a superstructure). Prototype developments included the Praga VT-III armoured recovery vehicle and PM-I flamethrower tank. PM1 - Prototype ST-I variant armed with a flamethrower and machinegun. Only 3 were built between 1949 and 1956
G13 - Post war version of the 38 built for Switzerland, armed with a StuK 40 gun.
Designs based on chassis Bergepanzer 38 - A light recovery vehicle, issued to units along with the Jagdpanzer 38. 170 units produced. A prototype was developed to fit the design with a 2cm Flak 38.Doyle and Jentz, pp. 40–42