Hetzer The Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) ( Sd . Kfz . 138 / 2 ) , later known as Hetzer ( " baiter " ) , was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakia n Panzer 38 ( t ) chassis . The project was inspired by the Romanian " Mareşal " tank destroyer . The name " Hetzer " was at the time not commonly used for this vehicle . It was the designation for a related prototype , the E - 10 . The Škoda factory for a very short period confused the two names in its documentation and the very first unit equipped with the vehicle thus for a few weeks applied the incorrect name until matters were cleared . However , there exists a memorandum from Heinz Guderian to Hitler claiming that an 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 , the vehicle was never named as such in official documents . Development . The " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " was intended to be more cost - effective than the much more ambitious " Jagdpanther " and " Jagdtiger " designs of the same period . Using a proven chassis , it avoided the mechanical problems of the larger armoured vehicles . It was better armored than the thinly armoured earlier " Panzerjäger " " Marder " and " Nashorn " with a sloped armour front plate of sloped back at 60 degrees from the vertical ( equivalent in protection to about ) , carried a reasonably powerful 75mm gun , was mechanically reliable , small and easily concealed . It was also cheap to build . The Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) succeeded the open - top " Marder III " ( based on the same chassis ) in production from April 1944 ; about 2584 were built until the end of the war . The older " Marder III Panzerjäger " series retained the same vertically sided chassis as Panzer 38 ( t ) . In the " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " , the lower hull sides slope 15 degrees outward to make 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 armor , it was 5 tonnes heavier than the " Marder " III . To compensate for the increased weight , track width was increased from 293 mm to 350 mm . Initial production Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) did not sit even with the ground because gun , transmission and thicker frontal armor weighed the front down . Leaf springs were strengthened from June 1944 which leveled the posture of the vehicle . From May – July 1944 , accessibility was improved in the form of more hatches : commander ' s smaller hatch opening to the rear , then right rear corner for radiator access , and left rear corner for fuel tank access . From August 1944 lighter inner and outer mantle reduced the weight by 200 kg . These are more conical looking mantle than half cone shaped initial mantles . Also from August 1944 , new rear idler wheels were introduced . These had 8 , 6 , and 4 ( not necessarily in that order ) lightening holes instead of 12 . These simplified the manufacturing process . In September 1944 , front 16 spring leaves were increased in thickness to 9mm per leaf , rear 16 leaves maintained 7mm each in thickness . Also in September side Schurtzen ' s front and rear tips were bent inward to prevent them from catching bushes and get dismounted . It was discovered that driver ' s periscope housing acted like a shot trap , preventing incoming shells from bouncing off the front glacis . The protruding housing was removed , instead periscope was inserted into vertical cuts to the front armor from October 1944 . Also from October 44 , flame reducing muffler was introduced . These reduced visibility and backfire . Commander ' s head cushion was added to the hatch from October 1944 . At the same time , road wheel ' s rims were riveted instead of using bolts . To cope with heavy front , and the necessity to traverse the vehicle to aim , gear ratio was lowered to 1 : 8 instead of 1 : 7 . 33 to reduce the stress on final gears from January 1945 . Button - down Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) was blind to the right side . Since 20mm side armors ( same as late model Panzer II ' s side armor ) were only adequate to protect the crew from fairly small caliber guns , it was important to face the threat forward . Hence , commander ' s field of view was planned to be improved by installing a rotating periscope in Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) - Starr , just as Sturmgeschutz III and Elefant had evolved from a single pair of periscopes to all around vision blocks . However , Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) - Starr came too late to see the action in the field . The " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " equipped the " Panzerjägerabteilungen " ( tank destroyer battalions ) of the infantry divisions , giving them some limited mobile anti - armor capability . 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 " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " s were refurbished straight from the factory with a Keobe 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 easily prone to damage . Fewer than 50 of these vehicles , designated " Flammpanzer " 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 " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " carrying the sIG 33 / 2 Howitzer , of which 30 were produced before the end of the war , and the " Bergepanzer 38 ( t ) " , a light recovery vehicle of which 170 were produced . Plans were made to produce other variants , including an assault gun version of the " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " 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 Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) Starr , this was a simplified version of the Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) 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 Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) ' s bulk and suspension to absorb the recoil . 10 were built , but never issued . 9 converted back to normal Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) and Hitler ordered the remaining prototype destroyed rather than let it be captured at the end of the war . Performance . The Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) fit into the lighter category of German tank destroyers that began with the Panzerjäger I , continued with the " Marder " series and ended with the " Jagdpanzer " 38 ( t ) . The 75 mm PaK 39 L / 48 gun of the " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " was a modified version of the 75 mm StuK 40 L / 48 used in the " StuG III " and " StuG IV " assault guns . With this gun the Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) was able to destroy nearly all Allied or Soviet tank types in service at long ranges ( except heavy tanks ) and its fully enclosed armor protection made it a safer vehicle to crew than the open - topped Marder II or Marder III series . The " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " was one of the most common late - war German tank destroyers . It was available in relatively large numbers and was generally mechanically reliable . Also , its small size made it easier to conceal than larger vehicles . Like some other late - war German SPGs , the " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " mounted a remote - control machine gun mount which could be fired from within the vehicle . This proved popular with crews , though to reload the gun a crewmember needed to expose himself to enemy fire . Its main failings were comparatively thin side armor , limited ammunition stowage , poor gun traverse , poor internal layout that made operating the vehicle difficult , as well as leaf springs and drive wheels that were prone to failure due to the increased weight . Operational History . The " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " first entered service with the Heeres Panzerjäger - Abteilung 731 in July 1944 . This unit was sent to Army Group North on the Eastern Front . Survivors . Due to the large number produced , the " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " is probably the most abundant WWII German tank destroyer remaining today , though many survivors are actually post - war Swiss G - 13 variants . In addition to numerous examples in museums , there are many " Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) " in various conditions in private collections . In 2007 , a Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) was recovered from the Baltic Sea in Jurata , Poland . It is currently being restored in Gdansk . One has shown up on ebay 24 / 10 / 2013 http : / / www . ebay . com / itm / 1945 - Hetzer - / 111194716247 ? forcerrptr = true & hash = item19e3b8b857 & item = 111194716247 & pt = Military _ Vehicles