Hetzer

* Panzer Corps 2

Hetzer

Availability

Class

Nations
 Germany

Period
17.5.1944 - 1.1.1946

Statistics

Soft attack
Hard attack
Air attack
Naval attack

4
14
-1
1

Target type
Close Def.
Ground Def.
Air Def.

Hard
1
10
10

Moves
Spotting
Range
Initiative

5  Track
1
0
6

Cost
Eff. Strength
Max Fuel
Max Ammo

295
10
45
4

Hetzer

General data

Nations
 Germany Hungary

Cost
460

Slots
5

Available
17.05.1944 - 01.01.1946

Class
 Anti-tank

Target type
Hard

Movement
Tracks

Combat data

Soft attack
4

Hard attack
24

Air attack
0

Naval attack
1

Ground Defense
22

Air Defense
10

Close Defense
4

Strength
10

Initiative
13

Strategic

Spotting
2

Range
0

Speed
50

Ammo
4

Fuel
150

Traits

Transport
MediumVehicle

**Hetzer** is a Anti-tank unit in *Panzer Corps*.

## Background

Perhaps the ultimate evolution of the Czechoslovakian LT vz.38, the history of this tank hunter dates back to the subjugation of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis in March 1939. Impressed by the quality of the LT vz. 38 created by the Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk (CKD) that was slated to enter production to augment the Czechoslovakian army, the Nazis ordered the production to continue for the needs of their own military. As Panzer 38(t) (t stands for tschesien - Czech), this light tank served admirably in the early stages of the war.

When its weapons and armor lost competetiveness, it was modified as a self-propelled anti-tank gun, the Marder III, with captured Soviet 76.2mm guns. However, as powerful and reliable as it was, the Marder III suffered from a high silhouette and lacking protection. Its successor would be the result of a Waffenamt initiative to create a new, light tank destroyer that would be cheap to produce, reliable to maintain, and offer the same firepower as its bigger brothers derived from medium tank chassis.

The Jagdpanzer 38(t) was the result of this project, developed in parallel with the Romanian Mareșal and sharing many of its design features, most importantly the heavily sloped armor. Inspired by the T-34 encountered in Ukraine, the sloped armor allowed for reducing armor thickness and mass, without sacrificing protection. While the Romanian project failed due to the fall of the fascist government, the German hunter was developed quite rapidly, with the first mock-up created in January 1944 and first production vehicles reaching the military in March.

Mounting a 7.5 cm PaK 39 and with 60mm plate on the front (sloped to give an effective 120mm of armor), the Hetzer was a powerful tank destroyer whose low silhouette and small dimensions made it a superior ambusher and stalker. However, it was hampered by the thin sides and rear, limited visibility, making it reliant on infantry for close protection, and a 160 HP Praga AC/2 engine that struggled with the 15 ton vehicle, giving it limited speed, especially in rough terrain. However, when Nazi commanders used it while mindful of its limitations, it proved to be a lethal adversary and one of the most numerous tank destroyers in Nazi service, at 2 827 produced.

Although flawed, the design was successful enough that it was adopted by the Swiss and remained in service until the 1970s, under the G-13 designation, its original factory code.