In World War 2 the German Army developed tank hunters, the "Panzerjagers" or tank destroyers - a classification of armored vehicle that was specifically designed to counter the presence of enemy tanks through sheer firepower. They first mounted a proven 75mm anti-tank gun on a medium tank chassis and used an open turret configuration that sported a three sided armor shield arrangement for crew protection and maximum operating space. Many designs were based on existing equipment availability and even included using captured equipment from the Polish and French armies as the war wore on. Most often times, the hulls were of tank systems that had passed their prime as true tank systems and found new life as dedicated tank destroyers.
The "Jagdpanzer Kanone" was constructed with a welded steel hull of only 50mm of armor protection. Speed would be her inherent defensive quality, being able to make upwards of 43mph with her 500 horsepower diesel engine supporting a four man crew. The commander, driver, gunner and loader were cramped in the vehicle dimensions of 28.7 feet long, 9.7 feet wide and 6.8 feet high and the fighting cabin was NBC protected to deal with the very real threat being posed by Nuclear, Biological and Chemical threats from the Soviet Union.
Her primary function as a tank destroyer was, naturally, to destroy enemy tanks within range with her powerful 90mm Rhinemetall BK 90/L40 main gun. 2 x 7.62mm MG3 general purpose machine guns were secondary and served as enemy troop suppression weapons. For concealment, the destroyer could call upon 8 x integrated smoke grenade dischargers if retreat under cover was preferable. These grenades could also provide a handy smokescreen when undertaking a possible counter attack on the offensive. The ideal combat situation for these Jagdpanzer units was, however, the planned ambush and the skill of such units fighting from prepared locations and lying in wait was a battlefield quality that could prove high in demand once a war in Europe was underway.
Hanomag and Henschel produced Jagdpanzer units until 1967 to which 770 units were built for the West German government. Totals included 375 systems as produced by Hanomag and a further 375 by Henschel. At least 80 of these were ultimately delivered to the Belgian Army by April of 1975 and beyond. When the Soviets deployed the newer T-64 and T-72 main battle tanks, the 90mm gun fitted on the Jagdpanzer was no longer capable of destroying Soviet tanks at long range, making the Kanonenjagdpanzer obsolete as a self-propelled tank destroyer.
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✓Tank-vs-Tank
Engage armored vehicles of similar form and function.
Length
28.7 ft 8.75 m
Width
9.8 ft 2.98 m
Height
6.9 ft 2.09 m
Weight
56,659 lb 25,700 kg
Tonnage
28.3 tons MEDIUM
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Kanonenjagdpanzer (Jagdpanzer Kanone - JPK) production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)
Powerplant:
1 x MTU MB 837 Aa 8-cylinder water-cooled diesel engine delivering 500 horsepower.
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West Germany; Belgium
