“HORNET”, AKA “RHINO”

 

By this time, the Pz.Kpfw.I was already considered obsolete. Having a mass of about 5 t, the thickness of its armor was only 6 -13 mm; he was carrying only machine-gun armament – two 7.92-mm “Draize” MG-13; the motor – 57-strong. In 1939, these characteristics were already insufficient. Therefore, it decided to use as a self-propelled chassis.

 

The wheelhouse, mounted on self-propelled, was an armored box with a wall thickness of 12 – 14.5 mm, open at the top and the stern. It is reliably protected the commander of the machine, carrying out the functions of the gunner and loader.

 

The driver-mechanic was located in the front of the compartment. The engine is a more powerful – 100-strong “Maybach”, allows machine weight 6.5 t to reach the speed of 40 km/h.

 

The 47 mm gun had a barrel length of 43.4 per caliber, her piercing projectile could penetrate at a distance of 500 m armor thickness almost 60 mm. But to fire on the tanks the T-34 or KV it could only close range. The installation is easily destroyed even by our 45-mm guns.

 

By the end of 1941 these self-propelled guns, which received index 4,7 cm Pak (t) auf Pz.Kpfz.l (the index of Sd.Kfz.101), produced about 200 units. However, due to heavy losses almost all of the remaining intact cars removed from the Eastern front and sent to fight in Africa.

 

 

“Nashorn” in the Museum of the armored armament in Kubinka. Installation of issue 1943 had a camouflage color of the spots are olive-green and red-brown colours on a sand yellow background

 

 

88-mm self-propelled gun Pak 43 “, Nashorn”. Issued 494 units

 

The mass means of dealing with our tanks in early war, the troops of the Wehrmacht were 37-mm anti-tank guns Cancer 35/36, which began producing in 1934 On September 1, 1939 in artillery units they were 11 thousand units that by 1 June 1941, this number had increased to nearly 14 500. Gun could more or less successfully act against our tanks BT and T-26 armor 8-13 mm, T-37, T-38, T-40, but against the T-34 and KV they were completely powerless.

 

Deciding to increase the combat capability of its artillery units, army command drew attention to the 76.2 mm guns Cancer-36 (d) and 75-mm Cancer-and Cancer 40/2-40/3, setting them also on the chassis of the tanks, ready to write off. So, Cancer 36 knead on the chassis of the Pz.Kpfw.ll Ausf.D and Pz.Kpfw.38(t).

 

However, well-established in this purpose of Cancer 36 represented our Soviet guns of the divisional artillery, f-22, in considerable quantities seized as trophies in the beginning of the war. For shooting of them was also used captured Soviet ammunition, including armor-piercing and high-explosive. At the distance of 1000 m armor-piercing projectile penetrated the armor thickness of 80-100 mm.

 

The Germans used them as field guns, and on all fronts. They had a small weight of only 1700 kg and rate of 12 to 15 RDS./min.

 

Anti-tank guns Cancer 40 put into service in November 1941, They had a direct fire range 900 – 1300 m. the thickness of the armor, penetration of sabot projectile at a distance of 500 m, was equal to 150 mm. Our military experts all the shots of these guns were “considered a threat to T-34”. Did stand against them tanks is-2 and T-44. The British failed to create a machine with cannon-proof armor, only the U.S. had enough reliable M26 “Pershing”.

 

Self-propelled gun on the chassis of the Pz.Kpfw.ll Ausf.D had a mass of about 9 tons, the frontal armor thickness up to 30 mm, was armed with 20-mm tank gun KwК 30. In 1940, it provided shell with a tungsten core that could penetrate the armor to 20 mm at a distance of 500 m. a 10-ton tank Pz.Kpfw.38(t) was a Czech production, and had armor 10-25 mm; armed with a 37 mm cannon “Skoda” A-7.

 

 

 

 

The installation crew in their jobs on the left and the radio operator on the right – a driver, cabin: left – loading, centre – gunner, on the right – the commander of the machine. Eastern front, 1943

 

 

88-mm antitank gun Pak 43

 

 

Calculation of loads gun ammunition. Right in the cockpit – the gunner’s station, in front of the seat visible to the flywheel of the horizontal guidance, in the stern deckhouse telescope commander

 

 

The basis of the antitank defense of the Wehrmacht – 88-mm divisional gun Pak 43 mounted on a wheeled carriage and on anti-aircraft gun carriage. Aberdeen proving ground, Maryland, USA

 

And those other tanks, the German leadership considered it obsolete, and they have shown themselves in the battles not effectively enough, so they began gradually to retire, and many of the rest began to fit under chassis anti-tank self-propelled guns.

 

The basis of anti-tank artillery of the Wehrmacht at that time was 88-mm Pak 43 gun on wheels. It was a very effective means of dealing with armored vehicles. Of all who fought on the fronts of the tanks against his fire could stand only the is-2, upper front with a “flattened” nose armored plate which well withstood the hit, but it did not give satisfactory protection in General: the shells the Pak 43 is relatively easily pierced his tower, side and lower front plate. In overall statistics for the deadweight losses of is-2 losses from 88-mm guns accounted for about 80 %. Any other tank of the USSR, Britain, USA did not provide its crew protection against projectiles Pak 43. Reliable could be the is-3, but he did not take part in hostilities.

 

But for all its excellent ballistic data of the weapon was inactive due to a large mass, which in the stowed position nearly 5 tons And even though it towing applied a special powerful tractor, permeability, such as soft grounds was unsatisfactory. In addition, if this weapon into battle with tanks, it is often to get out of it was not possible: either it was to destroy the enemy or be destroyed himself.

 

A consequence of the large mass turned out to be high losses in materiel and personnel. Therefore, the German military leadership took action on the simultaneous protection of guns and of their calculation and the increase in so-called tactical flexibility, making them self-propelled. This used the already previously applied the principle of combining guns and tank chassis: Cancer 43 posted on Pz.Kpfw.lll (index Sd.Kfz.141). This tank had a mass of 19.5 tons, armour up to 30 mm. was Armed with a 37 mm cannon KwK 36 or KwK 39, sabots which at the distance of 500 m could penetrate the armor thickness of 72 mm, and 1000 m – up to 38 mm. the Pz III was Produced up to 1943

 

For the implementation of the military requirements of the Berlin firm “Alkett”, who already had experience in such developments, modernized case of the Pz III, using his own transmission, differentials, drive wheels, some units and components. Other chassis components: support and track rollers, driven wheels, crawler tracks taken from the tank Pz.Kpfw.IV. The engine is supplied from another tank – Pz.Kpfw.IV modification F. It was a 12-cylinder carburetor “Maybach” НL 120ТRМ, V-shaped four-stroke; its capacity was 300 HP with a working volume of 11 cm3 867. Posted it in the Central part of the body, above it is mounted a reinforced deck, which on a standard cruciform carriage mounted gun.

 

The wheelhouse of the fighting compartment occupied the whole aft part of the machine. Its profiled front plate, in fact, the gun shield had a rounded shape, to ensure the rotation of the gun barrel horizontally. However, its thickness was only 10 mm. of the same thickness was side and stern sheets set vertically. Practically they were little reliable protection for a maintenance calculation, fencing only from small fragments and bullets neponimayu, although the initial project voiced front part of the deckhouse, alloy steel, SM-Stahl 50 mm thick, Board and food was supposed to be 20 mm, However, experiencing a great shortage of high-quality steel from it all abandoned, leaving only 30mm of armor in the hull of the machine. The thickness of the remaining parts were: depth – 20 mm, feed 20 mm, roof 10 mm, bottom 15 mm, they were also vulnerable.

 

Under the floor of the fighting compartment housed two fuel tanks of 300 l each; filling the neck went inside the cabin. Fuel – leaded gasoline with octane rating of 74.

 

The intakes of the engine, covered by blinds, were on the shelves only at the center of the housing on both sides of the cabin. The flow of air produced by two fans.

At the rear of the car over the tracks was located the boxes with the spare parts and tools.