Jagdpanzer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Jagdpanzer IV/48

Jagdpanzer (JgPz), German: "Hunting tank", is a name for German tank destroyers.

It typically refers to anti-tank variants of existing tank chassis with a well-armoured fixed superstructure, mounting an anti-tank gun with limited traverse in the front. The Jagdpanzer designs followed on from the more lightly armoured Panzerjäger designs which took an anti-tank gun and mounted it on top of a tank chassis with supplementary armour fitted around the gun crew. Also a lot of experience was gained from the Sturmgeschütz series Assault guns, although they were associated to the Artillery they were very often used in the anti-tank role.

While the less complex design meant savings in resources and construction time could be made, this was not the prime motivation for its use. The Jagdpanzer actually had a specific role in the German doctrine and was not a cheaper substitute for tanks.

On the battlefield the German sometimes had to retreat from superior number, or wished to make a feigned retreats. Their line of retreat would then preferably pass the location of their anti-tank units who would use their superior firepower to stop the enemy, perhaps even make possible a counter-attack. Therefore the ideal and only valid combat situation for Jagdpanzer units was in the planned ambush, and the skill of the commander of such units lay in correctly choosing and preparing such places long before needed.

In 1945 the Panzerjäger term was applied to all the Jagdpanzers and the earlier Panzerjägers were reclassified as self-propelled guns.