The 10.5cm le.F.H 18/2 Gw II(A,B,C,F) was a Self Propelled Artillery vehicle designed in 1942, manufactured by FAMO, it was based on the fully tracked PzKpfw II chassis and was in use from 1943 to 1945. It was commonly called a Wespe. General Details (SP Artillery) Specifications Operational Date(s) 1943 - 1945 Ordnance classification SdKfz 124 Quantity Produced 676 Weight 11 tonne Crew 5 M.G's small 1 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 4.81 mtr Width 2.28 mtr Height 2.30 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 25 mph Max Cross Country Speed 12 mph Range Road 138 miles Range Cross Country 55 miles Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity unknown Horse Power 140 hp Power/Weight 12 hp/tonne General Information The 10.5cm le.F.H 18/2 Gw II(A,B,C,F) was a Self Propelled Artillery vehicle designed in 1942, manufactured by FAMO, it was based on the fully tracked PzKpfw II chassis and was in use from 1943 to 1945. It was commonly called a Wespe. The vehicle was powered by Maybach 'HL62TR' petrol powerplant producing 140 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 25 mph with a range of about 138 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 12 mph and a range of about 55 miles. It was armed with 1 light machine gun. Its main armament consisted of a 10.5cm le.F.H 18/2 L/26 which could penetrate 125.4 mm of flat plate at 200 metres Slightly lengthened Panzer II chassis with the engine moved forward with a number of redesigns over the Panzer II. This was a very successful design and was used in most theatres of war. Armour Details Turret Front n/a Side n/a Rear n/a Top n/a Superstructure Front 20mm @ 30° (23mm) Side 15mm @ 20° (16mm) Rear 8mm @ 10° (8mm) Top 10mm @ 90° (10mm) Hull Front 30mm @ 15° (31mm) Side 15mm @ 0° (15mm) Rear 15mm @ 10° (15mm) Top 9mm @ 90° (9mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 31 mm - Minimum 9 mm Weapon Details 10.5cm le.F.H 18/2 L/26 Manufactured 1935 - 1945 Calibre 105mm Length L/26 Number of Rounds  32 Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content AP (AP Armor Piercing) 105mm 15.1Kg 700M/Sec Quoted Penetration 106mm@100m/90deg Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.14 0.29 0.59 1.22 1.88 2.58 3.32 4.09 Penetration(mm@30°) 111 108 103 94 85 78 71 65 Penetration(mm@0°) 128 125 120 109 99 91 82 75 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 95 88 68 37 25 8 About Penetration Figures All penetration figures in this database are calculated to a common standard based on German WWII testing criteria (complete penetration with functioning fuze). This allows direct comparison between all nations' guns. Original national test figures would be higher for some nations due to different criteria: German: 1.00? (baseline - strictest) British: 1.02? (slightly looser) American: 1.05? (50% mass through plate) Soviet: 1.10? (75% mass through plate) For example, a Soviet gun showing 159mm here would be published as ~175mm in Soviet documents, and a German gun showing 120mm would be published as 120mm in German documents. The 159mm figure is directly comparable to the German 120mm - the Soviet gun really was more powerful. National Testing Standards German: 1.00? - Complete penetration, fuze functions (strictest) British: 1.02? - Complete penetration American: 1.05? - 50% of shell mass through plate Soviet: 1.10? - 75% of shell mass through plate All database figures are normalized to German standard for direct comparison. Multiply by the factor above to see original national test figures.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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