Germany
7.5cm Pak 39 Jagdpanzer 38(t) (Hetzer)

Tweet The 7.5cm Pak 39 Jagdpanzer 38(t) was a Tank Destroyer designed in 1943, manufactured by BMM and Skoda, it was based on the fully tracked Czech LT Vz 38 chassis and was in use from 1944 to 1945. It was commonly called a Hetzer. General Details (Tank Destroyer) Specifications Operational Date(s) 1944 - 1945 Ordnance classification SdKfz 138/2 Quantity Produced 2584 Weight 15.75 tonne Crew 4 M.G's small 1 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 4.69 mtr Width 2.63 mtr Height 2.17 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 26 mph Max Cross Country Speed 14 mph Range Road 111 miles Range Cross Country 44 miles Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity unknown Horse Power 140 hp Power/Weight 8 hp/tonne General Information The 7.5cm Pak 39 Jagdpanzer 38(t) was a Tank Destroyer designed in 1943, manufactured by BMM and Skoda, it was based on the fully tracked Czech LT Vz 38 chassis and was in use from 1944 to 1945. It was commonly called a Hetzer. The vehicle was powered by Praga 'AC/2' petrol powerplant producing 140 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 26 mph with a range of about 111 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 14 mph and a range of about 44 miles. It was armed with 1 light machine gun , a 7.92mm MG 34. Its main armament consisted of a 7.5cm Pak 40 L/46 which could penetrate 151 mm of flat plate at 100 metres This vehicle was requested by General Heinz Guderian in early 1943 as a replacement for the current towed A/T guns and self propelled A/T guns in a low silhouette vehicle, it used a widened PzKpfw 38(t) chassis. Armour Details Turret Front n/a Side n/a Rear n/a Top n/a Superstructure Front 60mm @ 60° (120mm) Side 20mm @ 40° (26mm) Rear 8mm @ 70° (23mm) Top 8mm @ 90° (8mm) Hull Front 60mm @ 40° (78mm) Side 20mm @ 15° (21mm) Rear 20mm @ 15° (21mm) Top 10mm @ 90° (10mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 120 mm - Minimum 10 mm Weapon Details 7.5cm Pak 40 L/46 7.5cm Panzerabwehrkanone 40 L/46 (translates as Anti Tank Gun) History This was an enlarged 5cm Pak 38 so looks very similar, but with improved performance especially against the Russian T34 Manufacturer Rheinmetal-Borsig Manufactured 1941 - 1945 Calibre 75mm Length L/46 Rate of Fire 14 rpm Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content 7.5cm Pzgr 39 L/48 (AP Armor Piercing) 75mm 6.8Kg 792M/Sec Quoted Penetration 96mm @ 500mtr/30° ( ≈ 110mm/0°) Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.26 0.53 1.13 1.8 2.57 3.44 4.46 Penetration(mm@30°) 130 121 110 96 84 72 62 51 Penetration(mm@0°) 151 140 128 112 98 84 72 60 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 96 77 44 25 15 7.5cm Pzgr 40 (AP40 Armour Piercing Tungsten Cored) 75mm 4.1Kg 920M/Sec Quoted Penetration 115mm @ 500mtr/30° ( ≈ 132mm/0°) Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.11 0.23 0.47 1.02 1.67 2.45 3.42 4.63 Penetration(mm@30°) 151 138 123 105 88 72 58 45 Penetration(mm@0°) 175 160 143 122 102 84 68 53 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 98 81 48 25 8 7.5cm Sprgr 34 (HE High Explosive) 75mm 5.8Kg 548M/Sec 0.640Kg explosive Maximum Range not shown as gun elevation is limited Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.18 0.38 0.77 1.63 2.61 3.71 4.98 6.44 Direct Fire Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.18 0.38 0.77 1.63 2.61 3.71 4.98 6.44 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 81 41 22 8 3 Blast/Fragmentation Effects Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill 3 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill 6 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill 17 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr 1 mm An explosion within 3 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal. An explosion within 6 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's. An explosion within 17 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties. The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will penetrate 1 mm of the tank armour including the roof. Weapon Details 7.92mm MG 34 7.92mm Maschinengewehr 34 (translates as Machine Gun) History Derived from the Solothern Maschinengewehr Modell 30, it became the main machine gun for the German army. It could be fitted with a bipod for infantry use, an Anti Aircraft mount, or a heavy tripod to turn the gun into a heavy machine gun. Manufacturer Mauser-Werke Manufactured 1936 - 1943 Calibre 7.92mm Length L/79 Rate of Fire 800 rpm Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content S.m.K.H tungsten Cored MG (AP40 Armour Piercing Tungsten Cored) 8mm 0.013Kg 875M/Sec Quoted Penetration 19mm @ 100mtr/0° Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.14 0.33 1.04 Penetration(mm@30°) 17 13 7 Penetration(mm@0°) 20 16 9 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 S.m.K (BALL Standard Small Arms) 7.92mm 0.012Kg 785M/Sec Quoted Penetration 8mm@100m/30° Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.2 Penetration(mm@30°) 5 Penetration(mm@0°) 6 Hit Probability(%) 98

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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Page Last Updated: 2025-01-01