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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.

Flag of World War 2 Germany
Photo of 7.5cm Pak 39 Jagdpanzer 38(t) (Hetzer)
7.5cm Pak 39 Jagdpanzer 38(t)(Hetzer) scale illustration

General Details (Tank Destroyer)
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1944 - 1945
Ordnance classificationSdKfz 138/2
Quantity Produced2584
Weight15.75 tonne
Crew4
M.G's small1
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length4.69 mtr
Width2.63 mtr
Height2.17 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed26 mph
Max Cross Country Speed14 mph
Range Road111 miles
Range Cross Country44 miles
Fuel TypePetrol
Fuel Capacityunknown
Horse Power140 hp
Power/Weight8 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 weighing 5.800 kg and with a maximum range of 7,680 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
Frontn/a
Siden/a
Rearn/a
Topn/a
Superstructure
Front60mm@60°(120mm)
Side20mm@40°(26mm)
Rear8mm@70°(23mm)
Top8mm@90°(8mm)
Hull
Front60mm@40°(78mm)
Side20mm@15°(21mm)
Rear20mm@15°(21mm)
Top10mm@90°(10mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 120 mm - Minimum 10 mm

Weapon Details
Flag
 7.5cm Pak 40 L/46
7.5cm Panzerabwehrkanone 40 L/46
(translates as Anti Tank Gun) 		Blank
History
This was an enlarged 5cm Pak 38 so looks very similar, but with improved performance especially against the Russian T34
ManufacturerRheinmetal-Borsig
Manufactured1941 - 1945
Calibre75mm
LengthL/46
Rate of Fire14 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)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.26 0.53 1.09 1.7 2.34 3.03 3.75
Penetration(mm@30°) 129 125 118 105 94 83 74 66
Penetration(mm@0°) 149 145 137 122 109 97 86 77
Hit Probability(%) 93 93 90 83 64 52 23 14
7.5cm Pzgr 40
(AP40 Armour Piercing Tungsten Cored) 		75mm 4.1Kg 920M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 115mm @ 500mtr/30° ( ? 132mm/0?)
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.11 0.22 0.45 0.93 1.44 1.98 2.55 3.15
Penetration(mm@30°) 145 142 135 122 111 100 91 82
Penetration(mm@0°) 169 164 156 142 128 116 105 95
Hit Probability(%) 93 93 93 87 77 64 35 23
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)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.18 0.37 0.76 1.58 2.45 3.38 4.37 5.41
lateral dispersion means the side to side variation of the shell from the aiming point
50%(CEP) of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.21 0.32 0.43 0.53 0.64
80% of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.27 0.41 0.55 0.68 0.82
95% of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.24 0.24 0.24 0.41 0.63 0.84 1.04 1.25
range dispersion means the back to front variation of the shell from the aiming point
50%(CEP) of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.27 0.40 0.53 0.67 0.80
80% of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.35 0.51 0.68 0.86 1.02
95% of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.53 0.78 1.04 1.31 1.57
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.18 0.37 0.77 1.61 2.54 3.53 4.6
Hit Probability(%) 93 93 90 64 35 14 8
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill3 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill6 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill17 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr1 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
Flag
 7.92mm MG 34
7.92mm Maschinengewehr 34
(translates as Machine Gun) 		Blank
photo of 7.92mm MG 34 from Bundesarchiv(https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de)
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.
ManufacturerMauser-Werke
Manufactured1936 - 1943
Calibre7.92mm
LengthL/79
Rate of Fire800 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)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.11 0.23 0.46
Penetration(mm@30°) 7 6 5
Penetration(mm@0°) 9 7 6
Hit Probability(%) 74 74 74
S.m.K
(BALL Standard Small Arms) 		7.92mm 0.012Kg 785M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 8mm@100m/30°
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13
Penetration(mm@30°) 1
Penetration(mm@0°) 2
Hit Probability(%) 74

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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