Germany SdKfz 165 15cm PzfH 18 Gw III/IV (Hummel (Bumble Bee))

World War 2 Tank and Gun Database

The SdKfz 165 15cm PzfH 18 Gw III/IV was a Self Propelled Artillery vehicle designed in 1942, manufactured by Alkett, Deutsche-Eisenwerke, it was based on the fully tracked PzKpfw III/IV chassis and was in use from 1943 to 1945. It was commonly called a Hummel (Bumble Bee).

General Details (SP Artillery)

Specifications
Operational Date(s)	1943 - 1945
Ordnance classification	Sdkfz 165
Quantity Produced	6756
Weight	24 tonne
Crew	6
M.G's small	1
M.G's large(>10mm)	n/a
Length	5.85 mtr
Width	2.97 mtr
Height	2.81 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed	26 mph
Max Cross Country Speed	15 mph
Range Road	134 miles
Range Cross Country	53 miles
Fuel Type	Petrol
Fuel Capacity	unknown
Horse Power	360 hp
Power/Weight	15 hp/tonne

General Information

The SdKfz 165 15cm PzfH 18 Gw III/IV was a Self Propelled Artillery vehicle designed in 1942, manufactured by Alkett, Deutsche-Eisenwerke, it was based on the fully tracked PzKpfw III/IV chassis and was in use from 1943 to 1945. It was commonly called a Hummel (Bumble Bee).

The vehicle was powered by Maybach 'HL120TRM' petrol powerplant producing 360 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 26 mph with a range of about 134 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 15 mph and a range of about 53 miles.

It was armed with 1 light machine gun , a 7.92mm MG 34. Its main armament consisted of a 15cm sFH 18 weighing 43.000 kg and with a maximum range of 10,000 metres.

Armour Details

Turret
Front	n/a
Side	n/a
Rear	n/a
Top	n/a

Superstructure
Front		10mm	@	37°	(13mm)
Side		10mm	@	16°	(10mm)
Rear		10mm	@	10°	(10mm)
Top	n/a

Hull
Front	30mm	@	20°	(32mm)
Side	20mm	@	0°	(20mm)
Rear	20mm	@	10°	(20mm)
Top	15mm	@	90°	(15mm)

Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)

Effective Armour - Maximum 32 mm - Minimum 15 mm


Weapon Details
	15cm sFH 18 (Field Gun)

		History
		Designed before the war by both companies, however the final design had the gun manufactured by Rheinmetal and the carriage made by Krupp. This design was outranged by the Russian 122m and 152mm guns later in the war.
		Manufacturer	Krupp/Rheinmetal
		Manufactured	1934 - 1945
		Calibre	150mm
		Length	L/45
		Rate of Fire	4rpm

Ammunition Details
Name/Id	Calibre Weight MVelocity					Explosive Content
15 cm Gr. 19 (HE High Explosive)	150mm 43Kg 805M/Sec					4.300Kg explosive
Maximum Range 10000 Mtr
Range(Mtr)	1000	2000	3000	4000	5000	6000	8000	10000
Flight Time(Secs)	1.3	2.73	4.28	5.95	7.73	9.62	13.71	18.16
lateral dispersion means the side to side variation of the shell from the aiming point
50%(CEP) of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.27	0.53	0.80	1.07	1.33	1.60	2.13	2.67
80% of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.35	0.68	1.02	1.37	1.70	2.05	2.73	3.42
95% of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.53	1.04	1.57	2.10	2.61	3.14	4.17	5.23
range dispersion means the back to front variation of the shell from the aiming point
50%(CEP) of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.33	0.67	1.00	1.33	1.67	2.00	2.67	3.33
80% of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.42	0.86	1.28	1.70	2.14	2.56	3.42	4.26
95% of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.65	1.31	1.96	2.61	3.27	3.92	5.23	6.53
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000	2400
Flight Time(Secs)	0.13	0.25	0.51	1.05	1.61	2.2	2.81	3.45
Hit Probability(%)	98	98	95	88	68	55	37	25
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill	4 mtr	Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill						9 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill	22 mtr	Armour Penetration inc roof at 2 mtr						12 mm
An explosion within 4 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal.
An explosion within 9 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's.
An explosion within 22 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties.
The blast effect of this shell exploding within 2 mtr of an armoured vehicle will penetrate 12 mm of the tank armour including the roof.

Range(Mtr)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000	2400
15cm Gr 39 Hl (HEAT High Explosive Anti-Tank)	150mm 38Kg 460M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 185mm @ 0mtr/0°
Flight Time(Secs)	0.22	0.44	0.9	1.86	2.88	3.96	5.1	6.29
Penetration(mm@30°)	185	185	185	185	185	185	185	185
Penetration(mm@0°)	185	185	185	185	185	185	185	185
Hit Probability(%)	98	98	92	68	37	15	3	3


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)	0.11	0.23	0.46
Penetration(mm@30°)	7	6	5
Penetration(mm@0°)	9	7	6
Hit Probability(%)	74	74	74

Range(Mtr)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000	2400
S.m.K (BALL Standard Small Arms)	7.92mm 0.012Kg 785M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 8mm@100m/30°
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.