Grasshopper (self-propelled gun)
| Self-propelled howitzer grasshopper | |
|---|---|
Grasshopper in the US Army Ordnance Museum (2000) |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 5 people |
| length | 6.55 m |
| width | 2.95 m |
| height | 2.33 m |
| Dimensions | 17.3 t |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 16-30 mm |
| Main armament | 10.5 cm leFH 18/1 L / 28 |
| Secondary armament | no |
| agility | |
| drive | Maybach HL90 300 PS |
| suspension | Leaf spring |
| Top speed | 40 km / h |
| Power / weight | 17.3 hp / d |
| Range | not determined |
The Panzerhaubitze Heuschrecke (Sd.Kfz. 165/1) was a German self-propelled gun with the 10.5 cm light Feldhaubitze 18 on the chassis of the Panzerkampfwagen IV , known as the Gun Car (Gw) IVb.
The vehicle had a length of 6.55 m, a width of 2.95 m and a height of 2.33 m. Furthermore, the self-propelled gun had an engine output of 300 hp with a weight of 17.3 t and a crew of five people. The maximum speed was 40 km / h.
The specialty of the grasshopper was that the entire tower could be lifted to the rear with the help of an overhead crane attached to the vehicle. The tower could then z. B. be placed on a concrete foundation; after adding two wheels, however, it was also possible to tow it behind the vehicle.
In the course of developing self-propelled guns for tank artillery , a first prototype was created as early as 1942. Since the installation of the standard howitzer of the field artillery was not possible, this project was initially not pursued. It was not taken up again until 1944. Eight vehicles of a variant armed with the leFH 18/1 were built in 1942 and used in Russia.
literature
- FM von Senger and Etterlin : Die Deutschen Panzer 1926–1945 , 3rd edition, Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Bonn 2000, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , pp. 259 and 261.
- Walter J. Spielberger: Panzer IV & Its Variants , Schiffer Military / Aviation History, Atglen 1993, ISBN 0-88740-515-0 , pp. 130 ff.
- Peter Chamberlain, Hilary Doyle, Thomas L. Jentz: Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two , Arms & Armor, London 1993, ISBN 978-1854092144 , p. 113.
- Thomas L. Jentz : Panzer Tracts No.10: Artillery Self- Propelled Guns , Boyds 2002, ISBN 0-9708407-5-6 , pp. 22 ff. And 36 ff.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chris Bishop (ed.): Weapons of the Second World War - An Encyclopedia , Bechtermünz, ISBN 3-8289-5385-9 , p. 114.
- ↑ George Forty: The German Panzerwaffe in World War II , Bechtermünz Verlag, ISBN 3-8289-5327-1 , p. 97.
