Rhinoceros (carapace)

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Panzerjäger rhinoceros
Side view of a rhinoceros from the US Army Ordnance Museum

Side view of a rhinoceros from the US Army Ordnance Museum
General properties
crew 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator)
length 8.44 m
width 2.95 m
height 2.94 m
Dimensions 24 t
Armor and armament
Armor 10-30 mm
Main armament 8.8 cm Pak 43/1 L / 71
Secondary armament 1 × 7.92mm MG 34
agility
drive Maybach HL 120 TRM
221 kW (300 PS)
Top speed 40 km / h
Power / weight
Range 250 km (road)
Soldiers on the camouflaged tank destroyer "Rhino / Hornet", Italy-Senigallia
Front view of a rhinoceros from the US Army Ordnance Museum

The tank destroyer "Nashorn" (Sd.Kfz. 164) was an anti-tank gun on a self-propelled gun of the German Wehrmacht in World War II . The tank destroyer was originally put into service in mid-1943 as the 8.8 cm PaK 43/1 (L / 71) on gun car III / IV (Sf) with the nickname " Hornet ". In February 1944, however , Hitler banned the use of this name because he found it unsuitable for a combat vehicle. It was then renamed "Rhinoceros".

development

The high demand for mobile anti-tank defense on the Eastern Front led in 1942 to the development of the "Hornisse" tank destroyer by the Alkett company . The series production of 494 vehicles from February 1943 to March 1945 took place at Alkett and in the Deutsche Eisenwerke Teplitz-Schönau.

The vehicle was based on the gun car III / IV, a modified chassis of the Panzer IV with gearbox and final drive unit of the Panzer III . The engine compartment was relocated from the stern area to the center of the chassis to make room for the gun mount. This construction was later also used in the Hummel self-propelled howitzer .

Although the tank destroyer had a powerful weapon in the form of the 8.8 cm PaK 43 that could put practically any Allied tank out of action, the armor was very thin and open at the rear and top. The crew was at great risk, especially with artillery and machine gun fire at short range. In addition, the unfavorably high silhouette made it difficult to remain undetected - and thus to survive on the battlefield.

ammunition

PaK 43 39/43 tank shell Panzerranate 40/43 (hard core) HE grenade 43
Weight 10.2 kg 7.3 kg 9.4 kg
Muzzle velocity 1000 m / s 1130 m / s 750 m / s
Penetration at a 30 ° angle of incidence
from a distance of 100 m 203 mm
from a distance of 500 m 182 mm 226 mm
from a distance of 1000 m 167 mm 192 mm
from a distance of 2000 m 139 mm 136 mm
Penetration at an angle of incidence of 60 °
from a distance of 0 m 198 mm 265 mm
from a distance of 500 m 182 mm 226 mm
from a distance of 1000 m 167 mm 192 mm
from a distance of 1500 m 153 mm 162 mm
from a distance of 2000 m 139 mm 136 mm
from a distance of 2500 m 127 mm 114 mm
Penetration at 90 ° angle of incidence
from a distance of 0 m 225 mm 311 mm
from a distance of 500 m 207 mm 274 mm
from a distance of 1000 m 190 mm 241 mm
from a distance of 1500 m 174 mm 211 mm
from a distance of 2000 m 159 mm 184 mm
from a distance of 2500 m 145 mm 159 mm

commitment

The majority of these tank destroyers were used on the Eastern Front and - in small numbers - in Italy in heavy tank destroyer detachments 88, 93, 519, 525, 560 and 655.

Each division consisted of three companies of 14 tank destroyers each and, plus three reserve tanks, had a target stock of 45 tank destroyers. The first use took place in the summer of 1943 in the battle of Kursk .

The Hornis tank destroyer company included:

  • Company command group (1 officer, 7 NCOs, 8 men):
    • Company commander / tank destroyer leader, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver (Panzer 01)
    • Panzerjägerführer, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver (Panzer 02)
    • Company squad leader, driver (on a medium off-road vehicle)
    • 3 motorcyclists (2 motorcycles and 1 motorbike with sidecar)
  • 1st platoon (1 officer, 13 NCOs, 17 men):
    • Platoon leader, observation sergeant, driver (on light all-terrain car )
    • Bike reporter (on bike with sidecar)
    • Panzerjägerführer, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver (Panzer 11)
    • Panzerjägerführer, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver (Panzer 12)
    • Panzerjägerführer, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver (Panzer 13)
    • Panzerjägerführer, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver (Panzer 14)
    • 2 drivers (on 2 tracked trucks 2t, open to ammunition)
    • 1 driver (on truck 3 tons for ammunition)
  • 2nd move as above (Panzer 21-24)
  • 3rd move as above (Panzer 31-34)
  • Maintenance group (3 NCOs, 15 teams)
    • 10 tank control room
    • 2 tank radio station
    • 2 weapon masters
    • 1 driver (on a light maintenance vehicle, Kfz.2 / 40)
    • 1 driver (on truck 3 tons for spare parts)
    • 1 driver (on truck 3 tons for workshop equipment, equipment for vehicle I group)
    • 1 tank attendant / driver (on crawler trucks 2t, open )
  • Change group (2 NCOs, 5 teams)
    • Panzerjägerführer, gunner, loader, radio operator, 2 drivers
    • Driver (on truck 3 tons)
  • Battlegroup (6 NCOs, 14 teams)
    • Sergeant major, driver (on light all-terrain car )
    • Schirrmeister, armorer, armorer assistant, 4 student assistant , equipment NCO, driver (on truck 3 tons, for equipment)
    • 2 drivers (on 2 trucks 4.5 t, for fuel)
    • 2 drivers (on 2 trucks 4.5 t, for ammunition)
    • Field kitchen sergeant, field cook, student assistant , driver (on truck 3 tons, for large field cooker)
    • Medical sergeant, ambulance carrier / driver (on motorcycle with sidecar)
  • Baggage train (1 NCO, 3 crews)
    • Accountants, shoemakers, tailors, drivers (on a 1.5 ton truck, for luggage)

On March 6, 1945, a rhinoceros switched off one of the few new M26 Pershing battle tanks used by the Allies in Niehl near Cologne from a distance of about 270 m.

Preserved copies

At least two vehicles still exist today and are exhibited in museums:

In addition, a Dutch team is working on the restoration of a roadworthy rhino a. to be shown at veterans meetings for military vehicles.

See also

literature

  • Wolfgang Fleischer, Richard Eiermann: The German Panzerjägertruppe 1935–1945 , Podzun Pallas Verlag, Wölfersheim-Berstadt 1998, ISBN 3-7909-0613-1 .

Web links

Commons : Rhinoceros  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. [1] Retrieved July 5, 2012
  2. ^ Hunnicutt, RP: Pershing, A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series . Ed .: Feist Publications. 1996, ISBN 1-112-95450-3 , pp. 22 .