Self-propelled gun IV A

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Assault gun thicker max

The Selbstfahrlafette IV A was a German self-propelled gun or tank destroyer of the Second World War . The Panzerkampfwagen IV served as the basis . Only two prototypes were built, both of which were used on the Eastern Front . The soldiers gave the vehicle the nickname "Dicker Max".

history

Based on the experiences from the First World War , possibilities were sought in the German Reich since the mid-1930s to give heavy artillery mobility. The combination of artillery and armored vehicles under consideration led, on the one hand, to the development of assault guns , and, on the other hand, the solution was seen in self-propelled guns , where guns were to be placed on existing tank chassis.

In 1939 the Krupp company received an order from the Army Office to develop a self-propelled gun. This should be able to destroy bunkers and other fortifications, especially the French Maginot Line , from a greater distance ("Schartenbrecher"). Krupp's design provided for a vehicle in which the heavy 10 cm field cannon 18 was placed on a chassis of the Panzer IV. Two prototypes were completed in January 1941 in the Magdeburg Gruson factory and approved by Hitler at a demonstration on March 31st . After successful trials in the field, series production was planned from the beginning of 1942. Since the original purpose was no longer given after the successful campaign in the West , Hitler ordered the vehicle to be developed into a tank destroyer.

The two prototypes were subordinated to the 521st Panzerjäger division of the 3rd Panzer Division and took part in the Russian campaign from June 22, 1941 . However, one of the two vehicles failed after a short time after it caught fire and the ammunition supply exploded. The second vehicle (nicknamed "Brummbär") proved itself in the fight against enemy tanks, but was sent back to Germany in October of that year. Some sources state that it was disarmed there. On the other hand, however, are the records of Panzerjägerabteilung 521: After Krupp had repaired the vehicle in early 1942, it came back to the unit, was used in a train with the two copies of the self-propelled gun L / 61 and took part in the German summer offensive . Ultimately, its trail is lost in late autumn, as it is no longer recorded in the operational reports from November 1942.

technology

The chassis of the Panzer IV version D served as the basis for the IV A self-propelled gun . To create space for the operating team, the engine originally located in the rear was relocated to the center of the vehicle. A box-shaped, rigid structure was placed on the hull, in which the 10.5 cm gun was housed in a roller shutter . The gun barrel was slightly modified and fitted with a muzzle brake to reduce recoil. Although the driver was sitting on the left, there was a supposed second driver's compartment on the right front of the vehicle; this was presumably intended to confuse the enemy.

In order to achieve the highest possible mobility despite the heavy weapon, this was at the expense of the armor: the armor of the hull was only 30 mm thick on the front, only 20 mm on the sides and around 10 mm on the base plate. The armor of the superstructure, which was supposed to protect the operating crew, was 50 mm thick, and it was also inclined by about 15 °.

Technical specifications

  • Engine: Water-cooled V12 - Otto engine type Maybach HL 120 (300 hp at 3000 / min)
  • Length: 7.52 m
  • Width: 2.84 m
  • Height: 3.25 m
  • Mass: approx. 25 t
  • Top speed: 40 km / h (road), 19 km / h (off-road)
  • Crew: 5 men
  • Armament
    • 10.5 cm K 18 L / 52 gun with 25 rounds of ammunition
      • Muzzle velocity of the weapon: 830 m / s
    • 1 machine gun

Individual evidence

  1. ^ German tank destroyers ( Memento of February 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ 10.5 cm K18 Sf IVa Dicker Max ( Memento from June 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive )

Web links

literature

  • Philip Trewhitt: tanks. The most important combat vehicles in the world from World War I to the present day . Neuer Kaiserverlag, Klagenfurt 2005, ISBN 3-7043-3197-X , ( Worth knowing - Technology ).
  • Roger Ford: tanks from 1916 to the present day . Karl Müller Verlag, Erlangen 1997, ISBN 3-86070-676-4 .
  • Military and History magazine issue No. 35, November 2007, ZDB -ID 2088896-X