Sturmpanzer 38 (t)
The Grille was a self-propelled gun with a heavy 15 cm infantry gun . It was used by the Wehrmacht in World War II from 1943 until the end of the war. The official name was Geschützwagen 38 for sIG 33 (Sf.) With the nickname Grille .
history
The first version of the Grille was based on the chassis of the Panzerkampfwagen 38 (t) Ausf. H, which was slightly modified for self-propelled guns, with an engine installed at the rear, referred to as Geschützwagen 38. The hull was taken over with minor changes, the body moved to the front was around 15 cm -SIG 33 howitzer moved around and was only open at the top. From February to June 1943 a total of 200 vehicles (including a prototype) were produced by BMM in Prague, another ten followed in November 1943. The designation was “ 15 cm heavy infantry gun 33 (Sf.) On Panzerkampfwagen 38 (t) Ausf. H "(Sd.Kfz. 138/1).
The second construction lot of the Grille was based on a chassis of the tank 38 (t) that had been specially redesigned for self-propelled guns with a heavily modified hull structure, now referred to as the 38 Ausf. M gun car. This hull designed for the Marder III tank destroyer, whose engine was now in the middle, was adopted with minor modifications for the Grille and the Flakpanzer 38 (t) . By relocating the engine, the 150 mm howitzer could be attached to the rear of the vehicle, which helped the vehicle's balance. From November 1943 to June 1944, 160 Grille Ausf. K were produced, 9 more followed in November 1944 and around 24 in 1945. For this purpose, 93 Grille ammunition carriers were built from January to May 1944. If a cricket was left lying around, the field maintenance troops were able to remove the howitzer and mount it on an ammunition carrier, which made a usable cricket available again. The designation was “ 15 cm infantry gun 33 (Sf.) On gun car 38 Ausf. K” (Sd.Kfz. 138/1).
The weak points in combat were the thin armor and the low stock of ammunition, with the Grille ammunition carrier being created for the latter. The crickets were used in the artillery departments of various tank and armored infantry divisions.
Technical data grille version K
- Combat weight: approx. 12 t
- Length: 4.84 m
- Width: 2.14 m
- Height: 2.4 m
- Engine: six-cylinder petrol engine, 150 hp
- Chassis: chain 4 rollers, 2 support rollers
- Speed: 42 km / h
- Range: 190 km
- Armament: a 15 cm howitzer 15 sIG 33, one or two 9 mm MP or 7.92 mm machine guns
- Ammunition supply: cannon 18 rounds, 500 rounds MP / MG
- Armor: hull 11–15 mm, fighting compartment 10 mm
- Crew: 5 men
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Marder III & Grille by Vladimir Francev and Charles K. Kliment, MBI series books 1999, ISBN 80-902238-5-0 .