JAGDPANZER IV L/70(A) ZWISCHENLOSUNG IN 1/15 SCALE. As a response to the increasingly numerous tanks of the allies, the output of British, American, and Russian tanks during World War II totaled about 212,000, as opposed to the 25,000 tanks Germany produced during the war, it became an increasingly important part of armored fighting vehicle production as the trend of events in the war forced the Germans more and more on to the defensive, and the question therefore arises: Given the enormous weight of armor against them, How did the Germans survive so long? The story of the great saga of German armor is a remarkable one, and the race to build Germany’s best and most powerful tank to counter this threat had begun, the construction of a tank which would be superior to any allied tank and which could reach the front quickly was the order of the day. A weapon which was created for the sole purpose of seeking out and destroying enemy tanks, hunting for them: The Panzerjager and Jagdpanzer, (the tank hunters). The final step in the development of the Panzerjager weapon led over to the Jagdpanzer, a heavily armored, up-gunned, low-profile, well sloped turretless tank, a somewhat “interim-solution” to the ever increasing demands for a standard all-around weapon capable of fulfilling this cruel but effective role. “Klotzen, nicht Kleckern!”----- Don’t tickle with the fingers, hit with the fist! This was the unofficial motto for the Jagdpanzer crews, the deadly instrument that was waiting for the allies. Teamwork, determination, and the confident application of the mailed fist of concentrated Jagdpanzer tank hunting units wreaked havoc among the allied tank forces and tore the guts out of the Red Army. And it came as a great shock to the allies, thinking it was the fearsome Tiger (a tank that could take on a squadron of Shermans single-handed) but somewhat another kind of armored weapon, stubborn, determined, and nearly invisible. The allies were asking themselves: Who can be the author of all this carnage? It was the Jagdpanzer IV series of tank hunters, there were many variants. The one featured here is the Jagdpanzer IV L/70 Alkett version “Zwischenlosung” (interim-solution) production vehicle, and was the first attempt by Alkett works to mount the long-barreled, high-velocity 7.5cm Pak 42 L/70 anti-tank gun on a normal PzKpfw IV chassis. It featured the flat one-piece superstructure sides (slightly raised compared to the Jagdpanzer IV by Vomag made with a modified PzKpfw IV chassis) . The Hedgerows of Normandy were a nightmare for green US tank crews, entire regiments of Sherman tanks had been completely annihilated, clearly taken by surprise from flank positions by well concealed Jagdpanzers occupying perfect firing positions in the Hedgerow forest. Destroyed Shermans were lying in heaps everywhere, turrets blown off, hulls ripped apart, most clearly all been brewed up, not for nothing was the Sherman known as the “Tommy Cooker”. A perfect example of tank destroyers doing their deadly work. The Jagdpanzer IV, of course, had the firepower and the protection it needed, and the last but certainly not least, the determined crews it needed to get the job done
Pictures from my collection
