The Jagdpanzer 38 (t) Hetzer was a German tank destroyer of the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were produced at the turn of 1943 and 1944, and serial production continued throughout 1944-1945, ending with the production of approximately 2,800 vehicles. The Hetzer was powered by a single Prague EPA AC2800 160 HP engine. It was armed with 1 75 mm PaK 39 L/48 cannon and 1 7.92 mm MG34 or MG 42 machine gun.
The Hetzer was built on the basis of the chassis of the tank Panzerkampfwagen 38 (t), but had a completely new casemate and drive. Its great advantages included a very low silhouette of the vehicle, a significant slope of the armor plates and beautiful armament. In addition, the Hetzer could be produced on a large scale at a relatively low cost, which was very important for Germany in the final phase of World War II. Production took place primarily in the Skoda company's factories. The disadvantage was the small crew compartment, which made the gun difficult to operate and reduced the rate of fire. The self-propelled flamethrower Flammpanzer 38 (t) and the technical support vehicle Bergepanzer 38 (t) were built on the basis of the Hetzer vehicle. The Hetzer tank destroyer was used on the Western and Eastern Fronts in 1944-1945, for example in battles in Poland with the Red Army. After the Second World War it was still manufactured for the Czechoslovak army under the name ST-1.
