Jagdpanzer 38(t) "Hetzer"

  Unit Properties of  General Information
 * Nation:     Germany
 * Category:   Tanks
 * Class:      Medium Tank
 * Role:       Anti-tank/Infantry Support
 * Primary Armament: 75mm PaK 39 L/48 (AP/HE)
 * Secondary Armament: 1 x 7.92mm MG-34 Machine gun Hull
 * Armor:     60-10mm
 * Crew:       4


 * MP price:   25
 * Speed:      31
 * Fuel:       ?

The Jagdpanzer 38 or Hetzer is a small and fast tank destroyer, hard to spot and very fast the Hetzer can be used to great effect by an experienced tank commander.

History
Based upon the Czechoslovakian LT vz 38 tank which was in service with the Third Reich under the name Jadgpanzer 38(t) it was an attempt to improve on earlier more vulnerable designs such as the Marder series. The (t) stands for tschechisch, German for Czech. It was designed as a more cost-effective tank hunter, in liue of the more expensive Jagdtiger and Jagpanther. The Hetzer Improved on the Marder series and other early war tank destroyers by giving the crew all round protection against small arms fire and explosives, this allowed the Hetzer to get closer to the fight, not having to worry about machine gun fire or explosives. Production began on the Hetzer in Prague in late 1943 and the Hetzer was put into service shortly after with the Panzerjägerabteilungen (Tank Hunter Battalion) and was a huge success, to the point where at the end of 1944 all Panzer 38(t) production was diverted to the production of the Hetzer. The Hetzer was produced to the end of the war when their factories were overrun in May of 1945, 1,577 Hetzers were produced during the war. Around 180 were produced by Czechoslovakia after the war with some 150 vehicles exported to Switzerland.

The Hetzer's PAK-38/39 was very similar to the gun on the late war Panzer IVs, it was more than capable of dealing with the majority of allied armor at long ranges, this added furthermore to the effectiveness of the Hetzer. Despite being relatively light and having only 60mm of frontal armor, it was sloped at a 60° degree angle, this gave it the equivalent of around 120mm of armor, capable of defeating the majority of allied tank guns whilst also being able to eliminate them. The Hetzer tank hunter, along with its countless tank hunting relatives, contributed greatly to the losses of Allied armor from 1943 - 1945.

In Game
The Hetzer provides the perfect combination of speed and firepower, with the addition of decent armor and also being rather cheap. It is ideal for early game encounters being more that capable of dealing with any allied contemporary. It is quite well protected from anti-tank guns due to its 60mm glacis plate, this combined with the fact that the Hetzer is also rather small meant that it is very hard to take out, that’s if you spot it in time. The Hetzer is perfect for flanking attacks, being able to quickly circumnavigate enemy positions and conceal itself effectively whilst picking of opposing armor.

However it does come with its weaknesses, lack of a turret and a limited traverse of the gun means that when the vehicle is immobilised it becomes very vulnerable, with enemies being able to target the weaker side armor. The Hetzer also struggles with tracking fast moving targets, having to turn the whole chassis to keep up with the target; this means that accuracy is lower as you are not firing from a standstill.

This tank hunter has the same gun penetration performance as the Panzer IV Ausf.H