Jagdpanzer (JgPz), German: "Hunting tank", is a name for German tank destroyers.

It typically refers to designs based upon existing tank chassis with a well-armoured fixed superstructure, mounting an anti-tank gun with limited traverse in the front. The Jagdpanzer designs followed on from the more lightly armoured Panzerjaeger designs which took an anti-tank gun and mounted it on top of a tank chassis with supplementary armour fitted around the gun crew. Without the complexity of the rotating turret, Jagdpanzer designs could be quickly produced which was important in supplying fighting vehicles to the Russian front. However in lacking a turret the Jagdpanzers were more limited in use. Generally they were used as a second line or reserve in the attack or to form a defensive line.

The first prototype of the Jagdpanzer IV was presented to the German Fuehrer in October 1943, with production eventually commencing in January 1944. Based on the chassis, running gear and drive train of the Panzer IV, this specialist "tank hunter" was low-slung and had well-sloped armor. The vertical hull front of the PzKpfw IV was replaced by two angled plates that provided a sharp nose. The early production model mounted a 7.5cm PaK39 L/48 gun.

Pictured here is an early production Sd. Kfz. 162 Jagdpanzer IV L/48 tank destroyer /w armored side skirts attached to Panzerjager Abteilung 228, 116.Panzer Division "Windhund" ("Greyhound"), which saw action in Normandy during the summer of 1944. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-1/2-inches
Width: 1-3/4-inches

Release Date: August 2006

Historical Account: "Sacrificial Lambs" - Nicknamed Windhund ("Greyhound") and originally based upon the 16.Infanterie Division, the 16.Motorized Infanterie Division participated in the Balkans campaign (1941) and later joined Army Group South during Operation Barbarossa. The unit advanced on the Caucasus, with elements coming to within 20 miles of Astrakhan - the most easterly point reached by any German unit during the war (1942). It later participated in defensive operations after the Soviets broke up the front within the southern sector. Upgraded to the 16.Panzergrenadier Division in 1943, it suffered heavily in the continuing retreats, and was eventually transferred to France for rest and refitting. Reorganized as the 116.Panzer Division, the formation absorbed the 179.Reserve Panzer Division in 1944.

The unit fought in the Battle for Normandy, and was almost completely destroyed while attempting to withdraw through the Falaise Gap. It helped to defend the Siegfried Line at Aachen but failed to save the city, resulting in its second withdrawal for refitting. It later participated in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest and then again in the Battle of the Bulge, sustaining heavy casualties in the process. It was caught in the Wesel Pocket, but managed to escape across the Rhine in early 1945. It finally surrendered when it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket during April 1945.