Jagdpanzer 38 (t) Hetzer is a German tank destroyer of the Second World War. The first prototypes of the car were created at the turn of 1943-1944, and serial production continued in the period 1944-1945, ending with the release of approximately 2,800 cars. The Hetzer was powered by a single 160 hp Prague EPA AC2800 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 chassis of the Panzerkampfwagen 38 (t) tank, but had a completely new casemate and drive. Its great advantages include a very low silhouette of the car, a significant slope of the armor plates and good armament. In addition, the Hetzer could be produced on a large scale at relatively low cost, which was very important for Germany in the latter stages of World War II. Production took place specifically at the factories of the Skoda company. The disadvantage was a small fighting cabin, which made it difficult to control the weapon and reduced its rate of fire. The Flammpanzer 38 (t) self-propelled flamethrower and the Bergepanzer 38 (t) maintenance vehicle were built on the basis of the Hetzer machine. 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 World War II, it was still produced for the Czechoslovak Army under the designation ST-1.
