Can someone please help me with a list of German WWII AFV’s that are specically classifed as “tank detroyers”?
Pretty much anything that was called a “Jadgpanzer” is a TD… Literally a “Hunting Tank”, "or more translated, a “Tank Hunter”…
Marc, for Germany, it generally depends on the gun and the absence of a turret. Any of the “marder” series are all TD’s. The Hornisse/Nashorns were Td’s.And of course, anything that starts with “Pzjg” or Jdgpz"–“panzerjaeger”–“tank hunter”, like the Pzjg IV, Hetzer, Jagdpanther and the mighty Jagdtiger.
The StuG III and IV could be classed as TD’s, even though technically they were infantry support vehicles. As the war progressed, they were forced into that role more and more. Wikipedia says “The most successful German tank destroyer wasn’t supposed to be a tank destroyer at all. It was the Sturmgeschütz III (assault gun), a self propelled gun for infantry support with a design similar to the Jagdpanzer.”
Many SPG’s look the same as pzjg’s but are actually mobile artillery. The gun type is a dead giveaway. 105mm howitzers, SiG’s, --all are mobile artillery, even though they may have used the same chassis.
Marc,
Welcome to the crazy world of translation and naming conventions! The term “tank destroyer” is actually an American term since it were those units who were supposed to be responsible for engaging and destroying tanks vs. say, tanks…who had another job altogether.
The list for German vehicles would include essentially anything mouting an anti-tank capable weapon that wasn’t in a rotating turret. Some were purpose built/designed, others were more ad hoc. It begins with the Pzjgr I and progresses all the way to the Jagdtiger. In between you have Marders (I, II, III), StuGs (technically assault guns as already pointed out originally but the long-barrel variants were upgunned specifically to be TDs) III (F, F/8, G) and IV, Jagdpanzer IVs, Jagdpanzer 38t (Hetzer), the Hornisse/Nashorn, Ferdinand/Elefant, Jagdpanthers, mobile AT platforms like the 234/4, RSO w/ Pak 40, Sdkfz 10/Pak 38, etc.
Planning something are we? [:D]
Thanks for the info guys. Some of my suspicions have been confirmed with a few more choice added to the list.
Why Bill, whatever do you mean?[:-^]