Last December the Journal published
pictures of the principal German self-propelled
guns. These and many others have since
confronted the Allies in the U.S.S.R., Italy and
France. Some of the guns that we captured in Tunisia
have continued to appear in large numbers in Europe. They
include the 75-mm. and 105-mm. assault guns on the PzKw III chassis,
the 75-mm. on the Czech PzKw 38 chassis (right) and
on the French Lorraine chassis (below).
Soviet troops first encountered the self-propelled 88-mm. gun,
Ferdinand, in 1943; U.S. and British troops met it in Italy.
How they dealt with the 72-ton monster is shown on page 14.
Ferdinand remains the only German self-propelled gun that
was made to order from start to finish -- an original
design. The others have all been adaptations.
The newest German SP guns
continue to be adaptations of present equipment. They
illustrate a trend toward greater firepower on PzKw IV and VI
chassis.
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This captured
Czech PzKw 38 chassis that mounts
a 75-mm. is a favorite German self-propelled
weapon. The gun is housed in a tall, open-topped,
slant-sided shield well to the rear. |
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More familiar version of
German 75-mm. gun on the Czech chassis has cone-shaped
gun housing set well forward. Czech suspension has short
wheel base of four large bogies. |
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