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Since the Germany Army had made wide use of turretless tank destroyers during the Second World War, and they had been very successful, their development was continued after the war had ended. An attempt to mount a 90mm gun on the chassis of the HS-30 armoured personnel carrier, when it began entering German Army service, was unsuccessful and was not developed any further.
A tank destroyer was again proposed as part of the leichten Panzerfamilie in the late 1950s and this was far more successful. A series of prototypes was built in 1960/1, two by Hanomag (numbered 1 RU 3/1 and 1 RU 3/2), two by Henschel (1 HK 3/1 and 1 HK 3/1) and one by MOWAG of Switzerland (known as the HM3). There was a second series of six prototypes built in 1963/4 by Hanomag (numbered 2 RU 3/1 to 2 RU 3/3) and Henschel (2 HK 3/1 to 2 HK 3/3). This was followed by a third and final series of prototypes numbered from RU 331 to RU 336, the first three being built by Hanomag and the other three by Henschel. Some prototypes had five roadwheels per side and some had six.
The prototypes were judged successful and a total of 750 vehicles were ordered. These were built between 1965 and 1967, half by Henschel and half by Hanomag. Both these companies have since been incorporated into Rheinstahl Sonderfertigung of Kassel. All production vehicles had five roadwheels per side.
The Jagdpanzer Kanone clearly shows its ancestry in the Jagdpanzers of the Second World War. It is armed with a large calibre weapon in a limited traverse mount with a coaxial machine gun, both protected by a cast Saukopf type mantlet. The gun is in the front plate of a well-sloped hull, offset to the right to provide room for the loader on the left. For compatibility of ammunition it could fire the same rounds as the American M48 tank, at the time still in service with the German Army.
Some years after production was completed for the German Army, in December 1972, Belgium ordered 80 vehicles for its own army (at first it ordered 84). The Belgian examples were assembled at Anvers in Belgium with the first one being completed in 1975. These vehicles used many automotive components of the Marder MICV, including the transmission, plus improved sights, a new fire-control system with SABCA laser rangefinder, a Lyran mortar, passive night viewing equipment, and FN MAG 7.62mm MGs in place of the German MG3s.
1) Budge Collection, Retford, Britain
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290
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This is a Kampfraum (fighting compartment) trainer for teaching and testing vehicle crews, with large parts of the hull walls cut away for an instructor to watch the crew. It is not designed to be mobile and so is built without a complete suspension or tracks. It is based on a Henschel vehicle with six roadwheel stations per side. It was acquired from the Munster Panzermuseum in 1994 (where it is shown) along with a US M26 Pershing tank.
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2) Museé Des Blindés, Saumur, France
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291
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This vehicle carries the serial number “RU 336” on the glacis plate which identifies it as the last prototype built by Henschel. It has six roadwheels per side. [Preserved Tanks in France: Number 183].
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3) Panzermuseum, Munster, Germany
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292
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This vehicle has five roadwheels per side.
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4) Panzermuseum, Munster, Germany
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293
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This is one of the Henschel prototypes, with six roadwheels per side. It used to carry the tactical number “231” but this has been removed.
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5) Armeemuseum, Dresden, Germany
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294
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This is a production version of the Jagdpanzer and is displayed in Bundeswehr camouflage.
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6) Motor Technica Museum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
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295
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It is believed this example may be on loan from the Koblenz collection (source: R. Fleming).
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7) U.S. Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen Proving Ground, USA
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296
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White crosses painted on superstructure sides.
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This Jagdpanzer was acquired in the late 1980’s. It has five roadwheels per side. (Source: R. Besecke).
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8) Schweizerische Militärmuseum, Full, Switzerland
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847
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“MOWAG GEPARD” painted on superstructure sides.
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Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
New entry.
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9) Museé Des Blindés, Saumur, France
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1009
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Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
New entry.
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10) Museum K-blokken en Oscar Kapel, Leopoldsburg, Belgium
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1428
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11) The Tank Museum - Reserve Collection, Bovington, Britain
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289
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8062 (chassis, source: Museum Vehicle Record).
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70061: “70061” and German flag painted on glacis plate
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“018” painted on superstructure sides. Unit insignia painted on front left mud flap. Painted overall in a green, brown and black camouflage scheme.
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Text in original Preserved German Tanks publication:
This Jagdpanzer was acquired in 1994 in an exchange with the Brussels Tank Museum. It was one of the eighty examples used by the Belgian Army. These equipped eight infantry battalions, each having two platoons of four vehicles, with the remaining vehicles held in reserve.
Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
This Kanonenjagdpanzer is in running order and regularly takes part in driving displays and the museum’s annual Tankfest (including 2006 and 2009).
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