Panzer IV served 3 ways #2: the SdKfz. 163 Jagdpanzer IV/88

Dizzyfugu · September 17, 2019, 11:46:23 PM

The second Panzer IV variation from the current trilogy, this time a tank hunter with a casemate hull - the SdKfz. 163, forerunner of the Jagdpanther:

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
After the first German experiences with the newer Soviet tanks like the T-34 or the Kliment Voroshilov tank during Operation Barbarossa, the need for a Panzerjäger capable of destroying these more heavily armoured tanks became clear.

In early 1942, several German companies designed tank destroyers using existing chassis or components, primarily of both the Panzer III and Panzer IV tank, and integrating the powerful 8,8 cm Panzerjägerkanone 43/1 L/71 (or shortly Pak 43/1), a long-barreled anti-tank gun. Alkett, for instance, came up with the SdKfz. 164 "Hornisse" SPG (later renamed "Nashorn"), and Vomag AG proposed the SdKfz. 163, a derivative of the recently developed SdKfz. 162, the Jagdpanzer IV, which was armed with a Pak 39 L/48 at that time in a low, casemate-style hull.

However, mounting the bulky, heavy and powerful Pak 43/1 into the Panzer III hull was impossible, and even the Panzer IV was not really suited for this weapon – compromises had to be made. In consequence, the "Nashorn" was only a lightly armoured vehicle with an open crew compartment, and the Jagdpanzer IV was much too low and did not offer sufficient internal space for the large cannon.

Vomag's design for the SdKfz. 163 eventually envisioned a completely new upper hull for the standard Panzer IV chassis, again a casemate style structure. However, the new vehicle was much taller than the Jagdpanzer IV – in fact, the Pak 43/1 and its massive mount necessitated the superstructure to be more than 2' higher than the Jagdpanzer IV. This also resulted in a considerably higher weight: while a standard Panzer IV weighed less than 23 tons, the SdKfz. 163 weighed more than 28 tons!

The driver was located forward, slightly in front of the casemate, and was given the Fahrersehklappe 80 sight from the Tiger I. The rest of the crew occupied the cramped combat section behind him. Ventilation of the casemate's fumes and heat was originally provided by natural convection, exiting through armored covers at the back of the roof.
The gun/crew compartment's casemate was well-protected with sloped sides and thick armor plates. Its thickness was 80 mm (3.93 in) at a 40° angle on the front, 40 mm/12° (1.57 in) for the front hull, 50 mm/25° (1.97 in) for the side superstructure, 30 mm (1.18 in) for the side of the lower hull, 30 mm/0° (1.18 in) for the rear of the casemate and 20 mm/10° (0.79 in) for the back of the hull. The top and bottom were protected by 10 mm (0.39 in) of armor at 90°. This was enough to withstand direct frontal hits from the Soviet 76,2 mm (3") gun which the T-34 and the KV-1 carried.

The SdKfz. 163's main weapon, the Pak 43/1, was a formidable gun: Accurate at over 3,000 m (3,280 yards) and with a muzzle velocity of over 1,000 m/s (3,280 ft/s), the 88 mm (3.5 inch) gun has more than earned its reputation as one of the best anti-tank guns of the war. Even the early versions, with a relatively short L56 barrel, were already able to penetrate 100mm of steel armour at 30°/1000m, and late versions with the long L71 barrel even achieved 192mm.
The main gun had an elevation of +15°/-5° and could traverse with an arc of fire of 12° to the left and 17° to the right, due to the weapon's off-center position and limited through the side walls and the "survival space" for the crew when the Pak 43/1 was fired. The recoil cylinder was located under and the recuperator above the gun. There were also two counterbalance cylinders (one on each side), and the gun featured a muzzle brake, so that the already stressed Panzer IV chassis could better cope with the weapon's recoil.
The Pak 43/1 was able to fire different shells, ranging from the armor piercing PzGr. 39/43 and PzGr. 40/43 to the high explosive Gr. 39/3 HL. The main gun sight was a telescopic Selbstfahrlafetten-Zielfernrohr la, with Carl Zeiss scopes, calibrated from 0 to 1,500 m (0-5,000 ft) for the Pz.Gr.39 and 0 to 2,000 m (6,500 ft) for the Pz.Gr.40. There was a 5x magnification 8° field of view.

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

46 8.8 cm rounds could be stored inside of the SdKfz. 163's hull. In addition, a MP 40 sub-machine gun, intended to be fired through the two firing ports on each side of the superstructure, was carried as a hand weapon, and a single MG 34 machine gun was located in the front bow in a ball mount for self-defense, at the radio operator's place. Another MG 34 could be fastened to the open commander's hatch, and 1.250 rounds for the light weapons were carried.

The SdKfz. 163 was, together with the SdKfz. 164, accepted by the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) in late 1942, and immediately ordered into production. Curiously, it never received an official name, unlike the SdKfz. 164. In practice, however, the tank hunter was, in official circles, frequently referred to as "Jagdpanzer IV/ 43" in order to distinguish it from the standard "Jagdpanzer IV", the SdKfz. 162, with its 7,5cm armament. However, the SdKfz. 163 also received unofficial nicknames from the crews (see below).

Production was split between two factories: Alkett from Berlin and Stahlindustrie from Duisburg. Alkett, where most of the Panzer IVs were manufactured, was charged with series production of 10 vehicles in January and February 1943, 20 in March and then at a rate of 20 vehicles per month until March 1944. Stahlindustrie was tasked with a smaller production series of 5 in May, 10 in June, 15 in July and then 10 per month (also until March 1944), for a planned initial total of 365 vehicles.

Initially, all SdKfz. 163s were directly sent to the Eastern Front where they had to cope with the heavy and well-armoured Soviet tanks. Soon it became apparent that these early vehicles were too heavy for the original Panzer IV chassis, leading to frequent breakdowns of the suspension and the transmission.

Efforts were made to ameliorate this during the running production, and other Panzer IV improvements were also gradually introduced to the SdKfz. 163s, too. For instance, the springs were stiffened and new all-metal road wheels were introduced – initially, only one or two front pairs of the road wheels were upgraded/replaced in field workshops, but later SdKfz. 163s had their complete running gear modified with the new wheels directly at the factories. These late production vehicles were recognizable through only three return rollers per side, in order to save material and production costs.

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Furthermore, an electric ventilator was added (recognizable by a shallow, cylindrical fairing above the radio operator's position) and the loopholes in the side walls for observation and self-defense turned out to be more detrimental to the strength of the armor than expected. In later models, these holes were completely omitted during production and in the field they were frequently welded over, being filled with plugs or 15 mm (0.59 in) thick steel plates. Another important modification was the replacement of the Pak 43/1's original monobloc barrel with a dual piece barrel, due to the rapid wear of the high-velocity gun. Although this did not reduce wear, it did make replacement easier and was, over time, retrofitted to many earlier SdKfz. 163s.

Despite these improvements, the SdKfz. 163 remained troublesome. Its high silhouette made it hard to conceal and the heavy casemate armour, together with the heavy gun, moved the center of gravity forward and high that off-road handling was complicated – with an overstressed and easily damaged suspension as well as the long gun barrel that protruded 8' to the front, especially early SdKfz. 163s were prone to stoop down and bury the long Pak 43/1 barrel into the ground. Even the vehicles with the upgraded suspension kept this nasty behavior and showed poor off-road handling. This, together with the tank's bulbous shape, soon earned the SdKfz. 163 the rather deprecative nickname "Ringeltaube" (Culver), which was quickly forbidden. Another unofficial nickname was "Sau" (Sow), due to the tank's front-heavy handling, and this was soon forbidden, too.

Despite the suspension improvements, the tank's relatively high weight remained a constant source of trouble. Technical reliability was poor and the cramped interior did not add much to the vehicle's popularity either, despite the SdKfz. 163 immense firepower even at long range. When the bigger SdKfz. 171, the Jagdpanther, as well as the Jagdpanzer IV/L70 with an uprated 7.5 cm cannon became available in mid-1944, SdKfz. 163 production was prematurely stopped, with only a total of 223 vehicles having been produced. The Eastern Front survivors were concentrated and re-allocated to newly founded Panzerjäger units at the Western front, where the Allied invasion was expected and less demanding terrain and enemies were a better match for the overweight and clumsy vehicles. Roundabout 100 vehicles became involved in the defense against the Allied invasion, and only a few survived until 1945.

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Specifications:
Crew: Five (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator)
Weight: 28.2 tons (62,170 lbs)
Length: 5.92 m (19 ft 5 in) hull only
8.53 m (28 ft) overall
Width: 2.88 m (9 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.52 m (8 ft 3 in)
Suspension: Leaf spring
Fuel capacity: 470 l (120 US gal)

Armour:
10 – 80 mm (0.39 – 3.15 in)

Performance:
Maximum road speed: 38 km/h (23.6 mph)
Sustained road speed: 34 km/h (21.1 mph)
Off-road speed: 24 km/h (15 mph)
Operational range: 210 km (125 mi)
Power/weight: 10,64 PS/t

Engine:
Maybach HL 120 TRM V12 petrol engine with 300 PS (296 hp, 221 kW)

Transmission:
ZF Synchromesh SSG 77 gear with 6 forward and 1 reverse ratios

Armament:
1× 8.8 cm Panzerabwehrkanone PaK 43/1 L71 with 46 rounds
1× 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 with 1,250 rounds in bow mount;
an optional MG 34 could be mounted to the commander cupola,
and an MP 40 sub-machine gun was carried for self-defense

The kit and its assembly:
This fictional tank is, once more, a personal interpretation of a what-if idea: what if an 8.8 cm Pak 43/1 could have been mounted (effectively) onto the Panzer IV chassis? In real life, this did not happen, even though Krupp apparently built one prototype of a proposed Jagdpanzer IV with a 8.8 cm Pak 43 L/71 on the basis of the SdKfz. 165 (the "Brummbär" assault SPG) – a fact I found when I was already working on my model. Apparently, my idea seems to be not too far-fetched, even though I have no idea what that prototype looked like.

However, the PaK 43/1 was a huge weapon, and mating it with the rather compact Panzer IV would not be an easy endeavor. Taking the Jagdpanther as a benchmark, only a casemate layout would make sense, and it would be tall and voluminous. The "Brummbär" appeared to be a suitable basis, and I already had a Trumpeter model of a late SdKfz. 165 in the stash.

Just changing the barrel appeared too simple to me, so I decided to make major cosmetic changes. The first thing I wanted to change were the almost vertical side walls, giving them more slope. Easier said than done – I cut away the side panels as well as wedges from the casemate's front and rear wall, cleaned the sidewalls and glued them back into place. Sound simple, but the commander's hatch had to be considered, the late SdKfz. 165's machine gun mount had to go (it was literally cut out and filled with a piece of styrene sheet + PSR; the front bow machine gun was relocated to the right side of the glacis plate) and, due to the bigger angle, the side walls had to be extended downwards by roughly 1.5mm, so that the original mudguard sideline was retained.

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The gun barrel caused some headaches, too. I had an aftermarket metal barrel for a PaK 43/1 from a Tiger I in the stash, and in order to keep things simple I decided to keep the SdKfz. 165's large ball mount. I needed some kind of mantlet as an adapter, though, and eventually found one from a Schmalturm in the stash – it's quite narrow, but a good match. It had to be drilled open considerably in order to accept the metal barrel, but the whole construction looks very plausible.

Another cosmetic trick to change the SdKfz. 165's look and esp. its profile was the addition of protective side shields for the entry hatch area at the rear (frequently seen on Jagdpanzer IVs) – these were created from 0.5 mm styrene sheet material and visually extend the casemate almost the up to hull's rear end.

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Painting and markings:
Inspiration for the paint scheme came from a picture of a Jagdpanther that took part in the 1944 Ardennenoffensive (Battle at the Bulge): It was painted in the contemporary standard tones Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028), Olivgrün (RAL 6003) and Rotbraun (RAL 8012), but I found the pattern interesting, which consisted primarily of yellow and green stripes, but edged with thin, brown stripes in order to enhance the contrast between them – not only decorative, but I expected this to be very effective in a forest or heath environment, too.

The picture offered only a limited frontal view, so that much of the pattern had to be guessed/improvised. Painting was done with brushes and enamels, I used Humbrol 103 (Cream), 86 (Light Olive) and 160 (German Red Brown) in this case. The green tone is supposed to be authentic, even though I find Humbrol's 86 to be quite dull, the real RAL 6003 is brighter, almost like FS 34102. The brown tone I used, RAL 8012, is wrong, because it was only introduced in Oct. 1944 and actually is the overall factory primer onto which the other colors were added. It should rather be RAL 8017 (Schokoladenbraun), a darker and less reddish color that was introduced in early 1944, but I assume that frontline workshops, where the camouflage was applied in situ, just used what they had at hand. Dunkelgelb is actually very close to Humbrol 83 (ochre), but I decided to use a lighter tone for more contrast, and the following weathering washing would tone everything down.

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

I also extended the camouflage into the running gear – not a typical practice, but I found that it helps breaking up the tank's outlines even more and it justifies wheels in different colors, too. The all-metal road wheels were painted with a mix of medium grey and iron. The black vinyl track was treated with a cloudy mix of grey, red brown and iron acrylic paint.

The kit received a washing with highly thinned dark brown acrylic paint as well as an overall dry-brushing treatment with light grey. Around the lower front of the hull I also did some dry-brushing with red brown and iron, simulating chipped paint. After the decals had been applied, the model was sealed with acrylic matt varnish and finally I dusted the lower areas and esp. the running gear with a grey-brown mix of mineral artist pigments, partly into a base of wet acrylic varnish that creates a kind of mud crust.

1:72 SdKfz. 163, Jagdpanzer IV/43 (late); vehicle ,,325" of the 228. Panzerjägerbattalion, 116. Panzerdivision; Caen region (France), summer 1944 (Heer '46/modified Trumpeter kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

chrisonord · September 18, 2019, 02:45:45 AM

Marvellous

zenrat · September 18, 2019, 03:28:54 AM

Weaver · September 18, 2019, 03:57:21 AM

Another cracker - well done.

NARSES2 · September 18, 2019, 07:00:34 AM

Quote from: Weaver on September 18, 2019, 03:57:21 AM
Another cracker - well done.

Very much so

Dizzyfugu · September 18, 2019, 07:02:22 AM

Again, thank you very much!

Old Wombat · September 19, 2019, 07:02:35 AM

Another great little build, Dizzy!

Panzer IV served 3 ways #2: the SdKfz. 163 Jagdpanzer IV/88

Dizzyfugu

chrisonord

zenrat

Weaver

NARSES2

Dizzyfugu

Old Wombat