DONE @p.2 +++ 1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 ‘Jagdwespe’; early 1945

Dizzyfugu · May 24, 2023, 11:44:26 PM

Thank you. Initially I considered only the original L48 gun (used that already on a Panzer III Marder conversion), but then I thought that the Wespe's layout with the fighting compartment at the rear could justify a longer gun barrel, and the L70 evolution was just the right contemporary upgrade to counter the heavier armored allied tanks. It "works".

Wardukw · May 25, 2023, 01:12:49 AM

It does Dizz mate..works extremely well and it would have even in the RW..that's a damn powerful gun and dude it would have been epic to see one fired

Dizzyfugu · May 25, 2023, 01:15:41 AM

I guess that the wepaon's recoil would have been too much for the light Wespe in real life. But the overall idea is IMHO plausible.

BTW, photo session for the Jagdwespe pending...

Wardukw · May 25, 2023, 03:36:40 AM

Well ..ok if they used the pak40 as a base ..toughened the pak 40s frame and mount, to take the extra weight of the new barrel length ..which for the Germans wouldn't have been any real issues it's very possible it could be done.
I've seen plenty of footage of Wespes firing full charge loads and yep she's rocks on her suspension quite well ..im pretty sure the recoil from a L70 75mm gun wouldn't be to much different..now a pak44 would be to much.

Dizzyfugu · May 29, 2023, 11:58:06 PM

Photo session finished, and here are some early, unedited shots with a filter applied to them. More to come soon.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Wardukw · May 30, 2023, 01:18:23 AM

That looks fan-bloody-tastic Thomas

It's a damn shame about those bloody tracks mate.

Dizzyfugu · May 30, 2023, 02:06:31 AM

Quote from: Wardukw on May 30, 2023, 01:18:23 AMIt's a damn shame about those bloody tracks mate.

Yeah, da sh!t. I also see noe that I accidently put one track the wrong way around, in the hustle with the non-working glue... $:-\$

Wardukw · May 30, 2023, 02:11:09 AM

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on May 30, 2023, 02:06:31 AM
Quote from: Wardukw on May 30, 2023, 01:18:23 AMIt's a damn shame about those bloody tracks mate.

Yeah, da sh!t. I also see noe that I accidently put one track the wrong way around, in the hustle with the non-working glue... $:-\$

It would be almost worth it to hunt down a cheap Panzer 2 kit just for the tracks ..this is model deserves better tracks.

Rick Lowe · May 30, 2023, 10:52:55 PM

Nice one.

Dizzyfugu · May 30, 2023, 11:20:00 PM

Finally, and with some editing around the tracks, esp. the left one...

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Sd.Kfz. 124 Wespe (German for "wasp", also known as Leichte Feldhaubitze 18/2 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf.), "Light field howitzer 18 on Panzer II chassis (self-propelled)"), was a German self-propelled gun developed and used during the Second World War. During the Battle of France in 1940 it became apparent that the intermediate tank of the German forces, the Panzer II, had become unsuitable as a main battle tank and outdated. Though mechanically sound, it was both under-gunned and under-armored, and its small size prevented heavier armament and armor so that its development potential was limited. The chassis, however, proved serviceable for providing mobility to the 10.5 cm field howitzer, and important artillery weapon.

The design for the Wespe was produced by Alkett, based on the Panzer II Ausf. F chassis. Among other modifications the Panzer II's engine was moved forward, and the chassis slightly lengthened to accommodate the rear-mounted 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer. The boxy superstructure was left open at the top and rear and only lightly armored, with 10 mm armor plate, which was just enough to stop small arms fire. The vehicles were produced by FAMO's Ursus plant in Warsaw from February 1943 until June 1944, when Soviet forces approached the frontier. By that time, 676 had been produced. An additional 159 gun-less Wespe Munitionsträger were produced, too, to serve as mobile artillery ammunition carriers.

The Panzer II chassis also found use for the design of tank hunters: Existing chassis were converted to self-propelled artillery vehicles, such as the Marder II ("marten" in English). The latter was built on the basis of the original Panzer II chassis (with the engine at the rear) in two versions, the first mounted a modified Soviet 7.62 cm gun firing German ammunition, which had been acquired in significant numbers during the German advances the Ostfront, while the other mounted the German 7.5 cm PaK 40 gun. Its high profile and thin open-topped armor provided minimal protection to the crew, though. Nevertheless, the Marder II (as well as the similar Marder III, which was based on the Czech T-38 chassis) provided a great increase in mobility and firepower over contemporary German tanks during 1942 and into 1943.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

By early 1944 the war situation had worsened for Germany and ever heavier tanks, esp. at the Eastern Front, appeared. The PaK 40 was effective against almost every Allied tank until the end of the war, only struggling to penetrate heavier vehicles like the Russian IS tanks, the American M4A3E2 Sherman 'Jumbo' assault tank and M26 Pershing, and later variants of the British Churchill tank. More firepower was needed, but the powerful new 88 mm PaK 43 was in short supply or earmarked for use in heavy battle tanks, which had received priority from the Oberkommando. An alternative anti-tank was the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70, the main armament of the Panther medium battle tank and of the Jagdpanzer IV self-propelled anti-tank gun. On the latter it was designated as the "7.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 42" (7.5 cm Pak 42).

The modified 7.5 cm gun had a longer barrel that increased muzzle velocity and operating pressure, resulting in much improved range and penetration. However, the new gun required a new armor-piercing projectile, the PzGr. 39/42. Apart from the addition of wider driving bands it was otherwise identical to the older 7.5 cm PzGr. 39. The wider driving bands added a little extra weight, from 6.8 kg for the old PzGr.39, to 7.2 kg for the new PzGr.39/42. The gun was fired electrically, the primer being initiated using an electric current rather than a firing pin. The breech operated semi-automatically so that after the gun had fired, the empty shell casing was automatically ejected, and the falling wedge type breech block remained down so that the next round could be loaded. Once the round was loaded the breech closed automatically and the weapon was ready to be fired again. Three different types of ammunition were used: APCBC-HE, APCR and HE.

This 7.5 cm Pak 42's performance was almost equal to the bigger 88 mm PaK 43, and achieved a penetration of 106 mm hardened steel plate angled at 30° from vertical at 2.000 m (vs. 132 mm with the 88 mm PaK 43).

To increase the output of vehicles armed with the new 7.5 cm Pak 42, the Oberkommando ordered the conversion of existing vehicles, so that these reinforcements could be sent to the frontlines as quickly as possible, esp. at the East where the German troops were more and more caught in defensive battles. The chassis that appeared most suitable for this task was the Sd.Kfz. 124 Wespe, due to its internal layout. The 7.5 cm Pak 42's long barrel (it was almost 5m/more than 16' long) required a fighting compartment at the vehicle's rear, with the engine in front of it – and the Wespe turned out to be suitable to accept the long weapon with relatively few modifications.
For the use on the open-top Wespe, the 7.5 cm Pak 42 was combined with the mount and shield of the old towed 7.5 cm PaK 40 gun, and this new construction simply replaced the Wespe's original 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer. The superstructure's armor was only minimally modified: the front opening was narrowed, because the longer 7.5 cm Pak 42 had a more limited field of fire than the 10.5 cm leFH 18. As a positive side effect, the superstructure's walls could be slightly reduced in height (about 10 cm/4") due to the 7.5 cm Pak 42's lower gun carriage and front shield.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The vehicle's internal layout and most of the equipment remained the same, just the crew was reduced from five to four, one loader was omitted. To cope with the slightly higher overall weight and the heavier front due to the long barrel, and the necessity to traverse the vehicle to aim, the gear ratio was lowered from 1:7.33 to 1:8 to reduce the stress on final gears and the wheels were replaced with reinforced alternatives that also used less rubber. Due to the smaller rounds, the internal ammunition supply rose from the Wespe's forty 10.5 cm rounds to fifty-one 7.5 cm rounds, even though space for the crew became scarce when the Jagdwespe was fully loaded. No other armament was carried, even though a defensive 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun was frequently installed at the commander's position to the right of the gun, sometimes with a protective armor shield.

Like its basis, the "Jagdwespe", how this makeshift vehicle was unofficially called, was only lightly protected, but this was intentionally done in order to reduce the overall weight and speed up the production as much as possible. The armor thickness was also limited in order to not adversely affect the vehicle's overall driving performance, as this was the main point of this vehicle. The use of the Panzer II light tank chassis was another reason why the armor thickness had to be kept minimal, as the added weight could significantly affect its performance.
The front armor of the hull was 30 mm thick and placed at a 75° vertical angle. The sides were 14.5 mm thick, the rear 14.5 mm at 10° horizontal and the bottom was only 5 mm thick. The front superstructure armor was 15 (or 20 mm) thick and placed at a 30° vertical angle. The sides and rear of the superstructure were 15 mm and the top 10 mm thick. The fighting compartment was protected by only 10 mm thick all-around armor. The front armor was placed at 66°, side 73°, and rear 74° vertical angle.

Strangely, the "Jagdwespe" was allocated an individual ordnance inventory designation, namely Sd. Kfz. 125. This was probably done to keep the practice of the Marder family of light Panzerjäger's taxonomy, which had received individual Sd. Kfz. Numbers, too, despite being based on existing vehicles. Initially, mostly unarmed Wespe artillery ammunition carriers were converted into Jagdwespe SPGs, but later on Wespe SPGs – primarily damaged vehicles that were refurbished – were also modified, and a few of the final newly build Wespe hulls were finished as Sd.Kfz. 125, too. However, since battle tanks still had priority, Jagdwespe production and output was only marginal, and less than 100 vehicles were completed until early 1945.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Like the various Marder versions before that fought on all European fronts of the war, there was a large concentration of the Jagdwespe on the Eastern Front. They were used by the Panzerjäger Abteilungen of the Panzer divisions of the Heer and served as well with several Luftwaffe units to defend airfields. Like the Marders before, the Jagdwespe's weaknesses were mainly related to survivability. The combination of a relatively high silhouette and open-top fighting compartment made them vulnerable to indirect artillery fire, aircraft strafing, and grenades. The armor was also quite thin, making them vulnerable to enemy tanks or infantry with more than light machine guns or pistols.
Operationally, the Jagdwespe was best employed in defensive or overwatch roles. They were neither assault vehicles nor tank substitutes, and the open-top compartment meant operations in crowded areas such as urban environments or other close-combat situations weren't a valid tactical option. But despite their weaknesses, they were more effective than the towed antitank guns they replaced, and the 7.5 cm Pak 42 with the extended barrel meant a significant improvement in firepower. The vehicle was small, easy to conceal for an ambush and relatively agile, so that it could quickly change position after a shot, and the Panzer II chassis was mechanically reliable, what made it popular with its crews.

Specifications:
Crew: Four (commander, gunner, loader/radio operator, driver)
Weight: 12.5 tonnes (27,533 lb)
Length: 4.81 m (15 ft 9 in)
6.44 m (21 ft 1 1/2 in) overall
Width: 2.28 m (7 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in)
Suspension: Leaf spring
Fuel capacity: 170 L (45 US gal)

Armor:
5 - 30 mm (.19 - 1.18 in)

Performance:
Maximum road speed: 40 km/h (25 mph)
Operational range: 220 km (137 mi) on roads
100 km (62 mi) cross-country
Power/weight: 12.7 PS/tonne

Engine & transmission:
6-cyl petrol Maybach HL62 TR with 140 PS (138 hp, 103 kW)

Armament:
1× 7.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 42/L 70 (7.5 cm Pak 42) with 51 rounds
1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun with 2.000 rounds

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 125 'Jagdwespe'; vehicle '201', 2. Panzerjägerbattalion, Panzer Division 'Feldherrnhalle 2', Deutsches Heer; upper Danube region, early 1945 (Whif/modified Italeri/ESCI kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A relatively simple and quick project, realized in a couple of days. The concept was quite clear, and thanks to good ingredients the result looks surprisingly plausible, with relatively few and little modifications. The different Panzer III wheels were not a necessary mod, but I like their look, and painting them while being already attached to the hull posed less problems than expected. The only real trouble came through the kit's vinyl tracks, which I'd call rubbish and recommend a replacement. If they'd be made from a less repellant material, they'd be much easier to mount (and usable). However, the small Jagdwespe really looks like a juvenile Nashorn SPG!

Wardukw · May 30, 2023, 11:37:11 PM

Bloody awesome stuff Thomas..it has a fantastic profile and I'm not going to get tempted to build this in 35th

Old Wombat · May 31, 2023, 12:49:41 AM

Very nice job there, Dizzy!

Dizzyfugu · May 31, 2023, 01:00:08 AM

Thank you, gents!

Jakko · May 31, 2023, 02:03:09 AM

Nice one

NARSES2 · May 31, 2023, 06:10:22 AM

That works remarkably well