German Tank Destroyer Hetzer Mid Production
Length: 180.5 mm. The image shows a painted and assembled kit.
From the middle stages of WWII, Allied tank designs showed steady improvement and featured greater firepower and armour protection. Under these circumstances, the German army increasingly depended on turretless tank destroyers armed with a powerful gun on a limited-traverse mount. Among these was the Hetzer, a compact tank destroyer based on the Czech-made 38t tank chassis that had 60mm sloped frontal armour and a 75mm main gun. Entering service from July 1944, the Hetzer's low silhouette and powerful armament made it a respectable adversary on both the Eastern and Western fronts. Approximately 2,800 Hetzers of different variants were produced, and they also served with the Czech and Swiss armed forces after the end of WWII.
