The Sd.Kfz. 124 ''Wespe'' (German for "
wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
"), also known as ''Leichte Feldhaubitze 18/2 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf.)'' ("Light field howitzer 18 on Panzer II chassis (self-propelled)"), is a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
self-propelled gun
Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...
developed and used during the Second World War. It was based on a modified
Panzer II
The Panzer II is the common name used for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was ''Panzerkampfwagen'' II (abbreviated PzKpfw II).
Although the vehicle had originally been designed as a stopgap while l ...
chassis.
Development
During the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
in 1940 it became apparent that the intermediate tank of the German forces, the
Panzer II
The Panzer II is the common name used for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was ''Panzerkampfwagen'' II (abbreviated PzKpfw II).
Although the vehicle had originally been designed as a stopgap while l ...
, was unsuitable as a main battle tank. Though mechanically sound, it was both under-gunned and under-armoured.
The chassis, however, proved serviceable for providing mobility to the
10.5 cm
105 mm (4.1 in) is a common NATO-standard artillery and tank gun caliber. The rifled tank round is defined by STANAG 4458. The artillery round is defined by AOP-29 part 3 with reference to STANAG 4425.
Artillery
Since the early 21st century, mos ...
field howitzer.
Existing chassis were converted to
self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...
vehicles, such as the
Marder II
The ''Marder'' II ("marten" in English) was a German tank destroyer of World War II based on the Panzer II chassis. There were two versions, the first mounted a modified Soviet 7.62 cm gun firing German ammunition, while the other mounted th ...
conversion providing mobility to the PaK 40/7.5 cm anti-tank gun.
The design for the ''Wespe'' was produced by
Alkett, based on the Panzer II ''Ausf. F''
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
.
Alkett had earlier worked with
Alfred Becker
Alfred Becker (20 August 1899 – 26 December 1981) was a German engineer and artillery officer who served during the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wars. During the Second World War he took captured British and French vehicl ...
to convert captured French armoured vehicles into self-propelled artillery carriers. 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 superstructure was lightly armored, with 10 mm armor plate (enough to stop small arms fire) left open at the top and rear.
The vehicles were produced by
FAMO
FAMO, short for Fahrzeug- und Motoren-Werke (''Automobile and Engine Works'') was a German vehicle manufacturer in the early 20th century.
Products
* Sd.Kfz. 9: Heavy half-track used by German forces in World War II; some were also produced by V ...
's
Ursus
Ursus is Latin for bear. It may also refer to:
Animals
* ''Ursus'' (mammal), a genus of bears
People
* Ursus of Aosta, 6th-century evangelist
* Ursus of Auxerre, 6th-century bishop
* Ursus of Solothurn, 3rd-century martyr
* Ursus (''praefectus ...
plant in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
.
The ''Wespe'' was in production 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 were produced to serve as mobile artillery ammunition carriers.
Combat history
The ''Wespe'' first saw combat in 1943 on the
Eastern Front.
It proved very successful, and
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
ordered all Panzer II chassis production be dedicated to the ''Wespe'' alone, at the expense of other projects, including the
Marder II
The ''Marder'' II ("marten" in English) was a German tank destroyer of World War II based on the Panzer II chassis. There were two versions, the first mounted a modified Soviet 7.62 cm gun firing German ammunition, while the other mounted th ...
self-propelled anti-tank gun.
The vehicles were allocated to the armored artillery battalions (''Panzerartillerie Abteilungen'') of
Panzer division
A Panzer division was one of the armored (tank) divisions in the army of Nazi Germany during World War II. Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in the blitzkrieg operations of the early years of World War II. Later the Waffe ...
s along with heavier
Hummel self-propelled artillery.
The Wespe brought greater mobility to the artillery formations of the panzer divisions.
The Wespe proved reliable and highly maneuverable, but like contemporary self propelled guns such as the British
Sexton and U.S.
M7 Priest
The 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7 was an American self-propelled gun vehicle produced during World War II. It was given the official service name 105 mm Self Propelled Gun, Priest by the British Army, due to the pulpit-like machin ...
, had inadequate overhead gun crew protection.
The Wespe was a considerably smaller target than either of these allied vehicles, but it also held less ammunition given it was based on a smaller chassis chosen based upon availability given limited production capacity for larger ones.
Surviving vehicles
*At the
Deutsches Panzermuseum
The German Tank Museum (german: Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster (DPM))[''Deutsches Pa ...](_blank)
in Munster, Germany
*At the
Musée des Blindés
The ''Musée des Blindés'' ("Museum of Armoured Vehicles") or ''Musée Général Estienne'' is a tank museum located in the Loire Valley of France, in the town of Saumur. It is now one of the world's largest tank museums. It began in 1977 un ...
in
Saumur
Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...
, France
[
*At the ]Kubinka Tank Museum
The Kubinka Tank Museum (Центральный музей бронетанкового вооружения и техники - Tsentral'nyy Muzey Bronetankovogo Vooruzheniya I Tekhniki -Central Museum of Armored Arms and Technology) is a larg ...
in Russia[
*At the '' Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy'' in Bayeux, France,][ a wrecked Wespe is included in a diorama about the Battle of the Falaise Pocket. The vehicle displayed was actually destroyed in the Falaise Pocket in August 1944
*A replica, originally made for the movie '' A Bridge Too Far'', is displayed at the ]Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum
The Technik Museum Sinsheim is a technology museum in Sinsheim, Germany. Opened in 1981, it is run by a registered association called "Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim e. V." which also runs the nearby Technik Museum Speyer.
Statistics
, the museum ...
References
External links
Achtung Panzer!
Surviving Panzer II tanks
- A PDF file presenting the Panzer II tanks (PzKpfw. II, Luchs, Wespe, Marder II tanks) still existing in the world
Tanks Encyclopedia - Wespe
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
World War II self-propelled artillery of Germany
105 mm artillery
Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944