Tamiya Wespe German Self-Propelled Howitzer WWII #89619  [89619]

Tamiya #89619 - Wespe German Self-Propelled Howitzer

Concerning the German Personal Propelled Howitzer "Wespe"

Whenever German Forces encountered the harsh Russian winter and superiority of Soviet tanks on the Eastern Front during WW2, they hurried to develop new equipment instantly. Along with more powerful tanks and anti-tank weaponry, fully tracked self-propelled guns were necessary to come with motorized troops. To fulfill this need, a few prototypes were built up utilizing existing firearms and tracked chassis as interim solutions. One mounted the sort 18/2, 10.5cm L/28 light howitzer on a Panzer II framework. The gun had been the standard light industry howitzer utilized by German artillery forces at that time, therefore the Panzer II had recently been proven dependable having its cross-country ability. To mount the weapon, the motor must be relocated from back towards center regarding the hull. The movable tank turret had been replaced with a simple box-shaped metal structure. As its primary part had been meant to be for infantry support, the fighting compartment ended up being only lightly armored in front and sides, and the top was left uncovered. The completed weapons system permitted the gun to raise 42 levels and traverse 34 levels, and had a muzzle braking system put into the gun to cut back recoil. It carried a crew of five with 32 rounds of 10.5cm howitzer ammunition. Officially known as the "Wespe" (Wasp in German), its manufacturing began in February 1943, and even though originally meant as a stopgap weapon, it remained in manufacturing until September 1944 with 676 produced.