Editing Tank destroyer (section)

=== Germany ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-782-0041-31, Nordafrika, Panzerjäger 1.jpg|thumb|''[[Panzerjäger I]]'']]

The first [[Nazi Germany|German]] tank destroyers were the ''[[Panzerjäger]]'' ("Tank Hunters"), which mounted an existing anti-tank gun on a convenient chassis for mobility, usually with just a three-sided [[gun shield]] for crew protection. For instance, 202 obsolete [[Panzer I]] light tanks were modified by removing the turret and were rebuilt as the [[Panzerjäger I]] self-propelled [[4,7cm KPÚV vz. 38|4.7 cm PaK(t)]]. Similarly, [[Panzer II]] tanks were used on the eastern front. Captured Soviet {{nowrap|76.2 mm}} anti-tank guns were mounted on modified Panzer II chassis, producing the [[Marder II]] self-propelled anti-tank gun. The most common mounting was a German {{nowrap|75 mm}} anti-tank gun on the Czech [[Panzer 38(t)]] chassis as the [[Marder III]]. The Panzer 38(t) chassis was also used to make the [[Hetzer|Jagdpanzer 38]] casemate style tank destroyer. The Panzerjäger series continued up to the {{nowrap|88 mm}} equipped [[Nashorn]].

German tank destroyers based on the [[Panzer III]] medium tank and later German tanks had more armour than their tank counterparts. One of the more successful German tank destroyers was designed as a self-propelled artillery gun, the ''[[Sturmgeschütz III]]''. Based on the Panzer III tank chassis, the ''Sturmgeschütz III'' was originally fitted with a short barreled low-velocity howitzer-like gun, and was assigned to the artillery arm for infantry fire support as an [[assault gun]]. Later, after encountering Soviet tanks, it was refitted with a comparatively short-barreled high-velocity anti-tank gun, usually with a [[muzzle brake]], enabling it to function as a tank destroyer. The ''Sturmgeschütz III'' from its 1938 origin used a new casemate-style superstructure with an integrated design, similar to the later ''[[Jagdpanzer]]'' vehicle designs' superstructure, to completely enclose the crew. It was employed in infantry support and offensive armoured operations as well as in the defensive anti-tank role. The StuG III assault gun was Germany's most-produced fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle during World War II, and second-most produced German armoured combat vehicle of any type after the [[Sd.Kfz. 251]] [[half-track]].

[[File:Jagdpanther2.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Jagdpanther]]'']]

Although the early German ''Panzerjäger'' carried more effective weapons than the tanks on which they were based, they were generally lacking in protection for the crew, having thinly armoured open-topped superstructures. The "open-topped" design format of the ''Panzerjäger'' vehicles was succeeded by the ''[[Jagdpanzer]]'' ("hunting tanks"), which mounted the gun in true casemate-style superstructures, completely enclosing the crew compartment in armor that was usually integral to the hull. The first of these ''Jagdpanzer''s was the 70-ton ''Ferdinand'' (later renamed ''[[Elefant]]''), based on the chassis, hulls, and drive systems of ninety-one Porsche [[VK 4501 (P)|VK4501 (P)]] heavy tanks,{{Efn|The hulls had been built by Porsche in expectation of selection as a heavy tank but had been rejected in favour of what became the [[Tiger I]].}} mounting a long-barreled [[8.8 cm Pak 43|88 mm]] cannon in an added casemate, more like the earlier ''Panzerjägers'' had with their added-on armour shielding for the gun crew, but in the ''Ferdinand'' completely enclosing the gun and firing crew in the added casemate, as the later purpose-built ''Jagdpanzers'' would. However, the ''Ferdinand'' was mechanically unreliable and difficult to maneuver, and once all ninety-one unturreted "Porsche Tiger" hulls/drive systems were converted, no more were built. The German Army had more success with the [[Jagdpanther]]. Introduced in mid-1944, the Jagdpanther, of which some 415 examples were produced, was considered the best of the casemate-design Jagdpanzer designs.<ref name="tanks">Forty and Livesey 2006 p. 33</ref> It featured the same powerful PaK 43 88 mm cannon used on the unwieldy ''Elefant'', now fitted to the chassis of the medium [[Panther tank]], providing greatly improved armour-penetrating capability in a medium-weight vehicle.

Facing an increasingly defensive war, the German Army turned to larger and more powerfully armed Jagdpanzer designs, and in July 1944 the first ''[[Jagdtiger]]'' rolled off the production line; it was the heaviest German armoured fighting vehicle to go into active service.<ref name="tanks"/>  The ''Jagdtiger'' was based on the [[Tiger II]] heavy tank featured a very large [[12.8 cm Pak 44|128 mm PaK 44]] cannon and heavy armour protection. Only 88 ''Jagdtiger'' vehicles were produced, barely matching the total number of the earlier Ferdinand / Elefant vehicles. They were first deployed to combat units in September 1944.

[[File:Jagdtiger 1 Bovington.jpg|thumb|''[[Jagdtiger]]'']]

The decision of German armoured vehicle designers to use a casemate-style superstructure for all tank destroyers had the advantage of a reduced silhouette, allowing the crew to more frequently fire from defilade ambush positions. Such designs were also easier and faster to manufacture and offered good crew protection from artillery fire and shell splinters. However, the lack of a rotating turret limited the gun's traverse to a few degrees. This meant that the driver normally had to turn the entire tank onto its target, a much slower process than simply rotating a powered turret.<ref>Irwin, John P. ''Another River, Another Town'', New York: Random House Publishers (2002), pp. 61–61</ref> If the vehicle became immobilized due to engine failure or track damage, it could not rotate its gun to counter opposing tanks, making it highly vulnerable to counterfire.<ref>Irwin, pp. 61–61</ref> This vulnerability was later exploited by opposing tank forces. Even the largest and most powerful of German tank destroyers were found abandoned on the field after a battle, having been immobilized by one or more hits by high explosive (HE) or armour-piercing (AP) shells to the track or front drive sprocket.<ref>Irwin, pp. 61–62: Even the U.S. M4 Sherman could disable a Jagdpanther's track or fracture the front drive sprocket with a 75&nbsp;mm HE shell. As the crew abandoned their vehicle, they were easy targets for enemy machinegun fire.</ref>