Marder II

Marder II
This Marder II (Sd.Kfz. 131) was nicknamed "" (Coal thief), after a propaganda caricature which was very popular in Germany from 1942 onward.
Type	Tank destroyer
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Specifications
Weight	10.8 tonnes (23,809 lb)
Length	6.36 m (20 ft 10 in)
Width	2.28 m (7 ft 6 in)
Height	2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
Crew	3
Armor	5-35 mm (.19 -1.37 in)
Main armament	1x 7.5 cm Pak 40 37 rounds
Engine	Maybach HL 62 TRM 140 PS (138 hp, 103 kW)
Power/weight	13 PS (9.5 kW) / tonne
Suspension	Leaf spring
Operational range	190 km (118 mi)
Speed	40 km/h (25 mph)

The Marder II was a German tank destroyer of World War II based on the Panzer II chassis. There were two versions, the first mounted modified Soviet 7.62 cm guns firing German ammunition, 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. Nevertheless, the Marder II (and similar Marder III) provided a great increase in firepower over contemporary German tanks during 1942 and into 1943. Only four Marder IIs remain today.

During the very first days of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Germans were shocked to encounter Soviet T-34 medium tanks and KV heavy tanks. Although the Wehrmacht succeeded in most operations due to superior tactics, air support and supply, it had few anti-tank weapons capable of successfully engaging these vehicles at normal ranges. An urgent need arose for a more mobile and powerful anti-tank weapon than the existing towed anti-tank guns or tank destroyers like the Panzerjäger I.

Among a series of solutions, it was decided to use light tanks, like the Panzer II, and captured vehicles, like the Lorraine Schlepper, as the basis for makeshift tank destroyers. The result was the Marder series, which were armed with either the new 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank guns or captured Soviet 7.62 cm F-22 Model 1936 field guns, large numbers of which had been acquired early in the war.

The Marder II came in two major versions. The first version (Sd.Kfz. 132) was based on the light Panzer II Ausf. D/E and Flammpanzer II chassis with a new torsion bar suspension featuring four large road wheels and a "slack track" with no track return rollers. It was armed with captured Soviet 7.62 cm guns, re-chambered to accept German 7.5 cm Pak 40 ammunition, which improved its penetrative capabilities. These early Marder IIs had a very high silhouette (2.60 m high) and thin armor - only 30 mm (front) and 10 to 15 mm (sides). There was no armour on the top or rear, leaving the crew with very little protection. Alkett and Wegmann produced 201 Marder II (Sd. Kfz. 132) from early 1942 to early 1943.