The Jadpanzer 38, or Hetzer, was a light tank destroyer produced from 1944 – 1945. 2584 were made, and it was used by Nazi Germany and its allies. Modifications of it were used by the Czech Republic and Switzerland. It replaced the Marder III, keeping the same chassis. It was better armoured than the Marder, with armour plate of 60 mm sloped at 60 degrees. It has a hexagonal appearance, owing to the sides of the hull sloping 15 degrees. The Hetzer carried a 75mm gun. It also had the advantage of being reliable, compact and cheap. Previous tank destroyers had suffered from mechanical difficulties.
The Jadpanzer was fully enclosed by armour, making it heavier than the Marder III by 5 tons. In total, it weighed almost 16 tons. This increased weight meant that the track had to be widened from 293 mm to 350 mm.
In this post we see a Jadpanzer 38 being recovered from the Gulf of Gdansk in the Baltic Sea in 2007.
With thanks to the guys over at odkrywca.pl
A massive digger and a recovery tank are present to recover the Hetzer
It is out there somewhere
There it is, the first time above the water in over 65 years!
A beautiful sight, seeing it slowly rise above the water
Nearly on dry land, look at the sandbar that has immediately formed in front of the Hetzer, some serious power is needed to get it on dry land!
What a beauty!
The first inspection, looking great!
Some rust on the armor plating but not too bad, considering it was under water for over 65 years
Spraying the sand and sooth off
Nearly on dry land, the first inspection continues, the track on the right-hand side is missing.
You wouldn’t believe it spent 65 years under water.
What an amazing treasure to rescue
Looking in the Hetzer
A look at what is left of the engine that won’t start for a while!
The 75mm gun, a quick wash and ready to go?
Digging out the much, the guy on the right is standing on the drive train, the engine is in the back, the transfer case is at the front.
Some of the 75mm shells that were still in the Hetzer
Looking in the barrel, note the recovered shells on the left
That looks just awesome!
Everybody loves it!
The shells have been removed, time to move the Hetzer
After being pulled the first meters,
You can clearly see the missing track on the right-hand side, they seem to have stored it in the Hetzer.
On the low loader, ready to go
Off to be preserved and restored!
