- Yes
- No
caid’s suggestion #138
I would suggest here the G-13 tank
the G-13 is a Swiss tank based on the German Jagdpanzer 38 Hetzer produced after WW2.
after WW2, Switzerland which had successfully maintained its neutrality, now faces a new threat that is particularly worrisome. the Soviet Union now fielding IS-3 and T-34 is particularly dangerous as the Swiss have no means to fight them. the defense strategy of Switzerland is mainly to retreat to the heights and fight from the many bunkers carved In the heart of the mountains which are theoretically untakable. during WW2 the relatively steady relationship with the Germans didn’t make them expect a German invasion which would have required them to modernize their army with more powerful tanks. the Soviets however were far from being friendly toward Switzerland even if there was no direct clash. the PzWg 39 with its 24mm gun was simply useless against any tanks at this time. the need for a new tank capable of at least being a threat to the Soviet heavy tanks and any other modern tank was urgent.
WW2 didn’t leave Europe without a choice. there was dozen variants of tanks available in quantity but not necessarily in the best states. many were damaged and wormed out from the combat. Switzerland did acquire serial tanks from a friendly country nearby. notably France who sold them half a dozen different tanks including the Stug 3, Jadgpanther, Hetzer, Panther, Shermand, and even a Canadian Ram tanks. those tanks were acquired by France during WW2. many were just captured while other was given to them through military aid from the allied country. Switzerland studied and tested those tanks. they studied their guns, their mobility, and their firepower. at the same time, Switzerland was developing the Nahkampfkanone II which turned out to be excellent but expensive. the newly reformed Czechoslovakian industry was proposing to produce the Hetzer for Switzerland. the tank being lighter was more adapted to the Swiss alpine terrain. the main modification was to change the gun for the Stuk.40
which muzzle reduces the recoil and extends the life of the barrel. the Czechoslovakian tank was accepted into service in 1946 and 158 was built and entered service in 1949. Renamed G-13 in the Swiss army, this tank was the main tank of Switzerland for the alpine area until the introduction of the Pz 61 in 1963. the Pz 51 and Pz 57 used in the low land were unfit for the narrow roads and unstable ground of the swiss Alpes. additionally, over time the G-13 receives a modification. it got an additional roff LMG for close defense, spare tracks carried on the side of the tank (exactly where the armor is the weakest) and in the 50s, it received a new engine. along with the modification, it received a Skoda-made round who have a velocity of 835 m/sec which was the round that entered services for this tank. other rounds for training were also used. but those are for training so I pay no attention to them in the context of the game. a few Bofors rounds were tested in 1954. notably an APDS and APHE. but outside the test itself, I got no information on those rounds’ specifications which does not allow me to calculate the performance.
Firepower
the armament is the 7.5 cm Panzerabwherkanone 40 L/48 which is based on the Stuk.40 from WW2. The gun offers a higher lifespan and better recoil than the Pak.39 used in the Hetzer. the rounds used are designed by Skoda and offer different velocities than the German rounds used in WW2. The improvement is small but still welcome. the elevation of the gun remains unchanged from -6° to +10° which is not the best but allows some use. the gun can turn 5° to the left and 11° to the right which is also limited but can be used anyway. the fire rate remains unchanged over the German equivalent which is right for the game. the tank carries 40 rounds for the 75mm. the sight is a Zeiss Sfl.ZF-1a offers a zoom of 5x with a 8° FoV. additionally, the tank also features a roof Maschinengewehr 1938 with 600 rounds. this was intended to be used for the infantry and to defend the tank against light targets at close range. this machine-gun turns on 360° and can elevate at 95°. so even if it does not turn around, it can fire a bit backward aiming high enough. this machine gun is placed pretty high on his pintle to allow better AA aiming.
Mobility
this tank has a pretty average mobility. neither great nor bad, it can move around at 42 km/h but will go on reverse at 7 km/h. this is nothing exceptional amounts of the WW2 vehicles. the tank weighed 16 tonnes which is fairly light and was one of the reasons why this tank was adopted by the Swiss army. it was powered by a Skoda Praga epa AC/2800 offering 160 hp at 2600 rpm. this engine is a gasoline engine and a diesel Saurer CH2DRM offering 150 hp at 2000 rpm was later introduced. those engine both offer pretty similar performance which makes them relatively the same. the transmission is a Praga Wilson Typ CH offering 5 forward speeds and 1 reverse. the suspension is made of leaf spring bogies. for mobility, this tank will remain pretty much the same as the Hetzer.
Protection
this tank has an interesting protection despite the weight. the front has a pretty decent thickness and good slope with 60mm at 60° which will make most rounds not penetrate this armor even at short range. while the front is well protected, the side is not that armored. 20mm protection on the side and the slope give it more vulnerability against aircraft which at this BR can easily penetrate it with the 20mm autocannon. the G-13 has this feature to use spare tracks on the side which improves the protection greatly. in theory, the aircraft would have much more difficulty penetrating it and most smaller caliber tanks would have to aim around the spare track to penetrate it. the crew of 4 men is offering some chance to survive a few hits even if it penetrates it. the tank is not particularly small but it’s a bit smaller than the average.
sources
some online source for a bit of history…
- The Modelling News: Czech-made Swiss-used G13 "Hetzer" coming from Takom
- Hetzer G-13 Tank Destroyer Bayeux Battle of Normandy Museum
- Hetzer - Wikipedia
- G-13 : Czechoslovakia / Czech Republic / Slovak Republic (CZK/CZE/SVK)
Some primary sources for all the things the online source has wrong
Spoiler
The Switzerland supporter discord is open to everyone
If you like to see some wacky tanks if you want to see unique aircraft, if you want to see something about a new nation that could make it to the game. Switzerland is for you
the Swiss Discord is dedicated to researching Swiss military material and support. no qualification is needed. if you want to help or have a look around, follow this link and we would be happy to welcome you
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