Hetzer - a German mobile armoured coffin
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The Hetzer (or Jagdpanzer 38t) - it is a 'cool'-looking vehicle, and a favourite with WW2 tank enthusiasts, but was it all that great to fight in?
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That threading on the outside of the barrel is for the bayonet.
lol
It isnt a japanese tank bdw. :D
Yup perfect for tank jousting
Knowing how the fighting on the Eastern front was I don't even doubt this.
Silencer
Herzer irl: rolling coffin, horrible visibility, roughly designed Herzer in warthunder: death incarnate, crusher and driver of enemies, listener of lamentations
broken transmission intensifies EVERYONE shoots the lfp
Jared Mannarino Same thing could be said in WoT
*D E S T R O Y E R O F W O R L D S*
If anyone is having trouble against this tank, you can shoot the LOWER FRONTAL PLATE, which will 100% dedtroy the transmission. Without the ability to move, it can be easily flanked and shot in the side. Alternatively, you can shoot the barrel, or just keep on shooting that lower frontal plate to kill the driver over and over until the crew is exhausted. Happy hunting :)
I was wondering if War Thunder would pop up.
Hetzer basically means: someone who relentlessly hunts you down to exhaustion
yes, german is very good in defining aspects with just one word, like "shadenfreude" ( to be happy about somebodys disgrace). In spanish, we don´t have any word for this (although we know the concept very well)
By that definition, I would say the best translation into English would be "Harrier".
@@Tjalve70 Very good choice of word. Yes that would be the equivalent
Although the Hetzer was more of an ambush hunter, rather than an endurance hunter
Exactly There IS a direct translation for Hetzer in English. HETZER = HAUNTER from HAUNT = the dog's job to HAUNT the Boar into the right direction and weaken its stamina until tired out to be killed by the Hunters on Horse on the old HATZ Jagd mostly done by nobles. the HATZ jagd is the Hunt STYLE with dogs where the deer or boar is getting HETZED/HAUNTED by THE DOGS until weakend or Driven in the right direction towards the mostly cavalry riding HATZ the Hunters on horse cutting of its way.
I have a friend who acquired a Hetzer from some museum in Europe. It was more or less intact - the pieces they had to remove to make it "demiliterized" were shipped separately. Via the internet he also managed to aquire a full set of manuals for it. They were in German, obviously, but he can read German fairly well, so that wasn't a problem. It took him about 4 or 5 years, but he completely rebuilt it. The canon and machine gun fire propane blanks, but otherwise its fully functional. He takes it around to military shows and WWII reenactments.
Bullshit!!! Tanks are illegal everywhere
nice 👍
Why do I get the feeling that Lindy just asked sone random passerby to hold the camera for him, then started rattling off about the Hetzer for the next 15 minutes
Because that's exactly what he did
Cre8iveCat he would kidnap you and would assault you with a ramble or two
Hey kid, want to make a quick 10 bucks?
@@manictiger i read this in his voice
Probably was like would care for some tea and a biscuit? Come this way, oh since you are here, hold this camera. The poor person didnt have the heart to be rude and leave.
"I think that one thing that keeps crews safe is the ability to see. Also, being on the side that is winning is quite handy..."
Tell that to the Soviet crews
@@jakeflfirelegend5377 i laughed so hard i spit beer on the keybord. Great.
The Hetzer wasn’t a tank. It was a self propelled armoured anti tank gun. It weighed only 16 tons and had pretty good armour. It wouldn’t get employed as a tank or be put in those situations.
**when the last order was radio silence and you don't know the war is over.**
@Rodolfo Ramos Right. And one could attempt to kill p4s in short range with a Churchill I by relying on the shockwaves to knock the crew out. But that's not the intended use and a poor way to judge the Churchill's performance. Just so, while a Hetzer may have been employed as a tank, it was not a tank and that was not it's intended use.
That ceiling in the museum is absolutely fascinating.
Have you not seen an unfinished ceiling? It's similar to what you'd see in a warehouse store or another establishment going for that "look."
@@VideoMask93 i was surprised by a lack of birds inside (i was briefly working in a shop with similar ceiling which had birds inside the shop)
@@gorionus9812 I think I've seen some birds in a CostCo once before.
@Kai Houston RIght? Who was intersted in a Hetzer, anyway ??
@@gorionus9812 Do you expect birds shitting on those tanks?
The jagdpanzer 38t wasn’t terrible once you’re given more context. It was a great defensive weapon, and was used as such. My ancestor was ambushed in the Hurtgen Forest by an entire platoon of these vehicles, and they performed quite well in the ambush role. You just can’t use them on the offensive.
Exactly, it was built for a specific role. They had radio's and infantry to be their eyes and ears. Wouldn't want to be caught in the open on its own. But that's not how it was used.
@@todcarter110 lindy beige lost a lot of credibility in his “spandau” vs bren video… this video is another example
That's the idea behind all casemate tank destroyers, esp. in German doctrine. Hold and defend positions against armoured attacks, hopefully in pre-prepared positions. They were not intended to maneuver the way the M18 or M36 were, especially not independently. That was done late war out of sheer desperation.
"My ancestor" lol
@@ApeRiderrhow?
"It was a mobile coffin" "It did do the job" made me chuckle.
Well Switzerland used this tank until the nineteen eighties!!!! So much for coffin thr design was brilliant . Coffins were built in Italy ( M 13/40) or Japan!
Steffen Rosmus the Hetzer had an ugly drawback as it had thin 20 mm armour at the sides so it was easily defeated with anti-tank rifle or anything bigger but it was not meant to fight in the streets or in the open fields, it was built as a tank destroyer to shoot from concealed bushes. In this it was very effective also because of it's diminutive size making it relatively easy to conceal! I understood that despite it was cramped making it difficult to handle the ammo it was quite popular with the crew and was quite easy to mantain. In my opinion it was handicapped by having poor placing of periscopes and limited view with the too narrow armoured glass for the driver. Nevertheless it gave good account at the final months of war!
@Aodh buí Mac an Ridrí You mistake that with the STUG.
@@petrameyer1121 He is right, the infantry did love having these Hetzer around. StuG's were better in almost every way but when you are facing hordes of T34's these things were great. They were cheap to build and were reliable running in the field. Their gun was more than capable of stopping a T34 or a Sherman at range. The gun, dispite the periscope sight was more likely to get a first round hit than the T34 or the Sherman under combat conditions.
@Carnivorus The offset of a periscope sight above the tank could cause misalignment of the shot. A periscope sight is great to line up the initial shot while behind cover. An inline sight mounted on the cannon's frame is better for final alignment of the shot. Ideally you want both for flexibility in use.
Editor: what animation u want for "hetzer" words Lindybeige: YES
Lmao
No.
He basically just took every possible stock text animation preset in Sony Vegas and put it in the video.
So he had a conversation with himself
Will that lame joke ever die?
The weird thing is that he doesn't like the Hetzer, but he loves the Jagdpanther, which is basically just a bigger Hetzer.
he has no idea what hes talking about just another youtube narcissist. in another video he claims that flaming arrows didnt exist and didnt work when there is a mass of evidence to the contrary.
@@stayhungry1503lol. Did you even watch the video? He says that they are wildly inefficient and stupid for a field battles ( a context that Hollywood loves to show them in). He then says they were totally used during sieges, and explains in-depth why it's a good tactic in that situation.
@@stayhungry1503Did you say something? I just heard 'blah blah blah narcissist blah blah REEEEEEE'?
@@stayhungry1503Found the wehraboo
@@Lepper36It's quite a balanced review. But for some reason Lindybeige, really rubs the Wehraboos up the wrong way!
"This was a mobile coffin, in many respects, but it was reliable..." In that regard, is how I view most tanks. An armoured box designed to get you just far enough into battle to hopefully survive the first four minutes without being forcibly immolated by unseen threats...
....and just keep your fingers crossed that the rocket-firing Typhoons don't turn up!
@@davidjones332 bloody rocket wielding typhoons
Victory usually went to whoever saw the enemy first. You could look at the brilliant ambush Micheal Wittmann executed on a British armored column at Villers-Bocage (June 13, 1944) or the ambush executed on Wittmann's column on August 8, 1944. In the first action the Germans destroyed more than 25 tanks, but lost 6 Tigers and several other tanks in the subsequent bombardment by aircraft and artillery. In that last action, a column of 7 Tiger tanks supported by Panzer IVs and self-propelled guns were ambushed by British and Canadian Sherman tanks with the loss of 5 Tigers, 2 Panzer IVs and 2 self-propelled guns before the Germans managed to run away, run away! I understand no Shermans were harmed in the execution of that ambush. Virtually all Tiger tanks were lost in the course of the war, while only a small % of Shermans were lost. Wouldn't want to be going one on one Sherman against a Tiger, but being part of the best combined arms doctrine of the War with air superiority and a tremendous logistical supply chain arming powerful and effective artillery batteries.... it pays to be on the winning side.
“It beats dragging a PAK through the mud” Hillary Doyle
Very good comment.
Not if you are low on fuel.
At least you can run away from a PAK when hordes of T-34s or Shermans turn up =)
Was it Hillary Doyle or Nick Moran who said that? I first heard it from Nick.
@@joelhume Cuz men totally run faster than T-34s and Shermans.
2:09 Guy in the background with the camera: "bloody hell this guy's here again"
I bet next he'll start ranting about Brexit.
*sighs*
Nah, he just can't believe the hatch situation either
@@lamolambda8349 Best thing is it doesn't matter which side he takes, he's still annoying either way.
Lindy probably has the Gold Pass membership at Bovington... ;)
In modern German, "Panzer" as a stand-alone word has taken on the exclusive meaning of "tank". The older meaning of "armor" has been entirely taken over by the words "Panzerung". The only exception I know of is the field of biology/zoology, where "Panzer" means "carapace", and thus could still be translated as "armor". But other than that - no, the German word "Panzer" does NOT mean "armor" these days.
@@user-xr5up3ed3z Where do you have your information from? I'm a native speaker living in Germany. I've actually never heard the use of "Panzer" for pieces of body armor, except in rare historic contexts. "Kugelsichere Weste", "Splitterschutzweste" or "Schutzweste" for short would be terms for modern equipment, while "Rüstung" and "Harnisch" would be terms for historic equipment (the complete kit and the breast piece, respectively). I _have_ heard compound terms such as "Brustpanzer", but I'm pretty sure I've never heard or read "Panzer" used, in this sense as a stand-alone term, anywhere in Germany, neither in person nor in German media, by any contemporary speaker/writer. I concede that "Panzer" might still be in use in that sense in Switzerland or Austria, or a few regional dialects. But in mainstream "German German", from my experience that use of the word has gone extinct.
@@CLipka2373 The word "Panzer" for " armor" is correct and understandable, also in germany. Its obviously not that often used, as people dont talk about armors or tanks the whole day, but often enought in documentations, books, movies, videogames...etc. Besides, i am quite shure if someone would tell you he is wearing a panzer, you would not think he is balancing a t-34 on the palm of his hand.
Nicht ganz wahr, auch in vermodernden Kontexten wird noch von Panzer geredet- Schuppenpanzer, Plattnepanzer, Lamellenpanzer (das Zeug was die Samurai trugen) usw.
A rhinoceros is a panzernashorn in german. At least it is in the Berlin Zoo.
I too think it's regional. In the southern German dialects it's not as weird to still say Panzer to an armor. Especially in Combinations like "Brustpanzer" (chestplate).
The Hetzer was very cost effective. It had a good kill ratio. It was also hated by its crews.
How many ways of the word "Hetzer" appearing on the screen do you want? Lindy: Yes.
All of them
yes memes are such old hat shit.
he had me at the green lightning
@Breezy Mods thanks friend :) have a good day friend :)
Thirteen year old me upon discovering PowerPoint.
To be honest it was better than pushing around a pak-40 in the mud.
And you´ll be safe from counter artillery fire with shrapnel. If they use HE, then you can still rather quickly relocate with gun and ammunition, very unlike a pak-40...
The Chieftain.
Well then at that point what tank isnt better than that bs
Hanz ze pak zirty iz ztuk in ze mud again get za panzter aut
Comparing tank destroyers to AT guns? Apples & oranges anyone?
Tank: Has weakness WW2 Enthusiasts: Mobile Coffin
Tank: Is weakness. FIFY.
It's not just a weakness to not have a fucking gun sight
@@Kaadilac Tell that to the M10, or the M18, or the Jadpanzer, or the SU-85, or ISU-152, or the Long 88 gun emplacement. Or the infantry manned soviet 75mm. All of them had gunsights. You kind of need to see what you're shooting at. It's like shooting a gun 3 meters to the left of the trigger and not seeing the target having to rely on someone to tell you if your shot was correct when he can't even see the barrel well enough. But the gun is a 75mm cannon and you're shooting at an armored vehicle with a cannon bigger than yours and a gun sight. Why even bother defending it lol.
@@CassiusGreen Yea fair enough
@ALSO-RAN ! You need a optics that are in line with and next to the gun. Like on modern tanks.
"I don't want to expose myself on the roof of this thing!" What's meant: A crewman popping out to reload the gun What I imagined: awkward nude solider on the roof of a Hetzer
Germans do love their nudity.
Whats wrong with you both
@@henri.stach1208 everything.
Normal Winnie Pooh: "Hetzer" Winnie Pooh With Tux: "Jagdpanzer 38(t)" Winnie Pooh with Wermacht outfit: "JAGDPANZER ACHTUNDDREIẞIG (TSCHECHISH)"
@cis this Well, yes, but actually, no.
OP, tiny nitpick if I may, German numbers are spelled without space or hyphen. As such it is ACHTUNDDREIẞIG.
@@klobiforpresident2254 ah yes I forgot about that, danke Schön meine Freund/Freundin
@@mtf_nine_tailed_fox385 Gern geschehen, Kamerad!
@cis this does it not mean tankhunter?
3:58 "You can't depress the gun enough to shoot him..." Tank commander: Shoot him you worthless piece of sheet metal! Machine gun: :(((
DeeJayster Lol
Love the fact you mentioned the romanian prototype as the inspiration. Not many know ^^
preach brother
My wife's uncle served in one of these in the Swiss Army after the war and has fond memories of it. Its role was that of a self propelled anti tank gun. It was protected by infantry and communicated with external spotters and the battery command post by means of telephone (which was linked to intercom) for which each vehicle had its own 600m cable drum. Using it as a tank is a ridiculous and unlikely idea, even in desperate times.
Yes, this post and most of the comments misses the main point of the Hetzer. It was indeed designed as a self-propelled antitank gun, not for infantry support or for armoured manoeuvre. It was an extremely cost-effective weapon in that role - far more so than light tanks or any of the heavy armour.
With that attitude arguably every tank is an armoured coffin.
And every soldier would be an unarmoured coffin.
No, every footman is an exposed carcass. Unarmored vehicles would be unarmored coffins.
Back in those days? Yeah. Save for a select few, like the Sherman from 1943 onwards, most tanks were heavy, metallic coffins.
Churchill being an exception, of course!
@@miskakopperoinen8408 True, but you get what I mean.
oh no he's stuck in the tank museum again. *puts on hat and grabs gun* 'don't worry lindy, i'll come save you'
It's time for an intervention.
I think it's footage from his visit over a year ago. He's wearing the same sweater in the museum clip he did back then.
@@theblancmange1265 You are new to Lindybeige aren't you?
The only thing he'll leave a tank museum for is vinegar.
@@remainingknight8339 yeah, he's really up on his continuity.
My grandfather drove this tank as he was in the Wehrmacht. He told me some other stories about this tank. It was useful enough for some ambush tactics.
Well, go on, don’t leave us hanging!
Doesn’t it bother you the communists and the USA have prevented the Nazi side to argue their side?
@@jimhendrix2465 I dunno, man. While I mostly agree with your comment as it applies to politics and ideology, when it comes to WW2 performance, there are way more wehraboos that lionize the Nazi military than those that glorify the, in my opinion, superior (especially in the late war) Soviet war machine.
@@roadent217 They’re censoring anything and all things that they don’t want people knowing about. That should give a red flag to everybody
Hopefully he wasn't referring to ambushing the other crew members after eating sauerkraut the night before.....
Tbh your German pronunciation is pretty good. Greetings from Germany
A coffin was never so cute and lovable.
So it was not just me how see it like this come on tell me do you have the feeling you just want to hug it
Or deadly to others...
best armed coffin ever!
I just found out that Hetzer has an escape hatch in the bottom floor.
Well hes kinda full of shit. It was never designed to fight infantry that were taking over the vehicle. It was designed to give infantry support against vehicles. If infantry were on the side, you already fucked up, but its motor should still work and you should be able to move the vehicle. If its disabled, not even a king tiger can be saved from that.
"Let's get to the tank museum." Heh, funny. He never left.
When he is not editing and uploading his videos, he is hiding inside a tank. They didnt know he is still there lol
He has a cot in the employee break room.
" Also, being on the side that's winning is quite handy" Immediate sub
Anytime Lindy goes to a museum Tour guide: That’s my job!
... what is an "Imperial Hour"? Like is it 60 minuts +5 minutes for tea?
Yeah, especially seeing how it was most likely the Egyptians who invented the 12 hours (times two) scale of time to begin with.
55 minutes, with 5 minutes for tea.
@@walthanas Egyptians were very imperial.
@@walthanas i was thinking it was the Sumerians. I'm likely incorrect...happens a lot.
Guess lindy wanted to make people aware that the French invented a decimal based time system after the revolution, and even the French thought it sucked.
I feel like Bovingdon is a random encounter location where you can come across a rare Lloyd npc
t = d
After seeing my fair share of ceilings, I do have to say that is one mighty fine ceiling! 👍
Oh man it took me 20 years to understand British humour, but so glad i did!
"The Polish captured one of these and named it twat." My day has been made XD
It's made mine!
we're quite creative, no?
Polish driving around 'twatting' Germans all day. Classic!! 'Where were you all morning Mariusz?' 'Oh, I was out in the twat!' XD
The name that Poles gave to the captured Hetzer was "Chwat", which means something like Daredevil or Hero. Obviously, it's not "twat", but it was a good joke, nevertheless.
@@MrKersey I think everyone in this thread knows that. That's the entire point of the thread. Don't be a chwat now ;-)
"I don't care if it's wrong I'll call it what I want" - Like a true Englishman, sir.
Not very surprising, but true.
He does that. MG-42 anyone
Those bloody foreigners all understand English. You just have to speak it loud enough.
A name is that by which something/someone is known. If a machine is known as a Hetzer, then that is its name.
@@hermitoldguy6312 By that logic England, Great Britain, and the UK are all the same thing.
From some comments seems like a misconception has been spread: the hetzer is not a tank, it's operative role is not to confront tanks face to face. It's more like a tracked anti tank gun, it has to stay in defensive positions, hidden and almost not move, with close supporting infantry it doesn't need side visibility, otherwise why not drill a couple of holes on the side? In this role you need 1-concealment 2-firepower 3-possibly a good frontal armor, if you fire first not seen, you souldn't have enemy on the sides. Furthermore it was far cheaper than a PzIV so you can produce more with the same resources. Of course in action is not possible to choose the kind of engagement every time, the enemy doesn't stand waiting, for example in Kursk Elephants were used also in offensive role with generally bad results.
The elephant and the Ferdinand (the same tank but better armour) was bad at allmost everything
@@irishbattletoster9265 it was the other way round, Elephant was Ferdinand's successor. And they both were not "bad at almost everything", properly used (in a defensive role), they did their job.
Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead actually bought one of those.
You know, I am not into motorhead but love Lemmy and his genuine personality. There are amazing bassists out there, there will continue to be forever, but there will never be another like him. I'm almost glad Lemmy got out before these days, the media would love to vilify him.
I would be surprised by absolutely nothing he did. And I agree he was a master of his musical instrument. I can’t say I want to spend a yearlong tour with him. Homicide comes to mind for one of us. Peace
As a bong?....
@@johnnypeterbilt9556 huh?
@@bman6065 I was just stating that he had a rather abrasive personality. Especially when he was under the influence of chemicals. As am I. That’s all.
Already six minutes into this video... And... Oof. Ouch. 1) Yes, the Hetzer was pretty blind as far as tanks go, but if Infantry got that close to any tank.... That tank is already dead anyway. 2) The MG on top was not just a "Blind fire spray and pray" weapon. It had a periscope equipped 3x zoom sniper scop mounted with it that was used to aim. 3) The gun sight is on top of the roof. Under that upside down U shaped bracket. Roof mounted sights are actually a good thing, as they allow you to be be able to see the enemy while behind cover or concealment. Perfect for an ambush vehicle like this. 4)The 7.5 Pak 40 was an excellent gun, and is capable of taking on any allied medium (majority of what the allied armies fielded. Shermans, T-34s, Cromwells) from a good distance away.
Thanks beat me too it.
also ambush vehicles are very useful. It's the tank equivalent of a sniper. it may not knock out that many tanks but imagine driving down a street and suddenly your lead tank erupts into flames and the crew bail out. everyone dives for cover and the rest of the column swiftly turns around and high tails it back. everyone now knows something is lurking at the end of the street, gasp it could even be a tiger! and you don't want to drive head first into a tiger do you? you now have a whole armour column tied down and trying to flush out one vehicle (which has probably already relocated) It's not the kill count but the psychological effect that hetzers were great for.
found the hetzer fanboy
Captain Beige addressed the roof sight and described the gun as good but not devastating (ie, Churchill VII or IS would resist)
It was also not downgraded to an ambuch vehicle, it was designed to operate this way.
Hetzer’d gonna hetz. No doubt.
Well it seems as if this particular Hetzer has already seen the most of his Hetzing life hehe ;)
Haters gonna hate, Hetzer gonna Hetze.
Hitler
Why ain't he using the 105
unless you pay gold then you have e25
It was fantastic, it could defeat any allied tank on the battlefield with its gun and no need of sight! Oh, by allied I meant not the enemy.
Hello what's the news from the other provinces?
@GreenTea shoots friendly tanks because it can't see wtf it's aiming at
one interesting thing about the hetzer is that they managed to churn out so many of them at such a late stage in the war, unlike most other vehicles.
well maybe because it was so damn easy to produce? instead of the monstrosity that were the tigers
Cech was still generally safe to work in and they still had factories to build the excellent 38T hull. Kitbash a casemate and PaK40, and the little Hetz was all set.
I submit that the Hetzer was the perfect "ambush" tank destroyer. The gun could defeat any allied tank except a churchill and it was very easy to hide.
I mean, IS2 and M26 would like to make themselves known.
@@AllThingsCubey Only like 12 of the M26 saw combat in Europe
logical spartan Sherman Jumbo says hi
@St0rm Ranger id disagree with you on that. Ive played WOTB off and on for years and the hetzer has always been a lethal staple and one of my favorite tanks for seal clubbing and getting back into the swing of the game after a long absence. The derp guns not as effective anymore but the 75mm is wonderful
@St0rm Ranger maybe because that game is unrealistic
I would prefer the Jagdpanzer 38 over any stationary classic AT gun any day, because thats what it meant to complement. You have at least a little bit of armour around you and not just one tiny armored shield, and after an ambush you can quickly retreat under armored cover. Imagine if you have to run away and leave your AT gun behind. That is not reasonable, especially at this stage of the war, when most combat of the Wehrmacht was delaying action against advancing armored forces. For that sort of engagement it is meant for, nothing else. That roof mounted machine gun is a nice gimmick indeed, since you have infantry support with you. Afterall you are in an infantry support vehicle. These vehicles were never meant to rely on its close defense weapons only. In fact, most armored vehicles are not meant to be deployed this way and only a foolish commander would do so. Going back to the retreat movement after the ambush and the following counter attack of the opposing forces: The driver does not have to turn the vehicle around in order to retreat, using the reverse gear only at first will do the job, until you found cover to actually reverse and retreat further. The driver does not have to see where he is driving, because the commander can assist and give direct orders about the directions via a light system, that indicates left and right to the driver. The commanders hatch is arranged in a way that he can see out over the engine deck while being fully protected from the front and sides. so he can give reliable direction orders to the blind driver. Meant as a pure ambush tank destroyer, exactly like a normal AT gun, the Jagdpanzer 38 was not well suited in other combat situations. Because of that it looks stupid when evaluated as an assault gun or a tank. It was just a more mobile AT gun with better crew protection against HE rounds and small arms fire.
Exactly, the late war 75mm infantry towed AT guns were dug-in-place, die-in-place. A Pak 40 crew will be hurt by near misses from mortars, artillery to tank HE shells. This vehicle give the crew a fighting chance. Of course, this vehicle is no StuG III or IV, but it can be built in the tiny capacity captured Czech industry, so it's something.
Well said. You can add that almost every ambush is / was planned and rehearsed extensively. The whole crew knew their jobs and could 'shoot and scoot' quite effectively. Displacement and re positioning adds to the effectiveness of the vehicle.
So a vehicle built to ambush tanks, dependant on infantry, may also be blessed with the appellation infantry support vehicle?
A pure ambush tank? Now I understand.
Plus, it's German (sort of), and so clearly superior to anything ever made before or since.
More than anything, I'm convinced that Hetzer is a fine name.
The name 'hetzer' was given to it by its crews! They liked how small it was, until they had to get in it.😋 By the way: the Germans tried to make an armored personnel carrier version of the 38t, the Vkpw 38t, or volkkettenpersonnelwagen: fully-tracked personnel vehicle. Think an M113 with a 38t's running gear. I've seen a picture of this: its look is remarkably modern!
thank goodness we're not going to have another spandau naming scandal
One thing that’s undeniable is that this tank looks really cool
@william hunter You mean Brazil.
It looks like a mcnuggets box
@@siegfried2k4 That's insulting to the McNuggets. At least they have ample headroom.
@ALSO-RAN ! Semantics.
@ALSO-RAN ! Would you not argue that a Tank Destroyer is, inherently, a subset of tank though?
> mobile coffin dreadnought.jpg "EVEN IN DEATH I STILL SERVE"
It might not have good line of sight, but worth it for the wisdom of the ancients.
Or in German "Selbst im Tod diene ich noch"
It was definitely a smart buy for a defending army short on resources but with the tactical initiative. It was cheap, easy to hide, used little fuel, and could tank hits from the front. Hence the formidable performance in battle under the conditions of utter strategical failure.
"hetzen" as a German word means to hunt something to the prey's exhaustion, like run after it until it breaks down with exhaustion. A fitting translation of the verb would be to "hound something to death". Greetings from Austria. Love you, Lindy!!! :)
Yep, wanted to say the same thing. As with "Panzer" in modern military context this only means tank, nothing else. The correct translation for armor would be "Panzerung". Greetings from Austria as well.
Would it translate in any way as "stalker", or is that not right?
@@gajbooks I would argue that the difference between "to hound" and "to stalk" is the energy involved. Hounding someone is very open, aggressive and high-energy while stalking is covert and low-key. Think of the difference on the hunt between a pack of hyenas and a house cat. Just my 2 cents.
I was thinking that "Harasser" would've been the best english translation.
@@gajbooks: No it wouldn't. Stalking implies an element of stealth. But "hetzen" does not. To make an analogy, those african hunters who basically run after gazelles until the gazelles cllapse from heat exhaustion since they can't cool down with perspiratio, those hunters could be said to be "hetzers" in german.
Should have collab'd with The Chieftain: Can two tall blokes manage 'The tank is on fire!" exercise!
2 guys a Hetzer and the Hetzer is on fire. Coming this fall...
It would almost as funny just to watch them try to get into it. I can only imagine what it would like seeing two 6'+ men stuffed inside one.
Now I really want to see this video
Just a tin of pommelled beef.
chieftain used hetzer word only once in his video and they already did colab on churchil.
"They named it 'twat' which means bold and resourceful person" - Thanks Lindy, I'll remember that when I go to visit London next summer
"armoured coffin" *coffin dance noises intensifies*
DamnDalliluz eventually a hetzer dance will come soon
The tank rating system: Nation: How much resources does it cost us compared to the enemy? Soldier: How long will I survive in it? Three public: Does it look cool?
"So, we have a troop transport that can't carry troops... A scout vehicle that's too conspicuous to do reconnaissance.... And a quasi tank that has less armor than a snow blower, but enough firepower to level half of DC." from "The Pentagon Wars", 1998
@@bcn1gh7h4wk Now that's a funny movie.
Nighthawk the last one is just artillery lol
If the Germans didn't skip the first step, they may have won
@@Dan-n-Duke-jr2ic No, no they would not.
That double periscope makes it look like Mr Krabs is inside.
ahoy spongebob me boy, I'm going to be tried for war crimes aghahhahahah
Ohhh... Who lives in a submarine under the sea? Sponge Bob Square Pants! Stealthy and deadly and hungry is he. Sponge Bob Square Pants! _[Tune switches to death metal]_ If nautical D E A T H be something you wish! SpongeBob SquarePants! Then drop them to H E L L and feed them to fish! SpongeBob SquarePants!
Dude your german is good, like legit everything sounded as it was suposed to sound, you could definatly hear a strong acent and that you werent that confident but from the history youtubers you definatly got the best German skils
Better than MHV?
The KZhead channel (military history visualised) is what MHV means if anyone’s wondering.
@@ddbb4962 He´s german so that doesnt count
Nice to get some recognition for the Marechal prototype! Thanks, Lindybiege! And best from Bucharest!
Moral of the story: hetzers gonna hetz, live the stug life instead?
The virgin hetzer vs THE CHAD STUG
I didn't choose the stug life, I was drafted by the Wehrmacht
Stug was build by Alkett which was bombed in Nov 43. This is one of the main reasons the Hetzer got introduced in first place. (Böhmisch Mährische Maschinenwerke didn't have a 25 tons crane to build Stugs.....) (source "panzermuseum munster")
@@threadworm437 so said every virgin about every Chad.
Stug- ASSAULT GUN Hetzer- Tank Destroyer NOT the same role
Armoured coffin....fitting description for most military vehicles. If you're well protected, you cannot escape. If the vehicle is easy to escape, it's because you aren't well protected.
That...that is actually pretty true.
Unless you're in a sherman ehich was pretty well protected (unless you're against a rare big cat) and getting out is quite easy.
"If you're well protected, you cannot escape." (laughs in Merkava)
@@germanvisitor2 Merkava actually isn't that well protected in today's standards, pretty pathetic really. The armour is pretty darn thin, only the engine being at the front gives some protection but only against HEAT-FS shells. A dart would slice through like through butter.
@@thomascoppens8498 "big rare cats" must include stugs and panzer IVs in your book, both have the penatrating power to penatrate a sherman's armour at ranges the sherman (75) can't do the same. and even the sherman (76) can be killed by those at any range it can successfully return fire. against any medium or heavier tank/TD the sherman is lightly armoured (form late 42 onwards).
Lindy never misses an opportunity to put the boot in, whether it be the metric system or the Frenchies. Its a long running gag that NEVER gets old. His easy, natural, classic comedy style is just BRILLIANT... imho.
okay but the metric system is easier than whatever americans use again was it pizzas per pancake?
@@uwskie8672 "pizzas per pancake"... HAHAH Very funny. But, in truth, the Americans took the even MORE complicated British Imperial system, and simplified it.... to their credit. It may be just my OCD, but, as a child, I could spend hours at school or at home, reading and studying the back of my exercise books, where the British Imperial system of weights and measures, and conversion tables, were found, in those days.
How dumb was of him to say that a hour was invented in imperial times. Earth deos a full spin - 40.000.000m within 24 hours. Hour is metric. If it was imperial you would know how many hours it takes to grow a foot.
Hetzer is very easy to translate or explain. You hunt your pray until it's out of energy and it becomes an easy target. "Hetzjagd" you hunt down your pray, you race it until it collapses.
the gunners sight is on top of the vehicle like on a stug iii, it was a good sight you could aim with it even when the tank was covered
Doesnt help much without a turret to track targets and a degree of movement so awful you'd lose your target if it moved slightly more to the right
@@TheKsalad At that point in the war germany didn't need many offensive tanks. Ambushing tanks were what was most effective.
@@TheKsalad turrets are over rated pre-stabilizers, just adds an extra weak point for your tank. you can easily rotate the hull to point at the target. the Stug has the record for best kill-to-death ratio of any armoured vehicle in ww2 so it certainly is not a huge handicap (in this period)
@@TheKsalad you need to look at tank destroyers as mobile anti tank guns to understand the design decisions that were made. Hellcats and Wolverines had only manual turret traverse which cannot track targets at speed.
@@matthiuskoenig3378 In a MILES(tank laser tag) engagement our vehicle lost power traverse so we had to pivot steer in order to engage targets. Its certainly possible.
our enemies hide in METUHL BAWKSES, THE COWAR- *75mm shell*
We.. We should take away their METAL BAWKSES!
*asthmatic wheeze* TEH FEWLS
@@buttahXD SINDRIIIII >:V
Ugh...WHAT, my Lord?
the M113s are the real Metal Bawkses Carron
My uncle fought in a Hetzer during the Battle of the Reichswald. Go to museums of the Norfolk / Shrophire +++ Regiment or to Bovington and you will find City names like Cleve, Goch, Kervenheim, Uedem +++. My uncle survived in the Hetzer 38(t). He was forced to serve in the Waffen-SS and was only 165 cm - to small for SS but ideal for the Hetzer.
My father-n-law was an enduser in 2. Kompanie, FBB, Hetzer was his favorite, having operated in Panzer III, Panzer IV, Tiger I, Panther and T-34. He said it was like driving a sportscar, the limited traverse wasn't an issue, between close quarters and the intercom, the Gunner would just tell the driver to pivot left or right X degrees then take it from there. But what did he know, right?
What does FBB stands for?
@@potatopotato1639 Fuehrer Begleit Bn , the Fuehrer Escort Bn of Infantry Division ,,Grossdeutschland"
@@adlerarmory8382 Ahh. Thanks a lot!
wow, he pronounced 38/achtunddreissig without accent!😍 now say ,,Saukopfblende" thats that slope thing.
I thought they were called "Topfblende"? Or is that only on the StuG?
@@endlesnights3817 I have a book wich says so. But google says you are right. Shitty book.
Well, actually it was with a little bit of an accent, but in general, I'm surprised by how well he could pronounce it.
@@coolian9933 bless you
Googling around I'm actually seeing both words, though ma StuG books only use the word Topfblende. So I think both are probably right to use.
Lots of problems here: - For starters its vulnerability to infantry is not as severe an issue as you make it sound. Even ignoring the fact you claim its Mg-34 was "blindly fired" (whereas in reality it used an accurate magnified optic), it was almost exclusivley used too supplement the defense of infantry units. As such it was part of an integrated defense in which infantry units could protect it from infantry, just as it would protect them from tanks. Its not rolling through enemy infantry formations or fighting in armoured spearheads potentially isolated from infantry support like the other German panzers, it stays with the infantry and if they know whats good for themselves they aren't staying too far from it. -The armour protection is more then suffecient, you seem to be evaluating it on the basis that it is a tank, you need to think of it more in terms of a mobile Anti-tank gun, only unlike AT guns or the marders and light panzer jagers it helped supplement and/or replaced it could endure anything but a direct hit from the airstrikes and artillery barrages the allies were using whole scale at that point in the war. The fact it also had a chance at even taking a hit frontally from a tank made it exceptionally well armoured by the standards of light tank hunters of WW2 more then anything (for comparison it had even better frontal protection then the American M10 and m36 tank destroyers which were nearly double its weight, and nearly equivilant proection to the earlier Stug-3's of which it also weighed significantly less.) - Visibility was not as severe an issue as you make out, as a defensive vehicle it would generally be used in terrain that the officers in charger and hertzer commanders would have been able to familiazrize themselves with and the commander would often be able to operate with the hatch open anyway. it is an ambush vehicle, if its taking fire (ie. been spotted), then its only job is too pull back anyway, which it could do along paths the crew and commander are already familiare with and aware of.
When he says blindly fired, hes referring to the remote control ability to fire.
@@Hadesthief he literally says , "whlst you're firing blindly you're very unlikely too hit anything" and "i can understand why no one would want too actually go up their and look down the sights". He never acknowledges the fact it uses an accurate optic, and pretty clearly seems to be under the impression it was indeed fred blindly based on his comments. His authorative comments on the machine gun in this video alone are a pretty great example of the dunning-kruger effect in action.
A Kino Entertainment First class analysis on your part. The only disadvantages that the "Hetzer" had was that it was cramped and crewmembers of small stature were required. IIRC, the maximum height of personnel was no more than five feet five inches. The Germans themselves liked it and preferred it over every other Jagdpanzer except the "Jagdpanther".
Thank you for that comment I really don't like this pussyfart
ok wehraboo
I think this videos ignores the fact that the Hetzer was hard as hell to be spotted and hit by enemy tanks (as you see in the video, it had a very low profile). It was made as a mobile ATG for the infantry, not a standalone destroyer like the Jagdpanther. This means it was called in to stop enemy breakthrough or stay in ambush covering infantry advance/retreat against enemy armor assault. And no, it wasn't completely blind, it had a periscope system for firing. But yes, once it was caught exposed or had to face infantry assault without any support, well, it became a coffin.
Yes, the commander would probably have his head out with the first few shots and locked down as soon as they expected return fire. With a bit of luck, the battle would be over by then.
Informative and I thoroughly appreciate your style. Subscribed.
4:00 Yeah but it was a infantry support vehicle, if enemies got that close, the tank should have already been abandoned
IF they got out in time xD
@@MatthewsPersonal Yeah that would be helpful indeed
@John Smith people have a very bad habit of playing "what if" or putting German armor in situations it was never intended for and wasn't used in
Jan no it was a tank Destroyer
@@lordmozart3087 It was a tank destroyer for the infantry support role, It was meant to be deployed with infantry so they would always have an anti tank gun around. So Jan is right.
I've never heard anyone butcher the word "kilometers" so expertly! Kudos to you!
It's a joke, guy
@@B33fisGud no shit?
Lindy never misses an opportunity to put the boot in, whether it be the metric system or the Frenchies. Its a long running gag that NEVER gets old. His easy, natural, classic comedy style is just BRILLIANT... imho.
Lol
Ain't you a model historian there, huh. Great content, amazing job, and loads upon loads of intoxicating enthusiasm. Keep it on, mate, your stuff is worth the effort!
Thank you for mentioning our production of this tank :D
I can feel Lindybeige getting flashbacks from the Spandau video
He did call the remote control Spandau on top a heavy barrelled MG34.
German senior officer: "So you have ze experience with tanks, ja?" Tanker: "Ja, mein commandant. I was commander of a Panzer V crew." German senior officer: "Well we have a new command for you. Some of the men call it a Hetzer." Tanker (looks at Hetzer): "Scheisse. We're losing, aren't we?" German senior officer: "Ja."
Hetzer crews were largely from PAK gun crews. it would be more like Officer: "here is your new PAK gun. you like it, Ja?" AT-crewman: "Ja, it is Wunderbar mein commandant, we will not have to worry about being overrun in this UND we can surrive a few shots with this armour UND it is small so i can hide it... but its abit cramped" Officer: "glad you like it..." AT-gunner: "we must be winning if we are all getting tanks!" Officer: "yessssss, winning, nothing to worry about Hans." *laughs nervously*
Correction Tanker: *Sees Hetzer* "Were... WINNING THE WAR JA?" Commander: JA WE ARE GOING A THE WAY TO MOSCOW (GERMAN TECHNOLOGICAL SUPIRORITY INTENSIFIES)
Hetzer gonna Hetz
@@PilotTed *_S E K A I I C H I_*
You gotta write in German for realism but I can translate it if you want lol
A real pleasure to see your esci kits ! I have all of them also !
4:17 "Oh sh8t theyre recording" "ACT NORMAL ACT NORMAL"
"Steered like a cow"; brilliant.
11:20 "that's about 41 kilometres per imperial hour" 🤣🤣🤣
LoL, That would mean a day is imperial too, since an hour is just 1/24 of it. I think people could count days before imperial times.
@@Paciat Yes, the hour is way older than the hot mess people call the imperial system.
Kylo metros*
actual SI unit of speed would be metres per second, not kilometres per hour, so Lindy did not have to mix metric and imperial units ;)
@@Paciat yep, the hour et al goes back to the Sumerians of Mesopotamia so predates the British Empire by several thousand years.
An excellent video, Lloyd. I've re-watched this several times. Now off to re-watch The Chieftain's ramble over the Jgdpz 38(t) a.k.a. the Hetzer. :-)
The face at the end was perfect
I can forgive using the name “hetzer.” I can never forgive Lloyd’s use of comic sans.
At least it's not Papyrus.
@@oz_jones But those are the two best characters!
WHERE MY WANGDANGS AT
"Hetzer" is a quiet appropriate name: it comes from hunting, where "hetzen" means to hunt down, or better: to chase down the prey with hounds. So "chaser" is a good translation in my opinion.
Someone „hetzen“ in fact means to hunting something until the target is total exhausted, so you can finish it. It’s a very brutal word in German. To chase someone is in comparison a gentleman way of hunting something. If you think of hetzen, think of the hardest english foxhunt you can imagine.
"Die Hatz" = the chase with hounds. "Über jemand hetzen" means to tell very nasty things about a somebody in an attempt to destroy his/her social reputation or standing.
someone once wrote that 'hetzer' translated as 'agitator' or 'troublemaker'... it could have been in the vehicle notes for advanced squad leader. edit: here's the reference: 50. JgdPz 38(t): The Hetzer (Troublemaker or Agitator) was a light SP AT gun on the proven chassis of the PzKpfw 38(t), and was used to replace the many makeshift conversions (Marders, etc.) of earlier years. About 2,500 saw action (although very few, if any, fought in Normandy). Hetzers were primarily issued to independent TD battalions and those that were organic to infantry divisions. 100 were supplied to Hungary, 10/44-1/45. ... aslerb.com/.wp-plugins/chh_germannotes_chhgermanvehiclenotes.php
@@AndyThomas_mrblitz Agitator does not fit 100% in the german meaning - troublemaker surely does not. The problem with troublemaker is that "hetzen" is an old german word deriving from huntsmen speech, and is therefore a part of a jargon. In terms of the tank you can easyly make out the reference to §hunting someone down" , what "hetzen" actually means. The word "hetzen" has undergone some semantic changes, and is now also referred to "talk about someone in a defaming way", like tattling if you will. But this has clearly no connotation to the tank, since back then there is no linguistic evidence of the new sense of the word.
its to be or put someone in a hurry
Nice beam work and ducting for the ceiling!!
Feeling really attacked by this one.
hm, i wonder why
"Steers like a cow" was a great reference
Yeah some cows actually are pretty agile....
Glenn Wainwright "Looks Iike a fish, moves like a fish, steers like a cow"
@@markgrantham9582 Correct ; Douglas Adams RIP.
I saw a cow that jumped the fence like a horse. There is a picture of a girl that learned the cow as see jumps with an animal a simple fence in a hunt seat leaned to cows back like on some proper mount.
Cows like a steer.
To defend the Jagdpanzer 38(t): It was one of the lesser moronic German tank designs in late WW2 - it did its job and was comparatively cheap to produce. (Don't forget the famous Tiger tanks, even when having a high battle value were a sink for scarce raw materials and fuel...)
though "one of the less moronic German tank designs" is damning with faint praise
Germany: Makes a supertank that stretches their logistical capabilities to their limits Armchair historians: BOO! It should be cheaper, lighter and more reliable! Germany: Makes a cheapo tank that's got a good gun, is easy to transport, reliable and cheap Also the armchair historians: BOO! It's a coffin on treads! It should have more viewports, better ergonomics, a turret, more powerful engine and better armor! No soldier would want to fight in that!
@Radle in this case, cutting edge and moronic are not mutually exclusive, a lot of the stupidity came from sending what were barely working prototypes into mass production, regardless of whether there was any realistic hope of maintaining them
@@strongback6550 top comment 👍
Strong Back I say the Panther is the best Tank for this since the front armor can protect itself but yah, I say cheap is the worst German option as they can’t play the number game, The big cats may drink a lot but twenty Panzer Fours drink way more and would be easy to kill
Thank you for keeping to Imperial hours. I could never get the hang of metric time.
Lindy: "41 kilo metres per imperial hour, sorry for mixing metric and imperial" Me: *brain.exe has stopped working*
Even modern remotely controlled machines guns can't be remotely loaded. You still have to get out and load manually.
Evan Friend The rear MG of the SPz Marder was fed from the crew compartment.
@@herosstratos I'll bet the receiver is inside the crew compartment too. Because every machine gun I've ever seen or heard of loads more or less the same way, and requires access to the receiver.
Couldn't they just have a belt running down into the tank? Just one big ammunition storage at the bottom that leads up to the gun.
@@brandonliao408 In theory, yes, but a couple of problems there: namely, if you want the gun to traverse, you now have to have a lot more complex system so that the belt which feeds into the vehicle from the gun will traverse with it. Also, even if the belt feeds into the vehicle, you still have to reload the gun at the receiver when it goes dry, or just keep linking belts together, which can be done with disintegrating links, but not with non-disintigrating links as the Germans used in WWII and the Russians still use, but either way it isn't convenient.
@@MrEvanfriend Ah you make a good point. Here's to hoping we solve those problems in the future!
I'm going to adopt a hairless cat and call him Hetzer
Pics or it didnt happen.
That's actually a good name for a cat
@@Doktor_Jones And even better if you compare it to a tank destroyer.
That's amazing
According to Hustler Magazine, Hester is Chester the Molester's girlfriend. Just trying to help.
‘Being on the side that’s winning’ is a good way of ‘keeping safe ‘ Gotta love it.
All of the negative aspects of this makes perfect sense in this being assigned to INFANTRY units. Also, Germany was on the DEFENSE so, you would assume it's job is to HIDE, with its FRONT facing the enemy.
Also this was when Germany had limited resources and industrial capacity. So they may not have been super picky about what they use as long as it doesn’t set fire to itself.
@@jamiekamihachi3135 Yep, also it was the smallest TD in theater! Small=hard to spot and range on, lighter than most(more mobility, more likely to have a better selection of bridges to cross due to low weight).
@@tegunn low weight? It was quite weighty
@@kungpochopedtuna for a TD, yes. Germans tended to make tanks that could only use a select amount of bridges..
@@tegunn less than 5 tons lighter than a panzer mkIII, it was heavy by any standards imo
"Hetzen" as a verb refers to a form of hunting by chasing the game to exhaustion.
Persistence hunter
Man you’re naturally funny without seeming to script anything that’s talent baybee
They really went all out with the effects with the Hetzer text at the start
I didn't choose the Hetzer life i was drafted by the Wehrmacht.
I chose the StuG life instead
@@chooyongming110 we all chose the stug, but it didnt choose all of us