This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2013) |
Sd.Kfz. 164 Nashorn | |
---|---|
Type | Tank destroyer |
Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
Production history | |
Designer | Alkett |
Manufacturer | Alkett, Deutsche Eisenwerke (Teplitz-Schönau) |
No. built | 494 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 24 tonnes (52,900 lb) |
Length | 8.44 m (27 ft 8 in) with gun 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) excluding gun |
Width | 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)[1] |
Height | 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in) |
Crew | 5 |
Armor | hull: 20–30 mm (0.78–1.18 in) superstructure: 10 mm (0.39 in) |
Main armament | 88 mm (3.46 in) 8.8 cm Pak 43/1 gun with 40-60 rounds |
Secondary armament | 7.92 mm MG34 or MG42 machine gun (carried inside) with 600 rounds |
Engine | Maybach HL120 TRM 11.9-litre V-12 gasoline engine 296 hp (300 PS, 221 kW) |
Power/weight | 12.3 hp/tonne |
Transmission | ZF SSG 77 Aphon |
Suspension | leaf spring |
Ground clearance | 0.4 m (1 ft 4 in) |
Fuel capacity | 470 L (100 imp gal; 120 US gal) in two fuel tanks |
Operational range | 260 km (146 mi)[2] |
Maximum speed | 42 km/h (26 mph) |
Steering system | Daimler-Benz/Wilson clutch/brake |
Nashorn (German: [ˈnaːsˌhɔɐ̯n], German for "rhinoceros"), initially known as Hornisse (German "hornet"), was a German Panzerjäger ("tank hunter") of World War II. It was developed as an interim solution in 1942 by equipping a light turretless chassis based on the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks with the 8.8 cm Pak 43 anti-tank gun. Though only lightly armoured and displaying a high profile, it could penetrate the front armour of any Allied tank at long range, and its relatively low cost and superior mobility to heavier vehicles ensured it remained in production until the war's end.