On April 20, 1942, prototypes of heavy tanks developed by the Henschel and Porsche design bureaus were shown to Hitler. They made a good impression, and at first the Fuehrer ordered the serial production of both machines. But then it was decided to stop at the project of the company "Henschel". At the same time, it became necessary to create a self-propelled gun for the 88-mm Pak 43 cannon from Rheinmetall. At the same time, the technical task required to bring the thickness of the frontal armor to 200 mm and set the weight limit for the future vehicle - 65 tons. Unclaimed chassis "Porsche" decided to use as a base for a new self-propelled gun.

Work began in September 1942. The design was carried out jointly by Porsche and the Berlin plant Alquette. Due to the long length of the cannon, Ferdinand Porsche chose for his gun a scheme with a rear conning tower and the placement of engines in the middle of the vehicle. In connection with the rear layout of the fighting compartment, there is an opinion that the chassis was generally deployed backwards. This opinion is erroneous: both the tank and the self-propelled gun "looked" in the same direction. This can be understood at least by the fact that the drive wheel of both the Porsche prototype tank and the self-propelled gun was located in the back.

In February 1943, Hitler personally named the new weapon "Ferdinand", paying tribute to the designer. On February 16, 1943, the Nibelungewerken plants began assembling Dr. Porsche's brainchild.

The self-propelled conning tower was a truncated tetrahedral pyramid. The material for it was cemented sea armor. The frontal leaf of the felling in accordance with the terms of reference had a thickness of 200 mm. The frontal armor of the hull, which originally had only 100 mm of protection, was reinforced with another sheet of the same thickness, which was secured with special bolts. On the sides and stern, the armor was thinner - only 80 mm. The rear of the wheelhouse was equipped with a round hatch designed for dismantling the damaged gun, loading ammunition and evacuating the crew in case of emergency.

The embrasure for the gun in the frontal leaf of the wheelhouse was covered with a pear-shaped mask. It soon became clear that the design of the mask was not very successful, and when it got into it, small fragments and splashes of hot metal penetrated the inside of the machine. To eliminate this danger, a square-shaped armored shield was attached to the masks of the guns of almost all "Ferdinands".

Due to the fact that the wheelhouse was located at the rear of the car, and the engines were in the middle, the self-propelled crew was divided. In the wheelhouse there were a commander, a gunner and two loaders, and in the front, in the control compartment, there were a driver and a radio operator. The compartments were separated by metal partitions, so that communication inside the tank was carried out using an internal intercom.

The thick armor and excellent cannon made the Ferdinand an extremely dangerous machine. The shells he fired were guaranteed to penetrate Soviet tanks from a distance of about 1000 meters. Soviet artillerymen and tankers had to fire from much smaller distances, since otherwise the German armored monster remained invulnerable.

However, you cannot achieve the ideal in everything. Porsche's brainchild was very heavy and did not have good cross-country ability and mobility. Before each departure of "Ferdinand" on a combat mission, a thorough reconnaissance of the route was required.

If you look at the memoirs and memoirs of the front-line soldiers, it might seem that the number of "Ferdinands" produced went to the thousands and they fought along the entire front line. In reality, only 90 vehicles were built, and their only massive use occurred on the northern face of the Kursk Bulge in the area of ​​the Ponyri station and the Teploe village as part of two divisions.

There "Ferdinands" received the baptism of fire, and it turned out to be difficult. True, it should be noted that the armor played its role and the greatest losses of self-propelled guns were suffered in minefields. Only one vehicle came under concentrated fire from seven Soviet tanks and a battery of 76-mm anti-tank guns, but only one hole was found on it - in the side, near the drive wheel. Three more Ferdinands were destroyed by a Molotov cocktail, a large-caliber howitzer shell and an aerial bomb hit.

Of all Soviet equipment, only the SU-152 was able to effectively resist the Ferdinands. They managed to knock out four German cars in one battle.

After the Battle of Kursk, "Ferdinands" were sent to France and Austria for repair and modernization. One of the important additions to the design was a machine gun mounted in a ball mount on the frontal armor. Before the self-propelled gun did not have a weapon of protection against infantry, and this could be fatal in real combat conditions. In addition to the machine gun, a commander's cupola was added and the armor plate on the gun's mask was turned on the other side, so that its seams began to look outward. This simplified the installation of the shield. The gun ammunition was increased to 55 rounds. After modernization, the self-propelled gun received a new name - "Elephant". However, until the very end of the war, she was often called "Ferdinand" out of habit.

Despite the fact that very few Porsche self-propelled guns fought on the Eastern Front, they managed to generate a real wave of fear of the Ferdinands. So they could call any German self-propelled gun, even one that outwardly did not resemble an armored monster. In addition, an order was awarded for the destruction of Ferdinand, in connection with which there were many who wanted to ascribe such a resounding victory to themselves.

An attempt to use the Elephanta in Italy in 1944 proved to be a failure. 11 vehicles were sent there, but it turned out that the local soil was completely unsuitable for them. The self-propelled guns were stuck right under fire, and the Germans did not even have the opportunity to evacuate them due to constant shelling. Several vehicles were disabled by American aircraft. On August 6, only 3 self-propelled guns returned to Austria for repairs.

On May 1, 1945, the last two Ferdinands were captured by Soviet and Polish soldiers during the battle at Karl August Square.

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Whether the Germans had the best self-propelled guns in the world or not is a moot point, but the fact that they managed to create one that left an indelible memory of all Soviet soldiers is for sure. This is a heavy self-propelled gun "Ferdinand". It got to the point that, starting in the second half of 1943, in almost every combat report, Soviet troops destroyed at least one such self-propelled gun. If we sum up the losses of "Ferdinands" according to Soviet reports, then during the war several thousand of them were destroyed. The piquancy of the situation lies in the fact that the Germans produced only 90 of them during the entire war, and 4 more ARVs based on them. It is difficult to find a sample of armored vehicles from the Second World War, produced in such small quantities and at the same time so famous. All German self-propelled guns were recorded in "Ferdinands", but most often - "Marders" and "Stugs". Roughly the same situation was with the German "Tiger": it was often confused with the medium tank Pz-IV with a long cannon. But here there was at least a similarity of silhouettes, but what similarities between Ferdinand and, for example, StuG 40 is a big question.

So what was Ferdinand like and why is he so widely known since the Battle of Kursk? We will not go into technical details and design development issues, because this has already been written in dozens of other publications, but we will pay close attention to the battles on the northern face of the Kursk Bulge, where these extremely powerful machines were massively used.


The conning tower of the ACS was assembled from sheets of forged cemented armor transferred from the stocks of the German Navy. The frontal armor of the cabin was 200 mm thick, the side and stern armor was 85 mm. The thickness of even the side armor made the ACS practically invulnerable to the fire of almost all Soviet artillery of the 1943 model of the year at a distance of over 400 m. barrel length 71 caliber, its muzzle energy one and a half times higher than that of the gun of the heavy tank "Tiger". The Ferdinand's cannon penetrated all Soviet tanks from all angles of attack at all ranges of actual fire. The only reason there was non-penetration of armor on impact is ricochet. Any other hit caused the penetration of the armor, which in most cases meant the incapacitation of the Soviet tank and the partial or complete death of its crew. This is what the Germans got so serious shortly before the start of Operation Citadel.


The formation of the units of the self-propelled guns "Ferdinand" began on April 1, 1943. In total, it was decided to form two heavy battalions (divisions).

The first of them, numbered 653 (Schwere PanzerJager Abteilung 653), was formed on the basis of the 197th StuG III assault gun division. According to the new state, the division was supposed to have 45 Ferdinand self-propelled guns. This unit was not chosen by chance: the personnel of the division had extensive combat experience and participated in the battles in the East from the summer of 1941 to January 1943. By May, the 653rd battalion was fully staffed according to the state. However, at the beginning of May 1943, all the material part was transferred to the staffing of the 654th battalion, which was being formed in France in the city of Rouen. By mid-May, the 653rd battalion was again staffed almost to the state and had 40 self-propelled guns in its composition, after passing the training course at the Neuseidel training ground, on June 9-12, 1943, the battalion departed in eleven echelons for the Eastern Front.

The 654th heavy tank destroyer battalion was formed on the basis of the 654th anti-tank battalion at the end of April 1943. The combat experience of his personnel, who had fought before with the PaK 35/36 anti-tank equipment, and then with the Marder II self-propelled guns, was much less than that of their colleagues from the 653rd battalion. Until April 28, the battalion was in Austria, from April 30 in Rouen. After the final exercises, in the period from 13 to 15 June, the battalion departed in fourteen echelons to the Eastern Front.

According to the wartime staff (K. St.N.No. 1148c from 03/31/43), a heavy battalion of tank destroyers included: battalion command, headquarters company (platoon: management, sapper, sanitary, anti-aircraft), three companies of "Ferdinands" (in each company 2 vehicles of the company headquarters, and three platoons of 4 vehicles; that is, 14 vehicles per company), a repair and evacuation company, a motor transport company. In total: 45 self-propelled guns "Ferdinand", 1 sanitary armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.251 / 8, 6 anti-aircraft Sd.Kfz 7/1, 15 half-track tractors Sd.Kfz 9 (18 tons), trucks and cars.


The staffing structure of the battalions was slightly different. We must start with the fact that the 653rd battalion included the 1st and 2nd companies, the 654th - the 5.6th and 7th companies. The 4th company "fell out" somewhere. The numbering of vehicles in the battalions corresponded to German standards: for example, both vehicles of the headquarters of the 5th company had numbers 501 and 502, the numbers of vehicles of the 1st platoon were from 511 to 514 inclusive; 2nd platoon 521 - 524; 3rd 531 - 534 respectively. But if we carefully consider the combat composition of each battalion (division), we will see that there are only 42 self-propelled guns in the "combat" number of units. And the state is 45. Where have three more SPGs from each battalion gone? This is where the difference in the organization of the improvised tank-destroyer divisions comes into play: if in the 653rd battalion 3 vehicles were withdrawn to the reserve group, then in the 654th battalion 3 "extra" vehicles were organized into a headquarters group with non-standard tactical numbers: II -01, II-02, II-03.

Both battalions (divisions) became part of the 656th Tank Regiment, the headquarters of which the Germans formed on June 8, 1943. The connection turned out to be very powerful: in addition to 90 self-propelled guns "Ferdinand", it included the 216th assault tank battalion (Sturmpanzer Abteilung 216), and two companies of radio-controlled tankettes BIV "Bogvard" (313rd and 314th). The regiment was supposed to serve as a battering ram for the German offensive in the direction of Art. Ponyri - Maloarkhangelsk.

On June 25, the Ferdinands began to move towards the front line. By July 4, 1943, the 656th regiment was deployed as follows: west of the Orel - Kursk railway, the 654th battalion (Arkhangelskoye district), to the east, the 653rd battalion (Glazunov district), followed by three companies 216th battalion (45 "Brummbars" in total). Each battalion of "Ferdinands" was assigned a company of radio-controlled tankettes B IV.

On July 5, the 656th Panzer Regiment went on the offensive, supporting parts of the 86th and 292nd German Infantry Divisions. However, the ramming strike did not work: the 653rd battalion on the very first day got bogged down in the hardest battles at the height of 257.7, which the Germans called "Tank". Not only were the thirty-fours dug in at the height up to the tower, but the height was also covered with powerful minefields. On the very first day, 10 battalion self-propelled guns were blown up by mines. There were also heavy losses in personnel. Having blown up on an anti-personnel mine, the commander of the 1st company, Hauptmann Spielman, was seriously wounded. Having found out the direction of the strike, the Soviet artillery also opened hurricane fire. As a result, by 17:00 on July 5, only 12 Ferdinands remained on the move! The rest received injuries of varying severity. The remnants of the battalion over the next two days continued to fight to capture Art. Diving.

The attack of the 654th battalion turned out to be even more disastrous. The 6th company of the battalion accidentally ran into its own minefield. Within just a few minutes, most of the "Ferdinands" were blown up by their own mines. Finding the monstrous German vehicles, barely creeping into our positions, the Soviet artillery opened concentrated fire on them. The result was that the German infantry, supporting the attack of the 6th company, suffered heavy losses and lay down, leaving the self-propelled guns without cover. Four "Ferdinands" from the 6th company were still able to reach the Soviet positions, and there, according to the memoirs of the German self-propelled gunners, they were "attacked by several brave Russian soldiers who remained in the trenches and armed with flamethrowers, and from the right flank, from the line of the railway they opened artillery fire, but seeing that it was ineffective, the Russian soldiers withdrew in an organized manner. "

The 5th and 7th companies also reached the first line of trenches, having lost about 30% of their vehicles on mines and came under heavy shelling. At the same time, Major Noack, the commander of the 654th battalion, was mortally wounded by a shell fragment.

After taking the first line of trenches, the remnants of the 654th battalion moved in the direction of Ponyri. At the same time, some of the vehicles were again blown up by mines, and Ferdinand No. 531 from the 5th company, being immobilized by flank fire of the Soviet artillery, was finished off and burned down. At dusk, the battalion reached the hills north of the Ponyri, where it stopped for the night and regrouped. There were 20 vehicles left in the battalion on the move.

On 6 July, due to problems with fuel, the 654th battalion launched the attack only at 14:00. However, due to the heavy fire of Soviet artillery, the German infantry suffered serious losses, retreated and the attack was drowned. On this day, the 654th battalion reported "about a large number of Russian tanks arriving to strengthen the defense." According to the evening report, the crews of the self-propelled guns destroyed 15 Soviet T-34 tanks, and 8 of them were credited to the crew under the command of Hauptmann Luders, and 5 to Lieutenant Peters. 17 cars remained on the move.

The next day, the remnants of the 653rd and 654th battalions were drawn to Buzuluk, where they made up a corps reserve. Two days were devoted to car repair. On July 8, several Ferdinands and Brummbars participated in the unsuccessful attack on the station. Diving.

At the same time (July 8), the headquarters of the Soviet Central Front receives the first report from the chief of artillery of the 13th Army about the Ferdinand mine blown up. Two days later, a group of five officers of the GAU KA arrived from Moscow to the front headquarters specifically to study this sample. However, they were unlucky, by this moment the area where the damaged self-propelled guns stood was occupied by the Germans.

The main events developed on July 9-10, 1943. After many unsuccessful attacks on st. The diving Germans changed the direction of the strike. From the northeast, through the state farm "May 1", an impromptu battle group under the command of Major Kall struck. The composition of this group is impressive: the 505th battalion of heavy tanks (about 40 Tiger tanks), the 654th and part of the machines of the 653rd battalion (44 Ferdinands in total), the 216th battalion of assault tanks (38 Brummbar "), A division of assault guns (20 StuG 40 and StuH 42), 17 Pz.Kpfw III and Pz.Kpfw IV tanks. Immediately behind this armada, tanks of the 2nd TD and motorized infantry on an armored personnel carrier were supposed to move.

Thus, on a front of 3 km, the Germans concentrated about 150 combat vehicles, not counting the second echelon. More than half of the first-echelon vehicles are heavy. According to the reports of our artillerymen, the Germans here for the first time used a new attacking formation "in line" - with the "Ferdinands" that were going in front. The vehicles of the 654th and 653rd battalions operated in two echelons. In the line of the first echelon, 30 vehicles were advancing, in the second echelon one more company (14 vehicles) moved with an interval of 120-150 m. The company commanders were in the general line on the command vehicles carrying a flag on the antenna.

On the very first day, this group easily managed to break through the state farm "May 1" to the village of Goreloe. Here our artillerymen made a truly ingenious move: seeing the invulnerability of the newest German armored monsters to artillery, they were allowed to enter a huge minefield filled with anti-tank mines and landmines from captured ammunition, and then opened hurricane fire on the "retinue" of medium-sized ones following the Ferdinands. tanks and assault guns. As a result, the entire strike group suffered significant losses and was forced to withdraw.


The next day, July 10, Major Kall's group struck a new powerful blow and individual vehicles broke through to the outskirts of Art. Diving. The vehicles that broke through were the heavy self-propelled guns "Ferdinand".

According to the descriptions of our soldiers, the "Ferdinands" advanced, firing from a cannon from short stops from a distance of one to two and a half kilometers: a very long distance for armored vehicles of that time. Having been exposed to concentrated fire, or having found a mined area of ​​the terrain, they retreated in reverse to some shelter, trying to always be facing the Soviet positions with thick frontal armor, absolutely invulnerable to our artillery.

On July 11, Major Kall's strike group was disbanded, the 505th heavy tank battalion and the tanks of the 2nd TD were transferred against our 70th army in the Kutyrka-Teploe region. In the area of ​​art. Only the units of the 654th battalion and the 216th assault tank battalion remained, trying to evacuate the damaged materiel to the rear. But it was not possible to evacuate the 65-ton Ferdinands during July 12-13, and on July 14, Soviet troops launched a massive counteroffensive from the Ponyri station in the direction of the May 1 state farm. By midday the German troops were forced to withdraw. Our tankers supporting the infantry attack suffered heavy losses, mostly not from German fire, but because a company of T-34 and T-70 tanks jumped out onto the same powerful minefield where Ferdinands had blown up four days earlier. 654th battalion.

On July 15 (that is, the very next day), the German equipment knocked out and destroyed at the Ponyri station was examined and studied by representatives of the GAU KA and the NIBT test site. In total, on the battlefield northeast of st. Ponyri (18 km2) left 21 self-propelled guns "Ferdinand", three assault tanks "Brummbar" (in Soviet documents - "Bear"), eight tanks Pz-III and Pz-IV, two command tanks, and several radio-controlled tankettes B IV "Bogvard ".


Most of the Ferdinands were found in a minefield near the village of Goreloe. More than half of the vehicles examined had damage to the undercarriage from the impact of anti-tank mines and land mines. 5 vehicles had damage to the chassis from shells of 76-mm and higher caliber. Two "Ferdinands" had bullet holes, one of them received as many as 8 hits in the gun barrel. One car was completely destroyed by an aerial bomb hit from a Soviet Pe-2 bomber, one was destroyed by a 203-mm projectile hitting the roof of the wheelhouse. And only one "Ferdinand" had a shell hole in the left side, made by a 76-mm armor-piercing projectile, 7 T-34 tanks and a ZIS-3 battery fired at it from all sides, from a distance of 200-400 m. And one more "Ferdinand", which had no external damage to the hull, was burned by our infantry with a bottle of KS. Several "Ferdinands", deprived of the ability to move under their own power, were destroyed by their crews.

The main part of the 653rd battalion operated in the defense zone of our 70th army. Irrecoverable losses during the battles from 5 to 15 July amounted to 8 vehicles. And one of our troops captured perfectly serviceable, and even together with the crew. It happened as follows: in the course of repelling one of the German attacks in the area of ​​the village of Teploe on July 11-12, the advancing German troops underwent massive shelling of a corps artillery battalion, batteries of the latest Soviet self-propelled guns SU-152 and two IPTAP, after which the enemy left on the battlefield 4 "Ferdinand". Despite such a massive shelling, not a single German self-propelled gun had armor penetration: two vehicles had shell damage to the chassis, one was badly destroyed by large-caliber artillery fire (possibly the SU-152) - its frontal plate was displaced. And the fourth (No. 333), trying to get out of the shelling, was moving in reverse and, having hit the sandy area, simply “sat down” on its belly. The crew tried to dig the car, but then attacking Soviet infantrymen of the 129th Infantry Division ran into them and the Germans preferred to surrender. Here ours faced the same problem that has long weighed down the minds of the command of the German 654th and 653rd battalions: how to get this colossus out of the battlefield? Pulling the "hippopotamus out of the swamp" dragged on until August 2, when, with the efforts of four C-60 and C-65 tractors, Ferdinand was finally pulled out onto solid ground. But in the course of its further transportation to the railway station, one of the self-propelled guns' gasoline engines failed. The further fate of the car is unknown.


With the beginning of the Soviet counteroffensive, the Ferdinands fell into their element. So, on July 12-14, 24 self-propelled guns of the 653rd battalion supported units of the 53rd Infantry Division in the Berezovets area. At the same time, repulsing the attack of Soviet tanks near the village of Krasnaya Niva, the crew of only one "Ferdinand" Lieutenant Tiret reported on the destruction of 22 T-34 tanks.

On July 15, the 654th battalion repulsed the attack of our tanks from the direction of Maloarkhangelsk - Buzuluk, while the 6th company reported the destruction of 13 Soviet combat vehicles. Subsequently, the remnants of the battalions were drawn to Oryol. By July 30, all "Ferdinands" were withdrawn from the front, and by order of the headquarters of the 9th Army were sent to Karachev.

During Operation Citadel, the 656th Panzer Regiment daily reported on the presence of combat-ready Ferdinands by radio. According to these reports, on July 7, there were 37 Ferdinands in service, July 8 - 26, July 9 - 13, July 10 - 24, July 11 - 12, July 12 - 24, July 13 - 24, July 14 - 13 units. These data do not correlate well with the German data on the combat strength of the strike groups, which included the 653rd and 654th battalions. The Germans recognize 19 "Ferdinands" as irretrievably lost, in addition, another 4 cars were lost "due to a short circuit and the subsequent fire." Consequently, the 656th regiment lost 23 vehicles. In addition, there are inconsistencies with Soviet data, which documentary evidence of the destruction of 21 Ferdinand self-propelled guns.


Perhaps the Germans tried, as was often the case, to write off several vehicles as irrecoverable losses retroactively, because, according to their data, since the transition of the Soviet troops to the offensive, 20 Ferdinands have been irrevocably lost (this apparently includes some of the 4 cars burned down for technical reasons). Thus, according to German data, the total irrecoverable losses of the 656th regiment from July 5 to August 1, 1943 amounted to 39 Ferdinands. Be that as it may, this is generally confirmed by the documents, and, in general, corresponds to the Soviet data.


If the losses of the "Ferdinands" in both German and Soviet ones coincide (the difference is only in the dates), then "unscientific fantasy" begins further. The command of the 656th regiment declares that during the period from July 5 to July 15, 1943, the regiment disabled 502 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns, 20 anti-tank and about 100 other guns. Particularly distinguished in the field of the destruction of Soviet armored vehicles, the 653rd battalion, which recorded 320 Soviet tanks, as well as a large number of guns and vehicles, in the destroyed ones.

Let's try to deal with the losses of the Soviet artillery. During the period from 5 to 15 July 1943, the Central Front under the command of K. Rokossovsky lost 433 guns of all types. This is data for a whole front, which occupied a very long defense zone, so the data on 120 destroyed guns in one small "patch" seems clearly overestimated. In addition, it is very interesting to compare the declared number of destroyed Soviet armored vehicles with their real decline. So: by July 5, the tank units of the 13th Army numbered 215 tanks and 32 self-propelled guns, another 827 armored units were listed in the 2nd TA and the 19th TC, which was in the front reserve. Most of them were brought into battle precisely in the defense zone of the 13th Army, where the Germans inflicted their main blow. The losses of the 2nd TA for the period from 5 to 15 July amounted to 270 T-34 and T-70 tanks burned out and wrecked, the losses of the 19th TK - 115 vehicles, the 13th Army (including all replenishments) - 132 vehicles. Consequently, of the 1129 tanks and self-propelled guns used in the 13th Army's zone, the total losses amounted to 517 vehicles, and more than half of them were recovered already during the battles (irrecoverable losses amounted to 219 vehicles). If we take into account that the 13th Army's defensive zone on different days of the operation ranged from 80 to 160 km, and the Ferdinands operated on the front from 4 to 8 km, it becomes clear that such a number of Soviet armored vehicles could be snapped into place in such a narrow area it was simply unrealistic. And if we also take into account the fact that several tank divisions operated against the Central Front, as well as the 505th Tigers heavy tank battalion, assault gun divisions, Marder and Hornisse self-propelled guns, as well as artillery, it is clear that the results 656th regiment shamelessly bloated. However, a similar picture is obtained when checking the effectiveness of the heavy tank battalions "Tigers" and "Royal Tigers", and indeed of all German tank units. For the sake of fairness, it must be said that combat reports of both Soviet, American and British troops sinned with such "truthfulness".


So what is the reason for such a famous "heavy assault gun", or, if you like, "heavy tank destroyer Ferdinand"?

Undoubtedly, the creation of Ferdinand Porsche was a kind of masterpiece of technical thought. In the huge ACS, many technical solutions were used (a unique chassis, a combined power plant, the location of the BO, etc.) that had no analogues in tank building. At the same time, numerous technical "highlights" of the project were poorly adapted for military operation, and the phenomenal armor protection and powerful weapons were bought due to disgusting mobility, a short power reserve, the complexity of the machine in operation and the lack of a concept for using such technology. This is all true, but this was not the reason for such a "fright" before the creation of Porsche, that the Soviet artillerymen and tankmen in almost every combat report saw crowds of "Ferdinands" even after the Germans took all the surviving self-propelled guns from the eastern front to Italy and until the battles in Poland, they did not participate on the Eastern Front.

Despite all its imperfections and "childhood diseases", the self-propelled gun "Ferdinand" turned out to be a terrible enemy. Her armor did not penetrate. I just didn't get through. At all. Nothing. You can imagine what the Soviet tankmen and artillerymen felt and thought: you hit it, you fire shell after shell, and it looks like a spell, rushing and rushing at you.


Many modern researchers cite the lack of anti-personnel weapons of this ACS as the main reason for the unsuccessful debut of the Ferdinands. Say, the car did not have machine guns and the self-propelled guns were helpless against the Soviet infantry. But if we analyze the reasons for the losses of the Ferdinand self-propelled guns, it becomes clear that the role of the infantry in destroying the Ferdinands was simply insignificant, the vast majority of vehicles were blown up in minefields, and some more were destroyed by artillery.

Thus, contrary to popular belief that V. Model is to blame for the large losses at the Kursk Bulge of the Ferdinand ACS, who allegedly "did not know" how to apply them correctly, we can say that the main reasons for such high losses of these ACS were the tactically competent actions of the Soviet commanders, the fortitude and bravery of our soldiers and officers, as well as a little military luck.

Another reader will object, why are we not talking about the battles in Galicia, where from April 1944 slightly modernized "Elephanta" participated (which were distinguished from the previous "Ferdinands" by minor improvements, such as a course machine gun and a commander's cupola)? We answer: because their fate there was no better. Until July, they, brought together in the 653rd battalion, fought local battles. After the start of a major Soviet offensive, the battalion was sent to the aid of the German SS Hohenstaufen division, but ran into an ambush by Soviet tanks and anti-tank artillery and 19 vehicles were immediately destroyed. The remnants of the battalion (12 vehicles) were consolidated into the 614th separate heavy company, which took the battles at Wünsdorf, Zossen and Berlin.


ACS number Nature of damage Cause of damage Note
731 A caterpillar was destroyed A mine was blown up A self-propelled gun was repaired and sent to Moscow for an exhibition of captured property
522 The caterpillar is destroyed, the road wheels are damaged.
523 The track is destroyed, the road wheels are damaged Blown up by a land mine, set on fire by the crew The car burned down
734 The lower branch of the caterpillar is destroyed.
II-02 The right track is torn off, the road wheels are destroyed.
I-02 Left track torn off, road roller destroyed Blown up by a mine and set on fire Machine burned down
514 The caterpillar is destroyed, the road roller is damaged Blown up by a mine, set on fire The car burned down
502 Torn off a sloth Blown up by a land mine The car was tested by shelling
501 The caterpillar was torn off The mine was blown up The machine was repaired and delivered to the NIBT landfill
712 The right drive wheel is destroyed. A shell hit The crew left the car. The fire is extinguished
732 The third carriage is destroyed.
524 Torn apart caterpillar Blown up by a mine, set on fire Machine burned down
II-03 Caterpillar destroyed Shell hit, set fire to KS bottle Car burned out
113 or 713 Both sloths destroyed. Projectile hits. Weapon set on fire Machine burned out
601 Right caterpillar destroyed Shell hit, gun set on fire from outside Machine burned out
701 The fighting compartment was destroyed. A 203 mm shell hit the commander's hatch -
602 Hole in the port side of the gas tank 76-mm shell of a tank or divisional gun The vehicle burned out
II-01 The gun burned out Set on fire by the KS bottle The car burned out
150061 A sloth and a caterpillar destroyed, a gun barrel shot through Shell hits on the chassis and a cannon Crew captured
723 The caterpillar is destroyed, the weapon is jammed. Projectile hits to the chassis and mask -
? Complete destruction Direct hit from the Petlyakov bomber



As mentioned in the last article, the remaining 47 Ferdinand self-propelled guns were withdrawn from the active armies and at the end of 1943 - beginning of 1944 they were modernized at the same “native” plant “Nibelungenwerke”. The command took into account errors both in the organizational structure and in the design of the machine. In the frontal sheet of the ACS, a machine gun was installed in a ball mount; replaced the barrels of the guns; the gun shield was turned backwards for better attachment to the barrel; mounted on the roof of the wheelhouse an observation turret with seven periscopes; changed the poles on the lighting generator and improved the sealing of the exhaust pipes; reinforced the bottom of the car in front of the 30-mm plate; "Shod" in wider tracks; increased the ammunition load by 5 rounds; mounted on the body mounts for tools and tracks; the hull and wheelhouse were covered with zimmerite.
The order to rename the ACS to "Elephant" was issued on February 27, 1944 after the end of the modernization.
In January 1944, the first company of the 653rd battalion, consisting of 14 Elephants, one repair and recovery vehicle also based on the Tiger (P) tank chassis and two ammunition transporters was deployed to Italy to counter the offensive of the Anglo-American troops. Heavy SPGs took part in the battles of Nettuno, Anzio, Rome. Despite the dominance of the Allied aviation and the difficult terrain, the company proved to be the best, so, according to German data, only on March 30-31 on the outskirts of Rome, two self-propelled guns destroyed up to 50 American tanks, armored personnel carriers and cars and were blown up by the crews after using up fuel and ammunition. On June 26, 1944, the company, in which two combat-ready Elephanta remained, was withdrawn from the front and transferred first to Austria and then to Poland to join the 653rd battalion.


The two remaining ACS companies in April 1944 were transferred to the Eastern Front, in the Ternopil region. In addition to 31 Elephanta, the company had two repair and recovery vehicles based on the Tiger (P) tank chassis and one based on the Panther tank, as well as three ammunition transporters. In heavy battles at the end of April, the companies suffered losses - 14 vehicles were disabled; however, 11 of them were quickly restored, and the number of combat-ready vehicles even increased due to the arrival of repaired vehicles from the 1st company from the factories. In addition, by June, the company had replenished with two unique pieces of armored vehicles - the Tiger (P) tank with frontal armor reinforced to 200 mm and the Panther tank with the PzKpfw IV turret, which were used as command vehicles. In July, a large-scale Soviet offensive began, and both Elephant companies were involved in heavy fighting. On July 18, they were thrown without reconnaissance or training to help the SS Hohenstaufen division and suffered heavy losses from Soviet anti-tank and self-propelled artillery fire. The battalion lost more than half of the vehicles, and a significant part of them were subject to restoration, however, since the battlefield remained with the Soviet troops, the damaged self-propelled guns were destroyed by their own crews. On August 3, the remnants of the battalion were transferred to Krakow.


Since October 1944, the 653rd battalion, which suffered heavy losses from the Soviet troops, began to receive new self-propelled guns "Jagdtigr", and the remaining "Elephants" were brought together into a separate 614th heavy self-propelled anti-tank company (sPzJgKp 614). Until February 1945, this company, consisting of 13 self-propelled guns, was in reserve. On February 25, 1945, the company was transferred to Wünsdorf to strengthen the anti-tank defense of the German units. The last battles of the Elephanta were held in Wünsdorf, Zossen and Berlin.
In the Soviet Union at different times there were at least eight captured complete Ferdinands. One vehicle was shot at near Ponyri in July - August 1943 while testing its armor; another one was shot in the fall of 1944 while testing new types of weapons. At the end of 1945, there were six SPGs at the disposal of various organizations. They were used for various tests, some of the machines were eventually disassembled in order to study the design. As a result, all but one of them were scrapped, as were all vehicles seized in a badly damaged condition.

ACS Ferdinand occupies a place between weakly armored "early ripeners" like "Nashorn" and the most successful anti-tank destroyer ACS "Jagdpanther", created on the basis of the "Panther" tank. Developed on the basis of the Porsche Tiger (originally called Ferdinand, after its creator - Ferdinand Porsche), the Elephant (elephant) self-propelled gun was one of the first armored combat vehicles with a long-barreled 88-mm anti-aircraft gun. The full index of this gun is as follows: Cancer 43/2 L / 71, it allows us to conclude that the length of the gun barrel is 71 caliber (that is, its length is 88 mm x 71).

Structurally, the Ferdinand's hull remained the same as the Porsche's Tiger hull, only 100-mm armor plates were bolted in front of it, which increased the total thickness of the frontal armor protection to 200 mm. The Ferdinand was powered by two Maybach engines and had many electrical components, including an electric transmission and a swing mechanism, served by two electric motors. All this made the self-propelled gun very difficult and unreliable in operation. In February 1943, Hitler ordered the fastest delivery of 90 of these self-propelled guns, which were assigned the SdKfz 184 index, to operational units. front.

Many of the Ferdinands fought at the Kursk Bulge, where they demonstrated their ability to destroy any Soviet tanks. However, self-propelled guns lacked maneuverability on highly rugged terrain, and the lack of protective weapons made them vulnerable to anti-tank infantry squads armed with magnetic mines, RPGs and similar anti-tank equipment. If the battle was fought at short distances, the support of the Ferdinand infantry was essential. At the end of 1943, the 48 surviving self-propelled guns were modified at the factory, in particular, equipped with MG 34 machine guns, commander's hatches and anti-magnetic coating. Then "Elephanta" were transferred to the Italian front, where, in the conditions of off-road conditions and lack of spare parts, they caused a lot of trouble for the Germans. For the most part, the crews ended up either just throwing them or blowing them up before throwing them.

Soviet soldiers inspecting a German heavy self-propelled artillery unit of the Ferdinand tank destroyer class destroyed during the Battle of Kursk. The photo is also interesting for a rare 1943 steel helmet SSh-36 on the soldier on the left.

Modifications

In late 1943 - early 1944, all 47 Ferdinands remaining in the ranks by that time underwent repairs and modernization at the Nibelungenwerke plant. The work carried out included the installation of a machine gun in the frontal sheet of the ACS in a ball mount, replacement of gun barrels, turning the shield on the gun barrel "backwards" for better attachment to the barrel, mounting an observation turret with seven fixed periscopes on the roof of the cabin, changing the poles on the lighting generator and improving sealing the exhaust pipes, reinforcing the bottom in the front of the hull with 30-mm armor plate for mine protection, mounting wider tracks, increasing the ammunition load by 5 rounds, installing tool mounts and track links on the body. The hull and cabin of the self-propelled guns were covered with zimmerite.

Often the ACS that have undergone modernization are called "Elephant". In fact, the order to rename the ACS was issued on February 27, 1944, after the end of the modernization. However, the new name stuck badly and until the end of the war, self-propelled guns in the army, and in official documents were often called "Ferdinands" than "Elephants". At the same time, in the English-language literature the name "Elephant" is more often used, which is connected with the fact that machines under this name took part in the battles with the Anglo-American troops in Italy.

Project evaluation

In general, ACS "Ferdinand" is a very controversial object in terms of assessment, which is largely a consequence of its design, which determined the subsequent fate of the machine. The self-propelled gun was an improvisation created in a great hurry, in fact an experimental vehicle on the chassis of a heavy tank that was not adopted for service. Therefore, to evaluate the ACS, it is necessary to familiarize yourself in more detail with the design of the Tiger (P) tank, from which Ferdinand inherited many of its advantages and disadvantages.

A large number of new technical solutions were used on this tank, which had not been previously tested in German and world tank construction. The most significant of these are electric transmission and suspension using longitudinal torsion bars. Both of these solutions showed good efficiency, but turned out to be overly complicated and expensive to manufacture and not sufficiently developed for long-term operation. Although there were also subjective factors in choosing the prototype of the Henschel firm, there were also objective reasons for rejection of the designs of F. Porsche. Before the war, this designer was actively involved in the development of complex designs of racing cars, which were single prototype models not intended for large-scale production. He managed to achieve both the reliability and efficiency of his designs, but through the use of a very highly qualified workforce, high-quality materials and individual work with each piece of equipment released. The designer tried to transfer this same approach to tank building, where it was inapplicable in the mass production of military equipment.

Although the controllability and survivability of the entire engine-transmission unit received a very good assessment from the German military operating it, the price for this was the high technological costs of its production and the increase in the weight and size characteristics of the entire Tiger (P) tank as a whole. In particular, some sources mention the great need of the Third Reich for copper, and its abundant use in electrical engineering Tiger (P) was regarded as an overkill. In addition, a tank with such a scheme had too much fuel consumption. Therefore, a number of promising projects of F. Porsche's tanks were rejected precisely because of the use of electric transmission in them.

The suspension with longitudinal torsion bars was much easier to maintain and repair in comparison with the "checkerboard" torsion bar suspension of the Tiger I tank. On the other hand, it was very difficult to manufacture and less reliable to operate. All options for its subsequent development were steadily rejected by the leadership of the German tank building in favor of a more traditional and technologically advanced "checkerboard" scheme, albeit much less convenient in repair and maintenance.

The tank destroyer "Ferdinand" Sd.Kfz.184 (8.8 cm PaK 43/2 Sfl L / 71 Panzerjäger Tiger (P) of the 653rd battalion of heavy tank destroyers (Schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653) of the Wehrmacht moves through the settlement before the start of the offensive Operation Citadel

Therefore, from an industrial point of view, the German army leadership and the Ministry of Armaments and Ammunition actually rendered a verdict that the Tiger (P) was unnecessary for the Wehrmacht. However, a significant stock of almost finished chassis of this machine made it possible to experiment with the creation of the world's first heavily armored tank destroyer. The number of self-propelled guns made was strictly limited by the number of available chassis, which predetermined the small-scale production of Ferdinands, regardless of the advantages and disadvantages of its design.

The combat use of "Ferdinands" left an ambiguous impression. The most powerful 88-mm cannon was ideal for destroying enemy armored vehicles at any distance of the battle, and the crews of German self-propelled guns really scored very large accounts of destroyed and knocked out Soviet tanks. Powerful armor made the Ferdinand practically invulnerable to shells of almost all Soviet guns when firing in the forehead, the side and stern could not be penetrated by 45-mm armor-piercing shells, and 76-mm shells (and only modifications B, BSP) pierced it only from extremely small distances (less than 200 m), strictly along the normal. Therefore, instructions for Soviet tankmen and artillerymen were prescribed to hit on the chassis of the Ferdinands, into the gun barrel, into the joints of armor plates and observation devices. More effective sub-caliber projectiles were available in very small numbers.

Somewhat better was the effectiveness of the 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank guns on the side armor (normally, the side armor of the self-propelled guns was penetrated by the shells of these guns from about 1000 m). Artillery of the corps and army level could effectively hit the Ferdinands - heavy, low-mobility, expensive and low-speed 122-mm A-19 cannons and 152-mm ML-20 howitzer-cannons, as well as expensive and vulnerable due to the large size of 85- mm anti-aircraft guns. In 1943, the only Soviet armored vehicle capable of effectively fighting the Ferdinand was the SU-152 self-propelled gun, which was much inferior to the German self-propelled gun in terms of armor, accuracy and effective firing range with an armor-piercing projectile (although good results were also achieved when firing at Ferdinand with fragmentation high-explosive - the armor did not break through, but the chassis, gun, internal components and assemblies were damaged, the crew was injured). Also quite effective against the side armor of "Ferdinand" was the 122-mm shaped-charge projectile BP-460A ACS SU-122, but the range and accuracy of this projectile was very low.

Tank destroyers "Ferdinand" Sd.Kfz.184 (8.8 cm PaK 43/2 Sfl L / 71 Panzerjäger Tiger (P) headquarters company of the 654th battalion of heavy tank destroyers (Schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 654) of the Wehrmacht, knocked out 15-16 July 1943 in the area of ​​the Ponyri station, on the left is the command vehicle No. II-03. It was burned with bottles with a kerosene mixture after being hit by a shell that damaged the chassis.

The fight against the "Ferdinands" became less difficult in 1944, with the introduction of the IS-2, T-34-85, ISU-122 and SU-85 self-propelled guns into service with the Red Army. the most common combat distances. The problem of the defeat of "Ferdinand" in the forehead was never completely solved. The issue of penetrating the 200-mm frontal armor plate is still controversial: there is information that the 100-mm BS-3 and ACS SU-100 guns coped with this, but Soviet reports from 1944-1945 indicate their lower armor-piercing ability compared to 122 mm guns A-19 or D-25. For the latter, the firing tables indicate the thickness of the penetrated armor of about 150 mm at a distance of 500 m, but the armor penetration graph of those years asserts that the Ferdinand's forehead was pierced at a distance of 450 m. Ferdinand "and the IS-2 or ISU-122 is many times more favorable for the German self-propelled guns. Knowing this, Soviet tankers and self-propelled guns almost always fired at heavily armored targets at long distances with high-explosive 122-mm grenades. The kinetic energy of a 25-kg projectile and its explosive effect could with a good probability put the Ferdinand out of action without penetrating the frontal armor.

Front correspondent Konstantin Mikhailovich Simonov (1915-1979) sits on the gun barrel of a captured German self-propelled gun "Ferdinand", knocked out on the northern face of the Kursk Bulge. Presumably, a car with the tail number "232", a photo of the same self-propelled gun from the back. A German gas mask is inserted into the gun's muzzle brake.

The anti-tank and tank artillery of Great Britain and the United States was also ineffective against the Ferdinand's frontal armor, only the sub-caliber shells with a detachable pan that appeared in mid-1944 for the 17-pounder (76.2-mm) anti-tank gun (which was also installed on Sherman Firefly tanks, ACS Achilles and Archer) could solve this problem. On the side, the German self-propelled gun was confidently hit by armor-piercing shells of British and American 57-mm and 75-mm cannons from a distance of about 500 m, 76-mm and 90-mm guns - from a distance of about 2000 m. Defensive battles of the Ferdinands in Ukraine and in Italy in 1943-1944 confirmed their very high efficiency when used for their intended purpose - as a tank destroyer.

On the other hand, the high security of "Ferdinand" to a certain extent played a negative role in his fate. Instead of a long-range tank destroyer, due to the massive and accurate fire of Soviet artillery, the German command near Kursk used the Ferdinands as a ram spearhead for the Soviet defense in depth, which was a clear mistake. For this role, the German self-propelled guns were poorly suited - the lack of a machine gun, low power-to-weight ratio for a large mass of the vehicle, and high ground pressure affected. It is known that a significant number of "Ferdinands" were immobilized by explosions in Soviet minefields and artillery fire on the chassis, most of these vehicles were destroyed by their own crews due to the impossibility of quick evacuation due to the excessive mass of the ACS. The Soviet infantry and anti-tank artillery, knowing the impenetrability of "Ferdinand" and its weakness in close combat, let the German self-propelled guns get closer, trying to deprive them of the support of the German infantry and tanks, and then try to knock them out by shooting at the side, on the chassis, the gun, as recommended instructions for dealing with enemy heavy tanks and self-propelled guns.

Burning German self-propelled guns "Ferdinand" from the 656th regiment on the Oryol face of the Kursk Bulge. The photo was taken through the hatch of the driver of the Pz.Kpfw tank. III with B-4 robotic tanks.

Immobilized self-propelled guns became easy prey for infantry armed with close-range anti-tank combat weapons, for example, Molotov cocktails. This tactic was fraught with heavy losses, but sometimes it led to success, especially if the German self-propelled guns lost the ability to turn. In particular, one "Ferdinand" who got into a sand pit could not get out of there on his own and was captured by the Soviet infantry, and his crew was captured. The weakness of "Ferdinand" in close combat was noted by the German side and served as one of the reasons for the modernization of the "Elephant".

The large mass of "Ferdinand" made it difficult for him to pass over many bridges, although it was not prohibitively large, especially in comparison with the heavy tank "Tiger II" and the self-propelled gun "Jagdtigr". The large size and low mobility of "Ferdinand" did not have the best effect on the survivability of the machine in the conditions of air domination of the Allied aviation.

"Ferdinand" # 501 blown up by a mine, from the 654th division. The car in the list examined by the GABTU commission is listed under the number "9". It was this machine that was repaired and sent to the NIBT test site. It is currently on display at the Museum of Armored Vehicles in Kubinka. Kursk Bulge, area of ​​the village of Goreloy.

Heavy assault gun "Ferdinand", tail number "731", chassis number 150090 from the 654th division, blown up by a mine in the defense zone of the 70th Army. Later, this machine was sent to an exhibition of captured equipment in Moscow. Kursk Bulge.

In general, despite some shortcomings, Ferdinands proved to be very good, and when used correctly, these SPGs were an extremely dangerous enemy of any tank or SPG of those times. Armed with an equally powerful weapon, but lighter and weaker armored Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger, the most powerful and heavy tank destroyer of the Second World War became the successors of "Ferdinand".

There were no direct analogues of Ferdinand in other countries. In terms of concept and armament, Soviet tank destroyers SU-85 and SU-100 are closest to it, but they are two times lighter and much weaker armored. Another analogue is the Soviet heavy self-propelled gun ISU-122, with powerful weapons it was much inferior to the German self-propelled gun in frontal armor. British and American anti-tank self-propelled guns had an open wheelhouse or turret, and were also very lightly armored.

Heavy assault gun "Ferdinand", side number "723" from the 654th division (battalion), knocked out in the area of ​​the state farm "1st May". Shell hits destroyed the caterpillar and jammed the weapon. The vehicle was part of Major Kal's "strike group" of the 505th heavy tank battalion of the 654th division.

The performance characteristics of ACS Elephant

Layout: control compartment and transmission in front, engine in the middle, combat in the back
- Developer: Ferdinand Porsche
- Manufacturer: Porsche
- years of development: 1942-1943
- years of production: 1943
- years of operation: 1943-1945
- The number of issued, pcs .: 91

Weight ACS Elephant

Combat weight, t: 65.0

Crew: 6 people

Overall dimensions of ACS Elephant

Body length, mm: 8140
- Width, mm: 3380
- Height, mm: 2970
- Clearance, mm: 485

Reservation of self-propelled guns Elephant

Armor Type: Forged and Forged Surface Hardened
- housing forehead (top), mm / city .: 200 (100 + 100) / 12 °
- housing forehead (bottom), mm / city .: 200/35 °
- body board (top), mm / city .: 80/0 °
- body board (bottom), mm / city .: 60/0 °
- housing feed (top), mm / city .: 80/40 °
- housing feed (bottom), mm / city .: 80/0 °
- Bottom, mm: 20-50
- body roof, mm: 30
- cutting forehead, mm / city .: 200/25 °
- gun mask, mm / city .: 125
- Cutting board, mm / city .: 80/30 °
- felling feed, mm / city .: 80/30 °
- cabin roof, mm / city .: 30/85 °

Armament ACS Elephant

Caliber and brand of the gun: 88 mm Pak 43
- Cannon type: Rifled
- barrel length, calibres: 71
- gun ammunition: 50-55
- Angles VN, city .: −8 ... + 14 °
- Angles GN, city .: 28 °
- sights: periscope Sfl ZF 1a

Machine guns: 1 × 7.92 MG-34

ACS engine Elephant

Engine type: two V-shaped 12-cylinder carburetor
- Engine power, l. from .: 2 × 265

SPG speed Elephant

Highway speed, km / h: 35 (on tests in the USSR)
- Speed ​​over rough terrain, km / h: 10-15 on soft plowing 5-10

Cruising on the highway, km: 150
- Cruising cross country, km: 90

Specific power, l. s./t .: 8.2
- suspension type: torsion bar
- Specific ground pressure, kg / cm²: 1.2

Gradeability, city .: 22 °
- Overcoming wall, m: 0.78
- Passable moat, m: 2.64
- Overcome ford, m: 1.0

Photo ACS Ferdinand (Elephant)

Heavy assault gun "Ferdinand", destroyed by a direct hit from an aerial bomb from a Soviet Pe-2 dive bomber. The tactical number is unknown. The area of ​​the Ponyri station and the state farm "May 1".

German heavy assault gun "Ferdinand" of the 653rd battalion (division), captured in good working order together with the crew by the soldiers of the Soviet 129th Oryol Infantry Division. A HE shell hit the left front corner of the ACS (the "chrysanthemum" is clearly visible in the photo). Therefore, there is no fender and wing. But the self-propelled gun itself was fully operational, the weapon and instruments were in perfect order, the radio station was working. Even Fedya's magic “little doll” was available.

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Already during the conduct of hostilities on the Eastern Front, the German army encountered the excellent Soviet KV and T-34 tanks. They were noticeably superior to the German counterparts available at that time. Since the Germans were not going to concede, the design bureaus of many German companies received orders for the creation of a new type of equipment - a heavy tank destroyer. This order later became the beginning of the creation of such a machine as "Ferdinand", or "Elephant".

The history of the creation of the machine

The experience of battles on the Eastern Front showed that many German tanks from the Pz series were inferior in their characteristics to Soviet combat vehicles. Therefore, Hitler ordered German designers to start developing new heavy tanks that were supposed to match or even surpass the tanks of the Red Army. This was done by two large firms - Henschel and Porsche. Prototypes of machines from both companies were created as soon as possible and presented to the Fuehrer on April 20, 1942. He liked both prototypes so much that he ordered the serial production of both versions. But for a number of reasons this was impossible, so they decided to produce only the Henschel model - VK4501 (H), which later became known as the Pz.Kpfw VI Tiger. It was decided to leave the version of the designer Ferdinand Porsche - VK 4501 (P) as a fallback. Hitler ordered only 90 vehicles to be built.

But having released only 5 tanks, "Porsche" stopped their production on the orders of the Fuehrer. Two of them were subsequently converted into Bergerpanzer repair vehicles, and three received standard armament - an 88 mm cannon. KwK 36 L / 56 and two MG-34 machine guns (one coaxial with a gun, and the other a course).

Around the same time, another need arose - for a tank destroyer. This required the vehicle to have frontal armor 200 mm thick and a cannon capable of fighting Soviet tanks. The German anti-tank weapons available at that time were either ineffective or frankly improvised. At the same time, the weight limit for the future ACS was 65 tons. Since the Porsche prototype lost, the designer decided to take his chance. He asked the Fuehrer to complete the planned 90 chassis just to use them as a base for a future installation. And Hitler gave the go-ahead. It was this work of the designer that became the machine that became known as the Ferdinand tank.

Creation process and its features

So, on September 22, 1942, the Minister of Armaments of the Third Reich Albert Speer ordered the creation of the necessary army of a combat vehicle, which was originally called 8.8 cm Pak 43/2 Sfl L / 71 Panzerjaeger Tiger (P) SdKfz 184. In the process of work, the name was changed several times, until finally the tank received an official name.

The car was designed by Porsche together with the Alquette plant located in Berlin. The command requirements were such that the self-propelled guns had to use the Pak 43 anti-tank gun, caliber 88 mm. It had a great length, so Porsche arranged the layout in such a way that the fighting compartment was located at the rear of the tank, and the engine was in the middle. The hull was modernized - new engine frames were added to it and a bulkhead was installed, designed to stop a fire inside the car, if necessary. The bulkhead divided the fighting and power compartments. The chassis, as already mentioned, was taken from the prototype of the VK 4501 (P) heavy tank, with the rear drive wheel.

In 1943, the tank was ready, and Hitler ordered the start of its production, and also named the car "Ferdinand". The tank apparently received this name as a tribute to Porsche's design genius. We decided to produce the car at the Nibelungenwerke plant.

Start of serial production

It was originally planned to release 15 vehicles in February 1943, another 35 in March and 40 in April, that is, a strategy of increasing production was pursued. Initially, all tanks were supposed to be produced by Alquette, but then this business was entrusted to Nibelungenwerke. This decision was prompted by a number of reasons. Firstly, more railway platforms were needed to transport the SPG hulls, and all of them at that time were busy delivering the Tiger tank to the front. Second, the VK 4501 (P) hulls were reworked more slowly than required. Thirdly, "Alquette" would have to readjust the production process, since at that moment the plant was assembling StuG III anti-tank vehicles. But "Alquette" nevertheless took part in the assembly of the machine, sending a group of locksmiths with experience in welding towers for heavy tanks to Essen, where the supplier of felling - the Krupp plant - was located.

Assembly of the first vehicle began on February 16, 1943, and by May 8, all the planned tanks were ready. On April 12, one vehicle was sent for testing at Kummersdorf. Subsequently, a technical review took place in Rügenwald, where the first "Ferdinand" was shown. The review of the tank was successful, and Hitler liked the vehicle.

As the final stage of production, the Heeres Waffenamt commission was carried out, and all the equipment passed it successfully. All German tanks of the Second World War, including the Ferdinand, had to go through it.

Self-propelled gun in battle

The vehicles arrived just in time for the beginning of the Battle of Kursk. One funny fact should be noted: all Soviet front-line soldiers who participated in this battle unanimously insist that the Ferdinand tank was used en masse (by almost thousands) along the entire front. But reality did not match these words. In fact, only 90 vehicles participated in the battles, while they were used only in one sector of the front - in the area of ​​the Ponyri railway station and the village of Teploe. There fought two battalions of self-propelled guns.

In general, we can say that "Ferdinand" was baptized by fire successfully. An important role was played by the conning tower, which was well armored. Of all the losses, the largest number occurred in minefields. One vehicle ran into cross-fire from several anti-tank guns and seven tanks, but only one (!) Hole was found in it. Three more self-propelled guns were destroyed by a Molotov cocktail, an aerial bomb hit and a large-caliber howitzer shell. It was in these battles that the Red Army felt the full power of such a formidable machine as the Ferdinand tank, the photos of which were taken then for the first time. Before that, the Russians had no information about the car.

During the battles, the merits and demerits of the machines were clarified. For example, the crews complained that the lack of a machine gun reduced survivability on the battlefield. They tried to solve this problem in an original way: the barrel of a machine gun was inserted into an unloaded gun. But you can imagine how inconvenient and long it was. The turret did not rotate, so the aiming of the machine gun was carried out by the entire body.

Another method was also ingenious, but ineffective: an iron cage was welded to the rear of the self-propelled gun, where 5 grenadiers were located. But "Ferdinand", a large and dangerous tank, always attracted enemy fire, so they did not live long. They tried to install a machine gun on the roof of the wheelhouse, but the loader serving it risked his life in the same way as the grenadiers in the cage.

Of the more significant changes, they carried out enhanced sealing of the fuel system of the engine of the car, but it increased the likelihood of a fire, which was confirmed in the first weeks of the fighting. They also found out that the chassis is highly susceptible to damage from mines.

Machine successes and battle results

As already mentioned, two divisions fought on the Kursk Bulge, which were created specifically to use the Ferdinand tank. The description of the hostilities in the reports states that both divisions, which fought in the 656th tank regiment, destroyed 502 enemy tanks of all types, 100 guns and 20 anti-tank guns during the battles on the Kursk Bulge. Thus, one can see that the Red Army suffered serious losses in these battles, although it is not possible to verify this information.

The further fate of the machines

In total, 42 Ferdinands out of 90 survived. Since the design flaws required correction, they were sent for modernization to San Pölten. 5 damaged self-propelled guns soon arrived there. A total of 47 cars were reconstructed.

The work was carried out at the same "Nibelungenwerck". Until March 15, 1944, 43 "Elephanta" were ready - this is how these machines were now called. How did they differ from their predecessors?

First of all, the request of the tankers was satisfied. In the forward part of the wheelhouse, a course machine gun was installed - a tank MG-34 on a spherical mount. In the place where the self-propelled gun commander was located, a turret was installed, which was covered with a single-leaf hatch. The turret possessed seven fixed periscopes. The bottom in the front of the hull was reinforced - a 30 mm thick armor plate was placed there to protect the crew from anti-tank mines. The imperfect armored mantlet of the gun was protected from shrapnel. The design of the air intakes has changed, and armored housings have appeared on them. The driver's periscopes were equipped with sun visors. We strengthened the towing hooks in the front of the hull, and placed tool mounts on the sides that could be used for a camouflage net.

Changes also affected the chassis: it received new tracks with parameters 64/640/130. We changed the intercom system, added mounts for an additional five shells inside the wheelhouse, installed mountings for spare tracks in the rear and on the sides of the conning tower. Also, the entire body and its lower part were covered with zimmerite.

In this form, self-propelled guns were widely used in Italy, repelling the offensive of the allied forces, and at the end of 1944 they were transferred back to the Eastern Front. There they fought in Western Ukraine, in Poland. There is no consensus about the fate of the divisions in the last days of the war. Then they were assigned to the 4th Panzer Army. It is believed that they fought in the Zossen area, others claim that in the mountainous regions of Austria.

In our time, there are only two "Elephanta" left, one of which is in the tank museum in Kubinka, and the other - in the USA, at the Aberdeen training ground.

Tank "Ferdinand": characteristics and description

In general, the design of this self-propelled artillery unit was successful, differing only in minor flaws. It is worth taking a closer look at each of the component parts in order to assess the combat capabilities and performance soberly.

Hull, armament and equipment

The conning tower was a four-sided pyramid, truncated at the top. It was made from cemented naval armor. According to technical requirements, the frontal armor of the cabin reached 200 mm. An anti-tank 88 mm Pak 43 cannon was installed in the fighting compartment. Its ammunition load was 50-55 rounds. The length of the gun reached 6300 mm, and its weight was 2200 kg. The gun fired various types of armor-piercing, high-explosive and cumulative shells, which successfully penetrated almost any Soviet tank. "Ferdinand", "Tiger", later versions of the StuG were equipped with this particular weapon or its modifications. The horizontal sector, which could fire at the "Ferdinand" without turning the chassis, was 30 degrees, and the elevation and depression angles of the gun were 18 and 8 degrees, respectively.

The body of the tank destroyer was welded, consisting of two sections - combat and power. For its manufacture, heterogeneous armor plates were used, the outer surface of which was harder than the inner one. The frontal armor of the hull was initially 100 mm, later it was reinforced with additional armor plates. In the power section of the hull there was an engine and electric generators. An electric motor was located in the aft part of the hull. To comfortably drive the car, the driver's seat was equipped with everything necessary: ​​engine control devices, a speedometer, a clock and periscopes for inspection. For additional orientation, there was a viewing slot on the left side of the hull. To the left of the driver was a radio operator who served the radio station and fired from a machine gun. ACS of this type were equipped with walkie-talkies of the FuG 5 and FuG Spr f.

The rear of the hull and the fighting compartment accommodated the rest of the crew - the commander, gunner and two loaders. The roof of the wheelhouse had two hatches - the commander's and the gunner's - which were double-leaf, as well as two small single-leaf hatches for the loaders. Another large round hatch was made at the rear of the wheelhouse, it was intended for loading ammunition and entering the fighting compartment. In the hatch there was a small loophole to protect the self-propelled guns from behind from the enemy. It should be said that the German tank "Ferdinand", a photo of which can now be easily found, is a very recognizable vehicle.

Engine and chassis

As a power plant, two liquid-cooled carburetor engines Maybach HL 120 TRM, twelve-cylinder overhead valves with a capacity of 265 hp were used. With. and a working volume of 11867 cubic meters. cm.

The chassis consisted of three two-wheeled bogies, as well as a guide and driving wheel (one side). Each road roller had independent suspension. the road wheels had a diameter of 794 mm, and the drive wheel was 920 mm. The caterpillars were single-crest and single-pivot, dry type (that is, the tracks were not lubricated). The length of the support area of ​​the caterpillar is 4175 mm, the track is 2310 mm. One track had 109 tracks. To improve cross-country ability, additional anti-slip teeth could be installed. Tracks were made from a manganese alloy.

The painting of cars depended on the terrain in which the fighting was taking place, as well as on the season. According to the standard, they were painted with olive paint, on which additional camouflage was sometimes applied - dark green and brown spots. Tricolor tank camouflage was sometimes used. In winter, a regular wash-off white paint was used. This type of painting was not regulated, and each crew painted the car at their own discretion.

Outcomes

We can say that the designers managed to create a powerful and effective means of dealing with medium and heavy tanks. The German tank "Ferdinand" was not devoid of drawbacks, but its advantages overlapped them, so it is not surprising that self-propelled guns were very taken care of, used only in significant operations, avoiding their operation where it was possible to do without it.