German self-propelled gun Ferdinand. Ferdinand assault gun. Tank "Ferdinand": characteristics and description

The heroes of the popular book and film “The meeting place cannot be changed”, workers of the legendary MUR use a bus nicknamed “Ferdinand” as transport. From the driver's lips, the main character learns that the car was named for its similarity in silhouette to a German self-propelled gun.

From this short episode you can find out how well-known the self-propelled artillery mount produced by Ferdinand Porsche was among front-line soldiers. Despite the small number of vehicles produced, these installations are etched in the memory of everyone who has seen them in battle.

History of creation

The Ferdinand self-propelled breakthrough vehicle owes its birth to another, no less epic example of the German tank genius. The beginning of 1941 was marked by Hitler's personal order to the two largest design bureaus in Germany on May 26 at a meeting in the presence of the highest ranks of the engineering department related to the armored forces.

In the presence of representatives of the design bureau, the battles in France were analyzed and the shortcomings of German combat vehicles were identified. Special orders were officially placed with Ferdinand Porsche and Steyer Hacker, director of Henschel. They were supposed to create a heavy tank designed to break through the defense lines of Germany's opponents.

Another reason for the order was the ineffectiveness of most German tanks in the fight against the thick-skinned English Matildas Mk.II. If the planned Operation Sea Lion was successful, the Panzerwaffe would have to face, according to various estimates, 5 thousand of these vehicles. At the same meeting, the Fuhrer was presented with models of Porsche and Henschel tanks.

The summer of 1941 had a dual impact on the development of new tanks.

On the one hand, the designers were busy refining the machines in the series. On the other hand, the Wehrmacht became acquainted with KV tanks, which made a huge impression on both generals and ordinary tankers. In the fall of 1941, work on the development of a heavy tank continued at an accelerated pace.

The Armament Directorate, which oversaw the creation of the vehicle, was on the side of the Henschel company. At their request, the development was headed by Erwin Aders, who went down in history as the chief designer of the symbol tank of the Wehrmacht.

During this period, Ferdinand Porsche entered into a serious conflict with the Armament Directorate due to technical inconsistencies in the turret of the tank being designed and ordered by officials. Subsequently, this will play a role in the fate of both prototypes.

Dr. Todt, Porsche's only ally in promoting his model, dies in a plane crash. However, Ferdinand himself was confident in the success of his development. Enjoying unlimited success with Hitler, he placed, at his own risk, an order with the Nibelungenwerk company for the manufacture of cases for his machines.

The enmity between the Fuhrer's favorite and the Department officials played a role in the tests.

Despite the non-superiority of the Porsche model, recorded during the tests, it was recommended to adopt the Henschel model, to the horror of the German army technicians. Hitler's proposal to produce two vehicles was met with a restrained refusal, motivated by the impossibility of producing two expensive but equivalent tanks in wartime.

Failure turned to Porsche after it became clear in March 1942 that the new powerful assault weapons required by Hitler, equipped with an 88-mm gun, could not be created on the basis of the PzKpfw. IV, as originally planned.

This is where the 92 chassis units built by Nibelungenwerk came in handy for Porsche designs that never made it into the Tiger series. The creator himself plunged headlong into the new project. Carried away by the calculations, he worked out a diagram with the location of the crew in the spacious conning tower located at the rear.

After approvals from the Armament Directorate and modifications, the Nibelungenwerk plant began assembling the bodies of new self-propelled guns based on the long-suffering chassis. During this period, it is unclear by whom, the machine gun planted by Porsche was removed. This “revision” will later play a role in the fate of the self-propelled guns.

The beginning of 1943 was marked by the release of the first self-propelled guns and their dispatch to the front. In February, a gift from the Fuhrer to the creator of the self-propelled gun arrives - the vehicle is officially given the name “Vater”, “Ferdinand”. By order of the same “possessed” self-propelled guns go to the East without acceptance. Quite surprised, Porsche recalled that he was waiting for complaints from the front about his unfinished cars in a hurry, but did not receive any.

Combat use

The baptism of the “Ferdinands” was the Battle of Kursk. Soviet intelligence, however, already on April 11 had information about new equipment being transported to the front line. Attached to the information was an approximate drawing of the machine, quite similar to the original. A requirement was drawn up to design an 85-100 mm gun to combat the armor of self-propelled guns, but before the Wehrmacht’s summer offensive, of course, the troops did not receive these guns.

Already on July 8, the Main Armored Directorate of the USSR received a radiogram about the Ferdinand stuck in a minefield, which immediately attracted attention with its unique silhouette. The officers who arrived for inspection did not have a chance to see this car, since the Germans advanced forward in two days.

The Ferdinands went into battle at Ponyri station. The Germans were unable to take the position of the Soviet troops head-on, so on July 9 a powerful assault group was formed, with the Ferdinands at its head. Having fired shell after shell at the self-propelled guns in vain, the Soviet artillerymen eventually abandoned their positions near the village of Goreloye.

With this maneuver, they lured the advancing group into minefields, and then destroyed a large number of armored vehicles with attacks from the flanks. On July 11, the bulk of the advancing equipment was transferred to another section of the front, the remaining units of the Ferdinand battalion tried to organize the evacuation of the damaged equipment.

This was fraught with many difficulties. The main one was the lack of sufficiently powerful tractors capable of dragging self-propelled guns to their own.

A powerful counterattack by Soviet infantry on July 14 finally upset plans for the removal of this equipment.

Another section of the front, near the village of Teploye, attacked by the Ferdinand battalion, was subjected to no less pressure. Due to more deliberate actions of the enemy, the losses of self-propelled guns here were much lower. But here the first case of a combat vehicle and its crew being captured occurred. During the attack, having been subjected to massive heavy artillery fire, the self-propelled guns began to maneuver.

As a result, the car landed on the sand and “buried” in the ground. At first, the crew tried to dig out the self-propelled guns on their own, but the Soviet infantry that arrived in time quickly convinced the German self-propelled guns. A fully operational vehicle was pulled out of the trap only in early August with the help of two Stalinets tractors.

After the end of the fighting, a comprehensive analysis of the Germans’ use of the new self-propelled gun, as well as ways to effectively combat it, was carried out. The lion's share of the vehicles were disabled due to mine explosions and damage to the chassis. Several self-propelled guns were knocked out by heavy hull artillery and SU-152 fire. One vehicle was destroyed by a bomb containing , one was burned by infantrymen with bottles containing COP.

And only one vehicle received a hole from a 76-mm shell, in the T-34-76 defense zone from 76-mm divisional guns, fire was fired at a distance of only 200-400 meters. Soviet soldiers were greatly impressed by the new German vehicles. The command, assessing the difficulty of fighting the Ferdinand, gave orders to award orders to those who were able to destroy this vehicle in battle.

Legends about the huge number of these self-propelled guns spread among tankers and artillerymen, since they mistook any German self-propelled gun with a muzzle brake and a rear warhead for a Ferdinand.

The Germans made their own disappointing conclusions. 39 of the 90 available vehicles were lost near Kursk, and 4 more vehicles were burned during the retreat to Ukraine in 1943. The remaining self-propelled guns, in full force, except for a few samples, were taken to Porsche for modification. Some parts were replaced, a frontal machine gun was installed, and the vehicle went to help in the fight against the Allies in Italy.

A widespread myth is that this movement was caused by the heaviness of the system and the greater suitability of the Italian rocky roads for them. In fact, about 30 vehicles were sent to the Eastern Front, where, in the course of repelling the “10 Stalinist strikes” of 1944, the Ferdinands, one by one, were sent into oblivion.

The last battle involving this vehicle was the Battle of Berlin. No matter how beautiful the gun and armor were, it could not hold back the Red Army in the spring of 1945.

The “Ferdinand” self-propelled guns that were received as trophies by the Soviet Union were used as targets for testing new anti-tank weapons, dismantled down to the screw for study, and then were scrapped. The only Soviet car that has survived to this day is located in the famous Kubinka.

Comparative characteristics with the enemy

Like a strong wild beast, “Ferdinand” did not have many enemies who could engage him in single combat on equal terms. If we take vehicles of a similar class, the closest in efficiency will be the Soviet self-propelled guns SU-152 and ISU-152, nicknamed “St. John’s worts” for their efficiency in shooting at Tigers, Panthers and other Hitler’s zoo.

You can also consider the specialized tank destroyer SU-100, which was tested on captured Porsche self-propelled guns.

• armor, the weakest part of Soviet self-propelled guns in comparison with the Ferdinand, 200 mm of frontal armor versus 60...75 for Soviet models;
• gun, 88 mm from the Germans against the 152 mm ML-20 and 100 mm gun, all three guns effectively coped with suppressing the resistance of almost any vehicles, but the Porsche self-propelled guns did not succumb, their (self-propelled guns) armor was penetrated even by 152 mm shells with with great difficulty;
• ammunition, 55 shells for the Porsche self-propelled guns, versus 21 for the ISU-152 and 33 for the SU-100;
• cruising range of 150 km for the Ferdinand and twice as much for domestic self-propelled guns;
• number of models produced: 91 units from the Germans, several hundred SU-152s, 3200 units of ISU, slightly less than 5000 SU-100s.

As a result, the German design is still slightly superior to Soviet models in terms of combat qualities. However, problems with the chassis, as well as meager production, did not allow the full potential of these machines to be used.

In addition, Soviet tankers and self-propelled gunners, having received new powerful 85 and 122 mm guns on T-34 and IS tanks, were able to fight on equal terms with Porsche’s creations, as soon as they approached from the flank or rear. As often happens, everything was ultimately decided by the determination and ingenuity of the crew.

Ferdinand device

Hitler spared no materials for his favorite designer, so Porsche cars received the best. The sailors donated part of the reserves of cemented armor designed for huge naval calibers. The mass and thickness made it necessary to connect the armor plates “into a tenon”, additionally using dowels for reinforcement. It was impossible to disassemble this structure.

Further welding of the body was carried out, rather, for sealing, rather than for articulation. The armor plates on the side and stern were placed at a slight angle, increasing projectile resistance. There were also embrasures for firing from the crew's weapons. The small size of these holes, however, did not allow targeted shooting, since the front sight was not visible.

The stern of the wheelhouse had an armored hatch. Shells were loaded into it, and weapons were changed through it. In case of damage, the crew escaped through the same door. There were 6 people inside, the layout included a driver-mechanic and a radio operator in the frontal part, then an engine compartment in the middle, and a gun commander, a gunner and two loaders in the stern.

The movement of the car was carried out by 2 Maybach engines running on gasoline.

In general, the Ferdinand engines were something fantastic by the standards of tank building in the 1940s. The carburetor 12-cylinder HL 120TRM with 265 hp were located not one after the other, but in parallel. The internal combustion engine crankshaft had a flange to which a Typ aGV direct current generator with a voltage of 385 volts from Siemens-Schuckert was attached.

Electricity from the generators was transmitted to 2 Siemens-Schuckert D149aAC traction motors with a power of 230 kW each. The electric motor rotated a reduction planetary gearbox, which, accordingly, rotated its own traction sprocket of the caterpillar.

The low-voltage circuit is made according to a single-wire circuit. Some devices (radio station, lighting, fan) were powered by 12V, some (starters, independent excitation windings of electric machines) by 24V. Four batteries were charged from 24-volt generators located on each engine. All electrical components were manufactured by Bosch.

The problem was caused by the exhaust system. At the 5th road wheel there was an outlet for the exhaust pipe, everything around it heated up, the lubricant evaporated from the bearings, and the rubber band quickly failed.

Porsche took the chassis of the self-propelled gun from its own Leopard tank, invented in 1940. A special feature of it was the presence of a trolley for torsion bars, 3 per side, rather than installing them inside the hull. This earned Ferdinand the love of German technicians, who turned gray only at the mention of the chassis of Henschel’s Tiger.

It took Dr. Porsche about 4 hours to change the skating rink; the same operation on the Tiger took about a day.

The rollers themselves were also successful due to the tires inside the wheel. This required 4 times less rubber. The principle of shear operation increased the service threshold of the bandage.

The success of the experiment can be recognized by the introduction of rollers of a similar design on heavy tanks at the end of the war. One side required 108-110 tracks with a width of 64 centimeters.

The armament of the self-propelled gun was an 88-mm gun with a barrel length of 71 caliber (about 7 meters). The gun was installed in a ball mask, in the frontal part of the cabin.

This design turned out to be unsuccessful, since a lot of fragments and splashes of lead from bullets fell into the cracks. Later, to correct this defect, special protective shields were installed. The Ferdinand gun, one of the most powerful developments in the German army, was originally an anti-aircraft gun. After fine-tuning it was put on a self-propelled gun.

Its shells effectively hit almost any Soviet or allied armored vehicle from a long distance. The ammunition included armor-piercing and sub-caliber shells, as well as high-explosive fragmentation shells, separately loaded.

The above-mentioned lack of a machine gun on early vehicles can be explained as follows. According to German tactics, assault self-propelled guns should move in the second line of attack, behind tanks and infantry, covering them with gun fire. Near Kursk, the high concentration, and, most importantly, the effectiveness of artillery fire, forced the self-propelled guns to be thrown forward, with minimal cover.

The optics were represented by a monocular sight, providing gun guidance at a range of 2 km.

Internal communication was supported by an intercom; the radio operator (who is also a gunner in the modernized Elefant) was responsible for external communication.

Contribution to culture and history

Porsche's car, despite its small circulation, left a bright mark on the history of the Second World War. Along with the Tiger and Messerschmitt, this self-propelled gun is a symbol of the Wehrmacht. Having made the glory of German self-propelled systems, it was a real horror for the enemy.

Of course, you can learn to fight with any enemy, but in 1943 real “Ferdinandophobia” began among the troops. Cunning Germans took advantage of this by putting buckets on the barrels of other self-propelled guns, simulating a muzzle brake.

Judging by the memoirs, Soviet troops alone destroyed about 600 Ferdinands during the battles, with a total production of 91 units.

The Germans were not far behind. The harder and more unsuccessful the war was for them, the greater the number of destroyed Soviet tanks. Often in their memoirs, tankers and self-propelled gunners cite numbers of damaged vehicles that are twice the number of armored vehicles on the front. In both cases, the self-propelled guns in question played a huge role.

Much attention is paid to self-propelled guns in the literature. The work of fiction “In War as in War,” describing Soviet self-propelled guns, contains a description of the battlefield after a meeting of a German self-propelled gun with a group of “thirty-fours,” which was not beneficial for Soviet equipment. The fighters themselves speak of him as a worthy and dangerous opponent.

“Ferdinand” is also often found in computer games based on World War II.

Actually, it’s easier to name those games that don’t have self-propelled guns. It is worth noting that the characteristics and descriptions in such crafts often do not correspond to reality. For the sake of playability, developers sacrifice the real characteristics of the car.

You can make and put on the shelf a legendary car yourself. Many model companies make building kits in different scales. You can name the brands Cyber ​​Hobby, Dragon, Italeri. The Zvezda company produced and put into production self-propelled guns twice. The first issue, number 3563, had many inaccuracies.

The patterns copied from Italeri represented the “Elephant”, and had many inaccuracies. The next model, 3653, is the first Ferdinand to be christened near Kursk.

The Second World War and the Great Patriotic War produced many technical samples that have become legends. Among German-made self-propelled guns, the Ferdinand takes first place, of course.

Video

German tank building during World War II was one of the best in the world. Bold engineering ideas were implemented at the largest factories in the country: Nibelungenwerke, Alkett, Krupp, Rheinmetall, Oberdonau, etc. Models of equipment have improved, adapting to the conduct of combat operations that have not yet been known in history. The quantitative and qualitative use of armored vehicles could decide the outcome of the battle. Tanks are the iron fist of warring powers. Resisting them is not easy, but it is possible. Thus, mobile anti-tank artillery with a suspension design similar to tanks, but with a more powerful weapon, is entering the combat arena. One of the most famous German tank destroyers that participated in WWII was the Ferdinand.




The engineering genius Ferdinand Porsche became known as Hitler's favorite for his Volkswagen. The Fuhrer wanted Dr. Porsche to direct the vector of his ideas and knowledge into the military industry. The famous inventor did not have to wait long. Porsche designed a new chassis for tanks. The new Leopard, VK3001(P), Tiger(P) tanks were tested on its chassis. Tests have shown the advantages of the innovative chassis model. Thus, in September 1942. Porsche was ordered to develop a tank destroyer with an 88-mm cannon based on the chassis designed for the Tiger heavy tank. The assault gun must be well protected, the gun must be in a stationary wheelhouse - these were the Fuhrer's orders. The redesigned Tiger(P) tanks became the prototypes of the Ferdinand. The hull of the Porsche Tiger underwent minimal changes, mainly in the rear, where a conning tower with an 88-mm gun and a machine gun in the front plate was installed (later the machine gun was removed due to excess weight, which became a significant drawback in close combat with enemy infantry) . The front part of the hull was reinforced with additional armor plates 100 and 30 mm thick. As a result, the project was approved, and an order was received for the construction of 90 such machines.
February 6, 1943 At the meeting of the commanders-in-chief, a report was heard on the production of an “assault gun on a Porsche-Tiger chassis.” By order of Hitler, the new vehicle received the official designation “8.8-mm Pak 43/2 Sfl L/71 Panzerjager Tiger(P) Ferdinand”. Thus, the Fuhrer recognized the achievements of Ferdinand Porsche by assigning his name to the self-propelled gun.

So, what was the innovation of the chassis designed by Porsche? For one side, the undercarriage of the Ferdinand consisted of three bogies with two rollers each. The original component of the chassis was the placement of the bogie suspension torsion bars not inside the hull, like many other tanks, but outside, and not transversely, but longitudinally. Despite the rather complex design of the suspension developed by F. Porsche, it worked very effectively. In addition, it turned out to be well suited for repair and maintenance in the field, which was an important advantage during combat operations. Another original component of the Ferdinand design was the electrical system for transmitting torque from the prime movers to the engine drive wheels. Thanks to this, the vehicle did not have such components as a gearbox and main clutch, and, consequently, their control drives, which simplified the repair and operation of the power plant, and also reduced the weight of the self-propelled gun.

Dividing 90 vehicles into two battalions, the command sent one to Russia and the second to France, later transferring it also to the Soviet-German front. In battles, the Ferdinand showed itself to be a powerful tank destroyer. The gun worked effectively at long distances, while Soviet heavy artillery did not cause critical damage to the self-propelled gun. Only the sides of the Ferdinand were vulnerable to field artillery guns and tanks. The Germans lost most of the new vehicles in minefields that they did not have time to clear or did not map their own. 19 self-propelled guns were lost in the battles near Kursk. At the same time, the combat mission was completed, and the Ferdinands destroyed more than 100 tanks, anti-tank guns and other Soviet military equipment.

The Soviet command, encountering a new type of equipment for the first time, did not attach high importance to it, as it was carried away by another formidable rival - the Tiger. However, several abandoned and burned self-propelled guns fell into the hands of Soviet technicians and engineers and were examined. Several vehicles were fired from different guns to test the penetration of the armor of the new German assault guns.

The soldiers, having learned about the new self-propelled gun “Ferdinand”, began to call other equipment with a rear-mounted turret or wheelhouse that name. There were many rumors and legends about the powerful German self-propelled gun. Therefore, after the war, the USSR was quite surprised that only 90 real Ferdinands were produced. A manual for the destruction of the Ferdinands was also mass-produced.

Failures near Kursk forced the tank destroyer to be sent for repair and reconfiguration. The strategy for introducing these vehicles into battle was also revised. To protect self-propelled guns from attacks on the flank and rear and during close combat, accompanying Pz.IV tanks were assigned to them. The order for joint combat operations between self-propelled guns and infantry was also abolished, since due to the active shelling of the Ferdinands, the accompanying infantry suffered heavy losses. The vehicles newly brought onto the battlefield were able to cope with combat missions better and faster, suffering minimal losses. During the fighting on the Zaporozhye bridgehead, only 4 vehicles were lost. And after the participation of the Ferdinands in the battles in Western Ukraine, it was decided to send the surviving vehicles to the rear for repairs and upgrades. Vehicles with new tracks, a straightened chassis, which suffered most often, with a machine gun in the frontal armor plate (used by the radio operator) and other minor changes entered the battle already on the Italian front, but the updated self-propelled gun had a different name - “Elephant”...

Summary. It’s not for nothing that the powerful German tank destroyer has earned so many legends and tales. During the war, the word “Ferdinand” became an epithet for Soviet soldiers. The heaviest colossus weighing 65 tons (after the Ferdinand battalion crossed one of the bridges over the Seine, the bridge sank by 2 cm) was well armored and equipped with a powerful weapon. The frontal armor held back most Soviet field guns and tanks, but the lightly armored sides and rear were vulnerable. Also weak points were the grille in the front part of the hull, under which the power plant was located, and the roof. The Achilles heel, as it turned out, was the chassis, especially its front part. Taking it out of action almost always ended in defeat. The clumsy "Ferdinand", remaining motionless, could fire only in a limited sector due to the static nature of the cabin. In this case, the crew blew up the self-propelled gun if the enemy did not do so first.

The weapon is damaged! Firing accuracy has been halved! :) Ferdinand No. 614 after a direct hit from an aerial bomb from a Pe-2 dive bomber, Goreloye, July 9, 1943.

Panzerjager Tiger (P) mit 8.8 cm PaK43/2 "Ferdinand" (from the beginning of 1944 - "Elefant"), Sd.Kfz.184- German heavy anti-tank self-propelled artillery unit (self-propelled gun) during the Second World War. This combat vehicle, armed with an 88 mm cannon, is one of the most heavily armed and heavily armored representatives of German armored vehicles of that period. Despite his small numbers, Ferdinand is the most famous representative of the class of self-propelled guns, and a large number of legends are associated with him.

The Ferdinand self-propelled gun was developed in 1942-1943, being largely an improvisation based on the chassis of the Tiger heavy tank, which was not adopted for service, designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. Initially, the self-propelled gun had good potential, but the tactics of use and the unfavorable conditions of the terrain on which the Ferdinands were used largely prevented the advantages of this self-propelled gun from being realized. Ferdinands took part in the battles on the northern front of the Kursk Bulge, in the autumn battles of 1943 on the Eastern Front, in Italy and western Ukraine in 1944, and the few self-propelled guns remaining in service - in combat operations in Poland and Germany in 1945. In the Soviet Army "Ferdinand" often called any German self-propelled artillery unit.

History of creation

ARV based on VK 4501(P) chassis

The history of the creation of the Ferdinand is closely intertwined with the history of the creation of the famous Tiger I tank. This tank was developed by two competing design bureaus - Porsche and Henschel. In the winter of 1942, production of prototype tanks began, called VK 4501 (P) (Porsche) and VK 4501 (H) (Henschel). On April 20, 1942 (the Fuhrer's birthday), prototypes were demonstrated to Hitler in demonstration firing. Both samples showed similar results, and the decision to select a sample for mass production was not made. Hitler insisted on parallel production of both types, the military leadership was inclined to Henschel's machine. In April - June, tests were continued; in parallel, the Nibelungenwerke company began assembling the first production Porsche Tigers. On June 23, 1942, at a meeting with Hitler, it was decided to have only one type of heavy tank in mass production, which was the Henschel vehicle. The reason for this is considered to be problems with the electromechanical transmission of the Porsche tank, the tank’s low power reserve, and the need to launch mass production of engines for the tank. The conflict between Ferdinand Porsche and the German Armaments Administration also played a certain role.

Despite the fact that the military gave preference to the Henschel Tiger, work did not stop on the VK 4501 (P). So, on June 21, 1942, F. Porsche received instructions to arm his tank with a more powerful 88-mm cannon with a barrel length of 71 calibers, created on the basis of the Pak 41 anti-aircraft gun. This order was issued by the Reich Ministry of Arms and Ammunition on the basis of the personal order of the Fuhrer, who did not he didn’t want to give up his favorite Porsche tank, which he really liked. However, this could not be accomplished, and on September 10, 1942, the management of the Nibelungenwerke plant sent a letter to the Reich Ministry. in which it was reported that it was impossible to install a turret with an 88-mm cannon with a barrel length of 71 calibers on the VK 4501 (P). In parallel with this task, the Porsche design bureau was considering the option of arming its “Tiger” with a captured French 210-mm mortar in a fixed wheelhouse. This idea also belonged to A. Hitler, who spoke about the need to have large-caliber self-propelled artillery units in service with the Panzerwaffe, necessary to support tank units.

At a meeting on September 22, 1942, where, among other issues, the fate of the VK 4501 (P) was raised, Hitler spoke about the need to convert this chassis into a heavy assault gun, armed with an 88-mm cannon with a barrel length of 71 calibers or a 210-mm French mortar, installed in a fixed cabin. In addition, the Fuhrer expressed a wish to strengthen the frontal armor of the vehicle to 200 mm - such protection could not be penetrated even by the Tiger’s gun. At the same time, he proposed using “sea armor plates” for this. However, no official decision was made on the fate of VK 4501 (P) at this meeting. Only a week later. On September 29, Porsche received an official instruction from the Army Weapons Directorate to convert the tank of its design into a “heavy assault gun.” However, the designer, to put it mildly, ignored this, since he had not yet given up hope of seeing his tank in service. Moreover, on October 10, 1942, the Krupp and Rheinmetall companies received orders to develop a turret with an 88-mm cannon of 71 caliber for installation on the chassis of the Porsche and Henschel Tiger tanks. However, at a meeting on October 14, 1942, A. Hitler demanded, without waiting for the design to be completed, to immediately begin work on the development and production of assault guns with 88-mm cannons on the chassis of the VK 4501 (P) and Pz.IV tanks.

To speed up the work on converting Porsche's Tiger, the Almerkische Kettenfabrik (or Alkett for short) company in the Berlin suburb of Spandau was brought in - the only one in the Reich that had experience in manufacturing assault guns. And at the Nibelungenwerke plant, under the leadership of F. Porsche, the design of the power plant and electric transmission was quickly reworked for installation in a new self-propelled gun. Moreover, in addition to the armament - an 88-mm cannon and the thickness of the armor in the frontal part - 200 mm, only the combat weight of the vehicle was limited - no more than 65 tons. The remaining characteristics were left to the discretion of the designers. Despite Porsche’s statement about its readiness to begin serial production of “tigers” from May 12, 1942, the Nibelungenwerke and Oberdonau plants were ready for production of the VK 4501 (P) only by the end of July - it took time to develop the technological process, the necessary documentation, tools and devices. But. despite this, by the beginning of August these enterprises had the groundwork for assembling several dozen chassis (armored hulls, cutting armor plates, chassis parts). After the decision was made to convert the “Tiger” designed by F. Porsche into a heavy assault weapon, work on assembling the hull and chassis intensified. In mid-October 1942, two chassis (No. 15010 and 15011) were transferred to Alkett to facilitate the design of a new vehicle.

The modification project developed by Alkett was ready on November 30, 1942 (in any case, this is the date on the preliminary design of the new assault gun). On December 11, 1942, it was considered at a meeting of representatives of the Reich Ministry of Armaments and Ammunition and the Army Weapons Office. The most significant modification was made to the overall layout of the vehicle. The large overhang of the artillery system barrel did not allow the installation of a weapons cabin in place of the fighting compartment of the VK 4501 (P) tank in the front part of the hull. Therefore, a scheme with a rear location of the wheelhouse with a cannon was adopted, for which it was necessary to move forward the engines of the power plant with generators, which ended up in the middle of the hull. Because of this, the driver and radio operator found themselves “cut off” from the rest of the crew in the control room. We also had to abandon the use of air-cooled Tour 101 engines designed by F. Porsche, installed on the VK4501 (P) - they turned out to be quite capricious, and, moreover, they were not in mass production. As a result, we had to resort to installing proven and reliable Maybach engines (Maybach HL 120TRM) with a power of 265 hp, which required a complete rework of the cooling system (such engines were installed on Pz.III tanks and StuG III assault guns). In addition, to increase the power reserve, it was necessary to redesign the gas tanks with increased capacity.

The project as a whole received approval, however, the military demanded that the weight of the vehicle be reduced to 65 tons, as planned according to the instructions. On December 28, 1942, a redesigned and simplified design of a heavy assault gun on a Porsche Tiger chassis was considered. According to more accurate calculations provided by Alkett representatives, the combat weight of the vehicle was supposed to be 68.57 tons: the converted hull, including 1000 liters of fuel - 46.48 tons, the armored cabin - 13.55 tons, the gun with an armored spherical shield - 3 .53 tons, additional protection for the frontal part and front part of the bottom - 2.13 tons, stowage of ammunition and shells - 1.25 tons and crew with tools and spare parts - about 1.63 tons. Some engineers and the Nibelungenwerke. and Alketta feared that the chassis, designed for a 55-ton combat vehicle, might not be able to withstand the additional weight. As a result of the discussion, it was decided to lighten the self-propelled gun by reducing the ammunition load, removing the machine gun in the front hull, part of the tool and spare parts, as well as additional 30-mm armor on the lower front hull plate. As a result of these activities, it was possible to meet the specified 65 tons, the project was approved and recommended for mass production. At the same time, an order was received to manufacture 90 such vehicles and form two battalions from them.

Inspectors of the Army Weapons Directorate accepted 30 Ferdinands in April 1943, and the remaining 60 vehicles were accepted in May. One of them remained at the disposal of the military acceptance (WafPruef) at the Nibelungenwerk for testing and verification of weapons, and 89 were transferred to the disposal of the artillery and technical property management of the ground forces. There, the Ferdinands will receive ammunition, tools, spare parts and radio stations. 29 vehicles were handed over to the troops in April. 56 - in May, the remaining 5 were sent in June, when the units were already moving to the front line. On May 1, 1943, the Nibelungenwerke company received an order for the production of five vehicles on the Porsche Tiger chassis, designed to evacuate damaged or stuck Ferdinands. The project, designated Bergepanzer Tiger (P), was completed in early July 1943. It was a Ferdinand chassis, but without additional armor, in the rear of which there was a small cabin in the shape of a truncated pyramid with hatches and a ball machine gun mount in the front plate. The vehicle had no equipment other than a 10-ton winch, which could be mounted on the outside of the hull.

List of official names of self-propelled guns

• StuG mit der 8.8 cm lang - Fuhrer meeting November 22, 1942
• StuG 8.8 cm K. auf Fgst. Tiger (P) - 12/15/42
• Tiger-Sturmgeschutz
• Sturmgeschutz auf Fgst. Porsche Tiger mit der Langen 8.8 cm
• Proposal for the name "Ferdinand" for 8.8 cm StuK 43/1 auf Fgst Tiger P1
• Ferdinand (StuK43/1 auf Tiger)
• StuG 8.8 cm K. auf Fgst. Tiger P (Ferdinand)
• Panzerjager Tiger (P) Sd.Kfz.184
• 8.8 cm Pz.Jg. 43/2 L/71 Tiger P
• Panzerjager Tiger (P)
• Ferdinand
• Tiger (P) Sd.Kfz.184
• Panzerjager Ferdinand
• StuG 8.8 cm PaK43/2 (Sf.) Sd.Kfz.184
• StuG m. 8.8 cm PaK43/2 auf Fgst. Tiger P (Ferdinand)
• Proposal for the name "Elefant" for the 8.8 cm StuG Porsche
• Elefant
• schwere Panzerjager VI (P) 8.8 cm PaK43/2 L/71 "Elefant" (fruher Ferdinand)
• Panzerjager Tiger (P) mit 8.8 cm PaK43/2 Sd.Kfz.184
• Elefant 8.8 cm StuG mit 8.8 cm PaK43/2 Sd.Kfz.184

Modifications

3/4 top front view of Ferdinand's hull and deckhouse

3/4 top front view of the Elephant's hull and deckhouse

On November 29, 1943, A. Hitler proposed to the OKN to change the names of armored vehicles. His proposals for the name were accepted and legalized by order of February 1, 1944, and duplicated by order of February 27, 1944. In accordance with these documents, "Ferdinand" received a new designation - "Elephant" 8.8 cm Porsche assault gun "(Elefant fur 8.8 cm Sturmgeschutz Porsche). From the dates of the modernization it is clear that the change in the name of the self-propelled gun occurred by accident, but time, since the repaired Ferdinands returned to service. This made it easier to distinguish between the vehicles: the original version of the vehicle was called “Ferdinand”, and the modernized version was called “Elephant”. During the battles of the summer-autumn 1943, some changes occurred in the appearance of the Ferdinands Thus, grooves appeared on the front sheet of the cabin to drain rainwater, on some machines the spare parts box and the jack with a wooden beam for it were moved to the rear of the machine, and spare tracks began to be attached to the upper front sheet of the hull.

Between January and April 1944, the remaining Ferdinands in service underwent modernization. First of all, they were equipped with an MG-34 machine gun mounted in the front hull. Despite the fact that the Ferdinands were supposed to be used to fight enemy tanks at long distances, combat experience showed the need for a machine gun to defend a self-propelled gun in close combat, especially if the vehicle was hit or blown up by a landmine. For example, during the battles on the Kursk Bulge, some crews practiced firing from an MG-34 light machine gun even through the barrel of a gun.

In addition, to improve visibility, a turret with seven periscope viewing devices was installed in place of the self-propelled gun commander’s hatch (the turret was completely borrowed from the StuG42 assault gun). In addition, on self-propelled guns, the fastening of the wings was strengthened, the on-board viewing devices of the driver and gunner-radio operator were welded (the actual effectiveness of these devices turned out to be close to zero), the headlights were eliminated, the installation of the spare parts box, jack and spare tracks was moved to the rear of the hull, and the ammunition load was increased for five shots, they installed new removable grilles on the engine and transmission compartment (the new grilles provided protection from KS bottles, which were actively used by the Red Army infantry to fight enemy tanks and self-propelled guns). In addition, the self-propelled guns received a zimmerit coating, which protected the vehicle’s armor from enemy magnetic mines and grenades.

Differences between "Ferdinand" and "Elephant". The Elefant had a forward-facing machine gun mount, covered with additional padded armor. The jack and the wooden stand for it were moved to the stern. The front fender liners are reinforced with steel profiles. The mounts for the spare tracks have been removed from the front fender liners. The headlights have been removed. A sun visor is installed above the driver's viewing instruments. A commander's cupola is mounted on the roof of the cabin, similar to the commander's cupola of the StuG III assault gun. There are gutters welded on the front wall of the cabin to drain rainwater.

Combat use

The result of Ferdinand firing armor-piercing shells at the ML-20S gun of the SU-152 self-propelled gun from a distance of 1200m. One shell hit the machine gun embrasure area, tore off the 100 mm armor plate, and broke the second 100 mm armor plate, knocking out the machine gun port plug. Above you can see the marks of shells hitting the wheelhouse that did not penetrate the armor.

The formation of units on the Ferdinands began on April 1, 1943, when the 197th assault gun battalion StuG III, located at the Bruck-on-Leith training camp in Austria, received orders to reorganize into the 653rd heavy tank destroyer battalion (scwere Panzeijager Abteilung 653 ), which according to the state should have been armed with 45 Ferdinand self-propelled guns. The 197th division had personnel who operated on the Soviet-German front from the summer of 1941 to January 1943 and had rich combat experience. During the formation, future self-propelled gun crews were sent to the Nibelungenwerke plant, where they were trained and participated in the assembly of Ferdinands. At the end of April, the 653rd battalion was armed with 45 vehicles, but in early May, by order of the command, they were transferred to staff the 654th battalion, which was being formed in Rouen. By mid-May, the 653rd battalion already numbered 40 Ferdinands and was intensively engaged in combat training. On May 24 and 25, the battalion was visited by Inspector General of Tank Forces G. Guderian, who conducted exercises at the training ground in Neusiedel. During their implementation, the “Ferdinands” covered 42 km, in addition, interaction with a company of radio-controlled explosives transporters BIV “Borgward”, which were intended for making passages in minefields, was practiced. On June 9-12, 1943, the 653rd battalion of heavy tank destroyers departed from the Austrian Pandorf station in 11 train trains to the Soviet-German front. They proceeded through Modlin, Brest, Minsk, Bryansk. Karachev and Orel, unloading at Zmievka station (35 km south of Orel). The 654th heavy tank destroyer battalion began its formation at the end of April 1943 on the basis of the 654th anti-tank division, formed at the end of August 1939. At first, the division was armed with 37-mm Pak35/36 cannons, then received the Marder II self-propelled guns. He participated in the French campaign and battles on the Soviet-German front. At first, the battalion was supposed to receive 88-mm Hornisse anti-tank self-propelled guns, but at the last moment the decision was changed, and the battalion began to be trained for the Ferdinand. Until April 28, he was in Austria, and by April 30, 1943, he was transferred to France, to Rouen. In mid-May, the first Ferdinands arrived from the 653rd battalion. Having unloaded, they proceeded through the city, causing panic: “the characteristic noise of running engines was mistaken for an Allied air raid.” And the passage of cars across the old bridge over the Seine caused it to sag by 2 cm. The battalion was located at an airfield near Rouen, where crew training took place. At the end of May, the last, 45th “Ferdinand” arrived, and on June 6, in the presence of G. Guderian, a “Ferdinand” exercise was held together with units of the 24th Panzer Division. At the same time, Guderian said that the main task of the battalion was to “ensure a breakthrough of well-fortified enemy positions and open the way for tank units to the enemy rear.”

Kursk Bulge, summer 1943

Arriving at the front, the 653rd and 654th battalions became part of the 656th Tank Regiment (Panzer Regiment 656), the headquarters of which was formed on June 8, 1943. In addition to the 653rd and 654th heavy tank destroyer battalions, it included the 216th assault tank battalion (Sturmpanzer Abteilung 216) armed with “Brummbars” (Sturmpanzer IV “Brummbar”), as well as two companies (213 and 214th) radio-controlled transporters B4. The regiment was part of the 9th Field Army and was supposed to ensure a breakthrough of the Soviet defense in the direction of the Ponyri-Maloarkhangelsk station. On June 25, the Ferdinands began to advance to the front line. All movements were carried out only at night along a specially designed route. The bridges located on it were reinforced and marked with the letter F. To disguise the advance of the Ferdinands, Luftwaffe planes flew over the concentration zone. By July 4, the 656th Tank Regiment deployed as follows: to the west of the Orel-Kursk railway, the 654th battalion (Arkhangelskoye area), to the east the 653rd battalion (Glazunov area), and behind them three companies of the 216th battalion . Each Ferdinand battalion was assigned a company of Borgward radio-controlled explosive transporters. Thus, the 656th Regiment operated on a front up to 8 km.

In the photo, General K. Rokossovsky and his staff inspect the captured Ferdinand.

On July 5, 1943, at 3:40, after artillery and air preparation, the 653rd and 654th battalions, supporting units of the 86th and 292nd Infantry Divisions, moved forward in two echelons - two companies in the first, one in the second. On the first day, the 653rd battalion fought heavy battles near Soviet positions in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bheight 257.7, which the Germans nicknamed "Tank Height". Actions were hampered by a huge number of minefields in which the "Borgguards" did not have time to make passages. As a result, at the very beginning of the battle, more than 10 Ferdinands were blown up by mines, receiving damage to their rollers and tracks. There were also heavy losses among crew personnel. Thus, while inspecting his damaged vehicle, the commander of the 1st company, Hauptmann Spielmann, was blown up by an anti-personnel mine and was seriously wounded. Soon the mines were supplemented by Soviet artillery fire, which proved to be quite effective. As a result, by 17:00 on July 5, only 12 Ferdinands out of 45 remained on the move. Over the next two days - July 6 and 7 - the remnants of the 653rd battalion took part in the battles to capture the Ponyri station.

The start of the attack by the 654th battalion turned out to be even more unsuccessful. The assigned sappers prepared two passages through their minefields for the 6th and 7th companies (the 5th was in the second echelon behind the 7th). However, when the Ferdinands began to move, the 6th company and the platoon of Borgguards attached to it ended up in a German minefield unmarked on the maps. As a result, part of B4 detonated, destroying several of their control vehicles. Within a few minutes, most of the Ferdinands of the 6th company were blown up by mines and were out of action. Soviet artillery opened hurricane fire on the self-propelled guns, which forced the German infantry that had risen to attack to lie down. Several sappers, under the cover of the Ferdinand guns, managed to clear the way, and the four remaining vehicles of the 6th company managed to reach the first line of Soviet trenches. Having occupied the first line of trenches and waited for their infantry, the remnants of the 654th battalion moved further, towards Ponyri. At the same time, some of the vehicles were blown up by mines, and Ferdinand No. 531 was hit by artillery fire and burned down. At dusk, having reached the hills north of Ponyri - and completed the task of the day - the battalion stopped to rest and regroup.

Due to problems with the supply of fuel and, mainly, ammunition, on July 6, the Ferdinands entered battle only at 14:00. However, due to heavy artillery fire, the German infantry suffered heavy losses and fell behind, the attack foundered.

Aleksandrovka village, Podmaslovo district. Abandoned between July 15-18, 1943. The right caterpillar plunged into soft ground. The attack by our infantry prevented the crew from destroying their vehicle.

On the way up, the engines overheated and there was a fire in the engine room.

The next day, the remnants of the 653rd and 654th battalions were pulled to Buzuluk as a corps reserve; on July 8, 1943, 6 Ferdinands and several Brummbars took part in the attack on Ponyri, but to no avail. At 6.00 on July 9, Major Kagl's battle group (505th heavy tank battalion "Tigers", 654th (and part of the 653rd tank battalion), 216th battalions and an assault gun division) began another assault on Ponyri. According to the crew of one of the Ferdinands, “the enemy’s resistance was simply terrifying,” and, despite the fact that the group reached the outskirts of the village, it was not possible to build on its success. After this, the 653rd and 654th battalions were transferred to reserve in the Buzuluk-Maloarkhangelsk region.

With the beginning of the Soviet counteroffensive, all the Ferdinands in service were actively used in battle. Thus, 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, repelling the attack of Soviet tanks near Krasnaya Niva, the crew of the Ferdinand, Lieutenant Tiret, reported the destruction of 22 of them. On July 15, the 654th battalion repelled a tank attack from Malo-Arkhangelsk - Buzuluk, while the 6th company in its combat report reported the destruction of 13 enemy combat vehicles. Subsequently, the remnants of the battalions were pulled back to Oryol, although the 6th company of the 654th battalion supported the withdrawal of the 383rd Infantry Division. During the Soviet offensive, which began on July 12, 1943, another 20 Ferdinands were lost (as of August 1). Most of them were blown up by their own crews due to the inability to evacuate after failure for combat and technical reasons. In total, the total irretrievable losses of the 653rd and 654th battalions during Operation Citadel amounted to 39 Ferdinands. At the same time, the headquarters of the 656th Tank Regiment reported that during this period it disabled 502 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns, 20 anti-tank and about 100 other guns. By July 30, all "Ferdinands" were withdrawn from the front, and by order of the headquarters of the 9th Army they were sent to Karachev - self-propelled guns by rail, and the rest of the materiel on their own.

In early August, the 654th Battalion transferred its 19 remaining Ferdinads to the 653rd Battalion, and without equipment left for France for replenishment (in April 1944, the 654th Battalion received its first Jagdpanthers).

The 653rd battalion with 50 Ferdinands at an accelerated pace repaired damage to equipment in Dnepropetrovsk. On September 19, 1943, the battalion received an order to provide all 14 combat-ready self-propelled guns for the defense of the Dnieper. After a series of difficult battles in the Nikopol-Krivoy Rog region, the remnants of the battalion - 7 Ferdinands - were ordered to return to Austria for repairs and rest. However, the situation at the front and weather conditions did not allow the battalion to leave the battle until January 10, 1944.

Italy, 1944

Sdkfz 184 "Ferdinand", lost during battles in Italy, spring-summer 1944.

March 1, 1944 He sat down on soft ground. An attempt to pull the Tiger out of the 508th Tank Battalion under continuous fire ended in failure. Destroyed by the crew.

Due to the difficult situation at the front in Italy at the beginning of 1944, 11 Ferdinands, repaired by that time, were consolidated into the 1st company and sent to Anzio. Upon arrival, they were assigned to the 216th Assault Gun Battalion and became part of the 508th Heavy Tank Battalion, armed with Tiger tanks. The battalion was tasked with discharging Allied troops from their occupied bridgeheads. However, the soft Italian soil was not suitable for the Ferdinands and Tigers, and many vehicles simply got stuck in it, while it was impossible to evacuate them due to the heavy artillery fire. Soon the Elephants (recently renamed by order of the Fuhrer) were transferred to reserve, and covered the withdrawal of German troops. However, they were unsuccessful here too - several vehicles were disabled by American fighter-bombers. The remnants of the company - 5 Elephants - had to move only at night; naturally, there was no talk of any combat effectiveness. On August 6, the last 3 Elephants of the 1st Company arrived in Vienna for rest and repairs.

He sat down on soft ground. An attempt to rescue Bergferdinand by force failed. Destroyed at night by the crew under the direction of the company commander.

Eastern Front, 1944-45

During the battles in the west. Ukraine, a self-propelled gun from the 2nd company of the 653rd battalion received a 152mm hit from our self-propelled gun to the right of the gun. The mark is visible in the photo. The armor is not penetrated, however, due to internal damage, the self-propelled gun is sent for factory repair.

At this time, the 2nd and 3rd companies of the battalion with 30 Elephants in April 1944 were sent to Ukraine, to the Lvov region, to help the troops encircled in the Tarnopol region. However, in the conditions of the spring thaw, the actions of multi-ton monsters were seriously complicated, and after the loss of 3 self-propelled guns, the battalion was recalled to reserve until better times.

On July 13, the so-called war began in southern Poland. Lviv-Sandomierz operation of the Soviet army. Most of the troops of Army Group Northern Ukraine were sent to the north, to help the badly damaged Army Group Center. As a result, Soviet tank wedges easily ripped through the German defenses. The battles within the Northern Ukraine Army Group once again clearly demonstrated all the weaknesses of the Elephants: under continuous pressure from the advancing Soviet army, the battalion could not successfully evacuate damaged vehicles. There was no question of any serious repairs. At the same time, during the retreat, they had to constantly look for bridges that could support heavy vehicles, and the Elephants had to wind up extra kilometers, losing more and more vehicles along the way due to technical faults. In total, during the summer battles, the battalion irretrievably lost 19 Elephant self-propelled guns.

The remnants of the 653rd battalion were withdrawn to Krakow in August, at the same time a decision was made: to collect all combat-ready Elephants in the 2nd company, and take the 1st and 3rd to France and reorganize them into the new self-propelled gun Jagdtiger. The 2nd company with the 14th self-propelled guns went to Poland in September 1944. On December 15, 1944, it was renamed the 614th separate heavy tank destroyer company, and in January took part in repelling the Vistula-Oder offensive of the Soviet army. And again, due to bad weather conditions, insufficient supplies, and complete dominance of the Soviet Air Force in the air, the number of combat-ready self-propelled guns was reduced to only 4 by the end of January. All of them were sent to the Berlin area for repairs, which were greatly delayed in the chaos of the last months of the war in Europe.

By the beginning of the battles for Berlin, the Germans managed to repair only two self-propelled guns, which took part in the last battles and were captured by Soviet and Polish soldiers on May 1, 1945 in Berlin on Karl-August Square.

Photos and drawings

Panzerjager Tiger (P) in modern times

In the Soviet Union at different times there were at least eight captured complete Ferdinands:

• No. 331 - Captured July 15-18, 1943. near the village of Alexandrovka, Podmaslovo district. The right caterpillar plunged into soft ground. The attack by our infantry prevented the crew from destroying their vehicle.
• No. 333 - Captured by soldiers of the 129th Oryol Rifle Division during the period July 15-18, 1943. near the village of Alexandrovka, Podmaslovo district. Ferdinand #331 would be captured a short day later.
• No. II02 - captured in the area of ​​Art. Ponyri - agricultural farm "1st of May". This self-propelled gun was examined by Rokossovsky.
• No. 501 - captured in the area of ​​the station. Ponyri - agricultural farm "1st of May".
• No. 502 - captured in the area of ​​the station. Ponyri - agricultural farm "1st of May". The self-propelled gun hit a mine, the sloth was torn off. Later it was tested by shelling.
• No. 624 - Captured on July 12, 1943 in the Teploye - Olkhovatka area. When leaving the battle, he sat down on loose soil. The car was delivered to the exhibition at the Central Park of Culture and Culture named after. M. Gorky in Moscow
• Another heavily damaged Ferdinand was captured on the platform of the Orel railway station on August 2, 1943, and another unidentified vehicle.

One self-propelled gun was shot near Ponyry 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, various organizations had six self-propelled guns at their disposal. They were used for various tests, some of the machines were eventually disassembled in order to study the design. As a result, all of them, except one, were scrapped, like all the cars captured in a severely damaged state.

To this day, the only self-propelled gun Ferdinand has survived.

Ferdinand #501 from the headquarters of 1./s.Pz.Jg.Abt.654, so-called. "Kommando Noak", named after the commander of the 654th battalion, Maj. Karl-Heinz Noak. The self-propelled gun exploded on a mine in the area of ​​the Ponyri railway station - State Farm "1 May". The chassis is slightly damaged. The self-propelled guns were repaired and sent for testing to the NIIBT in Kubinka. It has reached this day in good condition, although during Soviet times it was plundered from the inside.

The camouflage is typical for the 654th battalion - a dark yellow (Dunkelgelb RAL 7028) background with an applied “mesh” of dark green (Olivgrün RAL 6003) or red-brown (Rotbraun RAL 8017). White marking - tactical number 501 and the letter on the left fender liner N, denoting membership in the Noak tactical group.

"Ferdinand" from the Kubinka Museum

Elephant No. 102 from the 1./s.Pz.Jg.Abt.653, so-called. "Kommando Ulbricht", named after its commander Hptm. Hellmut Ulbricht. This command self-propelled gun was abandoned on the Cisterna-Cori road in Italy on May 24, 1944. due to the impossibility of evacuation after a fire in the engine compartment. Later discovered by American troops and taken to the United States. Exhibited at the BTT Museum site in Aberdeen, USA. After the Elefant arrived in the United States, specialists carried out external cosmetic repairs and painting. No work was carried out inside, because The self-propelled gun was badly burned out. In this state, the Elephant stood in the open air for several decades, and only at the end of the 1990s was it brought into a tolerable condition - the original camouflage was restored. True, the Americans could not or did not want to replicate the zimmerit coating.

The camouflage is typical for the 1st company in the Italian theater of war - a dark yellow (Dunkelgelb RAL 7028) background with randomly applied small spots of dark green (Olivgrün RAL 6003) and red-brown (Rotbraun RAL 8017). White marking - tactical number 102 and letter U, denoting membership in the Ulbricht tactical group.

The self-propelled gun bears marks of combat damage - hits in the gun mantlet and in the frontal armor of the wheelhouse are clearly visible.

"Elephant" from Aberdeen Museum

Information sources

• M.V. Kolomiets. "Ferdinand". Professor Porsche's Armored Elephant. - M.: Yauza, KM Strategy, Eksmo, 2007. - 96 p. - ISBN 978-5-699-23167-6
• M. Svirin. Heavy assault gun "Ferdinand". - M.: Armada, issue No. 12, 1999. - 52 p. - ISBN 5-85729-020-1
• M. Baryatinsky. Armored vehicles of the Third Reich. - M.: Armored Collection, special issue No. 1, 2002. - 96 p.
• Ferdinand, German tank destroyer. - Riga: Tornado, issue 38, 1998.
• Shmelev I. P. German armored vehicles 1934-1945: Illustrated reference book. - M.: AST, 2003. - 271 p. - ISBN 5-17-016501-3
• Chamberlain P., Doyle H. Encyclopedia of German tanks of World War II: A complete illustrated reference book of German battle tanks, armored vehicles, self-propelled guns and half-tracks 1933-1945. - Moscow: AST, Astrel, 2002. - 271 p. - ISBN 5-17-018980-Х

The Tiger is the most formidable German tank of the Second World War, a kind of symbol of Hitler's Panzerwaffe. And if the other two most famous tanks of those years - the T-34 and the Sherman - owe much of their fame to gigantic production volumes, the Tiger earned its fame solely due to its outstanding combat qualities. And one can only regret that these qualities were used in the fight for an unjust cause...

Sections of this page:

The most famous German self-propelled gun of the Second World War, the Ferdinand, owed its appearance, on the one hand, to the intrigues surrounding the VK 4501 (P) heavy tank, and on the other, to the appearance of the 88-mm Pak 43 anti-tank gun. As already mentioned, The VK 4501 (P) tank - the “Tiger” designed by Dr. Porsche - was shown to Hitler on April 20, 1942, at the same time as its competitor VK 4501 (H) - the Henschel “Tiger”. According to Hitler, both cars should have been put into mass production, which was strongly opposed by the Armament Directorate, whose employees could not stand the Fuhrer’s obstinate favorite, Dr. Porsche. The tests did not reveal any obvious advantages of one vehicle over another, but Porsche's "Tiger" was ready for production - by June 6, 1942, the first 16 VK 4501 (P) tanks were ready for delivery to the troops, for which the assembly of turrets was being completed at Krupp . The Henschel company could deliver only one vehicle by this date, and that without a turret. The first battalion, equipped with Porsche Tigers, was supposed to be formed by August 1942 and sent to Stalingrad, but suddenly the Armament Directorate stopped all work on the tank for a month.

The managers took advantage of Hitler's instructions to create an assault gun based on the Pz.IV and VK 4501 tanks, armed with the latest 88-mm Pak 43/2 anti-tank gun with a barrel length of 71 calibers. With the input of the Armament Directorate, it was decided to convert all 92 VK 4501 (P) chassis ready and being assembled in the workshops of the Nibelungenwerke plant into assault guns.

In September 1942, work began. The design was carried out by Porsche together with designers from the Berlin Alkett plant. Since the armored cabin was to be located in the rear part, the chassis layout had to be changed, placing the engines and generators in the middle of the hull. Initially, it was planned to assemble the new self-propelled guns in Berlin, but this had to be abandoned due to difficulties associated with transportation by rail, and due to the reluctance to suspend the production of StuG III assault guns, the main product of the Alkett plant. As a result, the assembly of the self-propelled guns, which received the official designation 8.8-cm Rak 43/2 Sfl. L/71 Panzerj?ger Tiger (P) Sd.Kfz.184 and the name Ferdinand (assigned personally by Hitler in February 1943 as a sign of respect for Dr. Ferdinand Porsche), was produced at the Nibelungenwerke plant.

The front 100-mm hull plates of the Tiger (P) tank were reinforced with overhead 100-mm armor plates secured to the hull with bolts with a bullet-proof head. Thus, the frontal armor of the hull was increased to 200 mm. The frontal sheet of the cabin had a similar thickness. The thickness of the side and stern sheets reached 80 mm (according to other sources, 85 mm). The armor plates of the cabin were joined into a tenon and reinforced with dowels, and then scalded. The cabin was attached to the hull with brackets and bolts with a bullet-resistant head.

In the front part of the hull there were workplaces for the driver and radio operator. Behind them, in the center of the car, two 12-cylinder carburetor V-shaped liquid-cooled Maybach HL 120TRM engines with a power of 265 hp were installed parallel to each other. at 2600 rpm each. The engines rotated the rotors of two Siemens Tour aGV generators, which, in turn, supplied electricity to two Siemens D1495aAC traction motors with a power of 230 kW each, installed in the rear of the vehicle under the fighting compartment. The torque from the electric motors was transmitted to the aft drive wheels using special electromechanical final drives. In emergency mode or in the event of combat damage to one of the power supply branches, duplication of the other was provided.

The undercarriage of the Ferdinand, applied to one side, consisted of six road wheels with internal shock absorption, interlocked in pairs into three bogies with an original, very complex, but highly efficient Porsche suspension scheme with longitudinal torsion bars, tested on the experimental VK 3001 (P) chassis. The drive wheel had removable ring gears with 19 teeth each. The guide wheel also had toothed rims, which eliminated idle rewinding of the tracks. Each caterpillar consisted of 109 tracks with a width of 640 mm.

In the wheelhouse, in the trunnions of a special machine, an 88-mm Pak 43/2 cannon (in the self-propelled version - StuK 43) with a barrel length of 71 calibers, developed on the basis of the Flak 41 anti-aircraft gun, was installed. The horizontal aiming angle was possible in the 28° sector. Elevation angle +14°, declination -8°. Weight of the gun is 2200 kg. The embrasure in the front sheet of the cabin was covered with a massive cast pear-shaped mask connected to the machine. However, the design of the mask was not very successful, as it did not provide complete protection from lead splashes and small fragments that penetrated into the body through the cracks between the mask and the frontal sheet. Therefore, armor shields were strengthened on the masks of most of the Ferdinands. The gun's ammunition included 50 unitary shots placed on the walls of the cabin. In the aft part of the cabin there was a round hatch intended for dismantling the gun.

According to German data, a PzGr 39/43 armor-piercing projectile weighing 10.16 kg and an initial speed of 1000 m/s penetrated 165 mm armor at a distance of 1000 m (at an impact angle of 90°), and a PzGr 40/43 sub-caliber projectile weighing 7.5 kg and an initial speed of 1130 m/s - 193 mm, which ensured the “Ferdinand” unconditional defeat of any of the then existing tanks.

Assembly of the first vehicle began on February 16, 1943, and the last, the ninetieth Ferdinand, left the factory floor on May 8. In April, the first production vehicle was tested at the Kummersdorf proving ground.

The Ferdinands received their baptism of fire during Operation Citadel as part of the 656th tank destroyer regiment, which included the 653rd and 654th divisions (schwere Panzerj?ger Abteilung - sPz.J?ger Abt.). By the beginning of the battle, the first had 45, and the second 44 “Ferdinands”. Both divisions were operationally subordinate to the 41st Tank Corps and took part in heavy battles on the northern front of the Kursk Bulge in the area of ​​Ponyri station (654th division) and the village of Teploye (653rd division).

The 654th Division suffered especially heavy losses, mainly in minefields. 21 Ferdinands remained on the battlefield. On July 15, German equipment knocked out and destroyed in the area of ​​the Ponyri station was examined by representatives of the GAU and the NIBT Test Site of the Red Army. Most of the Ferdinands were in a minefield filled with land mines from captured large-caliber shells and aerial bombs. More than half of the vehicles had damage to the chassis: torn tracks, destroyed road wheels, etc. In five Ferdinands, damage to the chassis was caused by hits from shells of 76 mm caliber or more. Two German self-propelled guns had their gun barrels shot through by shells and bullets from anti-tank rifles. One vehicle was destroyed by a direct hit from an aerial bomb, and another by a 203-mm howitzer shell hitting the roof of the cabin. Only one self-propelled gun of this type, which was fired from different directions by seven T-34 tanks and a battery of 76-mm guns, had a hole in the side, in the area of ​​the drive wheel. Another Ferdinand, which had no damage to the hull or chassis, was set on fire by a Molotov cocktail thrown by our infantrymen. The only worthy opponent of heavy German self-propelled guns was the SU-152 self-propelled artillery mount. On July 8, 1943, the SU-152 regiment fired at the attacking Ferdinands of the 653rd division, knocking out four enemy vehicles. In total, 39 Ferdinands were lost in July - August 1943. The last trophies went to the Red Army on the approaches to Orel - several damaged assault guns prepared for evacuation were captured at the railway station.

The first battles of the Ferdinands on the Kursk Bulge were, in essence, the last where these self-propelled guns were used in large quantities. Moreover, from a tactical point of view, their use left much to be desired. Designed to destroy Soviet medium and heavy tanks at long ranges, they were used as a forward "armor shield", blindly ramming engineering obstacles and anti-tank defenses, incurring heavy losses in the process. At the same time, the moral effect of the appearance of practically invulnerable German self-propelled guns on the Soviet-German front was very great. “Ferdinandomania” and “Ferdinandophobia” appeared. Judging by the memoirs, there was not a fighter in the Red Army who did not knock out or, in extreme cases, did not participate in the battle with the “Ferdinands”. They crawled towards our positions on all fronts, starting in 1943 (and sometimes even earlier) until the end of the war. The number of “knocked out” Ferdinands is approaching several thousand.

This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the majority of the Red Army soldiers were poorly versed in all sorts of “marders”, “bisons” and “nashorns” and called any German self-propelled gun “Ferdinand”, which indicates how great its “popularity” was among our soldiers. Well, besides, for the damaged Ferdinand they gave an order without any hesitation.

After the inglorious completion of Operation Citadel, the remaining Ferdinands in service were transferred to Zhitomir and Dnepropetrovsk, where their ongoing repairs and replacement of guns began, caused by the strong heat of the barrels. At the end of August, the 654th division was sent to France for reorganization and rearmament. At the same time, he transferred his self-propelled guns to the 653rd division, which in October - November took part in defensive battles in the area of ​​​​Nikopol and Dnepropetrovsk. On December 16, the division left the front line and was sent to Austria.

From the certificate submitted to the Main Command of the Ground Forces, it follows that until November 5, 1943, the 656th Regiment destroyed 582 Soviet tanks, 344 anti-tank guns, 133 other guns, 103 anti-tank guns, three aircraft, three armored vehicles and three self-propelled guns.

In the period from January to March 1944, the Nibelungenwerke plant modernized the 47 Ferdinands remaining by that time. A ball mount for the MG 34 machine gun was mounted in the frontal armor of the hull on the right. A commander's cupola, borrowed from the StuG 40 assault gun, appeared on the roof of the cabin. The shield on the gun barrel was turned “back to front” for better fastening, and the self-propelled guns that had it were also equipped with shields. did not have. Ammunition was increased to 55 rounds. The name of the car was changed to Elefant (elephant). However, until the end of the war, the self-propelled gun was more often called by its usual name - “Ferdinand”.

At the end of February 1944, the 1st Company of the 653rd Division was sent to Italy, where it participated in the battles of Anzio, and in May - June 1944 - near Rome. At the end of June, the company, which had two serviceable Elefants left, was transferred to Austria.

In April 1944, the 653rd division, consisting of two companies, was sent to the Eastern Front, to the Ternopil area. Here, during the battles, the division lost 14 vehicles, but 11 of them were repaired and put back into service. In July, the division, already retreating through Poland, had 33 serviceable self-propelled guns. However, on July 18, the 653rd Division, without reconnaissance or preparation, was thrown into battle to the rescue of the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, and within a day the number of combat vehicles in its ranks was more than halved. Soviet troops very successfully used their heavy self-propelled guns and 57-mm anti-tank guns against the “elephants”. Some of the German vehicles were only damaged and could have been restored, but due to the impossibility of evacuation, they were blown up or set on fire by their own crews. On August 3, the remnants of the division - 12 combat-ready vehicles - were taken to Krakow. In October 1944, Jagdtiger self-propelled guns began to arrive in the division, and the remaining “elephants” in service were consolidated into the 614th heavy anti-tank company.

Layout of the self-propelled gun "Elephant":

1 - 88 mm gun; 2 - armor shield on the mask; 3 - periscope sight; 4 - commander's cupola; 5 - fan; 6 - hatch of the periscope observation device; 7 - placement of 88-mm rounds on the wall of the fighting compartment; 8 - electric motor; 9 - drive wheel; 10 - suspension trolley; 11 - engine; 12 - generator; 13 - gunner's seat; 14 - driver’s seat; 15 - guide wheel; 16 - directional machine gun.

Until the beginning of 1945, the company was in the reserve of the 4th Tank Army, and on February 25 it was transferred to the Wünsdorf area to strengthen anti-tank defense. The “elephants” fought their last battles as part of the so-called Ritter group (Captain Ritter was the commander of the 614th battery) at the end of April in Wünsdorf and Zossen. In surrounded Berlin, the last two Elephant self-propelled guns were knocked out in the area of ​​Karl-August Square and the Church of the Holy Trinity.

“In the third week of August 1942, Hitler gave the order to stop the serial production of the VK450-1 (P) tank chassis and at the same time ordered the development of a heavy self-propelled artillery mount in the body of the Porsche Tiger tank - schwere Panzer Selbstfahrlafette Tiger. work was suspended once again - mounting a heavy field gun on the chassis of a heavy tank seemed unnecessarily expensive in purely financial terms.Large-caliber guns usually occupied firing positions far enough from the front line, and therefore powerful armoring of a self-propelled gun armed with such a gun simply lost its meaning.

Design work was resumed after a certain period, but now a heavy tank destroyer was being designed, armed with a powerful anti-aircraft gun of the Flak-41 type. The use of a tank chassis to create a tank destroyer was more in line with reality than the design of a well-armored large-caliber self-propelled artillery mount. Such vehicles could cover the flanks of tank units with fire in the offensive, and successfully fight enemy armored vehicles from pre-planned “ambush” positions in defense.

In both cases, the heavy tank destroyer was not required to make rapid throws over rough terrain, which Professor Porsche's chassis was physically incapable of. At the same time, powerful armor expanded the range of use of tank destroyers, allowing them to operate even from open firing positions from which the use of light tank destroyers was not possible. At that time, the German armed forces did not have any castle destroyers other than light ones built on the chassis of Pz.Kpfw tanks. I. Pz.Kpfw. II. Pz.Kpfw. 38(t).

Video: useful lecture by Yuri Bakhurin about the Ferdinand self-propelled guns

The crews of these tank destroyers had virtually no protection from enemy fire other than a gun shield. The armament of light tank destroyers left much to be desired. Even self-propelled guns of the Marder series, armed with anti-tank 75 mm Rak-40 cannons and captured Soviet field guns of 76.2 mm caliber, penetrated the frontal armor of heavy tanks only from extremely short distances. The number of fully armored SluG III assault guns was not enough, and the 75 mm short-barreled guns of these self-propelled guns were not suitable for fighting serious tanks.

On September 22, Armaments Minister Alberz Speer officially ordered the Porsche team to design the Sturmgeschutz Tiger 8.8 cm L/71. In the depths of the Nibelungenwerke, the project received the code “type 130”. Variant of the Rak-43 anti-tank gun. intended for self-propelled guns received the designation “8.8 cm Pak-43/2 Sf L/71” - an 88-mm anti-tank gun of the 1943 model, 2 modifications with a barrel length of 71 mm for a self-propelled artillery mount. Even before the construction of the prototype, the self-propelled gun changed its designation to “8.8 cm Pak-43/2 Sll L/71 Panzerjager Tiger (P) Sd.Kfz. 184". Then so many more renames followed that it’s time to ask the question: “What’s your name... now?” The name “Ferdinand” stuck. It is interesting that the name “Ferdinand” appeared in an official document only on January 8, 1944, and the heavy self-propelled gun received its first official name only on May 1, 1944 - “Elephant”, by analogy with the heavy self-propelled artillery mount on the Pz.Sfl chassis. III/IV "Nashorn". The rhinoceros and the elephant are both African animals.

"Ferdinand" is born

The Type 130 self-propelled gun was designed in close cooperation with the Berlin company Alkett, which had extensive experience in designing self-propelled artillery units. The drawings of the original project of the Type 130 self-propelled gun were signed on November 30, 1942. but two weeks earlier, WaPuf-6, the tank department of the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate, approved the conversion of 90 Porsche Tiger tank chassis into self-propelled guns. The conversion included numerous changes to the design and layout of the chassis.

Layout of self-propelled guns and reservation scheme "Elephant/Ferdinand"

The fighting compartment was moved to the rear of the hull, the engine compartment to the middle of the hull. The rearrangement of the vehicle was associated with the need to maintain the balance of the vehicle due to the placement in the stern of a heavy fixed wheelhouse with unprecedented armor - 200 mm front and 80 mm sides. The cabin was placed in the stern because of its long length. 7 m gun barrel. This arrangement made it possible to maintain a more or less acceptable overall length of the vehicle - the barrel almost did not protrude beyond the body.

Differences between "Ferdinand" and "Elephant".

The Elefant had a forward-facing machine gun mount, covered with additional padded armor. The jack and wooden stand for it were moved to the stern. The front fender liners are reinforced with steel profiles. The mounts for the spare tracks have been removed from the front fender liners. The headlights have been removed. A sun visor is installed above the driver's viewing instruments. A commander's cupola is mounted on the roof of the cabin, similar to the commander's cupola of the StuG III assault gun. There are gutters welded on the front wall of the cabin to drain rainwater. The Elefant has a tool box in the stern. The rear fender liners are reinforced with steel profiles. The sledgehammer was moved to the aft leaf of the cabin. Instead of handrails, fastenings for spare tracks were made on the left side of the aft deckhouse.

The factory crew of the new, not yet painted, self-propelled gun FgStNr, 150 096, just pulled out of the Nibelungenwerke factory workshop, sunny May morning 1943. The chassis number is neatly written in white paint on the front of the hull. On the front part of the cabin there is a chalk inscription “Fahrbar” (for mileage) in Gothic font. The last production run included only four Ferdinand tank destroyers.

Even before the signing of the entire set of working drawings for the self-propelled gun in December 1942, the Nibelungenwerke company subsidized the Eisenwerke Oberdanau company from Linz in order to begin work on converting the first 15 tank hulls into tanks in January 1943. The last of the 90 hulls were manufactured and shipped by the Nibelungenwerke company 12 April 1943
Meanwhile. I had to abandon plans for the final assembly of self-propelled guns by Alkiett for two reasons.

The first was that there were not enough special Ssyms railway transporters. which were used primarily for transporting Tiger tanks to threatened areas of the Eastern Front. The second reason: the Alkett company was the only manufacturer of the StuG III assault guns, which were extremely necessary for the front. regarding the quantity of which the appetite of the front remained truly insatiable. The assembly of Type 130 self-propelled guns put an end to the production of StuG III assault guns for a long period.

Drawing of the suspension of the self-propelled gun "Elephant/Ferdinand"

Even the production of self-propelled guns "type 130". for which, according to the production plan, the Alkett company was responsible, were transferred to the Krup company from Essen, which, by the way, seriously affected the pace of production of Tiger tank turrets. The cooperation of the Nibelungenwerke - Alquette companies was ultimately limited to business trips of welding specialists from the Alquette company to Nibelungenwerke to assist in the final assembly of heavy self-propelled guns at the Porsche plant.

A brand new Ferdinand at the beginning of a long journey from the factory to the front. At the factory, self-propelled guns were painted in one color - Dunkeigelb, crosses were painted in three places, numbers were not drawn. Vehicles were often shipped from the factory without gun shields. There were not enough shields; in many photographs of self-propelled guns from the 654th battalion, there were no shields on the Ferdinands. The toolbox is located in a standard way - on the starboard side, spare track tracks are placed on the wings immediately behind the fender liners. Towing cable thimbles are attached to the hooks.

On May 8, 1943, the last Ferdinand (FgstNn 150 100) was completed. Later, this vehicle entered service with the 4th platoon of the 2nd company of the 653rd heavy tank destroyer battalion. The “anniversary” car is decorated with numerous inscriptions made in chalk. The car is festively decorated with tree branches and mock-up shells. One of the inscriptions reads “Ferdinand” - which means this name appeared on the Nibelungeneverck already in May 1943.

On February 16, 1943, the first prototype of a heavy tank destroyer (Fgsr.Nr. 150 010) was assembled by Nibelungenwerke. According to the plan, the last of the 90 ganks ordered by the fighter was to be delivered to the customer on May 12. but the workers managed to deliver the last StuG Tiger (P) (Fgst. Nr. 150 100) ahead of schedule - on May 8. This was a labor gift from the Nibelungenwerke company to the front.

The Krupp company from Essen supplied the box-shaped cabins in the form of two sections, which were connected with bolts during assembly.
The first tests of two “Ferdinands” (Fgst.Nr. 150010 and 150011) took place in Kummersdorf from April 12 to 23, 1943. In general, the vehicles received a positive assessment of the test results and were recommended for use in field conditions. This outcome of the test can hardly be called a surprise, since Operation Citadel was planned for the summer, in which the emphasis was placed on the use of the latest armored vehicles. Operation Citadel was supposed to be a real search test for heavy tank destroyers, a test of beta quotes and subtext. Just tests.
The shooting took place without any notice.

By this time, the name “Ferdinand” was firmly attached to the self-propelled gun “type 130” in all circles. The Ferdinand in its final form differed from the Type 130 project in a small but extremely important detail. The Type 130 assault gun was equipped with a front-facing machine gun for self-defense against enemy infantry. There is no doubt that if the Alquette company had been responsible for designing the machine, the machine gun would have been preserved.

At the Krupp company, however, they did not bother with installing a machine gun mount in a 200 mm thick frontal armor plate. By that time, there was experience in placing a machine gun mount in the frontal armor of the Tiger tank, but its thickness was half that of the Ferdinand! Krupp specialists, in general, rightly believed that any cutouts weaken the strength of the entire armor plate. The machine gun mount was abandoned, as a result the crews lost their means of self-defense in close combat. “Excessive” losses of heavy self-propelled guns were thus predetermined at the design stage.

It’s not news - the concept of a combat vehicle is tested for truth only in combat. The artillerymen could hardly imagine the difficulties of providing nine dozen modern armored self-propelled guns, for the operation of which supply and repair problems were critical. A vehicle weighing almost 70 tons was very susceptible to breakdowns, and what to do with towing a broken self-propelled gun. There are not enough horses here. To a large extent, it was the lack of towing means that contributed to the high losses of the Ferdinands at Kursk. At the top they hoped that the tank roller with its non-stop moving forward will simply flatten the enemy's defenses and did not provide tank and self-propelled artillery units with tractors necessary for towing damaged combat vehicles. The lack of worthy tractors a few weeks after the failure of Operation Citadel gave birth to the project of the Berge-Ferdinand recovery vehicle. If such a vehicle appeared in May 1943 and losses in self-propelled guns near Kursk might not have been so significant.

The command of the German ground forces intended to form three artillery units armed with Ferdinands, according to the Kriegsstarkenachweisung. K.st.N, 446b, 416b, 588b and 598 of January 31, 1943, two units of the 654th and 653rd assault gun battalions (StuGAbt) were formed on the basis of the 190th and 197th assault artillery battalions, respectively. Third, StuGAbt. 650 intended to be formed from a “clean slate”. According to the state, the battery should have nine Ferdinand self-propelled guns with three reserve vehicles at the battery headquarters. In total, according to the staff, the battalion was armed with 30 Ferdinand self-propelled guns. Both the organization and tactics of combat use of StuGAbt were based on “artillery” traditions. The batteries took part in the battle independently. In the event of a massive attack by Soviet tanks, such tactics seemed erroneous.

In March, on the eve of the start of the formation of battalions, there were changes in views on the tactical use and organization of units armed with Ferdinands. The changes were personally promoted by Panzerwaffe Inspector General Heinz Guderian, who achieved the inclusion of Ferdinands in the tank forces, and not in the artillery. The batteries in the battalions were renamed into companies, and then the instructions and manuals on combat tactics were redrawn. Guderian was a supporter of the massive use of heavy tank destroyers. In March, by order of the Panzerwaffe Inspector General, the formation of the 656th heavy tank destroyer regiment began, consisting of three battalions. The 197th Assault Artillery Battalion was once again renamed, becoming the 1st Battalion, 656th Regiment (653rd Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion) - 1/656 (653), and the 190th Battalion - 11/656 (654) . 3rd battalion "Ferdinands". The 600th, 656th regiment was never formed. The two battalions each received 45 Ferdinads - a complete analogy with the heavy tank battalions, which were armed with 45 Tigers each. The new III battalion of the 656th regiment was formed on the basis of the 216th assault tank battalion; it received 45 StuPz IV “Brummbar” Sd.Kfz assault howitzers. 166. armed with 15 cm StuK-43 howitzers.

The battalion of heavy tank destroyers included a headquarters company (three Ferdinands) and three line companies formed according to the K.St.N staff. 1148с dated March 22, 1943. Each line was armed with 14 Ferdinands in three platoons (four tank destroyers per platoon, and two more Ferdinands were assigned to company headquarters, which was often called the “1st platoon”). The date of formation of the headquarters of the 656th regiment is considered to be June 8, 1943. The headquarters was formed in Austria in St. Pölten from the cadres of the Bavarian 35th Tank Regiment. The regiment commander was Lieutenant Colonel Baron Ernst von Jungenfeld. Major Heinrich Steinwachs took command of the 1st (653rd) battalion, Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Noack - II (654th) battalion of the 656th regiment. Major Bruno Karl remained in charge of his 216th battalion, which was now designated III/656 (216). In addition to the Ferdinands and Brummbars, the regiment received Pz.Kpfw tanks for service with the headquarters company. Ill p vehicles of forward artillery observers Panzerbeobachtungswagen III Ausf. H. Also in the headquarters company there were half-track vehicles of artillery observers Sd.Kfz. 250/5. sanitary evacuation half-track armored personnel carriers Sd.Kfz. 251/8. light reconnaissance tanks Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F and Pz.Kpfw tanks. Ill Ausf. N.

The 1st battalion (653rd) was garrisoned in the Austrian town of Neusiedel am See. The II (654th) battalion was stationed in Rouen, France. The 2nd battalion was the first to receive new equipment, but its Ferdinands were brought to the unit’s location by the drivers of the 653rd battalion.

Burnt Ferdinand from the 656th Heavy Tank Destroyer Regiment. Kursk Bulge, July 1943. Based on the camouflage coloring, the vehicle belongs to the 654th battalion, but there are no tactical signs on the fender liners. The gun mantlet shield is missing, most likely knocked down by an anti-tank shell. Marks from small-caliber shells or anti-tank rifle bullets are visible on the barrel in the area of ​​the muzzle brake. In the frontal armor plate of the hull in the area of ​​the radio operator's location there is a mark from an anti-tank shell of 57 or 76.2 mm caliber. There are holes in the fender liners from 14.5 mm bullets.

"Ferdinand" with tail number "634", from the 4th platoon of the 2nd company of the 654th battalion. The car stopped moving after being hit by a mine. The tool box lid has been torn off. Ultimately, the toolbox was moved to the rear of the hull. The photo perfectly conveys the camouflage pattern and white side number characteristic of self-propelled guns of the Noack battalion.

"Ferdinand" with tail number "132", the vehicle was commanded by non-commissioned officer Horst Golinski. Golinsky's self-propelled gun exploded on a mine near Ponyry in the defense zone of the 70th Red Army. In the Soviet wartime press, the photograph was dated July 7, 1943. The car's chassis was seriously damaged. A mine explosion tore off the entire first bogie with two road wheels. In general, the vehicle was in good working order, but there was nothing to evacuate it from the battlefield. Note the pistol embrasure plug hanging on a chain at the rear of the cabin.
Staged photo. A Soviet infantryman threatens “Ferdinand” with an RPG-40 grenade. “Ferdinand” with tail number “623” from the 4th platoon of the 2nd company of the 654th battalion was blown up by a mine long ago. A whole series of photographs were taken; in the last ones, the self-propelled gun was enveloped in clouds of white smoke from the ignited phosphorus.

Two photographs of a Befehls-Ferdinand self-propelled gun from the headquarters company of the 654th battalion of Hauptmann Noack. The car has no external damage. The self-propelled gun number, “1102,” indicates that the vehicle belongs to the deputy battalion commander. The camouflage pattern is typical for the 654th battalion. The design on the barrel and mantlet is made in such a way that it becomes obvious that the self-propelled gun never had a mantlet gun shield. The Soviet press indicated that the self-propelled gun first hit a mine and then drank a Molotov cocktail.

Burnt and blown up “Ferdinands” are cars with tail numbers “723” and “702” (closest to the camera - FgStNr. 150 057). Both vehicles are painted in the camouflage typical of the 654th battalion. The self-propelled gun (792) closest to the camera lost its muzzle brake. Both vehicles do not have mask shields - perhaps the shields were torn off by explosions.

The 653rd battalion received most of its Ferdinands in May. On 23 and 24 May the Inspector General of the Panzerwaffe was personally present at regimental exercises at Brooke-on-Leith. Here the 1st company practiced shooting, the 3rd company, together with sappers, crossed minefields. The sappers used Borgward remote-controlled self-propelled wedge charges
B.IV. Guderian expressed satisfaction with the results of the exercises, but the inspector general expected the main surprise after the exercises: all self-propelled guns made a 42-km march from the training ground to the garrison without a single breakdown! At first, Guderian simply did not believe this fact.

The technical reliability demonstrated by the Ferdinands during the exercises ultimately played a cruel joke on them. It is possible that the consequence of the exercises was the refusal of the Wehrmacht command to equip the regiment with powerful 35-ton Zgkv tractors. 35t Sd.Kfz. 20. Fifteen Zgkv tractor battalions entered the battalions. 18t Sd.Kfz. 9 were for broken Ferdinands, like a poultice for the dead. Later, the 653rd battalion received two Bergpanthers, but this fact took place after the Battle of Kursk, in which many Ferdinands had to be simply abandoned due to the impossibility of towing them. The losses in equipment were so significant that the 654th was disbanded in order to supply the 653rd battalion with equipment.

The regiment's battalions united only in June 1943 before being sent by rail to the Eastern Front. The Ferdinands had to undergo baptism of fire during Operation Citadel, on which the head of the Reich had great hopes. In fact, on both sides of the front there was an understanding - Operation Citadel decides the outcome of the war in the East. The 653rd battalion was equipped with equipment in full compliance with the staff - 45 Ferdinands, in the 654th battalion one self-propelled gun was missing from the full strength, and in the 216th battalion there were three Brummbars.

In contrast to the previously planned and practiced tactics of covering the flanks of a tank wedge, now self-propelled guns were tasked with directly escorting infantry in an attack on a heavily fortified enemy defense. The people who planned such actions hardly imagined the real combat capabilities of the Ferdinands. Shortly before the start of the operation, the 656th Regiment received reinforcement in the form of two sapper companies equipped with remote-controlled mine clearance vehicles - Panzerfunklenkkompanie 313 of Lieutenant Frishkin and Panzerfunklenkkompanie 314 of Hauptmann Brahm. Each company was armed with 36 Borgward B.IV Sd.Kfz tankettes. 301 Ausf. A, designed for making passages in minefields.

During Operation Citadel, the 656th Regiment operated as part of General Harpe's XXXXI Tank Corps. The corps was part of the 9th Army of Army Group Center. The 653rd Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion supported the 86th and 292nd Infantry Divisions. The 654th Battalion supported the 78th Infantry Division's attack. The only truly assault unit of the regiment, the 216th battalion, was intended to operate in the second echelon together with the 177th and 244th assault gun brigades. The target of the attack was the defensive positions of the Soviet troops on the Novoarkhangelsk - Olkhovatka line and especially the key defense point - height 257.7. It was dominated by soft pounds, cut up by trenches, firing positions of anti-tank guns and machine guns, and strewn with mines.

On the first day of the operation, the 653rd battalion advanced in the direction of Aleksandrovka, penetrating the first line of defense. The Ferdinand crews reported 25 destroyed T-34 tanks and a large number of artillery pieces. Most of the self-propelled guns of the 653rd battalion failed on the first day of the battle, ending up in a minefield. The Russians perfectly equipped defensive positions, placing thousands of thousands of YaM-5 and TMD-B anti-tank mines in wooden casings in the forefield. Such mines were difficult to detect by electromagnetic mine detectors. Anti-tank and anti-personnel mines were placed interspersed, which greatly complicated the work of sappers armed with conventional probes. In addition, the crew of a self-propelled gun damaged by an anti-tank mine explosion jumped out of the vehicle straight onto the anti-personnel mines. It was in this situation that the commander of the 1st company of the 653rd battalion, Hauptmann Spielmann, was mortally wounded. In addition to mines, improvised explosive devices made from shells and even aircraft bombs of various calibers were widely used. The torsion bars suffered the most during mine explosions. The self-propelled guns themselves were not damaged. but as a result of the breakdown of the torsion bars, they lost speed, and there was nothing to tow the damaged, but actually serviceable cars.

The offensive began according to plan with clearing passages in minefields. The passages for the Ferdinands of the 654th battalion were provided by the 314th engineer company. Hauptmann Brahm's men used up 19 of the 36 remote mine clearing vehicles available. First, the StuG III and Pz.Kpfw control vehicles moved into the aisle. Ill with the aim of launching the remaining wedges and deepening the passage. However, the tanks and assault guns came under heavy barrage fire from Russian artillery. Further clearing of the minefield became simply impossible. Moreover, most of the milestones placed on the borders of the passage were shot down by artillery fire. Many Ferdinand drivers drove out of the passage into the minefield. The battalion lost in one day no less than 33 self-propelled guns out of 45 available! Most of the wrecked vehicles were subject to repair; all that remained was a “trifle” - to tow them from the minefield. In general, the losses of the first three days of most of the 89 who took part in Operation Citadel were the result of heavy tank destroyers being blown up by a single mine.

On July 8, all surviving Fsrdinands were withdrawn from the battles and sent to the rear. A significant number of damaged vehicles were nevertheless evacuated. Often, to tow one self-propelled vehicle, a “train” of five or more tractors was assembled. Such “trains” immediately came under Russian artillery fire. As a result, not only Ferdinands were lost, but also extremely scarce tractors.

The Ferdinands of the 654th battalion attacked together with the infantry of the 78th division at heights 238.1 and 253.3. advancing in the direction of Ponyri and Olkhovatka. The actions of the self-propelled guns were provided by the 313th engineer company of Lieutenant Frishkin. The sappers suffered losses even before the battle began - four tankettes with mine clearance charges exploded in a German minefield not marked on the map. Another 11 tankettes were blown up in a Soviet minefield. The sappers, like their colleagues from the 314th company, were hit by hurricane fire from Soviet artillery. The 654th battalion left most of its Ferdinands in the minefields around Ponyri. A particularly large number of self-propelled guns were blown up in a minefield near the farms of the May 1 collective farm. 18 heavy tank destroyers that were blown up by mines could not be evacuated.

After numerous reports on the lack of tractors of sufficient power, the 653rd battalion received two Bergnanthers. but “the milk has already run away.” The damaged Ferdinands remained motionless for too long and did not escape the attention of Soviet demolitionists, who visited during the battle on short summer nights. In other words, the long-awaited Bergapanthers had nothing to tow anymore - Soviet sappers blew up the damaged self-propelled guns. Activity regarding towing damaged vehicles finally ceased on July 13, when the 653rd battalion was transferred to the XXXV Army Corps. The next day, an improvised battle group of Teriete, formed from the remnants of the company of Lieutenant Heinrich Teriete and several vehicles of the anti-tank artillery battalion of the 26th Panzergrenadier Division, was rushed to the aid of the encircled 36th Infantry Regiment. For the first time, the Ferdinands were used according to the initially conceived tactics and achieved success, despite the enemy's multiple numerical advantage and in the absence of proper reconnaissance. Self-propelled guns worked from ambushes, periodically changing positions, stopping attempts by Soviet tanks to launch flank attacks. Lieutenant Teriete modestly announced that he personally destroyed 22 Soviet tanks; modesty always adorns a warrior. In July, Teriete was awarded the Knight's Cross.

On the same day, the 34 surviving Ferdinands from the 653rd battalion that survived and were pulled from the battlefield were joined by 26 surviving Ferdinands from the 654th battalion. The self-propelled fist, together with the 53rd infantry and 36th panzergrenadier divisions, held the defense in the Tsarevka area until July 25. On July 25, only 54 Ferdinands remained in the 656th regiment, and only 25 of them were combat-ready. The regiment commander, Baron von Juschenfeld, was forced to withdraw his unit to the rear for equipment repairs.

During the period of Operation Citadel, the Ferdinand crews of two battalions of the 656th regiment chalked up 502 confirmed and destroyed Soviet guns (302 of them were attributed to the combat account of the 653rd battalion), 200 anti-tank artillery guns and 100 artillery systems for other purposes. Such data are given in the report of the Supreme Command of the German Ground Forces dated August 7, 1943. Three months later, the next OCI report spoke of 582 Soviet tanks destroyed by the Ferdinands. 344 anti-tank guns and 133 other artillery systems, three aircraft, three armored vehicles and three self-propelled artillery mounts. The pedantic Germans also counted the anti-tank rifles destroyed by heavy tank destroyers - 104. German headquarters were always distinguished by amazing accuracy in their reports... From the depths of the regiment, reports were transmitted to the top, in which the weaknesses and strengths of the Ferdinands were assessed. In general, the idea of ​​a heavily protected self-propelled tank destroyer justified itself, especially if the vehicles were used specifically to fight tanks. The crews liked the range of the guns installed on the Ferdinands, their high combat accuracy and high armor penetration. There were also disadvantages.

Thus, high-explosive fragmentation shells got stuck in the breech of guns, and steel casings of all types of shells were poorly extracted. Ultimately, the crews of all Ferdinands acquired sledgehammers and crowbars to remove shell casings. The crews negatively noted the poor visibility from the vehicle and the lack of machine gun armament. If the gunner noticed Soviet infantrymen, big fans of Molotov cocktails, near the vehicle, he immediately inserted a machine gun into the cannon and opened fire from it through the barrel. After the end of the Battle of Kursk, the repair company produced 50 sets that made it possible to fix a machine gun in the body of the gun, so that the axis of the machine gun barrel coincided with the axis of the gun barrel so that the zeros would not ricochet off the walls of the barrel bore and muzzle brake. The 653rd battalion experimented with machine guns placed on the roof of the cabin. The shooter had to fire through an open hatch. exposing himself to the enemy's bullets, except
Moreover, zeros and fragments flew through the open hatch into the cabin, which the other crew members were not at all happy about. By its nature, “Ferdinand” was a “lone hunter,” which Operation Citadel fully confirmed.

Self-propelled guns moved over rough terrain at a speed of no more than 10 km/h. The attack turned out to be slow, the enemy had time to shoot, and the time spent under fire increased. If the Ferdinands were not always threatened by medium and small caliber artillery fire, medium tanks, assault guns and armored personnel carriers, forced to “match” heavy tank destroyers in speed, suffered from such fire. The attack was held back by constant waiting for passages in the minefields to be cleared. The concept of using the Ferdinand as a means of transporting infantry on a special platform attached to a self-propelled gun was thwarted by Soviet artillery. Under a downpour of machine gun, mortar and artillery fire, the panzergrenadiers on these platforms found themselves defenseless. The huge and slow monster was an ideal target for all types of weapons. As a result, the “Ferdinand” brought the corpses of panzergrenadiers to the enemy’s front line of defense, and the dead German soldiers were no longer able to protect the monster from the destructive Molotov cocktails that the living Soviet infantrymen generously treated the “Ferdinands” to. Another weak point of the Ferdinand was the power plant, which often overheated when driving on soft ground.

The power plant did not have proper armor protection on top - the same Molotov cocktail was spilling onto the engines through the ventilation holes. What is the use of an armored tank that survived the shelling if the engines are out of order, the electric motors are burned out, the fuel lines and electrical wiring are broken by shell fragments? Soviet artillery often fired incendiary shells at tanks, which posed a huge danger to the self-propelled fuel system. The reason for the loss of most of the 19 Ferdinands that failed was not due to mine explosions, but was due to damage to the power plants. There were cases of failure of engine cooling systems due to nearby detonations of shells, as a result of which the Ferdinand engines overheated and caught fire. One Ferdinand was lost due to self-ignition of the electric generator when the self-propelled gun got stuck in the ground.

The negative assessments of the entire electromechanical power plant were unexpected. Four cars burned out due to short circuits in the engine electrical system. For their weight, the vehicles demonstrated good maneuverability if the torsion bars did not break. Not only mines disabled Porsche's patented torsion bars, even large stones posed a threat. The tracks, which were wide in principle, turned out to be narrow for the mass of the Ferdinand - the self-propelled guns got stuck in the ground. And then the fairy tale about the white bull began: an attempt to get out on your own ended in engine overheating at best, or in a fire at worst; tractors were needed for towing, but there were no tractors...
In most cases, the armor provided reliable protection for the crew. Again, not always. On July 8, the “Ferdinands” of the 3rd company of the 653rd battalion ran into “hunters” - SU-152 self-propelled artillery units capable of firing 40 kg armor-piercing shells. The armor of the three Ferdinands could not withstand hits from such shells. One "Ferdinand" was destroyed as a result of a completely fantastic incident.

A shell fired by a Soviet cannon hit a Borgward mine clearing wedge. installed on the carrier - the Pz.Kpfw tank. III. The 350-kg demolition charge of the wedge detonated and smashed both the wedge itself and the carrier tank into atoms. A considerable part of the “atoms” of the tank collapsed onto the “Ferdinand” taxiing nearby; the remains of the tank broke the gun barrel of the “Ferdinand” and disabled the engine! A fire started in the engine compartment of the self-propelled gun. It was probably the most successful shot from an anti-tank gun in the entire Second World War. One shell destroyed three units of tracked combat vehicles: the Borgward B-IV remote-controlled mine clearing vehicle, the Pz.Kpfw tank. III and the Ferdinand heavy tank destroyer.

The battalions armed with Ferdinand tank destroyers achieved some success, but at the cost of too many losses, which were not possible to replace. Under these conditions, by order of August 23, 1943, the 654th battalion was ordered to hand over all materiel to the 653rd battalion. The 654th Battalion ceased to be listed as II/656 (653) and became simply the 654th Battalion, as did the 216th Battalion, which ceased to be listed as III/656 (216). The remnants of the regiment were taken for rest, repair and reorganization in Dnepropetrovsk, the largest industrial center of Ukraine in the front-line zone, which had the capacity to repair heavy tank destroyers. 50 of the 54 self-propelled guns were subject to repair; repairing four tank destroyers was considered inappropriate. Alas, to repair Professor Porsche’s revolutionary products, special equipment was required, which was not available even in Dnepropetrovsk. Meanwhile, the front was approaching the city of Petra on the Dnieper. The Ferdinands were evacuated to Nikopol at the end of September, where all combat-ready vehicles (at least ten) were sent to the Zaporozhye region. Alas, even the Ferdinands were unable to slow down the Soviet tank roller - on October 13, German troops received an order to retreat, and a few days later, units of the Red Army crossed the Dnieper along the Dneproges Dam, although the Germans managed to blow up the dam's dam.

Soon the Germans left Nikopol. Here, on November 10, the Ferdinands of the 653rd battalion entered a fierce battle. All self-propelled guns capable of moving and shooting were sent to Mareevka and Kateripovka. where they achieved local success. The advance of the Red Army was stopped, however, not by the Ferdinands, but by the onset of prolonged autumn rains, which turned the roads into what we know. The offensive resumed with the first frost. On November 26 and 27, the Ferdinands from the Nord battle group were successful in the battle for Kochaska and Miropol. Of the 54 Soviet tanks destroyed in these places, at least 21 vehicles were shot down by the Ferdinand crew, commanded by Lieutenant Franz Kretschmer, who received the Knight's Cross for this battle.

Memo for Red Army soldiers for the destruction of self-propelled guns "Ferdinand/Elephant"

By the end of November, the situation in the 656th regiment became critical. On November 29, 42 Ferdinands remained in the regiment, of which only four were considered combat-ready, eight were in medium repair, and 30 required major repairs.
On December 10, 1943, the 656th Regiment was ordered to evacuate from the Eastern Front to St. Poltey. The regiment's withdrawal from the Eastern Front lasted from December 16, 1943 to January 10, 1944."

_______________________________________________________________________
Quote from the magazine "War Machines" No. 81 "Ferdinand"