A Look at the Aufklärungspanzer 38

Recently I saw some artwork of an unusual turretless version of the German light tank, the Aufklärungspanzer 38. I wasn’t aware of this turretless version, so I took a detailed look into the model. This article is the result of that analysis.

Contents

1.0 - Introduction

2.0 - Background

 2.0.1 - The Luchs

 2.0.2 - Another Plan

 2.0.3 - Hängelafette

 2.1 - From Design to Production

 2.2 - Variations in Production

 2.3 - Production Numbers

 2.4 - Allocation

3.0 - Aufklärungspanzer 38 “Ohne Turm”

4.0 - Aufklärungspanzer 38; New Builds or Conversions?

5.0 - Aufklärungspanzer 38 Variants

1.0 - Introduction

The Aufklärungspanzer 38 was a light reconnaissance tank, built for the German Army in early 1944. Comparatively few were built and it was only used in significant numbers by two units. It wasn’t a common or particularly influential vehicle and, with few photos of it being used operationally, it gets little attention. However, it’s part of the Czech TNH / German PzKw 38(t) / Swedish Strv. 41 tank family - a personal favourite - so I think it’s worth closer inspection.

2.0 - Background

The Germans had identified a need for a dedicated light, fully tracked, reconnaissance vehicle back in 1939. They initiated 2 model programmes, one for a 9-ton vehicle, VK 9.01 and another for a 13-ton vehicle, VK13.01.

The VK 9.01 ended up as the unsuccessful PzKw II Ausf. G light tank, but the VK 13.01 was progressed further, becoming the VK13.03.

In early 1942, a VK 13.03 prototype was tested versus 2 Czech-designed vehicles, the PzKw 38(t) neue Art (designed by BMM) & the T 15 (designed by Škoda). Following vehicle trials, the VK 13.03 was the preferred tank. This went into production as the Panzerspähwagen II (SdKfz 123), or ‘Luchs’.

2.01 - The Luchs

The firm MAN received the contract to produce 800 Luchs production in July 1942. The first 100 would have the 2.0cm KwK 38 and the remaining 700 the 5.0cm KwK L/60.

Hitler was told that 131 Luchs would be completed between August 1942 and May 1943. Luchs production, however, was painfully slow. This was due to the new Panther having a greater priority, as well as due to bombing raids on the MAN facilities in Nürnberg.

Of the promised 131 Luchs tanks, only 40 were completed in that period (15 in Oct-Dec 1942 and 25 in Jan-Apr 1943). It took MAN until January 1944 to complete the final 60 vehicles armed with the 2.0cm gun. As for the version with the 5.0cm gun, that project was cancelled in February 1943. So just 100 Luchs were ever built.

2.02 - Another Plan

By mid-1943, it was realised that the idea of arming the Aufklärungs-Abteilung (reconnaissance battalion) of each Panzer Division with a significant number of Luchs was impossible. The average output of Luchs was fewer than 5 tanks per month.

As a result, the Germans went back to BMM (formerly ČKD prior to the Nazi invasion of the Czech lands in March 1939) and tasked the company with the development of a new light tank. BMM proposed a new model based on their earlier very successful design, the TNH tank, which the Wehrmacht had used under the name PzKw 38(t).

Most of the automotive components - suspension, transmission, steering - were carried over from the PzKw 38(t). The engine, while ostensibly the same old 7.8 litre Praga unit, was upgraded to deliver 180HP versus the 125PS engine of the PzKw 38(t) tank or the 150PS engine of the Marder III tank hunter built on the same chassis. The aim was to make the new reconnaissance tank as fast as possible.

The prior superstructure, however, was replaced by a new, taller superstructure. Like the original, the new superstructure was of riveted/bolted construction. This was no surprise as that was the only principal tank construction method that BMM was equipped for. Even when BMM began to assemble the Jagdpanzer 38 (Hetzer) with its all-welded hull, the completed hulls were delivered to BMM (and later to Škoda) already welded.

The superstructure supported a Hängelafette turret with the ever-useful 2.0cm KwK 38 L/55 gun and a co-axial MG34 or MG42 machine gun. There was no hull machine gun and the original hole in the driver’s front plate for the hull MG was covered by a round armoured plate.

2.03 - Hängelafette

The Hängelafette (‘hanging mount’) turret was that fitted to the 8-wheeled SdKfz 234/1 armoured car and SdKfz250/9 half-track. While similar in shape to the turret used on the SdKfz 222 armoured car, it was a later, different design.

The SdKfz 222 turret and 2.0cm gun were pivoted on a pedestal fixed to the floor of the vehicle. In contrast, the Hängelafette turret and its 2.0cm gun were suspended from the roof of the vehicle, with no pedestal.

2.1 - From Design to Production

Why did BMM go with the original PzKw 38(t) design and not the more recent PzKw 38(t) neue Art? While it seems the documented reason hasn’t yet been uncovered/confirmed, I think it’s most probable that BMM & the Waffenamt concluded it would be easier, faster & cheaper to build the new tank on the existing proven & reliable PzKw 38(t) chassis.

The alternative - developing the rejected PzKw 38(t) neue Art or, worse still, designing a brand-new model from scratch - would take much longer and likely present BMM and the Army with all the inherent teething troubles that new, untested designs and components can bring.

BMM built a model of the new vehicle using a mild steel superstructure on an existing chassis. The model came with some features which were omitted from the production vehicle; e.g. the front-mounted twin Nebelwurfgerät smoke dischargers.

The model met with approval and so the Aufklärungspanzer 38 was born. Production was supposed to start in October 1943 but, for reasons unknown, was delayed until at least January 1944. 37 tanks were accepted by the Waffenamt inspectors in February 1944 and a further 33 in March, making a total of just 70 vehicles.

2.2 - Variations in Production

When the Aufklärungspanzer 38 went into production, there was some variation in the vehicles produced. It would appear that no records explaining how many vehicles had which components have yet been uncovered, but the following details can be seen in photographs.

Suspension

Some vehicles were fitted with the same sprocket & idler wheels as the PzKw38(t) - 16-hole/21-teeth sprocket wheels & idler wheels with 12 tear-shaped holes. The photo of the initial model shows these. This was likely to have been to use up existing stocks of these components.

Other vehicles (see the photos below, under Armament) were fitted with the later 8-hole/21-teeth sprocket wheels as fitted to the Hetzer and the idler wheels with 12 round holes as fitted to early production Hetzers. Both types of later wheels would have been easier & cheaper to manufacture.

Armament

Photographic evidence shows that some vehicles were armed with a MG34, others with the MG42.

Other photos show that at least 2 vehicles were armed with a longer-barrelled 2.0cm gun, likely the Flak 38 L/65.

2.3 - Production Numbers

As mentioned, just 70 Aufklärungspanzer 38s were built. Why so few? After all, there was a clear need for light tracked reconnaissance tanks. The answer seems to be simple enough; constrained manufacturing capacity at BMM.

In early 1944, BMM was building 4 models; the Marder III, Grille and Flakpanzer 38, as well as the the Aufklärungspanzer 38. In March 1944, it started to build the new Hetzer. As with the Sturmgeschütz, this was a high priority armoured vehicle and quickly became the only model produced at BMM. The factory’s monthly output doubled from 150 (3 models, Nov 1943) to 317 (just Hetzer, Nov 1944).

In other words, by March 1944, BMM no longer had the manpower or space to produce any more Aufklärungspanzer 38 tanks.

2.4 - Allocation

The Kriegsstärkenachweisung (KStN), or official organisation chart, for units equipped with the Aufklärungspanzer 38 specified 25 of these tanks per company. All 25 were equipped with a short-range 5-watt radio transceiver (the Fu.Spr.Ger.f ), but 9 were to also carry a longer range 80-watt transceiver combination (the Fu12). A reconnaissance troop comprised 3 Aufklärungspanzer 38s, of which only 1 had the Fu12 radio set-up.

Just 2 units received this official allocation of 25 vehicles - Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland (April 1944) and 3. Panzer Division (September 1944). Each unit later received 7 replacement vehicles, making a total of 64. A single Aufklärungspanzer 38 was issued to Ersatz-Brigade Grossdeutschland (April 1944). This accounted for a total of 65 vehicles, leaving 5 vehicles with no known destination.

3.0 - The Aufklärungspanzer 38 “Ohne Turm”

This is the artwork that came to my attention on Twitter.

The picture is of a so-called Aufklärungspanzer 38 ohne Turm - ‘without a turret’ from the website Wardrawings.

I wasn’t aware that any Aufklärungspanzer 38 had been used without a turret. However, when I checked, some sources on this vehicle state that of the 70 built, sure enough, it seems 20 were made without a turret. Intriguing.

More specifically, Panzer Tracts 11-2 states that “A note for the March 1944 report stated that 20 of the 33 (vehicles checked in March) were accepted without Hängelafette” by the Waffenamt inspectors (my underline).

Before a German tank was taken away from a tank assembly plant to an army depot to be shipped to an armoured unit, Waffenamt inspectors would check that the vehicle met their requirements and had no defects. So why were 20 Aufklärungspanzer 38s accepted without a turret? At present, we don’t know.

It is easy, however, to imagine the scenario where a delay in getting components for the turrets meant the 20 vehicles wouldn’t be completed until March. And, of course, March was the start of Hetzer production. Therefore, it’s entirely possible the inspectors accepted the vehicles without turrets in order to clear the BMM factory as it prepared for Hetzer production the following month.

Were the 20 tanks later fitted with Hängelafette turrets before use? This would have been a relatively simple task to do at a Heeres-Zeugamt (army ordnance depot) or even for maintenance crews in the field. Or were they actually used in battle without a turret? Again, currently, we don’t know this.

It’s logical to assume that the 50 tanks sent to PzG Div GD and to 3rd PD were the 50 completed with turrets. That would imply the 14 replacement tanks they received were some of the 20 accepted without turrets. Given the replacements were delivered some months later, this would in theory allow time for the 14 to be fitted with turrets before they were sent to the front.

Evidence

Sadly, any documentation on this matter seems to have not been discovered yet. As for photographic evidence of the turretless Aufklärungspanzer 38s, I’ve found just 2 photos online and none in any of the various books I have which feature this model.

The first photo, above, is of an Aufklärungspanzer 38, from Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland, destroyed by Soviet ground attack aircraft in East Prussia, 1945. The vehicle is in a very poor state; a road wheel is missing, its hull smashed open, the superstructure & engine deck wrecked and its turret missing. So it’s unclear from this photo whether this tank went into action turretless or had a turret & lost it in the air strike. Inconclusive.

The second photo is much more interesting. It clearly shows 4 Aufklärungspanzer 38s without a turret but there are some unusual details too.

• 3 of the 4 tanks have vertical metal plates bolted to the upper part of the front of the superstructure and protruding above it.

• 3 of the tanks have a single very large headlight mounted on the front. In each example, the light is mounted in a different location.

• Two of the tanks have Wehrmacht registration plates, something which was almost never seen on tanks in service.

• The tank at the back seems to be fitted with an unusual large, tall superstructure.

• The nearest tank has 2 front Notek lights

• All 4 tanks have full, curved mudguard extensions at the front; another non-standard feature.

• The nearest 2 tanks (at least) have lengths of spare track in storage brackets attached to the top of the superstructure.

• The personnel in the photo all appear to be in civilian dress, rather than in military uniform.

• The setting seems to be industrial rather than military.

Given the detail above, I’ve come to the conclusion that these are likely to be vehicles either retained at BMM, at a Heeres-Zeugamt or some other depot and not (yet) issued to a military unit. Perhaps they are 4 of the 5 tanks that were not recorded as issued to units. As with the destroyed tank in the first photo, for me, this photo isn’t proof that the Aufklärungspanzer 38 was ever used in action without the Hängelafette turret.

If anyone has any information about the 4 vehicles in the second photo, I’d love to hear it. Likewise, if anyone has a photo of an Aufklärungspanzer 38 in action without a turret. I’d like to see that too.

4.0 - Aufklärungspanzer 38; New Builds or Conversions?

One thing I noted as I looked into the Aufklärungspanzer 38 was that it is claimed in many sources that it was built as a conversion of old PzKw 38(t) tanks and not as brand-new vehicles.

This seems logical; the PzKw 38(t) was withdrawn from front-line service in 1942-43 and most of the surviving vehicles sent back to Germany & Prague.

However, there have been many claims that many German AFVs built on the PzKw 38(t) were converted from old tanks (e.g. Hetzer). Analysis shows all of these to be false with the notable exception of 175 Marder III Ausf. H tank hunters.

And there’s a very good reason why I believe the Aufklärungspanzer 38 was built from new and not converted; chassis number analysis.

Every German tank (including those built by BMM) had a Fahrgestellnummer or ‘chassis number’. This was a unique sequential reference number stamped and often also painted onto the superstructure/hull of the tank to identify it. This allowed for individual vehicles to be tracked through all stages of its life to aid production, distribution and repair.

Even today, 80 years on, the exact same process applies to all cars, trucks & other vehicles built globally; each has a Vehicle Identification Number or ‘VIN’. This system gives us good, robust data for any analysis of tank or other vehicle production.

Germany was never flush with resources so couldn’t afford to scrap unused tanks. When tanks were declared obsolete or ineffective, the Germans found a new use for them. Most seem to have been used as training vehicles, ammunition carriers, etc. Some however were converted to other primary uses. However, according to Jentz [Panzer Tracts 23], where conversions were made, the original chassis number was retained in all cases.

For example, the Panzerjäger I was a tank hunter built on a PzKw I Ausf. B chassis. The conversion was made by removing the turret & superstructure from existing PzKw I tanks, then adding a Czech 4.7cm anti-tank gun in a new casemate. A total of 202 were built. All kept the original chassis numbers assigned to them when they were tanks.

The example mentioned at the start of this section, the 175 Marder III Ausf. H tank hunters converted from surviving tanks also followed this pattern. All 175 retained their original chassis numbers from when they were built as tanks.

The policy, therefore, was to retain the chassis number of the original tank for any conversions. There is no reason why the Aufklärungspanzer 38 would be the only vehicle to go against the established Fahrgestellnummer process.

The data in Panzer Tracts 23 supports this view; the 1396 PzKw 38(t) tanks built had chassis numbers from 1 to 1359, then from 1480 to 1526. If the Aufklärungspanzer 38s were converted from old PzKw 38(t) tanks, then their chassis numbers would also be from these 2 number ranges.

However, the chassis numbers for the 70 Aufklärungspanzer 38s were taken from the range 3105 to 3416. This was a range of 312 chassis numbers shared with other BMM models such as the Flakpanzer 38 & Marder III Ausf. M.

So they were allocated new chassis numbers and not old ones. For me, on the basis that Jentz’s detailed chassis number research is correct (and there’s no current reason to doubt it), this clearly points to the Aufklärungspanzer 38 being built as new vehicles and not as conversions.

5.0 - Aufklärungspanzer 38 Variants

As was often the case with German tanks in WW2, a version was approved, went into production and saw service. Other versions or modifications - official or not - were often also designed & sometimes even produced in small numbers or as ‘one-off’ designs. The Aufklärungspanzer 38 was no exception to this ‘rule’.

5.1 - Aufklärungspanzer 38 mit 7.5cm L/24

A variant of the Aufklärungspanzer 38 was intended to be built alongside the 2.0cm gun version. The new variant was to be armed with the short 7.5cm L/24 gun as fitted to the early versions (Ausf. A to F) of the PzKw IV. The purpose of this vehicle would have been to provide fire support to units armed with the 2.0cm tank.

Only two examples - both prototypes - are known to have been constructed. Each had a different superstructure and gun shield. Neither model was believed to have been produced or to have seen action.

5.2 - Aufklärungspanzer 38 mit 7.5cm PaK 40

Field maintenance units of Germany’s Panzer Divisions had to be creative when it came to keeping vehicles in service. A poor supply of spare parts made this inevitable. This creativity was also expressed in the making of unofficial versions of vehicles to fulfil a local need.

For example, when the PzKw 38(t) was withdrawn from front-line service, a number of Panzer Regiments held onto their PzKw 38(t)s as they were very reliable vehicles. As mentioned above, while some were kept as light reconnaissance tanks, others had their turrets removed and were used as ammunition carriers. Others had a light crane attached to the back and were used by field maintenance units.

So it was no real surprise to see that an Aufklärungspanzer 38 may have been fitted with a 7.5cm PaK 40 anti-tank gun.

Two photos of abandoned German AFVs in a village near Svitavy in Czechia, 1945 show what appears to be an Aufklärungspanzer 38 armed with a 7.5cm PaK 40. While it might be mistaken for a Marder III Ausf. H minus its superstructure, this vehicle has the later Hetzer 8-hole/21-teeth sprocket wheels & seems to have the higher superstructure of the Aufklärungspanzer 38. 

The jack and perforated stowage box typically located on the left-hand mudguard of the Aufklärungspanzer 38 have been replaced by a larger wooden stowage box with 2 latches. What appears to be a small Schürzen skirt armour plate marked with a large Balkenkreuz is fixed to the lower right-hand side of the superstructure.

Unfortunately, the poor quality of the photos gives us little detail to confirm the identity of the chassis, but it looks likely to have been an interesting field conversion.

The second photo shows less of the PaK 40 vehicle, but does however show an interesting example of its ancestor; a battered PzKw 38(t) (apparently an Ausf. E).

It’s interesting for 3 reasons:

1. It’s a good example of the ever-reliable PzKw 38(t) still in use in 1945

2. The mottled green and/or red-brown camouflage applied to the tank is unusual

3. The vehicle has been fitted with the curved top stowage behind the right-hand engine cover. This was to store an engine pre-warming kit.

6 - Feedback

Whether you are a military historian, scale modeller or a casual student of WW2 and its armour, I hope this article has been of interest. I don’t profess to know everything on this or any other topic, so if you have any further information or evidence on the Aufklärungspanzer 38 that might further our collective knowledge on this vehicle, please leave a comment below. Likewise, if you have a question or you spot any typos, errors or inadvertent copyright infringements!

7 - Sources

• Panzer Tracts 11-2, 18 & 23 - Jentz/Doyle

• Panzers 35(t) and 38(t) and Their Variants 1920-1945 - Spielberger

• Panzer 38(t) - Zaloga

• Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) - Gander

• Tank Archives 

• Tank Encyclopedia

• Photos credited individually