Tamiya Sd.Kfz 131 Marder II

Continuing on Dave's Panzer II theme, he also sent a few pictures of some Marder II's he has been working on.Tamiya released this kit back in 1971, so its getting on in age a bit, still its good to see a great job still can be made from this old kit.
During the very first days of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet USSR, the Germans were shocked to encounter Soviet T-34 medium tanks and KV heavy tanks. Although the Wehrmacht succeeded in most operations due to superior tactics, morale, and supply, it had few anti-tank weapons capable of successfully engaging these vehicles at normal ranges. An urgent need arose for a more mobile and powerful anti-tank weapon than the existing towed anti-tank guns or tank destroyers like the Panzerjäger I.

Among a series of solutions, it was decided to use light tanks like the Panzer II and captured vehicles like the Lorraine Schlepper as the basis for makeshift tank destroyers. The result was the Marder series, which were armed with either the new 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank guns or captured Soviet 7.62 cm F-22 Model 1936 field guns, large numbers of which had been acquired early in the war.

The Marder II came in two major versions. The first version Marder II (Sd.Kfz. 132) was based on the light Panzer II Ausf. D/E and Flammpanzer II chassis with Christie suspension. It was armed with captured Soviet 7.62 cm guns, re-chambered to accept German 7.5 cm Pak 40 ammunition, which improved its penetrative capabilities. These early Marder IIs had a very high silhouette (2.60 m high), thin armor of only 30 mm (front) and 10 to 15 mm (sides). There was no armour on the top or rear, leaving the crew with very little protection. Alkett and Wegmann produced 201 Marder II (Sd. Kfz. 132) from early 1942 to early 1943.

The second version Marder II (Sd.Kfz. 131) was based on Panzer II Ausf. A to C removed from active service but later also newly produced Ausf. F chassis were used. This Marder II had a redesigned (widened) fighting compartment and used the German 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun. The silhouette was lowered by about 40 cm to 2.20 m, but the armor was thin and the compartment was open to the top and rear, as in Sd. Kfz. 132.

The Marder II carried a crew of three, commander, driver and loader. The commander had to grasp the situation in battle and also fire the gun. The driver had to serve also as radio/signal man. The loader was also kept busy during fighting. He had to bring and load, all by himself, firstly – 7 shells, kept on the back over the engine cover, secondly – 24 shells on the left-hand rack and thirdly – 6 shells on the right-hand rack.

The production of the Marder II self-propelled anti-tank gun was started in 1942, but stopped in February 1943 by order of Adolf Hitler, who intended to concentrate efforts on the manufacture of the “Wespe” self-propelled howitzer. In those months, 531 were manufactured. A further 75 were converted later on from the last of the Panzer II's after they were taken out of service.

The Marder II was one of the valuable vehicles that served as makeshifts for about 2 years, from the beginning of the German – Soviet war to the appearance of typical tank-destroyers on the eastern front. The Marder II self-propelled anti-tank gun delivered to poorly equipped anti-tank gun companies in infantry divisions rendered distinguished service as an important weapon to protect infantrymen from Russian heavy tanks.