Hunt or Destroy

[rleete]

So, what exactly is the difference between a tank hunter, and a tank destroyer? Are the terms interchangeable? Is it a matter of doctrine? Does it have to do with main weapon and ammo loadouts? Will someone please enlighten me?

[Redwolf]

The terms are not strickly used in WW2, but when people try to make a difference, they usually mean:

Tank Destroyer: Big Gun, thin armour, often cheap, often fast, often no turret, usually open top. Small silhuette desired, but not often reached.

Tank Hunter: Big gun, no turret, but a fat sloped front plate, usually as slow as normal tank, should be flat, low silhuette.

[Michael Dorosh]

Panzerjäger (tank hunter) units in WW II also consisted of towed anti-tank guns (PaK 40, for example).

[Michael Emrys]

I think the main difference is that the US (and allies?) used the term 'tank destroyer' and the Germans did not. Instead they had two terms: 'Panzerjäger' or 'tank hunter' and 'Jagdpanzer' or 'hunting tank'. The first term was used in the earlier war years and usually referred to a lightly armored, often open topped vehicle, though not exclusively so. They were most often improvisations: an AT gun dropped onto the modified hull of an obsolescent tank.

The latter term came into use I believe in the last couple years of the war and referred to fully armored big gun AFVs. While also often using the chassis of an obsolescent tank, in the case of the Jagdtiger and Jagdpanther, they used the chassis of a current, in-production vehicle.

Michael

[ 10-02-2001: Message edited by: Michael emrys ]