During the development of the Tiger(P) and
Tiger(H), Hitler had agitated for a turret design which would be large enough
to mount the 8.8cm KwK L/71. This had not materialized and on 22 September 1942
it was decided that a StuG with 200mm frontal armour and the long 8.8cm gun
should be immediately designed, with the Tiger( P) as the basis, and part of
the Tiger( P) production diverted for the vehicle. Alkett was to design and
produce the Ferdinand, with Nibelungenwerke supplying the completed chassis.
Despite the shortage of suspension parts and lack of test runs, on 6 February
1943 Hitler ordered that 90 Ferdinands were to be supplied for the front as
quickly as possible by all available means. This resulted in the order for
Nibelungenwerke to complete the Sturmgeschutz Ferdinand instead of Alkett. All
90 were completed by the end of May 1943, in time for use in the summer
offensive at Kursk.
The hull of the Ferdinand was that of the
Tiger(P), but with 100mm plates bolted to the front, and an addition to the
rear to support the superstructure and vent cooling air for the electric
motors. The superstructure housed the long 8.8cm gun in a limited traverse
mount. No secondary armament was mounted until late 1943, when those returned
from the front were modified to carry a hull machine-gun. The superstructure
was also changed at this time to provide the commander with a cupola.
Forty-eight Ferdinands were so modified and were designated Elefant after
Hitler's order of May '44 renaming them from Ferdinands - p.320 Karl-Heinz
Münch's "653").
Ferdinands were issued to
Panzerjagerabteilungen 653 and 654 in April and May 1943. These units fought at
Kursk during the limited offensive and helped plug holes in the line for the
rest of the summer and autumn.
Ferdinands
at Kursk: only one (1) lost to infantry attacks
This is one of the perennial myths that
seem to live on in cyberspace. During the Kursk battle, 13 guns were lost, only
one of which can be credited to close combat infantry assault (The gun was
blinded by a smoke grenade and fell into a ditch - crew bailed). Another three
guns were destroyed by their own crews after being immobilized in minefields
(with a bit of a stretch, the claim could be made because of enemy infantry
threat, but would be pure speculation)
Other causes of losses were:
- Artillery round into open drivers
compartment.
- Artillery round through fighting
compartment roof.
- Crushed by flying Pz III, falling onto
gun/engine deck.
Pz III was advancing on top of an
embankment, the Elephant was behind the embankment and traveling parallel to
the Pz III. The Pz III was hit by Soviet AT fire and flew through the air
landing forward of the armored casemate.
- Friendly (sic) Pz IV fire.
- Generator fire.
All info: "Combat History of
SchPzJgrAbt 653" by Karlheinz Munch
The units were pulled out late in 1943 to
overhaul the vehicles, after which, the 653rd Panzerjagerabteilung was
re-equipped and a separate company was attached to the 614th
Panzerjagerabteilung. The Ferdinands were refitted starting in January/February
1944. Of 52 vehicles, 47 were completed by April 1, 1944. (2 Co./653rd with 14
vehicles and 1 recovery vehicle, 3 Co./653rd with 14 vehicles and 1 recovery
vehicle, and HQ with 4 vehicles) and Italian Front (1 Co./653rd with 11
vehicles and 1 recovery vehicle) until the vehicles were "used up". Also as is often implied, the rename had nothing to do with the
rebuild program, it just occurred within a few months after a light globe
flickered in Hitler's addled brain. So they were technically still
"Ferdinands" even after the ball mount and cupola were added for a
few months.
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