jagdpanzer german hunting tank 3d max - JAGDPANZER German Hunting tank WWII by De Espona

It typically refers to anti-tank variants of existing tank chassis with a well-armoured fixed superstructure, mounting an anti-tank gun with limited traverse in the front. The Jagdpanzer designs followed on from the more lightly armoured Panzerjäger designs which took an anti-tank gun and mounted it on top of a tank chassis with supplementary armour fitted around the gun crew.

While the less complex design meant savings in resources and construction time could be made, this was not the prime motivation for its use. The Jagdpanzer actually had a specific role in the German doctrine and was not a cheaper substitute for tanks.

On the battlefield the German sometimes had to retreat from superior number, or wished to make a feigned retreats. Their line of retreat would then preferably pass the location of their anti-tank units who would use their superior firepower to stop the enemy, perhaps even make possible a counter-attack. Therefore the ideal and only valid combat situation for Jagdpanzer units was in the planned ambush, and the skill of the commander of such units lay in correctly choosing and preparing such places long before needed.