Marder II - Definition and Overview

The Marder II was a tank destroyer based on the panzer II chassis. 576 were built, 75 from converted panzer II's.

History

Even in the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, the Wehrmacht already felt the need for a more mobile and more powerful anti-tank solution than the existing towed anti-tank guns or tank destroyers like the Panzerjäger I. This need became urgent in late 1941, with the appearance of the new Soviet tanks like the T-34 and Kliment Voroshilov.

As an interim solution, it was decided to use both obsolete tanks like the Panzer II and captured vehicles like the Lorraine as the base for makeshift tank destroyers. The result was the Marder series, which were armed with either the 75 mm PaK 40 anti-tank guns or the Russian 76.2mm F-22 Model 1936 divisional field gun, of which large numbers had been captured.

The Marder II was first produced in June 1942 and was armed with a 75mm Pak 40/2 L/46.

External links

• AFV Database (http://afvdb.50megs.com/germany/marder2.html)
• AFV Interiors (http://afvinteriors.hobbyvista.com/marder2/marder2a.html)
• OnWar (http://www.onwar.com/tanks/germany/tfmarder2.htm)