WW.II le.FH18/40/2(sf) auf G.W.Pz.Kpfw.III/IV

Germany designed a number of different self-propelled howitzers during WWII, but not all of them reached production. One of the more interesting types was the le.FH.18/40/2 auf.Pz.III/IV Sfl. With a name as convoluted as this, unsurprisingly it isn’t widely known! However, Dragon is giving this weapon carrier an enormous popularity boost by being the first manufacturer to create a 1/35 scale plastic kit of the weapon system! Basically the 25-ton vehicle mounted a 10.5cm le.FH.18/40/2 infantry gun in a fighting compartment, although it also carried gun trails and wheels on the rear of the hull so that the howitzer could be removed and used as a towed howitzer too. Alkett / Rheinmetall-Borsig completed a prototype in March 1944 in direct competition to Krupp’s Heuschrecke 10. It was eventually decided that it would be based on a Geschutzwagen IV (Hummel) chassis, and it was designed to carry 80 ammo rounds and operate with a five-man crew. Production was scheduled to commence in February 1945 but no vehicles ever eventuated.