View source for Wespe

{{Short description|German self-propelled howitzer}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox weapon
 |name= ''Wespe''
 | image= SdKfz124.jpg
 | image_size = 300
 |caption= ''Wespe'' at the [[Deutsches Panzermuseum]] in [[Munster, Lower Saxony|Munster]], Germany
 |origin=Nazi Germany
 |type= [[Self-propelled artillery]]
 <!-- Type selection -->
 |is_ranged=yes
 |is_bladed=
 |is_explosive=yes
 |is_artillery=yes
 |is_vehicle=yes
 |is_missile=
 |is_UK=
 <!-- Service history -->
 |service= 1943–1945
 |used_by= [[Nazi Germany]]
 |wars= [[World War II]]
 <!-- Production history -->
 |designer= Alkett
 |design_date= 1942
 |manufacturer=Famo-Ursus
 |unit_cost=
 |production_date= 1943 - 1944
 |number= 676
 |variants= ammunition carrier
 <!-- General specifications -->
 |weight= 11 tonnes (24,250 lb)
 |length= {{convert|4.81|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
 |part_length=
 |width= {{convert|2.28|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
 |height= {{convert|2.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
 |diameter=
 |crew= 5 (commander, driver, three gunners)
 <!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->
 |armour= 5 - 30 mm (.19 - 1.18 in)
 |primary_armament= 1x [[10.5 cm leFH 18|10.5 cm leFH 18/2 L/28]] <br>with 40 rounds
 |secondary_armament=
 |engine= 6-cyl [[petrol]] [[List of WWII Maybach engines|Maybach HL62 TR]]
 |engine_power= 140 PS (138 hp, 103 kW)
 |transmission=
 |payload_capacity=
 |fuel_capacity=
 |pw_ratio= 12.7 PS/tonne
 |suspension=[[leaf spring]]
 |clearance=
 |vehicle_range= 220 km (137 mi)
 |speed= 40 km/h (25 mph)
 |guidance=
 }}

The '''Sd.Kfz. 124 ''Wespe''''' (German for "[[wasp]]"), also known as ''Leichte Feldhaubitze 18/2 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf.)'' ("Light field howitzer 18 on Panzer II chassis (self-propelled)"), is a [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[self-propelled gun]] developed and used during the Second World War. It was based on a modified [[Panzer II]] chassis.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Sd.Kfz 124 Wespe|url=https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/germany/Sd.Kfz-124_Wespe.php|access-date=2022-01-08|website=www.tanks-encyclopedia.com}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Wespe|url=https://weaponsystems.net/system/186-Wespe|access-date=2022-01-08|website=Weaponsystems.net|language=en}}</ref>

==Development==
During the [[Battle of France]] in 1940 it became apparent that the intermediate tank of the German forces, the [[Panzer II]], was unsuitable as a main battle tank. Though mechanically sound, it was both under-gunned and under-armoured.<ref name=":1" /> The chassis, however, proved serviceable for providing mobility to the [[10.5 cm leFH 18|10.5 cm]] [[howitzer|field howitzer]].<ref name=":0" /> Existing chassis were converted to [[self-propelled artillery]] and [[tank destroyer]] vehicles, such as the [[Marder II|''Marder'' II]] conversion providing mobility to the PaK 40/7.5 cm anti-tank gun.<ref name=":0" />

The design for the ''Wespe'' was produced by [[Alkett]], based on the Panzer II ''Ausf. F'' [[chassis]].<ref name=":0" /> Alkett had earlier worked with [[Alfred Becker]] to convert captured French armoured vehicles into self-propelled artillery carriers. Among other modifications the Panzer II's engine was moved forward and the chassis slightly lengthened to accommodate the rear-mounted 10.5&nbsp;cm leFH 18 howitzer.<ref name=":0" /> The superstructure was lightly armored, with 10&nbsp;mm armor plate (enough to stop small arms fire) left open at the top and rear.<ref name=":1" /> The vehicles were produced by [[FAMO]]'s [[Ursus Factory|Ursus]] plant in [[Warsaw]].<ref name=":0" />

The ''Wespe'' was in production from February 1943 until June 1944, when Soviet forces approached the frontier.<ref name=":1" /> By that time, 676 had been produced.<ref name=":1" /> An additional 159 gun-less ''Wespe'' were produced to serve as mobile artillery ammunition carriers.<ref>Thomas L. Jentz, Hilary Louis Doyle. ''Panzer Tracts No.23 – Panzer Production from 1933 to 1945''</ref>

[[Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-219-0553A-15, Russland, bei Pokrowka, Panzerhaubitze 'Wespe'.jpg|thumb|left|A battery of ''Wespe'' self-propelled howitzers supporting German forces during the [[Battle of Kursk]]]]

==Combat history==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-023-3497-18A, Russland, Süd, Rumänien, Panzerhaubitze Wespe.jpg|thumb|''Wespe'' howitzers move through a town in Romania, March - April 1944]]
[[File:Destroyed german self-propelled gun carriage.jpg|thumb|A ''Wespe'' destroyed in [[Normandy]], 1944.]]
The ''Wespe'' first saw combat in 1943 on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]].<ref name=":0" /> It proved very successful, and [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] ordered all Panzer II chassis production be dedicated to the ''Wespe'' alone, at the expense of other projects, including the [[Marder II|''Marder'' II]] self-propelled anti-tank gun.<ref name=":0" />

The vehicles were allocated to the armored artillery battalions (''Panzerartillerie Abteilungen'') of [[Panzer division]]s along with heavier [[Hummel (vehicle)|''Hummel'']] self-propelled artillery.<ref name=":0" /> The ''Wespe'' brought greater mobility to the artillery formations of the panzer divisions.

The ''Wespe'' proved reliable and highly maneuverable, but like contemporary self propelled guns such as the British [[Sexton (artillery)|Sexton]] and U.S. [[M7 Priest]], had inadequate overhead gun crew protection.<ref name=":0" /> The ''Wespe'' was a considerably smaller target than either of these allied vehicles, but it also held less ammunition given it was based on a smaller chassis chosen based upon availability given limited production capacity for larger ones.<ref name=":1" />

== Surviving vehicles ==
* [[Deutsches Panzermuseum]] in Munster, Germany<ref name=shadock>{{cite web|title=Surviving Panzers website|url=http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_Panzers.html|website=The Shadock's Website|access-date=5 July 2015}}</ref>
* [[Musée des Blindés]] in [[Saumur]], France<ref name=shadock/>
* [[Kubinka Tank Museum]] in Russia<ref name=shadock/>
* ''[[:fr:Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie|Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy]]'' in Bayeux, France.<ref name=shadock/> A ''Wespe'', destroyed in the Falaise Pocket in August 1944, is included in a diorama about the [[Battle of the Falaise Pocket]]. 
* Two at the [[André Becker Collection]] in Belgium<ref name="shadock" />
* A replica, originally made for the movie ''[[A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]'', is displayed at the [[Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Auto und Technik Museum Sinsheim|url=http://www.panzer-modell.de/specials/ontour/sinsheim/gal3.htm|access-date=5 July 2015}}</ref>
* An example located [[Australian Armour and Artillery Museum]] in [[Smithfield, Queensland|Smithfield]], [[Cairns]], [[Queensland]], Australia is undergoing restoration to full running condition, with periodic updates posted on YouTube as of 2025.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last1=Doyle |first1=Hilary Louis |last2=Jentz |first2=Thomas L. |title=Sf. Artillerie: PzSfl.IVb to Hummel-Wespe |date=2023 |publisher=Panzerwrecks |location=Old Heathfield, UK |isbn=978-1-915969-19-4|series=Panzer Tracts|volume=10-1|name-list-style=amp|edition=revised}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|auto=1}}
* [http://www.achtungpanzer.com/wespe.htm Achtung Panzer!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225113603/http://achtungpanzer.com/wespe.htm |date=25 February 2007 }}
* [http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_Panzer_II.pdf Surviving Panzer II tanks] - A PDF file presenting the Panzer II tanks (PzKpfw. II, Luchs, Wespe, Marder II tanks) still existing in the world
* [http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/SdKfz-124_Wespe.php Tanks Encyclopedia - Wespe]

{{WWIIGermanAFVs}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

[[Category:World War II self-propelled artillery of Germany]]
[[Category:105 mm artillery]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944]]