German 15cm Panzerfeldhaubitz auf GW III/IV, Sd.Kfz.

165, "Hummel", Part 1 (updated 9/18/00)

Picture 1: The Hummel was a hastily designed and produced self-propelled howitzer that carried one of the best German medium/heavy field guns of WWII, the 15cm Schwere Feldhaubitze 18 (sFH 18). Alkett in Borsigwalde originally designed the chassis, known as the "Geschutzwagen III/IV", as a makeshift solution to the problem of providing a large tracked gun platform. For this purpose, portions of the well-proven chassis components of both the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks were utilized. Mild steel prototypes of both the Hummel and her sister, the Hornisse/Nashorn (mounting the 8.8cm Pak 43/1 L/71 gun) were exhibited to the German general staff in October 1942, and with their approval series production began on both vehicles in early 1943. The mounting of the gun on the Geschutzwagen III/IV was done at the Deutsche Eisenwerke in Duisburg. By the end of the war, there had been as many as 724 Hummels built (ten by rebuilding) and perhaps as many as 157 ammunition carrier versions without the big gun, called "Munitionstrager". Although Hummel (Bumble bee) was the name originally given to this SPH, it was abandoned upon Hitler's orders in February of 1944 because it did not sound powerful enough for him. German reports indicate that Hummels arrived on the battlefield by May 1943. This Bundesarchiv illustration shows one of the early produced vehicles with a number of additional riders aboard. Notice the driver's raised compartment on the left of the vehicle (our right). Typical crew number is reported to be six and included a driver, gun captain/radio operator, two gun layers (K1 and K2) and two loaders (K3 and K4), although it varied depending on conditions. The vehicle and crew were only part of a much larger working group, a heavy battery being comprised of four Hummels and two munitions carriers would include around 58 soldiers and officers (thanks George Nafziger). We have collected a lot of interesting material about the interior of the Hummel and it will take us three or more pages to cover just a small part of this information. This Part 1 will

explore the general layout of the vehicle interior, especially the fighting compartment. Part 2 will examine in detail the 15cm howitzer and its operation and Part 3 will look into the driver's compartment and examine some interesting photographs of the drive train as viewed from the driver's area. Picture 2: This Joe Struck drawing

originally appeared on the cover of the April 1970 issue of AFV G2 Magazine, although it has been copied many times by others over the intervening years. It provides us with a good starting point for our examination of the interior of this SPH. Unlike the Pz.III/IV tanks, the engine is located in the center of the hull with the gun mounted above and the main fighting compartment to the rear. The front of the hull has remained relatively unchanged though, with the driver sitting on the left and the gun commander/radio operator to the right, each separated from the other by the large Pz.III transmission. In the sketch you'll notice the driver's seat on this side of the transmission with the gearshift next to his seat and the two traditional steering levers just forward. The epicyclic steering brakes, final drives and drive sprockets are at the front, the same as seen in the two tanks. The centrally mounted engine is the familiar Maybach designed HL 120 TRM, also used in the Panzers, coupled almost directly to the transmission, but separated from the driver's compartment by a metal bulkhead. The heavy field howitzer with limited traverse is mounted on an adapted field cradle bolted on top of the engine cover, creating a relatively high carriage with its protective superstructure armor, but allowing excellent elevation for the howitzer. As we shall see, the gun utilized twopart ammunition, a projectile and a charge shell, and a number of these could be stored on the vehicle in racks and bins in the rear of the hull. Notice the can air filter located directly behind the engine inside the engine compartment, and the two gasoline tanks under the fighting compartment floor at the back of the chassis. This illustration will also be useful later as we

explore the major components of the Hummel. Picture 3: An image from the Bundesarchiv taken at the fabrication factory shows some of the basic internal layout of early vehicle hulls. The front of the vehicle is to the right, and the radio operator's seat support is bolted to the floor stiffener at the far right side of the hull (bottom right in the picture), but the driver's frame is not yet installed. The main vehicle brake units were mounted on either side of the hull up near the bow, and cooling air inlets were located at each corner on the front armor plates, seen here as the holes in the triangular front plates. The protective covers for these two vents are yet to be bolted on, but can be seen lying on the floor at the bottom right corner of the photo. Also seen in the driver's area of the hull floor are three round access plates, the front two used to drain oil from the epicyclic brakes that will be located directly above them; the third floor access opening is used for draining the transmission. Notice the large rectangular floor hull escape hatch located directly behind the radio operator's seat mount. This hatch was possible because the vehicle did not use torsion bar suspension. The bulkhead separating the driver's compartment from the engine has a number of holes cut into it. The larger round one near the floor is for the drive shaft from the engine to the transmission. The larger three rectangular openings allow direct crew access to the front of the engine components, for instance, the radiators on the left side of the hull and the twin cooling fans to the right. The smaller round holes in the bulkhead are duct openings for cooling pipes leading from the brakes and transmission. When installed later, the ducts will cross the floor from the front of the hull and lead through these openings. Negative air pressure in the engine compartment created by the twin fans sucks air through these ducts into the compartment and then out the side of the hull. The large belly engine access hatch is also noticeable on the other side of the worker's head. Behind the rear engine bulkhead is the fighting compartment hull floor.

Picture 4: Even with the apparent ample room in the fighting compartment, it could quickly become crowded in an operational Hummel. This Bundesarchiv photo illustrates some of the general layout inside, seen through the double rear doors of the lightly armored superstructure. Although the lengthened Pz.IV tank hull provided over 30mm of armor at the front, the superstructure mounted on top was composed of only 10mm armor plates and the fighting compartment was open at the top. Because Hummels were among the heavy batteries of the armored artillery detachments (Abteilungen and Batterien) of Panzer divisions, their crews were artillery soldiers, not Panzer troops. Each gun's crew was referred to the same way as artillery troops, Kanonier 1 (K1), K2, etc, and each had their own task to perform. In this case we see the gun captain/radio operator at the left with the head phones on, plugged into the local gun battery net via the vehicle's FuG Spr f radio or perhaps directly by telephone line to the battery command. The vehicle radio was usually mounted at his forward position next to the driver but he had access to connection boxes on both sides of the superstructure wall (at various positions--including the rear corners) to use during shoots. It was tradition, however, for the gun captain to stand at the left of the weapon during action. There were other radio connect boxes in the fighting compartment and others of the crew could be plugged in for communication this way. Notice the light colored hose hanging behind him. This is said to be a hose for refilling compressed air from a storage bottle into the recoil cylinders of the gun. To the right is one of the loaders leaning on a propellant shell with the rammer staff in his other hand. Ammunition lockers in the fighting compartment include an open rack on the right wall of the compartment (that we saw in the earlier interior sketch) which held 15 brass propellant shells. Two rear bins, which are just out of sight under the open doors here, each held six projectiles vertically (tip up). In this case the left bin is open and we see the cover at the left while at the right an additional wooden ammo box of some sort is stacked on top of the right bin. I can't quite read the stenciling on the box, but it is about the right size for a propellant shell crate. Notice the latch details on the open rear door, the red and white aiming stakes at the bottom of the image (typically there were three), and the early vehicle type Pz.IV muffler on the back hull plate. Later manufactured Hummels had no muffler back here at all and the space was used for mounting spare road wheels. I suspect this was because ammo handlers had to haul material up into the open rear doors over a hot muffler, which is not a good idea.

Picture 5: We will be examining two preserved Hummels in this series, as well as a few period photos of both the Hummel and field versions of the sFH 18. The preserved vehicle here is an early Hummel that is now at the Patton Museum in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and although it certainly is not in pristine condition it does provide some reference data for the space inside, and on occasion some clues as to where things were stored. The engine hides under the inclined metal plate directly under the gun trough roll out support and the plate is covered with numerous access hatches and louvers that we will examine more closely later. The right superstructure armor plates are held in place by the angle support at the right, and the 15cm charge rack would be in this right rear corner in a period vehicle. Above the rack are two hooks for stowing the rammer, the hooks just visible at the far right corner of the picture. Although we will examine the gun closely in Part 2, the main components, like the horizontally sliding breech block, are clear in this photo. Visible also is the primary gun elevation gearbox and hand crank attachment lug on the right side of the gun mount and the large balance spring cylinder at the front. On these guns, the primary elevation control was on the right, while the gunner on the left had traverse and fine elevation control. The top half of the basic sFH 18 carriage was simply bolted to the reinforced engine cover plate with guides to allow a limited traverse, so if you are familiar with the field gun you will recognize much of the equipment of the mount and upper carriage inside the Hummel. Picture 6: Here is a picture taken by contributor Valentin E. Bueno of a later Hummel preserved at the Saumur Armour Museum, in France, the photo taken of the right side of the fighting compartment. The shell charge rack is mounted up on the right sponson and hooks for the howitzer rammer are mounted on the wall above. Just barely visible over the edge of the open rear doors is the lid of the projectile bin on this side. Forward of the charge rack on the armor wall are a couple of brackets for stowing an MG34. The heat vent tube from the engine compartment is on the sloping back wall of the gun support at the left of the photo. The back of the howitzer's recoil trough is at the left and just visible at the front of the superstructure is a bracket at the top of

the armor shield that may have held a pressurized air bottle to replenish the recoil cylinders of the gun mount via the hose mentioned earlier. Picture 7: This sketch is my

compilation of a number of drawings published over the years (T.Eiman, for instance), combined with other references and a few ideas of my own. Some of this is educated guesswork on my part, and may be revised as more information comes our way. What we do know from examining the Ft. Knox and Saumur vehicles, as well as from period photos, are the location and function of the open charge rack on the right sponson, as well as the covered projectile bins at the back of the floor. As we saw in the Saumur Hummel, the charge rack has three metal strips that hang down over the face, hinged at the top and secured with a lock catch at the bottom. The hanging strips overlap the edges of the charge shells and keep them in place during travel. The basic propellant bag charge was pre-packed in the brass cases and additional charges could be added for longer shoots; the charge bags were made of an artificial silk material. Charge shells (cartridges) were often seen packed in gray or green wooden boxes and marked "Kart sFH 18", and I suspect these boxes were mounted inside the Hummel in a couple of locations. Although I did not draw them in this sketch, there were locator bases for what appears to be two smaller boxes that would be placed on top of the charge rack (see the Saumur photo above). Could these smaller boxes have held fuses or primers? We will look closer at the ammunition in Part 2 of our story. The MG34 stowed on the front right superstructure wall is also known from our two preserved vehicles. It was supported by two distinctive brackets, one welded at the front to support the open end of the barrel (the bracket being a stout pin that fits into the end of the MG barrel) and the second bracket to hold and lock the handle below the receiver. There are also hold down straps on the raised cover below the MG brackets that are the same width apart as two MG ammo boxes side by side, so it is probably safe to assume these were for strapping down ammo boxes. Also, a gas mask canister bracket mount can be found in this same general area and it is also included here. Further aft on top of the track sponson are welded four small angle locators, typically found on German vehicles where removable storage boxes were mounted (like around the shell charge rack), so I have added another bin here, just forward of the rack. I do not know what was stored inside the bin but fuses or gun maintenance equipment would be my guess. Other items of interest included in the sketch are the brackets and securing strap rings for the rammer located over the charge bin and one of the intercom connect boxes for headphones at the back corner of the compartment. Also, the pivoting bracket on the side of the sponson below the

charge bin was the connection for a gun support for the back of the howitzer used during travel--there is another bracket attachment on the other side of the floor. Four more small angle brackets are welded on top of the engine compartment, to the right of the howitzer mount, but again I don't know exactly what that box looked like or actually held, so I have drawn it as a simple storage box. Below the box is the crew heating duct on the sloping engine cover, the fans inside the engine compartment forcing some of the engine heated air out this opening. Notice how the projectile bins at the rear of the compartment are protected by a hinged top cover that folds back and by a second hinged section of the forward side of the bin that then folds down and forward, fully exposing the tips of the projectiles inside. There will be more information about the charge shells and projectiles in Part 2. Picture 8: The other side of the fighting compartment in the Ft. Knox vehicle shows rudiments of the equipment that was found there at one time. On the far side of the gun mount is part of the large traversing and fine elevation hand wheels for the gunner, and also part of the sight mount. Two large angle braces support the superstructure armor on this side, and normally there would be two long boxes attached to the front wall armor, forward of the front brace, which would probably house both the sight equipment in the top box and vehicle tools in the lower. The three vertical metal strips welded to the armor mark the location of the top box, or boxes (some vehicles may have had two boxes, mounted side by side). Just forward of the front triangular wall brace is an L shaped bracket welded to the wall that held an MP40, but it is hidden from us in this picture. On this end of the wall is a large bracket for hanging a hose used to refill the nitrogen gas in the recoil cylinders from a supply bottle that may have been located in some vehicles at the front of the superstructure, behind the right gun shield (thanks Brandon Sutherland). Any further information on this would be greatly appreciated. Notice the typical German anti-slip floor plates and also the two caps on the floor for the fuel tanks located under this section of floor. The projections to either side of the gun's runout support attach to the field gun's tails when it was packed for towing and are a remnant of the gun's previous life on a wheeled carriage. These are the attachment points for the internal crutch supports attaching down on both sides of the floor. These were tubes that were additional travel locks for the gun (the main gun crutch was on the front armor plate, near the driver). The left support bracket is visible here just above the closest gasoline filler tube.

Picture 9: This is the left side of the fighting compartment of the Saumur Museum Hummel, again taken by Valentin. Notice the two triangular side armor braces we saw in the Ft. Knox vehicle, the forward one now has a fire extinguisher bracket mounted on its backside. The large hose bracket at the top center of the armor plate is again present and if you look closely there is one of four small angle brackets welded to the sponson just below that were locators for a stowage box that I believe was secured there. What was stored in this box is unknown at this time. The top of the projectile bin on this side of the rear floor is visible at the bottom of the photo. Way up front, on the left side of the superstructure, is the large vehicle took box we mentioned before, and above it the brackets for another storage box probably used to house the gun sight when not in use. Picture 10: Another composite drawing utilizes the best sources I have found to date, this time illustrating the left side of the fighting compartment. Since the small locator tabs on top of this sponson are of the same type and dimensions apart as the charge rack on the right side, I drew another charge rack located here. But, there is no photographic evidence to support this theory and as I mentioned before this may have been the location of another storage box. The hose coil (it should be light colored) hangs over this rack and another radio intercom connect box hides in the back corner. The remains of an interior light and wiring is found on the Saumur vehicle so they are included here next to the hose coil. The second projectile bin is found under the left back door, the same shape and size as the one we saw on the right. Between the two triangular wall supports is what appears to be a portable fire extinguisher bracket, so I have included just the edge of the bottle and top bracket support. The two horizontal storage boxes next to the primary gun layer (K1) are located on the forward part of this side wall, again the upper one probably for the gun sights and the lower one for vehicle

tools. If you look inside this larger tool box on the Saumur vehicle you will see a series of horizontal brackets, but exactly what tools were stored inside are unknown. Down below the box is a typical L bracket for stowing a MP40, and another storage tube with a cover of unknown usage. Notice the gas tank filler spout covers on the floor near the sponson and the second gun travel support bracket. Picture 11: Another image from the Bundesarchiv (this time a crop of a larger photograph) shows the interior of an early Hummel with the tubular internal gun crutch installed to either side of the recoil trough. Also of interest here is the stowage position of the elevation hand crank on the sloping rear engine compartment cover, located below the lifting hook on the right side. Visible again on the right hull wall is the stowage bracket for the machine gun, the hooks for the rammer rod, and a couple of other brackets and attachments. Visible on the left wall is the large hook assembly for the recuperator air refill hose as well as the large toolbox up toward the front. The stowage boxes sometimes seen mounted above the tool box do not seem to be mounted in this vehicle. Also notice that there is no sign of the bracket up on the front right side of the compartment that was supposed to hold a compressed nitrogen air bottle for this purpose. In the picture you can just see one of the radio connect boxes near the hose hook; it is the small dark box on this side of the triangular wall support (seen just above the open left rear door). Picture 12: A close-up of the sloping back plate over the engine compartment shows the crew heating port on the right, leading from the engine fan box inside. There is a flap valve in the end of the heating pipe that is actuated by a small lever on the right side of the tube, just visible here. Since the cooling fans draw the warm air inside the engine

compartment out the louvers next to them, some of this air is captured and redirected out this heating duct to warm the crew compartment. The small square plate directly in front of us allows access to the pulleys at the rear of the double fans. Just under the plate is a knob and splined drive shaft that can disconnect the pulley assembly and drive belt between the fans and engine, stopping the fans when cooling air flowing through the compartment and radiators is not necessary, as during winter. The longer horizontal plates on the rear cover open up the entire back of the compartment for access to the air cleaner and other engine components. Notice the two brackets for stowing the gun's elevation crank that we saw in the previous photo. In the forward right corner of the compartment, seen here at the upper right of the photo, is the bracket on the superstructure wall for stowing the MG34 or 42--its tripod was perhaps included underneath. Also included up there would be at least two MG ammo boxes, the boxes strapped to the top of the sponson next to the stowed MG. What else is missing here that should be included inside the fighting compartment? A couple of items come to mind. Gas mask containers are a common piece of equipment inside German AFVs of all types, and there were probably at least four of them that attached somewhere on the walls or other flat surfaces by their distinctive two strap brackets. Although we have found the mount for one SMG on the left side, there was probably at least one other L bracket inside the fighting compartment and perhaps a couple of strap rings nearby for hanging SMG ammo pouches. And each crew member was issued a rifle, so there should be a rifle rack or two here someplace. If you happen to know where these or other items were stored, please drop us a note.

TO GERMAN HUMMEL SPH PART 2 TO GERMAN HUMMEL SPH PART 3 BACK TO AFV INTERIORS HOME PAGE (c) 2001, 2003 AFV INTERIORS Web Magazine

German 15cm Panzerfeldhaubitz

auf GW III/IV, Sd.Kfz.165, "Hummel", Part 2 (updated 9/18/00)

Picture 1: The designers at Krupp and Rheinmetall began design work on the 1.5cm (5.9in) Heavy Field Howitzer 18 shortly before February of 1927. The barrel is said to have come originally from a Krupp design and the carriage from Rheinmetall, and by standards used in those days, the new sFH 18 weapon was officially a cannon-howitzer. Early models were horse-drawn in two loads, but when adequate motorized prime movers were later made available, a new gun carriage was manufactured in order to transport the howitzer in only one piece. Remnants of the horse-drawn, two piece transportation carriage system are still evident on the gun when you examine the gun mount inside the Hummel, as you will see later. This crop of a Bundesarchiv photo illustrates well the field carriage version of the howitzer during the ramming of the projectile into the open breech. The gun commander stands off to the left, the primary gun layer (K1) sits at the sight on the near left, and the loaders (K3 and K4) load the weapon. The other gun layer (K2) provided gross elevation via the hand crank on the right side, and often rammed the rounds into the breech if both K3 and K4 were busy handling the ammo. Notice the lighter colored horizontally sliding breech block extending out this right side of the breech ring. On this side of the exposed block is the attachment for the firing lanyard--the weapon was percussion fired by pulling this lanyard which then activated the striker inside the breech. A number of different projectiles could be fired, including high explosive, hollow charge, bursting smoke, discarding sabot, and rocket assisted. The shell cases could hold from 1 to 6 bag charges, each charge load packed in artificial silk bags, with the number of charge bags in each shell determining the range of the projectile. Notice the large balance spring cylinder (equilibrator) just forward of the exposed breech block on this right side--there was also an identical one on the left of the gun. The recoil cylinders were located above and below the barrel, only the top one (recuperator) is visible here. The recuperator was composed of a piston in a cylinder that was inside another cylinder, filled with compressed air and brake fluid. Its job is to pull the weapon back to battery after recoil. While recoiling after firing, a piston inside the cylinder pulls back and out from inside another internal cylinder, forcing

brake fluid out of this cylinder and therefore pressurizing the outer cylinder. At full recoil, the pressure in the outer cylinder is tremendous and the vacuum created inside the inner cylinder, now cleared of fluid, is also great. The combination of these forces then push the piston fully back into the inner cylinder, thereby pulling the howitzer breech and tube back to their original battery position. The sight bracket in front of the gunner is the Zieleinrichtung 34, known as a "double pointer" sighting mechanism, the actual RblF36 sight is seen set into this mount collar, although the similar 16, 32, or 37 sights were also used. As I mentioned earlier, the gunner was provided with a large double hand wheel on his side of the howitzer mount, the wheel closest to him with hand crank being the only traverse control and the slightly larger wheel he turned by its outside edge was the elevation fine adjustment. Recall that K2 performed the primary elevation control for the gun on the opposite side of the carriage with a hand crank inserted into a gearbox. Picture 2: Here is the view of the gun and equipment on the right side of the Ft.Knox Hummel. The manually operated breech block is in the closed position and the location for the lanyard firing cord is the thin lever recessed into the outside surface of the breech block. The lever with the small knob that rises from under the breech ring to block the breech opening is a safety mechanism lock that has to be pushed to the side by the loader in order to ram ammo into the open breech. You can also plainly see how the breech block and attached gun tube slides backward along the lower trough rails during recoil. Notice that the recuperator has been disconnected at its rear from the breech. This would be done in action prior to pulling the breech and gun tube back to secure them before moving to a new firing location when the gun was field mounted. Notice also how the piston rod attachment on this end of the recuperator is off center in the outer cylinder. This is because the piston inside is actually centered only in the inner cylinder portion of the mechanism I explained before. The second recoil cylinder, the hydraulic buffer that slows and then stops the recoil of the gun, is located under the gun tube in the trough. Again, the sFH 18 was very "barrel heavy" and the right balance cylinder equilibrator is seen to the right. In between the equilibrator cylinder and the photographer is the elevation gearbox with hub for attachment of the large hand crank that provides primary elevation for the weapon. Picture 3: A closer photograph of this right side gives us a better view of the elevation gearbox. Notice the drive shaft coming out the front side (right for us) of the box, continuing the torque of the turning shaft forward and under the gun mount to the elevating pinion (hidden). The curving guide rail that the gun mount slides on during traverse is bolted directly to the reinforced top

of the engine compartment. Part of the guide is also visible from this angle and so is this side's gun trunion and balance cylinder again. In a new and pristine vehicle there was a scale attached to this guide rail indicating degrees from forward that the gun had been traversed. The actual gear teeth along this guide rail are hidden from view on the opposite side of the gun. Only a short length of gearing was necessary on that side as the traverse was so limited. The gear teeth on the guide engaged with the traverse pinion gear on that side of the mount. The interior of the fighting compartment was generally painted the same color as the outside of the vehicle, and at this time that was dark yellow, or "dunkelgelb". There are photos of vehicles with darker gun tubes or other components and I suspect these were repair or replacement items. Picture 4: Here is the left side of the Ft. Knox Hummel gun and mount. The breech block is now clearly seen in the closed position with the safety latch up at the rear of the opening. The double hand wheel laying control is missing most of its parts, but at least the backing plate is still there to show the general location. This plate hides the traverse gear where it engages with the guide rail gear that makes the gun traverse on its mount. Total traverse was limited to 15 degrees to either side of center, and gun elevation was from -3 to +42 degrees. The Zeigler Zieleinrichtung 34 sight mount is also still mostly intact on this vehicle, although it is without the actual RblF36 panoramic sight. The gun balance spring cylinder for this side of the mount is up forward just behind the gun shield, directly opposite from the one on the other side. The flat plate between the balance cylinder and the sight mount is the backing plate for attaching propellant charge and range information for the K1 gun layer. Notice the lifting hook on the left upper corner of the slanting rear engine cover. The entire gun mount/cradle and top engine compartment cover can be unbolted and lifted to completely expose the engine for major repairs or removal. It was not an easy or quick operation.

Picture 5: A slightly different view of the left of the howitzer shows a bit more of the ZE34 sight mount. Notice the two long pointers projecting up from the sight mount base. The left one (furthest from us) is attached by an actuator rod to the gun mount and therefore moves this pointer back and forward with the elevation and depression of the gun. The second pointer is attached to the sight mount and sight. When the sight mount is dialed in correctly for range, the gun layers (K1 on this side and K2 on the other) just have to elevate or depress the gun with their hand wheels in order to align the two pointers as we see here to have the howitzer elevated correctly. The main left gun trunion is visible here, as is the combination traverse and fine elevation hand wheel base plate and gear shafts. Notice that the recuperator cylinder actuating rod has been disconnected to the breech ring--more about this in the next picture's text. On the top of the breech ring, on this side of the recuperator attachment location, is the mount for the gunner's quadrant used also for indirect fire orders. It is a simple triangular device with degree markings and a level bubble that can be set for any elevation angle, and then by elevating the gun correctly the bubble will indicate when the elevation matches the quadrant settings. I suspect the gun quadrant was stored with the main sight in the long box on the left superstructure wall, next to the K1. Picture 6: The actual panoramic sight is now mounted in its bracket and you can clearly see many of the details of the tubular RblF36 sight. Again we see the pointer mechanism on the sight mount, now with the two long pointers not yet aligned for correct elevation. However, the firing data plate is now mounted just in front of the sight and you can see the range scales indicating suggestions for projectile range when using different combinations of bag charges. The sight bracket has cross-leveling

deflection and range adjustments and the sight itself is a panoramic type that swivels completely around. Notice that the breech handle on the upper right side of the breech ring is in the forward and "breech closed" position. Notice how the recuperator cylinder is welded/bolted to the gun cradle while the gun tube and breech are free to slide backward and forward with the recoil of the weapon. A few of the primary components of the sight mount are visible here. Next to the pointers is the hand crank that controls sight elevation. The range drum is located off to the left side and can be identified by the markings around its perimeter. Notice the eyepiece of the actual sight angling off to the left. During traverse laying for indirect targeting, the sight aperture at the top of the sight actually points to the rear, not forward. The gun layer K1 uses this sight aperture to align with aiming stakes previously pounded into the ground behind the vehicle at predetermined locations. To find the correct azimuth for a shoot, the K1 first lines up a stake in his sight and then takes an azimuth reading on the sight mount. Subtracting 180 degrees then tells him in which direction the howitzer barrel is pointing, and he can then add or delete degrees to traverse the gun onto the directed target azimuth. The handle for the lock to release the recuperator cylinder actuating rod from the breech ring is visible at this end of the connection, laying on top of the mechanism. This latch could be raised and rotated to the left to disconnect the breech and gun tube from the recuperator and the rest of the gun mount as we saw in the previous photo and others of the Ft. Knox Hummel. This would allow the crew to then slide the breech/gun tube off the mount for its replacement, or for transporting the field gun version in separate loads via two horse drawn wagons. The pulleys you see in some of the photos located on either side of the recuperator mounting braces are also remnants of this system, the pulleys were used to help pull the gun mount onto its transport wagon. Picture 7: A crop from one of my favorite sFH photos shows the K1 gun layer aligning the weapon for firing. Notice the two diameters of the laying hand wheels on his side, the larger for fine elevation and the smaller for traverse. Notice also that the sight mount's long pointers are aligned for correct elevation and the K1 is now making fine traverse adjustments. Both the sight and sight mount are slightly different for this field gun version, but for our purposes they are almost identical in appearance and operation to the ones used in the Hummel. Notice this time that the sight head and object glass are now pointing forward, not backward. Just under the head are the main and slipping azimuth scales, both graduated in hundreds of mils with the main numbered by twos, from zero to 6400, and the slipping scale numbered from zero to 32 right

and left (total extent of traverse each side being 15 or 16 degrees--two mils per degree). If the sight and mount look familiar to you, the general arrangement of these pointer type indirect sights are seen in a number of different country's howitzer/gun equipment. This mount, for instance, is very similar to the Soviet's 122mm gun sight and mount also used in WWII and then later. The British and US found the pointer system to be cumbersome and difficult to master and didn't use it very much in their designs. But the German and Russian artillerymen appreciated the fact that the entire crew could tell when the gun layer had brought the weapon to correct elevation, particularly K2 on the other side of the weapon who actually did most of the elevation and then yanked the lanyard to fire the gun. Picture 8: Here is the same general laying equipment in a Hummel, with the gunner's hand on the traverse hand wheel, the elevation already having been adjusted. The combination traverse and elevation gear box is masterful in design, utilizing a drive shaft inside a second hollow drive shaft, and then turning them both within the gear box to travel independently to the elevation pinion and the traverse gearing on the base plate. Notice that the sight aperture at the top of the sight is indeed pointing to the rear of the vehicle and the eyepiece is angled off to the left to keep the gun layer's head out of the way. The reticle in the eyepiece could be illuminated with a small light bulb and batteries and it has an interrupted vertical line with an inverted "V" for elevation and traverse alignment. There is also a horizontal scale added to the reticle in the later models of the sight found in the Hummel. Magnification is 4x and the field of view is 10 degrees--the same as for the field gun sights. The first Hummels were provided to the heavy batteries of armored artillery detachments of Panzer divisions seeing their first real action at Kursk where their mobility allowed many to escape from being overrun by the Soviets. At first, each Panzer division was only provided with six Hummels in one heavy battery. But later, as more machines became available, the divisions were given a second heavy battery.

Picture 9: Projectiles for the sFH 18 weighed between 30 and 40 kilograms, slightly less than one hundred pounds, usually close to the limit of what one man could handle. High Explosive projectiles like this one (15cm Gr 19) were painted a dark gray or gray green and there was a copper driving band around the base end; the fuse at the opposite tip typically was bare metal in color. Here the safety lever below the breech opening has been rotated to the right for loading and you can see the main breech handle on the top of the breech ring angling to the right, in the open position. Recall that on this howitzer the breech was strictly manual, the breech actuating handle had to be used to both open and close the breech. The off center piston rod of the recuperator cylinder is again apparent here as well as the sight behind the loader's head. It was indeed cold and wet inside the fighting compartment of a Hummel in bad weather and crews did their best to keep warm. The heater vent on the right side of the engine cover could provide some local warmth. But only when the Hummel was covered with a tarp did the engine heat stay inside long enough to make any difference. Yet life in a Hummel was still better than manning a field mount pulled by horses or even a prime mover. For comparison purposes, the sFH 18 firing the standard high explosive shell weighing 43.5kg (95.9lb) could be propelled at a muzzle velocity of 210mps (689fps) to a range of 4000m (4374yds) using Charge 1. Using Charge 6 (six bags of propellant), the same projectile could be lobbed down range at 375mps (1230fps) to a range of 9725m (10635yds). The charge shell used in the Hummel was the same as used for the field howitzer, the 6350, and these were normally brass (70% copper/30% zinc) and used a common C/12 primer screwed into the base just before firing. The shell casings were 264mm (10.4in) long with a mouth diameter of 161mm (6.34in), appearing short and stout. Propellant was of the stick type Diglycolpulver (Digl) and as I mentioned earlier was bagged and propositioned inside the shell cartridge. A cap of mill board and thin sheet tin protected the contents from damage or moisture.

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German 15cm Panzerfeldhaubitz

auf GW III/IV, Sd.Kfz.165, "Hummel", Part 3 (updated 9/18/00)

Picture 1: Initial Hummel driver compartments were constructed slightly differently than later models in that the early vehicles had an elevated driver's extension plate only in front of the driver's position and a sloping front plate over the more restricted radio operator's position. This illustration, first published in the German magazine Signal during the late stages of the war, illustrates the early arrangement very clearly with the driver on the right side of the photo and the radio operator to the left. Simple flat and round over-head hatches were provided for both the crewmen with basic internal handle latches and external hex keyholes for securing them. Notice the size of the driver's front glass vision block and holder. It takes up much of the open window when the armored flap is lifted this way. The ivory colored glass holder could be unhinged and removed completely when not in combat to improve the view. Small vision flaps were also provided on each side of the driver's roof extension and they could also be opened for unobstructed view. The radio operator in these early vehicles had no vision devices except a similar small flap on his right hull wall and his position must have been very uncomfortable with such limited view and headroom, even with his lower seat. The large stowage boxes on the front fenders were characteristic of many early Hummels and may have carried fuses or crew personal items. Also notice the recoil buffer cylinder under the gun barrel, the gun crutch collapsed on the front plate, and the circular shape of both hatches.

Picture 2: This is the way the Ft. Knox Hummel looked when I photographed the interior in August of 1991. The vehicle is one of the later types produced from mid 1944, characterized in this picture by the full width driver's front armor plate with viewing flap visors now provided for both crew members. The gun crutch was relocated further down on the bow, but the components are just about completely missing on this vehicle. Notice the small vision flap on the side of the crew's over-head extension--as with the early vehicles there was another one located next to the driver on the left wall. The armored radio pot bracket is next to this right side vision flap, close to where the radio was housed inside the vehicle. Both over-head hatches are now up on the raised roof and they are still identical in shape and have the same locking devices. Notice the engine compartment cooling louvers on the superstructure side (there are others on the far side) and the fact that the howitzer barrel has taken a shell hit near the muzzle. If you look carefully, you will see lifting hooks on the roof of the driver's extension roof and on the front plate next to the vision flaps. The whole armored plate extension could be unbolted from the inside and lifted off the slanted front plate of the hull, or the entire front plate could be lifted with the roof, to allow major repairs or removal of the transmission located between the driver and radio operator. Picture 3: The driver's area in the museum Hummel is rusted and tattered, but it allows us an idea of the general layout of the interior that is rarely photographed. This is the driver's side of the hull, with only the bottom frame remaining of his seat at the bottom of the photo and showing his two steering levers rising from their bracket mounts forward of each front corner of the box

seat support. As I mentioned previously, the hull is a combination of Panzer III and IV components, the armored hull box just a stretched Panzer IV Ausf.F with some Pz.III components. The parts that were Pz.III Ausf.J included the drive sprockets, final drives, brakes, SSG 77 transmission, and many of the engine components. Here you see the brakes we can also view in the AFV INTERIORS pages on the Pz.III, with identical foot pedal controls. The cooling pipe from both brake shrouds lead back to the engine compartment behind us. Notice the general rust and pink tones under the typical German elfenbein (ivory) interior paint, the red shade coming from the underlying dark red lead primer. Of the two boxes on the left hull wall, the upper would hold the driver's radio head set and throat microphone while the lower one would stow a spare vision flap glass block. The view to the right of the seat includes the large transmission also used in the Pz.III Ausf.H and later vehicles. The Alphon tranny provided six gears forward and one reverse, and additional information can be found in the Pz.III pages. Recall that the Daimler-Benz-Wilson epicyclic steering brakes are mounted directly to the front of the transmission. The large brake drum housings we see at each side of the hull are the parking brakes and foot brakes for the vehicle and not meant to be used to steer the AFV. Picture 4: Looking up at the driver's viewing flap we can see not only the flap but also some of the over-head hatch and the empty instrument panel to the right. Recall that the viewing flap hinges at the top and notice here that a large opening handle that attaches to the bottom of the flap has side extensions that rise up to a central bar handle across the top of the closed flap. The flap was opened by pulling this handle down and securing it with the small latch at the bottom of the flap opening. The glass vision block is gone, as well as the box holder, but the two hinges for the box are seen just below the vision slit and the two locking levers to hold the block in place are seen over the slit, here with nothing to hold. The over-head hatches are hinged on the front to open forward and the four bolts holding the hinges in place are at the front edge of the hatch. Notice that the instrument panel contains positions for engine gages and also for electrical switches and fuses/circuit breakers on the right side.

Picture 5: Here is the back corner of the hull behind the driver's seat, with the spare vision block stowage box (with front panel missing) mounted on the wall. The top of a portable fire extinguisher cylinder stowage bracket is visible to the left of the stowage box and the scalloped edges of the armor attachment angle iron frame for the driver's upper extension runs diagonally down the wall. Recall that when the bolts along the edge of these angles were removed, the entire upper extension could be lifted off the hull. Just a bit of the driver's left side vision flap can be seen at the upper right. I do not know what the rectangular frame behind the driver's seat may have contained but I have seen similar frames in other German vehicles so it must have been a fairly common piece of equipment. They are typically locations for storage boxes like first aid kits, the boxes easily removable by unbuckling the restraining strap. There are two V braces welded to the wall above this frame and a securing clamp above them, so there must have been something else held there. If you know what was mounted in these positions please let me know. One of the three large rectangular access openings to the engine compartment is at the lower left in the photo. Picture 6: If we step over the transmission to the radio operator's side of the bow, we would have this view inside the Patton Museum vehicle when looking up toward the roof again. Notice the roof stiffening support that splits the front section of the roof in half between the driver and radio operator. The same arrangement for the forward vision flap that we saw at the driver's side is also visible here, again with the glass block and holder missing. In addition, the picture shows the location of a small interior light on the roof near the hatch as well as the back of the instrument panel to our left. I suspect the brackets hanging from the roof on this side of the panel are the frame supports for the radio and the small bracket on the roof is the mount for the radio amplifier. The wire conduit looping over the top of the viewing flap on its way to the right protects the antenna cable which will eventually pass through a small hole in the armor at the

right of the radio operator and end outside at the antenna bracket we saw in Picture 2. Picture 7: There are three rectangular access plates on the driver/radio operator's back wall into the engine compartment, two lower and one upper central, that will allow a man to crawl into the engine compartment. With the access plates unbolted and removed you can see the radiators clearly in this photograph. This engine compartment set up for the Hummel is similar in concept for the water cooling system in the Pz.IV but unique in the location of the equipment. Recall that there are external air louvers on this left side of the vehicle, on the other side of the radiators. Double fans are located on the opposite side of the compartment (that we will see in a moment) and they force air out of the compartment through that side's louvers, which in turn draws cooling air into the compartment through these radiators. The valves you see control the flow of coolant through the engine cooling system, delivering it from the two pipes you see at the top of the engine to the top of the radiators. Another hose system brings the cooled water back from the bottom of the radiators to the engine block. The box at the lower right is an engine control and the hose angling up to the left is the cooling air hose from that left brace shroud we saw earlier. The bracket at the upper right (close to us) is the radio support bracket. Picture 8: A closer view into the access opening shows more detail of the radiator connections and the top of the Maybach engine. The HL 120 TRM was a 60-degree, V-12, gasoline engine with 11867cc displacement that delivered up to 300hp directly to the transmission. The valve covers on top of both sides of the V are visible here, as well as the coolant hose connections and flushing valves. Behind the coolant pipe are the two Solex carburetors with the main air intake pipe from the air cleaner visible here rising up from the center of the top of the engine and disappearing down to where the air cleaner is located behind the engine. With the 470 liters of gasoline contained in the two tanks under the fighting compartment floor the Hummel had a range of 215 kilometers on road and 130 off. Notice the reinforcing ribs on the engine compartment roof for the heavy

sFH gun and mount directly above. Picture 9: Our final picture of the engine compartment of a late Hummel shows some of the right side of the compartment, including the twin fans. This is a similar set up to the Pz.IV (where the fans are mounted directly onto the right engine deck hatch on the rear of the hull). But here the double fans have been mounted next to the right superstructure louvers in order to blow warmed air out of the engine compartment, thereby pulling fresh air into the compartment through the radiators mounted next to the louvers on the other side of the hull. Recall that the blades you see here on these housings are not the fan blades, but stationary louvers directing air to the fans on the other side of the louvers. Notice the engine right side exhaust header and exhaust pipe leaving the engine compartment at the right rear corner of the hull, penetrating the hull armor to end (without a muffler in these late Hummels) at the rear of the vehicle. If you recall the sloping plates at the rear of the engine compartment in the fighting compartment, you can see them from inside here, directly behind the pulley and drive shaft for the fans. Even the rubber fan drive belt is still intact, driven by a power take off on the rear of the engine and running over a splined drive shaft pulley system that can be disconnected to stop the fans. The boxes to our left are voltage regulators and other electrical equipment for the engine and electrical accessories in the SPH. The tube sticking up at the center right in the photo is the engine oil filling tube for the reservoir attached to the engine and seen at the bottom of the picture. The F&S 120 clutch is just out of view at the lower right, attached to the front end of the Maybach. Picture 10: This concludes our brief examination of the interior of the German Hummel self-propelled howitzer. By all accounts the Bumblebee was a very successful piece of support artillery, providing just the kind of mobile fire support required by the new style of blitzkrieg fighting perfected by the Germans in the early

years of the war. Unfortunately for them, by the time the Hummel went into production and was finally delivered to the troops, most of this type of fighting was a thing of the past and the Germans were to begin a mostly defensive withdrawal from their earlier front lines. Even in this role the Hummel was important as a vehicle that could deliver devastating and concentrated fire on a target and then move to a new location quickly to defend itself from counter battery fire. My sincere thanks to those who have made these pages possible, including the staff of the Patton Museum at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, who allowed me to photograph their vehicle to add to their own data base on this AFV. Special thanks also go to Valentin E. Bueno who has kept me on a wonderful and continuos diet of armor photographs for some time now. And I would also like to thank Frdric W. Erk and Colonel Olmer of the Saumur Armour Museum for their assistance with this and other projects in AFV INTERIORS Web Magazine. If you have additional information about the interior spaces of the Hummel and would like to contribute to this research project, I certainly would be happy to hear from you.

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