Re: [DS2]TD Design

On Thu, 10 Sep 1998, Barry Cadwgan wrote:

> It was more a case of being able to fit a bigger gun (and actually
> useful) on a chassis you already had a production line set up for.  

Yes, I fully agree. But some designs (e.g. StugIII, Hetzer) were
actually
good AFVs unlike stop-gap measures like Marders.
 
> The Pz 3, likewise obsolete as a MBT gained a new lease on life as an
> assault gun.	

Except that StugIII production started long before PzIII became
obsolete.
Long barrel Stugs did help with T34's before PzIVf2 came out, though.

> The Jagdpanther on the other hand was just plain _mean_.. 
(Sillynesses
> like the Jagdtiger don't count.)

The Jagdtiger was simply a propaganda weapon. I don't think they ever
got
any to the front (or maybe something like 5 of them).
 
> The point is, it takes time to set up a production line, and if you
can
> get more use out of an existing one, and even remanufacture old tanks,
> so much the better.

Yup. The germans actually used quite a lot of captured/remanuctured
AFVs.
Not as MBTs, but for SP arty, recovery vehicles etc. 

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