Tag Archives: hummel

German Heavy Self-Propelled Howitzer Hummel (Late production) (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 367 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Heavy Self-Propelled Howitzer Hummel (Late production)’.

German Heavy Self-Propelled Howitzer Hummel (Late production)

History

The Hummel was developed by German designers in short time, intended to provide a quick boost for troops that had begun to struggle in the aftermath of their invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

The chassis was a hybrid using parts from the Pz.Kpfw.III and IV, and the gun was the powerful sFH18/1 15cm piece that fired 43.5kg howitzer rounds distances up to and over 13 kilometers.

Hummels joined the fray from 1943 in the showdown Battle of Kursk, and served through the second half of WWII.

Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel/Wespe (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6535 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel/Wespe’.

German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel/Wespe

History

‘Bumble Bee’ might seem an unusual nickname for a self-propelled howitzer, but that is what the Germans initially called their 15cm sFH 18 L/30 howitzer mounted on a Panzer IV chassis.

The Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel, of which 714 were produced from late 1942 onwards, was created because of an urgent need for artillery that could keep pace with Germany’s panzers during WWII.

Interestingly, the prototype of the Hummel was originally fitted with a 10.5cm leFH18 gun, the weapon that eventually found its way onto the Wespe that was based on the Panzer II chassis.

Source: Dragon website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel (Late Production) (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6321 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel – Late Production’.

German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel – Late Production

History

Hummel (German: “bumblebee”) was a self-propelled artillery gun based on the Geschützwagen III/IV chassis, armed with a 15 cm howitzer. It was used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War from early 1943 until the end of the war.

The full designation was Panzerfeldhaubitze 18M auf Geschützwagen III/IV (Sf) Hummel, Sd.Kfz.165. On February 27, 1944, Hitler ordered the name Hummel to be dropped as being inappropriate for a fighting vehicle.

Source: Wikipedia

Manufacturer