Sturer Emil Tank-Hunter (MM10)

Sturer Emil Tank-Hunter (MM10) Development When the VK3001(H) heavy tank project was dropped in favour of the VK4501 that would eventually become the Tiger tank, two of the prototype chassis were used to produce the most powerfully armed self-propelled gun of the war.

The 12.8 cm Selbstfahrlafette L/61 (12.8cm L/61 Self-propelled Mounting) or Panzerselbst-lafette V (Armoured Self-propelled Mounting V) was armed with a Rheinmetall 12.8 cm K L/61 gun (based on the 12.8 cm FlaK 40). The unofficial nickname of this design was ‘Sturer Emil’ (Stubborn Emil), and the two vehicles were named Max and Moritz after the naughty boys in Busch’s famous German children’s tale. Interestingly Moritz, the first prototype, had a second dummy driver’s compartment on the right of the hull while Max had just the driver’s compartment on the left side.

The Sturer Emil was slow and its lack of compatibility with other equipment caused logistical problems. These problems paled in comparison with the outstanding performance of its gun. It could easily engage targets at extreme ranges unmatched by any Soviet tank or anti-tank guns.

Hypothetical Combat Service Max and Moritz joined the surviving Dicker Max when 521. Panzerjagerabteilung returned to 3. Panzerdivision for the advance into the Caucasus. After the disaster at Stalingrad Max was destroyed fighting with 2. Panzer¬division and Moritz was captured. At the time Moritz had 22 kill rings painted on the barrel. After the experimental group proved successful, Sturer Emil was put into production.

Design Features If you thought that Dicker Max was well armed, you haven’t seen Sturer Emil. This monster carried a 12.8cm gun with a 25’6”/7.8m long barrel. This fired a 58lb/26.4kg shot at 2887fps/880m/s. It could penetrate 120mm of armour sloped at 30 degrees at 2000m and over 200mm at point-blank range. Despite the weight of the shell, the spacious fighting compartment allowed the two loaders to maintain a good rate of fire.

Sturer Emil Specifications Designation: 12.8cm L/61 auf Panzerselbstfahrlafette V Nickname: Sturer Emil Crew: 5 (cdr, gnr, ldr (2), dvr) Weight: 77,157lb/35,000kg) Length: 31’10”/9.7m Height: 8’10”/2.7m Width: 10’4½”/3.16m Armament: 1x 12.8cm K L/61 gun,     1x 7.92mm MG34 machine-gun Traverse: 7 degrees left and right Ammunition Stowage: 18x 12.8cm, 600x 7.92mm Armour Thickness: 15mm to 50mm Engine: Maybach HL116 6-cylinder petrol,     674cu in/11 litre, 300hp Transmission: Maybach double differential Suspension: Transverse torsion bar Maximum Speed: 15.5mph/25km/h

In Flames Of War Most tanks simply disintegrate under the impact of the 12.8cm L/61 gun. Even the heaviest super tank cannot withstand it. Weapon Range: 48"/120cm; ROF: 2; Anti-tank: 18; Firepower 2+ Armour Front: 5; Side: 2; Top: 0 Equipment and Notes AA MG, Slow tank, Unreliable. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by James Brown