Mareșal tank destroyer

The Mareșal was the most ambitious Romanian tank effort of the Second World War. While the armored units of the Romanian Army perceived a lack of effective anti-tank weaponry even during the initial attack against the Soviet Union, the problem became more acute after they first encountered Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks in 1942. As a result, Romanian Army leadership proposed the development of a light tank destroyer manufactured in Romania. A development team consisting of engineers Captain Gheorghe Sîmbotin and Major Nicolae Anghel were tasked with designing such a vehicle appropriate for service on the Eastern Front out of available parts.

Their solution was a testing program aimed at adapting an existing light tank to fire a heavier gun. The Soviet T-60 light tank was chosen because a significant number had been captured from the Red Army; similarly, availability of captured stocks influenced their choice of a Soviet 122 mm M-30 howitzer as the vehicle's main armament. In order to be effective against enemy armor, the howitzer was intended to fire shaped charge rounds. The turret was removed and four 20-30mm thick steel plates were used to construct a completely enclosed casemate onto the hull. The initial prototype was built in Bucharest at the Rogifer works (former Malaxa factory, currently FAUR) with the assistance of engineers Constantin Ghiulai (designer of the TACAM T-60 and TACAM R-2) and Radu Veres (director of Rogifer).

The initial prototype, christened Mareşal, was designated M-00 and began testing at the Sudiți firing range outside of Slobozia on July 30, 1943. Fears that the tank would be toppled by the considerable recoil of the howitzer proved unfounded; however, other problems were noted mostly involving the gun mounting. Testing was considered successful and a committee to supervise the Mareşal project was created by orders of Ion Antonescu's cabinet.

Afterwards, areas within the Rogifer works were made available for the construction of three more prototypes: M-01, M-02, and M-03. These were completed by mid-October 1943 and were 43.2 cm wider and 13.4 cm longer than M-00. Also, construction methods were modified to use welding rather than riveting and the interior compartment was divided with a bulkhead. These three prototypes accommodated a crew of two in the forward compartment: a driver/aimer on the right side and a loader in a position left of center.

M-01, M-02, and M-03 were tested at Sudiți in front of Marshal Antonescu on October 23, 1943, the same day as the 75mm Resița anti-tank gun. Due to the exceptional performance of the Romanian anti-tank gun, Colonel Paul Draghiescu suggested that it should be mounted on future prototypes of the Mareşal. This change would be incorporated into all further prototypes.

The next prototype, M-04, incorporated significant changes and was completed in January 1944. It was powered by a French 120 HP engine, the same used in the Hotchkiss H-39 light tank instead of the original Soviet engine and mounted a Resița Model 1943 anti-tank gun instead of the 122mm howitzer. In February, the M-04 prototype was sent to Sudiți for evaluation. Again, concerns were brought up about the vehicle's ability to withstand the gun's recoil. Testing however showed the main gun could be safely fired. Two German representatives observed the testing of M-04 and were impressed by its maneuverability.

According to British historian Mark Axworthy, it was a German Lieutenant-Colonel by the name of Ventz who, in May 1944, acknowledged that the Hetzer was created along the lines of the Mareșal.[8]

The final series of prototypes, M-05 and M-06, were built in the spring of 1944 and gave up on the T-60 chassis and hull in favor of a new Romanian design. M-05 was completed in May 1944 and tested that same month.

The latter stages on testing involving M-06 occurred in the immediate aftermath of King Michael's Coup in August and September 1944. Romania and the Allies concluded an armistice on September 12, which gave wide-ranging powers to the Allied Control Commission, in which the Soviets played a dominant role. Invoking the terms of the Armistice, the Soviets confiscated the Mareşal prototypes and all related materials on October 26. The history of the Mareşal after this point is unknown.

Following the October 1943 testing of M-03, M-04 and M-05, Major Anghel and the director of the Rogifer Works were sent to Germany to learn about the mass production of armored vehicles. Preparations for mass production began in November 1943. To this end, a commission was sent to France to order 1000 Hotchkiss motors, and a Romanian technician was sent to Germany to coordinate the importation of other components.

In February 1944, Romania managed to secure contracts with suppliers in France, Switzerland, and Sweden for tank parts. The Germans also offered to assist Romania by sending specialists to the Rogifer Works and supplying necessary components, including gun optics, armored plates, and radio sets. The Army, however, planned to manufacture all components in Romania within one year of starting production. A Series 0 of either 10 or 12 vehicles was near-completed. Additionally, 90 further vehicles (Series 1 and 2) were in their very early phase of production, with components having been built for them.[5][9]

On 10 May 1944, the Mechanized Troops Command took over responsibility for the project and subsequently created the M Battalion within the 2nd Armored Regiment. The purpose of this battalion was to train would-be Mareșal crews and test new models of the vehicle. The M-05 prototype was tested preliminary at the end of May, then tested continuously from 24 July to 21 August. However, there are no mentions about tests of the previous prototypes. Indeed, the M Battalion would have little reason to further test previous prototypes, or train would-be crews by using them. This was due to several reasons. For one, the M-05 was too technologically different compared to the previous 5 prototypes. M-05 was largely Romanian-built, while its predecessors used many components from the Soviet T-60 light tank. Furthermore, the armament of all but one of the previous prototypes was entirely different: a 122 mm howitzer instead of a 75 mm anti-tank gun. Finally, the first 200 Mareșals which were going to be built were set to follow the design of the M-05. It is for these reasons that the only reports of Mareșal usage after the creation of the M Battalion in May 1944 refer solely to the M-05, as the previous prototypes were most likely unfit for training crews which were expected to operate in the near future solely on M-05 copies. Testing of the M-05 continued until the project was terminated by the Soviets on 26 October. In June 1944, the M-05 was tested in the attendance of Antonescu against a Sturmgeschütz III and a 75 mm Reșița anti-tank gun. M-05 performed the best in speed, handling, slope management, obstacle clearance and firing. Its performance earned it much praise from attending German officers.[10]

The German Hetzer which was likely influenced by the Mareșal. Romania obtained the license to produce the Hetzer.

As the Mareșal had met with approval from German specialists and effective support from Hitler for its serial production, a preliminary convention was signed on 8 June 1944 between the Romanian Ministry of Defence and the German OKH for cooperation in expediting mass production. By the time the convention was finalized, the Germans were interested in ordering several dozen Mareșal chassis to mount 37 mm Rheinmetall AA guns, and not only offered Romania full license manufacture of the Hetzer's 160 hp Praga engine for the Mareșal (the Western Allies had overrun the Hotchkiss plant), but also, because the two vehicles would then have a high commonality of parts (engine, radio, tracks an sights), offered a license for the entire vehicle.

Preliminary talks on the proposed joint Hetzer/Mareșal production established that the Germans would supply an uprated 200 hp diesel engine, the armor, the tracks and part of the sights, while the Romanians would build the same parts they were already producing for the Mareșal – the chassis, suspension, wheels, controls, part of the sights and the 75 mm Reșița M1943 gun. Deliveries were to be divided equally between Romania and Germany. To familiarize the Romanians with the Hetzer, Hitler decided to give them 15, with a elivery date of 25 August. However, both this delivery and the entire project were halted by King Michael's Coup.[11]

Of the planned 1000 Mareșals, less than 10% were produced (see above).

A number of seven prototypes were built, their history and characteristics go as follows:[12]

The M-00 prototype under construction, showing the interior layout. Note that the person who took the photo was standing right in front of the vehicle, which shows its extremely low profile of around 1,5 m or less, that would have made it very difficult for enemy tanks to hit the vehicle.

The M-00 prototype, finished.

• M-00 – The first prototype was designated M-00 and its development began in December 1942. It was created by mounting a 122 mm M-30 howitzer and a 7.92 mm ZB-53 heavy machine gun on the chassis of a captured T-60 tank, which had its turret and superstructure replaced by tortoise-shaped armor. The howitzer was modified by the Romanians by attaching a muzzle brake to it. On 30 July 1943, the M-00 was tested at the Sudiți proving ground, east of the town of Slobozia. There was some controversy beforehand, some specialists maintaining that the vehicle could not withstand a test firing and could even turn over. They were wrong, but the trials did reveal a number of deficiencies, such as a failure of the bolts securing the gun mounting, track slippage and a rather weak engine. However, tests were deemed sufficiently promising to encourage further development.

The M-00 had a crew of two, IOR Septilici A/T sights and a Ford V8 85 hp engine, along with a Ford V8 gear box. The T-60 tracks were widened. Weighing around 6.7 tonnes, the armor was 20-30 mm thick and well sloped. It used a manual steering control system from the T-60. Unlike every one of the next prototypes, the M-00 didn't have a radio, since the vehicle was only intended for testing purposes and didn't need one. The M-00 retained the T-60's electrics, while for the next prototypes, they were designed by Rogifer.

• M-01 – The "M" Staff, a special committee directly responsible to Antonescu's cabinet, was entrusted with the Mareșal project's supervision from August 1943, because production would require the involvement of an increasing variety of military and industrial agencies. The construction team was allocated a workshop at Rogifer, and by mid-october 1943, they had constructed three improved models, the M-01, M-02 and M-03, which retained the tortoise-shape of the M-00. All three of them used the same 122 mm howitzer as the M-00 and had the same armor thickness (except for the M-03 for the latter).

The M-01 also weighed around 6.7 tonnes and used an enlarged, reinforced T-60 chassis. It used an improved 120-140 hp Buick engine and a 75 hp Opel Blitz gear box. Controls and suspension were retained from the T-60, but improved. It was tested at Sudiți on 23 October 1943, along with the M-02 and M-03, in the presence of marshal Antonescu.

• M-02 – The Mareșal prototypes had progressively started to give up on the T-60 chassis. The M-02 used a Rogifer-built chassis based on that of the T-60, but enlarged and reinforced. It weighed less at around 6.4 tonnes. The engine,gear box, suspension and electrics were the same as on the M-01. It used a Rogifer-designed pedal-steering control system with a manual clutch and accelerator.

• M-03 – The M-03's components were identical to those of the M-02, but its chassis was 34.2 cm longer and 13.4 cm wider and had entirely given up on the T-60 basis. It weighed around 6.6 tons and had the thinnest armor of every prototype, at 10 mm overall.

• M-04 – Worked on from November 1943 to January 1944, the M-04 was the first prototype to have given up on the 122 mm howitzer in favor of the Romanian 75 mm M1943 AT gun. The M-04's blueprints were presented to Hitler and very likely influenced the Hetzer's development. The vehicle was fitted with a new 120 hp Hotchkiss H-39 engine.

Wooden mock-up of the M-04 prototype. This can be recognized by the gun and tracks.

It was tested at Sudiți in early February 1944 in the presence of OKH representatives Lieutenant-Colonels Ventz and Naymann, who were impressed by the mobility of the Mareșal and the viability of the novel design solution. They asked if the builders of the M-04 had previously designed armored vehicles. Upon receiving a negative reply, Ventz commented that this accounted for the novelty of the vehicle.

The M-04 used the same optics as the previous prototypes, but improved with an IOR panoramic telescope. It had a new half-hexagon shape. Its armor, produced by the Reșița works, was 10-20 mm thick, but Ventz proposed its thickness to be increased to 30 mm, according to a 1944 archive document written by Colonel R. Davidescu.[13] The vehicle, along with the next prototypes, retained the M-03 pedal steering system. Transmission was from Hotchkiss. The only remaining T-60 component were the tracks, widened to 26 cm, everything else having been produced by Rogifer. Weight is unknown, but was presumably just under 10 tonnes.

Photos show that the M-04 also had a wooden mock-up.

• M-05 – By March 1944, the Romanian design team (now including Wohlrath of the Alkett company and Lieutenant-Colonel Valerian Nestorescu, one of the 75 mm M1943 gun's designers) was working on the M-05 and M-06 prototypes, on which the serial production was based. The M-05 was largely Romanian-built, the main remaining foreign components having been the Hotchkiss engine and gear box, a new ČKD suspension, a German Telefunken U.K.W.E.e 10W radio and part of the sights. It was completed in May 1944 and was tested in the same month.

M-05 prototype during tests. Notice how it's wider than the M-00 and M-04 and doesn't use side skirts.

In June 1944, the Mareșal M-05 proved to be superior to the German StuG III G, after competing against it for testing purposes in the presence of marshal Antonescu. The Mareșal performed best in firing, speed, handling, slope management and obstacle clearence. It was much praised by the attending German officers. From 24 July to 21 August, the M-05 underwent further confirmatory tests which were then interrupted by a failure in the gun mounting. By 23 August 1944 (when King Michael's Coup took place), the M-05 had completed its proving program with the exception of its endurance trial. On 21 September 1944, test firings and endurance trials were resumed with good results.

The M-05 retained many components of the M-04, but used the new ČKD suspension and German radio. Transmission was from Rogifer. The 10-20 mm thick armor was produced by Böhler. It weighed 10 tonnes and stopped using side skirts.

Out of the planned 1000 serial production vehicles, 200 would have followed the M-05's model.

• M-06 – The M-06 was the last prototype and the only one to have a crew of three. Its development had begun simultaneously with that of the M-05, to which it was similar. Its 10-20 mm thick armor was produced by Reșița under license from Böhler. Components were the same as on M-05.

Out of the planned 1000 serial production vehicles, 800 would have followed the M-06's model.

The serial production was based on the M-05 and M-06. A Series 0 of 10 or 12 vehicles was near-completed. 90 further vehicles of Series 1 and 2 were in their early production phase and had components built for them. The planned 1000 vehicles were to form 32 AT battalions of 32 Mareșals each. They were planned to use the 75 mm Reșița M1943 gun, or, in case not enough said guns would have been built in time, the Romanian-produced 75 mm Vickers-Reșița gun or a German AT gun.[13]

A planned self-propelled howitzer variant of the Mareșal existed. Its plans were presented by the Romanians to German Lieutenant-Colonels Ventz and Naymann, who found them very well prepared. A howitzer of either 122 or 150 mm would have been used. In addition to high-explosive shells, it would also have carried HEAT ammunition to combat tanks effectively. It was never produced, because the tank destroyer variant was given priority.[13] Germany, however, built a similar vehicle, in the form of a Hetzer armed with a 15 cm sIG 33 howitzer.

German plan to buy several Mareșal chassis and arm them with dual 37 mm anti-aircraft guns. Never built, since the serial production of the actual Mareșal was never brought to an end.[14][15]

• German Hetzer and Sturmgeschütz III
• Soviet SU-85
• Italian Semovente da 75/34 and Semovente da 105/25