40/43m Zrinyi Assault Howitzer

Unit Card:

4043M_Zrinyi_Assault_Howitzer_Counter_Offensive_AAMeditor_120117222504.jpg

Vehicle - Assault Gun
1944
17pts

Speed: 3
Defense: 5/3
AI: 9/8/7
AV: 8/8/7

Fixed Howitzer - "This unit can only attack units in front of it."
Bombardment - "This unit can't attack aircraft. This unit's attacks ignore cover"

Set - Rarity - Number

Counter Offensive - Rare - 37/50

Historical Background:

The STUG III had a profound impact on the way German's allies manage their armoured tactics and devised new tanks, as seen on the eastern front. Since it was apparently easy to eliminate the turret to fit better, heavier guns on an existing platform, the Royal Hungarian Army which needed better firepower decided in 1943 to take the Turan I chassis and to convert it as an assault SPG. These took the name of Miklós Zrínyi, a XVIIth century Croatian-Hungarian statesman and military leader. It kept basically the same hull, drive-train, engine, components, but a small casemate was mounted instead of the turret, with sloped armor. The casemate front was doubled with extra armor, and the 105 mm /20 howitzer had a muzzle brake and was mounted in such way to allow some elevation but limited traverse, due to the massive recoil tube under the barrel. The driver, gunner and commander had their own periscopes. Two twin-fold hatches were practised into the roof and a radio set was housed in the rear right corner of the superstructure. The 43M prototype started testings in January 1943. In march it was accepted into service and production was set-up to start as quickly as possible. Only 66 vehicles left the factory before the Soviet occupation. During later production, they received Thoma skirts (spaced armor).

It was hoped to have similar units that the German four-vehicle batteries tactical arrangements at armoured division level, but there will be never enough vehicles. They were deployed into the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Rohamtuzer Osztaly (assault battalions) and mostly soldiered in Galacia by the summer of 1944 against a massive soviet offensive. After surviving forces retreated in Transylvania by September-October 1944, many were captured and used for some time by Romanian troops. One was later confiscated by the Red army and is now on diplay at Kubinka museum.

- Source: tanks-encyclopedia.com

Reviews:

Akela152
Hungary's best vehicle. If you field a pure Hungarian build, you will have at least one of these in your army. You can compare this unit to the STUG III ausf. D. The Zrinyi cost 2 points more. What do you get for those points? A better frontal armor (5 instead of 4), an SA that ignore cover instead of reducing it and a slightly better anti-personnel attack value at short range. However, unlike the STUG III D, it can't attack airplane and the AV attack value is -2/-1/-1. One last point, in an Axis build, you can start to use the Zrinyi only in 1944. By this time, you also have access to good dedicated tank destroyers like the Hetzer and the STUG III G. If you are after tanks, go that way instead. But if you want to take out entrenched Infantry or AT-guns, the Zrinyi is a look in the good direction.

Plastic Figure Notes:

pic886269_md.jpg
Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License