Mareşal tank destroyer

The Mareşal (Marshall) tank destroyer was a Romanian armored vehicle produced in limited numbers during the Second World War.

History

Romania, a member of the Axis Powers in World War II, had few modern fighting vehicles when war began. Most vehicles were captured obsolete Allied vehicles, which were quickly destroyed by superior Soviet armor. After the German army provided armor replacement and modernization assistance to Romania, the latter began to receive 38t, Stug III, and Panzer IV tanks. The Romanian military began development of a modern AFV at the end of 1942. The new design was of a contemporary appearance, having an enclosed fighting compartment, and it was armed with a captured Soviet 122 mm Putilov-Obluchov M1904/30 howitzer on modified captured Soviet T-60 undercarriage with special 4-piece turtle-shaped armour much like Hetzer. Later prototypes incorporated the 76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3) on a modified Czech TNHP undercarriage using German technical support, and Romanian built 75 mm anti-tank gun DT-UDR M1943 Resita on a widened T-60 (captured) Soviet light tank chassis. Orders placed for 1,000 vehicles (from November 1944), but development stopped when a coup overthrew Marshall Ion Antonescu, the Romanian leader, and the country switched sides. All prototypes were confiscated by the Soviets which stopped any further work on the project.

External links

• History and development
• Romanian Armour during WWII
• Mareşal tank destroyer