Following the success of assault gun

Assault gun

An assault gun is a gun or howitzer mounted on a motor vehicle or armored chassis, designed for use in the direct fire role in support of infantry when attacking other infantry or fortified positions....

s on the World War II Eastern Front

Eastern Front (World War II)

The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...

, the Hungarians

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 developed their own model, based on the chassis of the Turán tank. There were two designs, the 44M Zrínyi I, incorporated a long 43M 75mm gun

Gun

A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...

, but it did not pass the prototype stage. The 40/43M Zrínyi II was armed with a 40M 105mm L/20 howitzer.

The Zrínyi II design was a traditional infantry support vehicle. The Zrínyi I was hoped to fulfill an anti-tank role.

Between 40 and 66 Zrínyi II units were produced between August 1943 and July 1944 and a single Zrínyi I prototype. There is only one surviving Zrínyi II in the Kubinka tank museum near Moscow.

Specifications

Manufacturer: Manfred Weiss

Crew: 4 men

Weight: 21.6 tons

Length: 5.68 m

Width: 2.99 m

Height: 2.33 m

Engine: Manfred Weiss, V8 (260 hp)

Maximum speed: 43 km/h (road)

Range: 220 km (road)

Main armament: 105 mm MÁVAG 40/43M L20.5 howitzer

Ammunition: 42 projectiles of 105 mm

Armor thickness: 13 mm - 75 mm

Foreign use

A serviceable Zrínyi II was captured by the Romanian troops in Transylvania during September-October 1944, being pressed into service for a limited period. The assault gun was later confiscated by the Red Army.

Sources

• Bíró Ádám: A 40/43. M Zrínyi–II rohamtarack fejlesztése és alkalmazása. Haditechnika, I. rész: 1996/1, 66–71., II. rész: 1996/2, 43–45.; III. rész: 1996/4, 66–69. (In Hungarian)
• Mark Axworthy, Cornel Scafeș, Cristian Crãciunoiu,Third Axis. Fourth Ally. Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941-1945, Arms and Armour, London, 1995. ISBN 1-85409-267-7

External links

http://www.freedom.hu/IIvh/Fegyverek/Magyar/zrinyi.htm

http://www.haborumuveszete.hu/rovatok/fegyverek/pancelosok/zrinyik/