Hummel (German: "bumblebee") was a German self-propelled gun used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. Based on the Geschutzwagen III/IV chassis and armed with the 15 cm sFH 18/1 L/30 howitzer, it saw action from early 1943 until the end of the war. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 165.

The full name was Panzerfeldhaubitze 18M auf Geschutzwagen III/IV (Sf) Hummel, Sd.Kfz. 165. On February 27th, 1944, Hitler ordered the name Hummel to be dropped as it was deemed inappropriate for a fighting vehicle

The Hummel was designed in 1942 after the invasion of the USSR had demonstrated the need for more capable self-propelled artillery support for Wehrmacht tank forces than that then available.

The first option considered was mounting a 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer on a Panzer III chassis, rejected in favour of the same gun on a Panzer IV chassis. One prototype was built.

This design was rejected in favor of mounting the more powerful 15 cm sFH 18 L/30 howitzer on the specially designed Geschutzwagen III/IV, which combined the driving and steering system) of the Panzer III with the chassis, suspension, and engine of the Panzer IV. The same platform was also used for the Nashorn tank destroyer.

The engine was moved to the center of the vehicle to make room for an open-topped lightly armored fighting compartment at the rear housing the gun breech and crew. Late models had a slightly redesigned driver compartment and front superstructure offering more room to the radio operator and driver.[1] In all, some 700 Hummel were built.

Pictured here is 1:72 scale replica of a late production German Sd. Kfz. 165 Hummel self-propelled heavy howitzer. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-1/2-inches
Width: 1-1/2-inches

Release Date: September 2023

Historical Account: "Soaring Sonatas" - The Hummel first participated in large scale combat at the Battle of Kursk, when some 100 served in armored artillery battalions (Panzerartillerie Abteilungen) of the Panzer divisions. They were formed into separate heavy self-propelled artillery batteries, each with six Hummel and one ammunition carrier.

Because the basic Hummel could carry only a limited amount of ammunition, the Munitionstrager Hummel ("ammunition carrier Hummel") was developed. This was basically a standard production Hummel without the howitzer (a 10 mm armor plate covering the gun mount) and with racks fitted to hold the ammunition. When necessary, these could still be fitted with the 15 cm howitzer of the normal Hummel; this could even be done as a field conversion.

By the end of the war, 157 Munitionstrager Hummel were built.