The Entwicklung series, more commonly known as the E-series, was a late-World War II attempt by Germany to produce a standardised series of tank designs. There were to be standard designs in six different weight classes, from which several specialised variants were to be developed. This was necessitated by the extremely complex tank designs that had resulted in poor production rates and mechanical unreliability.
The E-series designs were simpler, cheaper to produce and more efficient than their predecessors, however their design involved only modest improvements in armour and firepower over the designs they were intended to replace, such as the Hetzer, Panther G or Tiger II, and as such represent the eclipse of German armoured vehicle design by such tanks as the American M46 Patton, the British Centurion Mk 5/2 and Soviet T-54 tanks, which would have been the Entwicklung series' contemporaries and likely opponents.
The E-10 design was developed as a replacement of the Panzer 38(t) and the designs based on it. The 38(t) chassis was enlarged and redesigned. This new design was to be called PzKpfw 38 (d), d standing for deutsch ("German") as opposed to (t) fortschechisch ("Czech"). The designs based on this new chassis would all be in the 10 to 25 tonnes weight class.
The intention was to create several new light tank destroyers as a replacement for the Jagdpanzer 38(t), as well as a new family of Waffenträger armed with heavy anti-tank guns.(Wikipedia).
The enigine was to be a rear mounted Maybach HL 100 of 400 HP or an air cooled Argus of 350 HP. The combined hydronamic transmission and steering unit was to be made by Voith and was also at the rear of the tank, easing removal and servicing. This would also free up space in the fighting compartment. The engine deck and rear plates could all be removed to allow access and the engine and transmission could be removed as a single unit. It was expected that the top of speed of the tank would be 65-70km/h. Even though the E-10 designation would suggest a weight of 10 tonnes, the combat weight would probably have been about 16 tonnes.
The gun was to be the 7.5cm Pak 39 L/48, in a mount similar that of the Hetzer. It may have been replaced on the production lines by rigid mounted (Starr) version of the same weapon. The suspension was by bolt on external units which used Belleville washers as the spring medium. There were four units per side, each fitted with a single 1000mm diameter steel tyred wheel. The wheels were alternately offset on the axles to straddle a single guide tooth track. One feature of the tank was the ability to reduce its height. This was achived by rotating the pivot points of the suspension units via cranks driven by hydrolic actuators. The vehicle height could be reduced from 1760mm to 1400mm. The armour was to be 60mm thick on the upper glacis plate, 30mm on the lower glacis plate and the rest all 20mm.
The E-10 did not go into production and its projected role was to be undertaken by the similarly sized but mechanically simpler Jagdpanzer 38(d), based on a re-engined and lengthened version of the venerable Panzer 38(t) chassis.
Model from Trumpeter. Built from the box. Hand made wooden base.
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