German Armored Forces & Vehicles

Dicker Max

fbbrummbar

A rare picture of the unique prototype of the 105 mm mobile gun Pz.Sfl.IVa Dicker Max (Thick Max) of Panzer Jaeger Abteilung Sfl. 521. Designed on the basis of a heavily modified Pzkfw IV Ausf. E chassis, it looked like a heavy tank destroyer but its primary purpose was to be used against bunkers at long ranges. Two prototypes only were built and tried on the battlefield. One of them broke down shortly, but the other one fought successfully through the invasion of the USSR in 1941 and participated in the offensive on Stalingrad with 6th Army. Yet its poor maneuverability and outdated gun did not enable standard serial production. The unique prototype seems to have disappeared from the record in November 1942, during the Soviet counter offensive in the Don River bend. This is the last known photo of the surviving Dicker Max, dated February 1943. It features a soldier dressed in what looks like Red Army winter clothing climbing on top of the vehicle. It is not known what happened to the 2nd and last Dicker Max, which its crew called ‘Brummbar’. It was caught like so many others in the turmoil of Stalingrad. taken from fb/Stalingrad Battle Data