Jagdpanzer (JgPz), German: "Hunting tank", is a name for German tank destroyers.
It typically refers to designs based upon existing tank chassis with a well-armoured fixed superstructure, mounting an anti-tank gun with limited traverse in the front. The Jagdpanzer designs followed on from the more lightly armoured Panzerjger designs which took an anti-tank gun and mounted it on top of a tank chassis with supplementary armour fitted around the gun crew. Without the complexity of the rotating turret, Jagdpanzer designs could be quickly produced which was important in supplying fighting vehicles to the Russian front. However in lacking a turret the Jagdpanzers were more limited in use. Generally they were used as a second line or reserve in the attack or to form a defensive line.
In 1945 the Panzerjger term was applied to all the Jagdpanzers and the earlier Panzerjgers were reclassified as self-propelled guns.
