Mareșal (tank destroyer)

Mareșal is Romanian for "marshal", the highest military rank in many countries. The vehicle was named after Marshal Ion Antonescu, Romania's wartime leader (Conducător).[10][11] It was also referred to by a number of other names, such as Carul M or, more modernly, Tancul M, both meaning "M-tank".[12][13] Car (definite article form carul) is, in this context, an outdated Romanian word for "tank", based on French char and Italian carro. Sometimes, the vehicle is referred to in Romanian as Vânătorul de care Mareșal[lower-alpha 5] ("Mareșal tank hunter"),[14][15] or less commonly Vânătorul de care M ("Tank hunter 'M'").[16]

Code names like Piesa M ("M-piece"), Arma M ("M-weapon") and Arma Mareșal ("Mareșal weapon") were used in some documents with the purpose of keeping the vehicle's development as secret as possible.[17][18][19]

German historian Walter Spielberger refers to the vehicle as Marschall in his literature.[20]

Romania had entered the war with R-1, R-2 and R35 tanks acquired during the interwar period. While initially successful,[21] these became obsolete with the introduction of Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks by late 1941.[22][23] The weakness of the Romanian tank force was already obvious by then, but became even more acute after the Axis defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad.[24] By the end of 1942, the only modern vehicles Romania had been able to acquire were small numbers of German Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs.[25][26] A firing test showed that the T-34 was invulnerable to the R-2's 37 mm gun at any angle,[27] which led to said Romanian tank being given the new role of exclusively fighting unarmored Soviet positions.[28]

Different solutions for modernizing the Romanian armored forces were sought after. One was getting more tanks from its German ally. Germany, however, was not eager to supply more vehicles before 1943, since its own army badly needed them as well.[29] Another method used was modernizing Romanian and captured Soviet tanks by turning them into tank destroyers; this program gave birth to conversions like the TACAM T-60, TACAM R-2 and VDC R35, which were more effective against Soviet armor.[30][31]

Romania also looked to produce its own original armored vehicle that was capable of effectively tackling Soviet ones. Producing a Romanian medium tank was considered, but not implemented.[22][29] Instead, the Romanians decided in late 1942 to produce a tank destroyer, since it was more suited to their country's industry. This vehicle's characteristics were decided in January 1943: they included small dimensions, strong firepower, well-sloped armor and a maximum speed "higher than that of tanks".[10][16] The resulting vehicle was to become the Mareșal.

Marshal Ion Antonescu (left), after whom the vehicle was named, with German field marshal Erich von Manstein

On February 6, 1943 a workshop was founded at the Rogifer Works (formerly Malaxa Works, currently FAUR) with the purpose of experimenting with the creation of a tank destroyer.[6] The Romanians had no experience with designing an armored vehicle from scratch,[4] since by that point, every Romanian-designed vehicle was a license-built modification of a foreign design (R-1 and Malaxa UE) or a conversion based on a foreign chassis (TACAMs). Due to this lack of experience, they had decided to forgo theoretical preliminary plans and mate an artillery piece with an existing tank chassis, studying practical problems, which would eventually lead to a truly local design through continuous testing and modification.[10][16]

A first experimental model was created in early 1943, by mounting a mortar on a T-60 light tank chassis. The mortar was equipped with rocket-assisted rounds. Trials were deemed unsatisfactory due to the chassis not being robust enough and the armament having poor accuracy. In parallel, another model armed with a Katyusha rocket launcher was built for artillery purposes and tested in June and July, but this project was not continued either.[32]

As a result, a new model was built by a team consisting of engineers Captain Gheorghe Sâmbotin and Major Nicolae Anghel, who were tasked with designing a new vehicle appropriate for service on the Eastern Front.[33] They chose the unexpected yet successful solution of adapting a light tank to fire a heavy gun.[6] The chosen chassis was again that of the T-60, but was this time enlarged, while the new gun choice was a Soviet 122 mm M-30 howitzer, of which plenty had been captured by the Romanian Army.[14][10] Other howitzers of smaller calibers (100-105 mm) were also considered.[16] In order to be effective against enemy armor, a shaped charge round was developed for the howitzer.[34][35] The T-60 turret and upper works were removed and replaced by tortoise shell-shaped armor plates that were 20-30 mm thick and angled at 45°.[10][6] The resulting vehicle had an unusually low profile of around 1.5 m (which was advantageous, since it didn't only make the vehicle difficult to hit, but also made it easy to camouflage[7]) and a crew of only two members. Secondary armament was locally produced version of the Czechoslovak ZB-30 light machine gun.[6] Engineers Constantin Ghiulai Constantin Ghiulai (designer of the TACAM T-60 and TACAM R-2) and Radu Vereș (director of Rogifer) were also involved in the project.[10][36]

Named "Mareșal", this new prototype was designated M-00 and presented to Marshal Ion Antonescu on July 2, 1943.[6] Despite earlier models having existed, M-00 is generally considered the first prototype since it was the first one to have the general shape of the Mareșal.[10] It began testing at the Sudiți firing range outside of Slobozia on July 30, 1943.[37] Fears that the tank would be toppled by the considerable recoil of the howitzer proved unfounded; however, other problems were noted, mostly involving the gun mounting. Testing was considered successful and a committee to supervise the Mareșal project was created by orders of Ion Antonescu's cabinet.[10][38]

M-00 prototype under construction. From this angle its low profile is obvious

A ZB-30 light machine gun (left) was used as M-00's secondary armament

Afterwards, a workshop within the Rogifer Works was made available for the construction of three more prototypes: M-01, M-02, and M-03.[14][39] They were all enlarged and reinforced, with the latter being 43.2 cm wider and 13.4 cm longer than the T-60 tank.[40][41] These were completed by mid-October 1943 and were progressively modified to fix problems shown by M-00.[34][42] M-01 was the last one to use the T-60 chassis; later prototypes used Rogifer-built ones.[43] Construction methods were modified to use welding rather than riveting and the interior compartment was divided using a bulkhead.[34] The prototypes had a crew of two, positioned in the front compartment: a driver-aimer-gunner on the right and a commander-loader-radio operator on the left.[44][45] The former was situated more frontally, which is also shown in photographs.[34][46]

M-01, M-02, and M-03 were tested at Sudiți in front of Marshal Antonescu on October 23, 1943, the same day as the 75 mm Resița M1943 anti-tank gun. Due to the exceptional performance of the Romanian anti-tank gun, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Drăghiescu suggested that it should be mounted on future prototypes of the Mareșal. This change would be incorporated into all further prototypes and the serial production vehicles.[34][14] Lieutenant-Colonel Valerian Nestorescu gives a more detailed description of the test, stating that the 75 mm Resița gun managed to hit and penetrate eight 100 mm steel plates from distances of 300 m to 1 km.[12] British author Mark Axworthy writes that the 75 mm Reșița M1943 was arguably the most versatile gun of its class during World War II, outperforming its Western, German and Soviet equivalents.[47] Lieutenant-Colonel Drăghiescu had also proposed two other Mareșal versions at that point: one with a 122 or 150 mm howitzer and one with a 20-37 mm anti-aircraft gun.[16] The former variant is known to have had plans that were later shown to the Germans.[48]

The next prototype, M-04, incorporated significant changes and was completed in January 1944.[49] Its plans were presented to Adolf Hitler in the early days of that month.[34][50] The prototype was powered by a 120 hp Hotchkiss engine, the same used on the French H-39 light tank, and mounted the new 75 mm Resița M1943 anti-tank gun instead of the 122 mm howitzer. In February, M-04 was sent to Sudiți for evaluation. Again, concerns were brought up about the vehicle's ability to withstand the gun's recoil. Testing, however, showed the main gun could be safely fired.[18] Two German representatives observed the testing of M-04 and were impressed by its maneuverability and novel design.[51][52] Lieutenant-Colonel Haymann, an OKH delegate who attended M-04's testing, stated that the Mareșal is going to be effective against the Soviet army, calling it ein großer Hetzer, which can roughly be translated as "a big botherer" or "a bothersome enemy".[3]

1944 report in which German officials state the Mareșal was going to be "a bothersome enemy [ein großer Hetzer] for the Soviets"

Mark Axworthy and Walter Spielberger note how Hitler "was enthusiastic" about the Mareșal and agreed supporting its development, despite Germany having problems with its own armored fighting vehicle production.[4][20] One reason behind this, however, was the fact that it would stop Romania's need to be supplied with German tanks.[53] The Mareșal was cheap to produce; one Panzer IV required as much armor plate as seven Mareșals.[4][54] The supply of German material to Romania for Mareșal production would have disrupted Germany's own production of 70 Panzer IVs and around the same number of Sd.Kfz. 251 half-tracks. However, it would have allowed the creation of almost 490 Mareșals, which the Germans believed was more important, thus agreeing on supplying materials.[55]

General Heinz Guderian, Inspector General of the German Armored Troops, was shown the M-04 plans. He believed the "M-tank" was a vehicle capable of weakening enemy armored attacks.[3] One particular detail of the Mareșal that impressed the German officials was its pedal-steering system, according to Colonel Radu Davidescu. By steering the vehicle using the feet, the driver was also able to control the gun. This allowed the crew to be reduced to two members. Lieutenant-Colonel Ventz of the Waffenamt stated that the Germans had also tried reducing their armored fighting vehicles' crews, but were unsuccessful in finding solutions for doing so.[56]

The vehicle's development was slowed down by the Anglo-American bombing, which had started in April 1944.[57] İt had begun disrupting the production of the first series of vehicles, "Series 0", which — while originally expected in June — was rescheduled for autumn 1944[58][50] and then January 1945.[59] As a result, parts of the Rogifer Works were moved from Bucharest to the area of Sibiu in Transylvania, where production was to take place.[58][60] In July, Rogifer was bombarded again. During the bombardment, a guard soldier by the name of Turcescu-Cristea had left the bomb shelter and went into the targeted Mareșal's workshop, managing to put out the fire and save the production tools and archive room from total destruction, while getting hurt in the process.[61]

The final series of prototypes, M-05 and M-06, were built in March 1944. They were the two "main prototypes", on which the serial production vehicles were based. While the M-04 had still used the T-60's suspension, these last two prototypes had entirely given up on the Soviet light tank's components. They were largely Romanian-built, with part of the components being of German origin. M-05 was completed in May and tested that same month. It impressed the attending German officials by outperforming a StuG III G that it competed against.[4][5] The later testing stages involving M-05 occurred in August and September 1944, in the immediate aftermath of King Michael's Coup, which overthrew the pro-Axis Antonescu and put Romania on the Allied side.[58][62]

On 31 August 1944, it was decided to complete the first batch of serial production vehicles ("Series 0", whose development had begun during spring[58][63]), but to suspend production of the later series. The Soviet Armistice Commission imposed a secret additional protocol on the original armistice on 26 October, through which the Mechanized Troops Command (Comandamentul Trupelor Motomecanizate) was disbanded, bringing the Mareșal project to an end, just as "Series 0" was nearing completion.[64][65][66][67]

After this point, the Mareșal is not known to have seen action or any kind of service. What happened to the vehicles is unknown, but it is possible that the Soviets had either confiscated or destroyed all completed examples of the Mareșal, according to Mark Axworthy.[2] Trials had shown the Mareșal to be a promising vehicle that was to have a successful service life, with the Germans being the ones who praised it the most.[2] However, there were also critics, especially among high-ranking Romanian officials.[9] Historians Charles Kliment and Vladimír Francev describe the tank destroyer as having been advanced for its time.[68]

The only known mention of the vehicle after this point is a report from 1 November 1944, which stated that the "M-project" — as the Mareșal was referred to — was not to fall out of interest, since its production was not out of question even after the end of the war.[62]

See below for more details regarding each Mareșal variant's history and characteristics.

Following the October 1943 testing of M-01, M-02 and M-03, Major Anghel and the director of the Rogifer Works were sent to tour several German factories to get information on the latest aspects of tank development. They concluded that the Mareșal's design solution was correct. Preparations for mass production began in November 1943. To this end, a commission was sent to France to order 1000 Hotchkiss engines, and a Romanian technician was sent to Germany to coordinate the importation of other components.[34][69]

In February 1944, Romania managed to secure contracts with suppliers in France, Sweden and Switzerland for tank parts.[4][70] The Germans also offered to assist Romania by sending specialists to the Rogifer Works and supplying necessary components, including gun optics, armored plates, and radio sets. It was planned to gradually assimilate licenses for all imported items, so Romania could carry on the production process on its own.[71]

The first "Series 0" of 10 vehicles was near-completed. Due to the bombing of Romania, its completion date kept on being pushed away from the original June 1944 all the way to January 1945. Additionally, 90 further vehicles ("Series 1" and "2") were in their very early phase of production, themselves rescheduled for the later months of 1945.[58][72] "Series 0" was also referred to by its German name, Null-Serie.[73]

Production rate was intended to reach four per day, with monthly production later rising to 100 vehicles.[58][50] Apart from stopping Romania's need of having to get supplied with German tanks, another reason why Hitler had agreed with helping the program was a psychological oneː the vehicle's name. According to Mark Axworthy, Ion Antonescu had become one of Hitler's most respected allies during the course of the war.[74] This fact had led to Hitler wanting to assist the Mareșal's development, since the vehicle was named after the Romanian leader, writes Walter Spielberger.[55]

The German Hetzer was influenced by the Mareșal. Romania obtained the license to produce the Hetzer itself.

The Mareșal is credited for having inspired the design of the German Hetzer tank destroyer.[77][35] While in Germany, the Romanian commission responsible for the Mareșal had learned that the Germans were also studying the possibility of mounting a strong anti-tank gun on the Panzer 38(t) light tank chassis. Discussions had led to the conclusion that the Romanians' design solution for the Mareșal was correct and that they were more advanced than the Germans in developing their light tank destroyer.[34][78] This wouldn't last for long, however, since the Reich's industry had a much greater capacity, which led to the Hetzer entering production in April 1944 and seeing action later that same year, while the Mareșal was still in its early production phase.[79]

Mark Axworthy and Cornel Scafeș write that the Hetzer and Mareșal were very similar in their armament and general shape. According to their works, as well as contemporary documents, it was German Lieutenant-Colonel Ventz, who acknowledged in May 1944 that the Hetzer had followed the Mareșal's design.[34][79] Another German official, engineer Wohlrath of Alkett, also stated this. He told the Romanians how the Germans had been searching for solutions to design a light vehicle armed with a strong gun for two years, and continued by saying "we didn't find it, but you did".[79] According to American historian Steven Zaloga, "The Germans were impressed with the overall layout of the Mareșal, and it is credited with being the inspiration for the German Jagdpanzer 38(t) tank destroyer".[14]

On 10 May 1944, the Mechanized Troops Command took over responsibility for the project and subsequently created the "M" Battalion within the 2nd Armored Regiment. The purpose of this battalion was to train would-be Mareșal crews and test new models of the vehicle. The M-05 prototype was tested preliminary at the end of May, then tested continuously from 24 July to 21 August. However, there are no mentions about tests of the previous prototypes. Indeed, the "M" Battalion would have little reason to further test previous prototypes, or train would-be crews by using them. This was due to several reasons. For one, M-05 was too technologically different compared to the previous 5 prototypes. M-05 was largely Romanian-built, while its predecessors used many components from the Soviet T-60 light tank. Furthermore, the armament of all but one of the previous prototypes was entirely different: a 122 mm howitzer instead of a 75 mm anti-tank gun. Finally, the first 200 Mareșals which were going to be built were set to follow the design of M-05. It is for these reasons that the only reports of Mareșal usage after the creation of the "M" Battalion in May 1944 refer solely to M-05, as the previous prototypes were most likely unfit for training crews which were expected to operate in the near future solely on M-05 and M-06 copies. Testing of M-05 continued until the project was terminated by the Soviets on 26 October.[80]

The planned 1000 vehicles were to form 32 anti-tank battalions consisting of 30 Mareșals each.[4] The first 12, however, were planned to be sent to a mixed tank battalion, the "E" Battalion, along with 15 Panzer 38(t)s (called T-38 in the Romanian army).[73] Squads of four vehicles were planned, made up of three tank destroyers and one command vehicle variant.[81]

•  Kingdom of Romania – main operator. Used only for testing and crew training, having never seen action because of the Soviets stopping its production.
•  Soviet Union (probably) – after October 1944, the vehicles were probably captured by the Soviets, who had occupied Romania[2]
•  Nazi Germany (planned) – planned acquisition to build a Flakpanzer version (see above)

• Romanian armored fighting vehicle production during World War II
• TACAM T-60 – Romanian tank destroyer also based on the T-60 chassis, like the first two Mareșal prototypes