However, the Soviet artillery established superiority in the early stage of the Battle of Kursk, and the Hummel was denied the chance to prove its worth. The carrier variant was designed so it could be easily converted into a fighting Hummel by attaching the howitzer, even in field conditions. Six Hummels, plus one carrier were dispatched to various Panzer divisions, as separate heavy self-propelled artillery batteries. It was introduced during Operation Citadel, which was the codename for the offensive taking place at Kursk, when 100 units were sent as part of armored artillery battalions.įor the occasion, a variant of the Hummel was produced, specially designed as an ammunition carrier. The vehicles practically rolled off the assembly lines and into one of the largest battles of WWII. Later that year, the Hummel entered mass production. However, since its role on the battlefield demanded that it stayed in the rear, this wasn’t perceived as a major problem. While utilizing a fairly thick armor ranging from 10-30 mm, its open-top turret left the Hummel’s cramped six-man crew rather exposed. But as often happens, the name stuck, despite Führer’s wishes. Regarding the Hummel, Hitler reportedly disliked the nickname as he thought it unsuitable for such a powerful weapon packing so much firepower. The same chassis design would later be used in the production of yet another vehicle – the Nashorn ( rhinoceros) tank destroyer.
165, or Hummel for short, meaning “Bumblebee” in German.
The vehicle was designated as Panzerfeldhaubitze 18M auf Geschützwagen III/IV (Sf) Hummel, Sd.Kfz.
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