43M Zrínyi

Zrínyi was a Hungarian assault gun of the World War II period. While the Turan in itself wasn't particularly successful, it did give birth a rather good self-propelled-gun, with the Zrinyi II.

Zrínyi
TypeAssault gun
Place of originKingdom of Hungary
Service history
Used by Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Romania
WarsWorld War II
Production history
ManufacturerManfred Weiss
Produced1943–1944
No. built1 44M Zrínyi (prototype),
66-72 43M Zrínyi
Variants43M Zrínyi
44M Zrínyi
Specifications (Zrínyi II)
Mass21.6 t
Length5.68 m (18 ft 8 in)
Width2.99 m (9 ft 10 in)
Height2.33 m (7 ft 8 in)
Crew4
Armour13–75 mm (0.51–2.95 in)
Main
armament
105 mm MÁVAG 40/43M L20.5 howitzer
with 42 rounds
EngineManfred Weiss V8 cylinder
260 hp
Operational
range
220 km (140 mi) (road)
Maximum speed 43 km/h (27 mph) (road)

The Zriniy's development process started in 1942; after witnessing the success of the StuG III F armed with longer 75mm anti-tank guns on the Eastern Front, Hungary attempted to negotiate with Germany to try and acquire some, but, as always, could receive only a fraction of what they needed, and started to design a similar vehicle of their own.

Design and history

Following the success of assault guns on the Eastern Front, the Hungarians developed their own model, based on the chassis of the 40M Turán I tank. There were two designs, the 44M Zrínyi I, incorporated a long 43M 75 mm gun, but it did not pass the prototype stage. The 40/43M Zrínyi II was armed with a short barrel (20.5 calibers) 105 mm MÁVAG 40/43M howitzer.

The Zrínyi II design was a traditional infantry support vehicle. The Zrínyi I was hoped to fulfill an anti-tank role.

Zrínyi II Assault Gun at Vérmező park, Budapest Hungary 1945

Between 40 and 66 Zrínyi II units were produced between August 1943 and July 1944 and a single Zrínyi I prototype. There is only one surviving Zrínyi II in the Kubinka tank museum near Moscow.

Zrínyi II in Romanian service near Cluj in late 1944.

A serviceable Zrínyi II was captured by the Romanian troops fighting to retake Transylvania during September–October 1944, being pressed into service for a limited period.[1] The assault gun was later donated to the Red Army.

References
  1. Axworthy, page 221

Sources
  • Bíró Ádám: A 40/43. M Zrínyi–II rohamtarack fejlesztése és alkalmazása. Haditechnika, I. rész: 1996/1, 66–71., II. rész: 1996/2, 43–45.; III. rész: 1996/4, 66–69. (In Hungarian)
  • Mark Axworthy, Cornel Scafeș, Cristian Crãciunoiu, Third Axis. Fourth Ally. Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941-1945, Arms and Armour, London, 1995. ISBN 1-85409-267-7
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