Nahkampfkanone 2

Nahkampfkanone 2
Nahkampfkanone 2 at Panzermuseum Thun
Type	light tank destroyer
Place of origin	Switzerland
Service history
In service	1946 - 1947
Used by	Switzerland
Production history
Designed	1946
Manufacturer	Georg Fischer, Berna at Olten & Saurer
No. built	1
Variants	A1, A2, B1, B2
Specifications
Mass	24 tonnes
Length	5.24 m (17 ft 2 in)
Width	2.85 m (9 ft 4 in)
Height	2.15 m (7 ft 1 in)
Crew	5
Armour	up
Main armament	L/49 90mm Pak with 45 rounds
Engine	12° V90 cylinder four-stroke Saurer CV1DL 280 hp
Suspension	leaf springs
Maximum speed	5 km/h (3.1 mph) off-road:25 km/h (16 mph)

Nahkampfkanone 2 is a country-road vehicle, similar to the German tank destroyer from the World War II.

The hull and the superstructure were made of cast steel by the Georg Fischer AG. The construction of the chassis was by Saurer in Arbon, the assembly of the chassis at Berna in Olten and the design and installation of the gun of the K + W in Thun. Driver, commander and the horizontal gunner sat side left, right vertical gunner and loader. The gun was mounted in a hull based superstructure and had only a limited traverse arc, so the entire vehicle had to turned onto the target before the gun itself could be aimed. The gun barrel could be retracted for travel.

Four different types (A1, A2, B1, B2) were planned, but one prototype was made and that did not see service; only driving tests were made in Thun from 1946 to 1947 for testing in troop deployment. Development was stopped in 1947.

The prototype is on display at the tank museum in Thun.

References

• Book Urs Heller: Die Panzer der schweizer Armee von 1920 bis 2008 [1]
• Military Museum Thun Switzerland