WAR ATLAS MILITARY HISTORY MAGAZINE · WWI — WWII
Grille
1. Lead
The Grille — German for “cricket”, officially the 15cm schweres Infanteriegeschütz 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen 38(t), Sd.Kfz. 138/1 — was a German self-propelled heavy infantry gun of the Second World War. It mounted the powerful 15cm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun on the chassis of the Czechoslovak-designed Panzer 38(t) light tank, giving German infantry divisions a mobile heavy gun that could keep up with the advance, deploy quickly, and deliver high-explosive shells against fortifications, buildings and infantry at ranges of up to about 4,700 metres.
About 373 Grilles were built in 1943 and 1944, in two main versions — the Ausf. H, with the gun mounted at the rear of the chassis, and the Ausf. M, with the gun mounted in the centre — and they served on the Eastern Front, in Italy, in Normandy and in the last battles of the war.
The Grille was a product of the German army’s experience in the Soviet Union, where the infantry needed heavy fire support that could move with them and that could destroy the fortified positions, villages and strongpoints that the Red Army defended so stubbornly. The towed 15cm sIG 33 was a powerful weapon, but it was heavy and slow, and it could not keep up with the infantry in the attack.
The Grille solved that problem by putting the gun on a tank chassis, and it became the standard self-propelled heavy infantry gun of the German army. It was not a perfect weapon — it was thinly armoured, open-topped, carried only 15 rounds of ammunition, and its gun had a short range — but it gave German infantry a mobile heavy gun that they had never had before, and it remained in service to the end of the war.
This article explains how the Grille was developed, how it worked, what its variants were, how it performed in combat, and why it became an important part of the German infantry’s fire support.
2. Key Facts
| Type | Self-propelled heavy infantry gun |
| Country of origin | Germany (chassis Czechoslovak-designed) |
| Manufacturer | Böhmisch-Mährische Maschinenfabrik (BMM), Prague / BMM, Praha |
| Years in service | 1943–1945 / 1943–1945 |
| Main gun | 15cm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun |
| Chassis | Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) / Panzer 38(t) |
| Crew / Kíp lái | 4 (Ausf. H); 5 (Ausf. M) / 4 (Ausf. H); 5 (Ausf. M) |
| Weight | About 11.5 tons |
| Length | 4.95 m (16 ft 3 in) / 4,95 m |
| Width | 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) / 2,15 m |
| Height | 2.47 m (8 ft 1 in) / 2,47 m |
| Engine | Praga EPA/6 6-cylinder petrol, about 125–150 hp |
| Maximum speed | About 35 km/h (22 mph) on roads |
| Range | About 190 km (118 mi) on roads |
| Maximum gun range | About 4,700 m (5,140 yd) |
| Armour / Giáp | 10–50mm (hull front up to 50mm; superstructure 10–25mm; open-topped) |
| Ammunition carried | 15 rounds on board |
| Production | About 373 (Ausf. H about 91; Ausf. M about 282, including prototypes) |
| Users | Germany |
3. Background
3.1. The Infantry’s Need for Heavy Fire Support
The Grille was born from the German infantry’s experience in the Soviet Union in 1941 and 1942. The German infantry divisions, advancing into Russia, found that they needed heavy fire support to destroy the fortified villages, strongpoints and bunkers that the Red Army defended, and that the divisional artillery, which was towed and slow, could not always provide it in time.
The standard heavy infantry gun, the 15cm sIG 33, was a powerful weapon — it fired a 38 kg high-explosive shell that could destroy a building or a bunker — but it weighed more than 1,700 kg and it was towed by horses, so it moved slowly and it could not keep up with the infantry in the attack.
The German army had already tried to solve the problem by mounting the sIG 33 on the chassis of the Panzer I and Panzer II tanks, in vehicles known as the 15cm sIG 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I and the Sturmpanzer II, but these were improvised, unreliable and produced in small numbers.
The army needed a proper self-propelled heavy infantry gun, built on a reliable chassis, and the Panzer 38(t), a Czechoslovak tank that the Germans had taken over in 1939 and that was being built in Prague, was the obvious choice.
3.2. The Panzer 38(t) Chassis
The Panzer 38(t) was a Czechoslovak light tank, designed by ČKD in the 1930s and taken over by Germany after the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939. It was a reliable, well-built tank, with a 37mm gun and a crew of four, and it served with the German army in Poland, France and the Soviet Union.
By 1942, the Panzer 38(t) was obsolete as a tank — its 37mm gun could not penetrate the armour of Soviet T-34s — but its chassis was still useful, and the Germans used it as the basis for a series of self-propelled guns, including the Marder III tank destroyer, the Hetzer and the Grille.
The chassis was built by Böhmisch-Mährische Maschinenfabrik (BMM) in Prague, and it was a practical choice for the Grille: it was available in large numbers, it was reliable, and it was already in production. The Grille’s development was fast: the first prototype was completed in late 1942, production began in early 1943, and the first Grilles reached the front in the spring of 1943.
4. Design and Development
4.1. The 15cm sIG 33 Gun
The Grille’s gun was the 15cm sIG 33, the standard German heavy infantry gun, a short-barrelled howitzer that fired a 38 kg high-explosive shell to a range of about 4,700 metres. The gun was a powerful weapon for its size: its shell was large and destructive, and it could destroy buildings, bunkers and field fortifications, and it could kill or wound infantry over a wide area.
The gun was mounted in an open-topped fighting compartment, which allowed the crew to load the large shells quickly and to observe the fall of shot, but which also left them exposed to artillery fragments, small-arms fire and air attack. The gun had a traverse of about 5 degrees to each side in the Ausf. H and about 10 degrees in the Ausf.
M, and an elevation of up to 73 degrees in the Ausf. H, which allowed it to fire at high angles, like a mortar, against targets behind cover. The gun’s short range was its main limitation: at 4,700 metres, it could not engage targets as far away as the Hummel‘s 15cm howitzer, which could fire to 13,250 metres, and the Grille had to be used close to the front line, where it was vulnerable to enemy fire.
4.1.1. The Shell and Its Effect
The 15cm high-explosive shell was the Grille’s reason for existing. It weighed 38 kg, of which about 8 kg was high explosive, and it burst into hundreds of fragments that could kill infantry in the open and destroy light fortifications.
The shell was particularly effective against buildings: a single hit could collapse a house or destroy a strongpoint, and the Grille was often used to support infantry attacks on villages and towns, where its shells cleared the way for the riflemen.
The gun also fired smoke shells, which were used to screen the infantry’s advance, and it could fire a hollow-charge shell, the Stielgranate 42, which was a large, fin-stabilised projectile that could be used against fortifications at short range. The shell’s weight was also its drawback: each round was heavy to handle, and the Grille carried only 15 rounds on board, which was enough for a short fire mission but not for sustained fire, and the vehicle depended on ammunition trucks to keep it supplied.
4.2. The Ausf. H and Ausf. M
The Grille was built in two main versions. The Ausf. H, built in early 1943, mounted the gun at the rear of the chassis, with the engine in the centre, and it had a crew of four. The Ausf. H was built in about 91 examples, and it was the first version to reach the front. The Ausf.
M, built from late 1943 onward, mounted the gun in the centre of the chassis, with the engine at the rear, and it had a crew of five. The Ausf. M was built in about 282 examples, and it was the more numerous and more successful version: the central mounting gave the gun a wider traverse, the crew had more room to work, and the vehicle’s balance was better.
The Ausf. M also had a slightly different superstructure, with thicker armour in some places, and it was easier to maintain. The two versions served side by side, and they were used in the same way, but the Ausf. M was the version that most soldiers knew, because it was the one that was built in larger numbers and that served for longer.
4.3. Armour, Engine and Mobility
The Grille’s armour was thin: the hull front was up to 50mm thick, but the superstructure was only 10 to 25mm thick, and the fighting compartment was open-topped, which left the crew exposed from above. The armour was enough to protect the crew against small-arms fire and shell fragments, but not against anti-tank guns or tank guns, and the Grille was not intended to fight tanks.
The vehicle’s engine was the Praga EPA/6, a 6-cylinder petrol engine producing about 125 to 150 hp, which gave the Grille a road speed of about 35 km/h and a range of about 190 km. The engine was reliable and easy to maintain, and the Grille shared many parts with the Panzer 38(t), which simplified supply.
The Grille’s mobility was good for an infantry support vehicle: it could keep up with the infantry, deploy quickly, fire, and move again, and it could cross most terrain that a light tank could cross. The Grille’s small size — 4.95 metres long and 2.15 metres wide — made it easy to conceal, and it was a difficult target for enemy gunners.
5. Technical Specifications
5.1. Firepower and Range
The Grille’s firepower was that of a heavy infantry gun, and it was the most powerful gun in the German infantry’s inventory. The 15cm sIG 33 fired a 38 kg high-explosive shell, which was effective against infantry, buildings and field fortifications, and its range of about 4,700 metres was enough for the infantry support role, where the gun was used close to the front line.
The gun’s rate of fire was about three to four rounds per minute for short periods, and about two rounds per minute sustained, which was typical for a heavy infantry gun. The Grille’s firepower was its reason for existing: it gave the infantry a heavy gun that could keep up with them, and it was the German army’s answer to the German infantry’s need for heavy fire support, which the Soviets provided with their own self-propelled guns.
The Grille’s short range was its main limitation, and it meant that the vehicle had to be used close to the enemy, where it was vulnerable, but for the infantry support role, the range was enough.
5.1.1. The Grille as a Direct-Fire Weapon
Although the Grille was designed for indirect fire, it was often used for direct fire, against buildings, bunkers and strongpoints that the infantry could see. In direct fire, the Grille’s large shell was devastating: a single hit could destroy a building or a bunker, and the vehicle’s low silhouette and small size made it difficult for the enemy to hit.
The Grille’s crews were trained to use the gun in both roles, and they often fired over open sights at targets that were only a few hundred metres away. Direct fire was dangerous, because it exposed the Grille to enemy anti-tank guns and to infantry with anti-tank weapons, but it was also the role in which the Grille was most effective, because its shell was so powerful at short range.
The Grille’s use in direct fire showed its versatility: it was not just an artillery piece, but a weapon that could be used in the assault, alongside the infantry it supported.
5.2. Protection, Ammunition and Reliability
The Grille’s protection was its weakest point. The 10 to 25mm of superstructure armour and the open top left the crew exposed to artillery fragments, small-arms fire, mortar fire and air attack, and the vehicle could not survive a direct hit from an anti-tank gun or a tank.
The Grille carried only 15 rounds of ammunition, which was enough for a short fire mission but not for sustained fire, and the vehicle depended on ammunition trucks and on the infantry’s own supply to keep it firing. The Grille’s reliability was good, because it used the proven Panzer 38(t) chassis and the proven sIG 33 gun, and it could be maintained in the field with basic tools.
The vehicle’s small size and light weight — about 11.5 tons — made it easy to transport and easy to conceal, and it could cross bridges that heavier vehicles could not. The Grille was a vehicle that did one job well — mobile heavy fire support for the infantry — and it did not pretend to be a tank or a long-range artillery piece.
6. Variants
6.1. Ausf. H, Ausf. M and the Grille 10
The Grille was built in two main versions, the Ausf. H and the Ausf. M, which are described above, and there was also an experimental version, the Grille 10, which mounted a 10.5cm leFH 18 howitzer on the Panzer 38(t) chassis.
The Grille 10 was built in only a few examples, and it did not enter large-scale production, because the German army already had the Wespe, which mounted the same gun on a Panzer II chassis, and because the 15cm Grille was the more important weapon.
There was also a version of the Grille built on the chassis of the Panzer 38(t) with a different superstructure, and a small number of Grilles were fitted with a 15cm sIG 33/1 gun, a slightly improved version of the standard gun.
The Grille’s production ended in 1944, when the Panzer 38(t) chassis was needed for the Hetzer tank destroyer, which was a higher priority, and the last Grilles were delivered in late 1944.
6.1.1. The Hetzer Connection
The Grille’s story is closely linked to that of the Hetzer, the famous German tank destroyer that was also built on the Panzer 38(t) chassis. The Hetzer, which mounted a 75mm anti-tank gun in a fully enclosed, well-armoured casemate, was a far more effective vehicle than the Grille, and it was produced in much larger numbers — about 2,800, against the Grille’s 373.
The German army’s decision to end Grille production in favour of the Hetzer reflected the changing priorities of the war: by 1944, the German army needed tank destroyers more than it needed self-propelled infantry guns, because the Soviet tank armies were the greatest threat.
The Grille and the Hetzer shared the same chassis, the same factory and many of the same parts, and the Hetzer’s success was built on the experience that BMM had gained building the Grille and the Marder III. The Grille was therefore a step on the road to the Hetzer, and its legacy lives on in that more famous vehicle.
6.2. The Grille After the War
The Grille did not survive the war in large numbers. Most were destroyed in combat or abandoned, and only a small number survive in museums today, including one at the Deutsches Panzermuseum in Munster and one at the Musée des Blindés in Saumur.
The Grille’s post-war career was short: unlike the Panzer 38(t) chassis, which was used by the Czechoslovak army after the war, the Grille itself was not adopted by any post-war army, because its gun was obsolete and its open-topped design was out of date.
The Grille is remembered today as a useful but unglamorous weapon, and it is the subject of many scale models, in which enthusiasts recreate its distinctive shape — the large gun, the open fighting compartment and the small Panzer 38(t) chassis.
The Grille’s legacy is a modest one, but it is a real one: it showed that infantry needed mobile heavy fire support, and that idea has shaped infantry tactics ever since.
7. Combat Service
7.1. The Eastern Front
The Grille first saw combat in the spring of 1943, on the Eastern Front, where it served in the heavy infantry gun companies of the infantry divisions. The Grille’s role was to support the infantry in the attack, destroying fortified positions, villages and strongpoints, and its large shell was effective against the Soviet defences.
The Grille served on the Eastern Front for the rest of the war, in the fighting in the Ukraine, in Poland and in the defence of Germany itself, and it was there that the vehicle earned its reputation: German infantry valued the Grille because it was the only heavy gun that could keep up with them, and Soviet troops learned to respect its firepower.
The Grille’s open top and thin armour were less of a problem on the Eastern Front than they would have been in the west, because the Soviet air force was less effective than the Allied air forces, and the Grille’s crews could operate with less fear of air attack.
The Grille’s small size and light weight were also an advantage on the Eastern Front, where the roads were poor and the bridges were weak.
7.1.1. Fighting in Villages and Towns
The Grille was at its best in the fighting for villages and towns, which was a constant feature of the war on the Eastern Front. Soviet troops defended villages stubbornly, turning houses into strongpoints and using cellars as bunkers, and the German infantry needed a weapon that could destroy a house with a single shot.
The Grille’s 15cm shell could do that: a single hit could collapse a building, and the Grille’s crews became expert at firing at houses, at church towers used as observation posts, and at bunkers. The Grille was often used in direct fire in these battles, firing over open sights at targets only a few hundred metres away, and its crews worked closely with the infantry, advancing behind the riflemen and firing at the strongpoints that held them up.
The fighting for villages was dangerous work, and many Grilles were lost to Soviet anti-tank guns and to infantry with anti-tank rifles, but the Grille’s firepower was essential to the infantry’s success.
7.2. Italy, Normandy and the Last Battles
The Grille also served in Italy and in the west, although in smaller numbers than on the Eastern Front. In Italy, Grilles served with the infantry divisions that fought at Anzio and at Cassino, where their firepower was useful in the mountainous terrain, but their mobility was limited by the narrow roads.
In Normandy, Grilles served with the infantry divisions that fought against the Allied invasion, and they were used to provide fire support for the German counterattacks, but they were vulnerable to Allied air attack, and many were destroyed by fighter-bombers.
In the last battles of the war, in Poland and in Germany itself, the Grilles were used in the defence of towns and cities, where their large shells were effective against the advancing Soviet and Allied infantry. The Grille remained in service to the end of the war, and the last Grilles were destroyed or captured in the fighting around Berlin in April and May 1945.
8. Strengths and Weaknesses
8.1. Firepower, Mobility and Size
The Grille’s greatest strength was its firepower. The 15cm sIG 33 was the most powerful gun in the German infantry’s inventory, and its 38 kg shell could destroy buildings, bunkers and fortifications that no other infantry weapon could touch. Its second strength was its mobility: the Grille could keep up with the infantry, deploy quickly, fire, and move again, and it gave the infantry a heavy gun that they had never had before.
Its third strength was its size: at 4.95 metres long and 2.15 metres wide, the Grille was small and easy to conceal, and it could cross bridges that heavier vehicles could not. Its fourth strength was its reliability: the Panzer 38(t) chassis and the sIG 33 gun were both proven designs, and the vehicle could be maintained in the field with basic tools.
These strengths made the Grille a valuable weapon for the infantry, and it was the vehicle that German infantry commanders asked for when they needed heavy fire support.
8.2. Short Range, Thin Armour and Ammunition
The Grille’s weaknesses were the price of its firepower and mobility. Its gun had a short range — about 4,700 metres — which meant that the vehicle had to be used close to the front line, where it was vulnerable to enemy fire.
Its armour was thin — 10 to 25mm on the superstructure — and its open top left the crew exposed to artillery fragments, mortar fire and air attack. The Grille carried only 15 rounds of ammunition, which was enough for a short fire mission but not for sustained fire, and it depended on ammunition trucks to keep it supplied.
The vehicle’s engine, at 125 to 150 hp, was underpowered for a vehicle of 11.5 tons, and its road speed of about 35 km/h was slow. These weaknesses did not prevent the Grille from being an effective weapon, but they meant that it had to be used with care, in the infantry support role for which it was designed, and with the protection of other weapons.
9. Comparison with Rivals
9.1. Against the Hummel and the Wespe
The Grille’s closest German rivals were the Hummel and the Wespe, the other German self-propelled guns. The Hummel mounted a 15cm howitzer with a range of 13,250 metres, far greater than the Grille’s 4,700 metres, and it was a divisional artillery piece, while the Grille was an infantry support weapon.
The Wespe mounted a 10.5cm howitzer with a range of about 10,650 metres, also greater than the Grille’s, but its shell was smaller, at 14.8 kg against the Grille’s 38 kg, and it was less effective against buildings and fortifications.
The Grille’s advantage was its shell: the 38 kg high-explosive shell was the largest and most destructive shell in the German infantry’s inventory, and it was the weapon that the infantry needed to destroy the strongpoints that held them up.
The Hummel and the Wespe were artillery pieces, designed for long-range indirect fire, while the Grille was an infantry weapon, designed for close support, and the three vehicles complemented each other rather than competing with each other.
9.2. Against the Soviet SU-76 and the American M8
The Grille’s foreign rivals were the Soviet SU-76 and the American M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage. The SU-76 was a light self-propelled gun, mounting a 76.2mm gun on a light tank chassis, and it was produced in large numbers — about 14,000 — but its gun was much smaller than the Grille’s, and it was used as a tank destroyer and as an infantry support gun, not as a heavy infantry gun.
The American M8 mounted a 75mm howitzer on a light tank chassis, and it was also produced in large numbers, but its gun was also smaller than the Grille’s, and it was used for a different role. The Grille’s advantage was its gun: the 15cm sIG 33 was larger and more powerful than any other infantry support gun of the war, and it could destroy targets that the SU-76 and the M8 could not.
The Soviet and American vehicles were more numerous and more versatile, but the Grille was the more powerful weapon in its specific role, and it was the weapon that the German infantry valued most.
10. Legacy
10.1. Mobile Heavy Fire Support for the Infantry
The Grille’s most lasting legacy is the idea of mobile heavy fire support for the infantry — the idea that the infantry should have its own heavy guns, mounted on tracked vehicles, that can keep up with the advance and destroy the strongpoints that hold it up.
Before the Grille, heavy infantry guns were towed and slow; after the Grille, every army in the world built self-propelled infantry support guns, from the Soviet SU-76 to the American M8 to the modern infantry fighting vehicles that carry large-calibre guns.
The Grille showed that a heavy gun could be mounted on a light chassis, that it could be used in both direct and indirect fire, and that it could be an essential part of the infantry’s fire support. The Grille’s concept has shaped infantry tactics ever since, and the modern infantry fighting vehicle, with its large gun and its ability to keep up with the infantry, is the direct descendant of the Grille.
10.2. The Grille in Museums and Models
Today, only a small number of Grilles survive, and they are preserved in museums, including the Deutsches Panzermuseum in Munster and the Musée des Blindés in Saumur. The Grille is less well known than the Tiger or the Panther, but it is remembered by historians and by enthusiasts as an important part of the German infantry’s fire support, and it is the subject of many scale models, in which enthusiasts recreate its distinctive shape — the large gun, the open fighting compartment and the small Panzer 38(t) chassis.
The Grille’s place in history is secure: it was not a glamorous weapon, but it was an essential one, and it did the unglamorous, vital work of providing heavy fire support for the infantry who fought the war on the ground.
The Grille is also remembered in the literature on German self-propelled artillery, where historians regard it as an important, if unglamorous, part of the German infantry’s fire support, and as a vehicle that showed the way to the modern infantry fighting vehicle.
11. Frequently Asked Questions
What does Grille mean?
Grille is German for “cricket”. The name was one of a series of animal and insect nicknames given to German self-propelled guns, including the Hummel (bumblebee) and the Wespe (wasp).
What gun did the Grille carry?
The 15cm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun, firing a 38 kg high-explosive shell to a range of about 4,700 metres.
How many Grilles were built?
About 373 were built in 1943 and 1944 — about 91 Ausf. H and about 282 Ausf. M, including prototypes.
What was the difference between the Ausf. H and the Ausf. M?
The Ausf. H mounted the gun at the rear of the chassis, with the engine in the centre, and had a crew of four. The Ausf. M mounted the gun in the centre, with the engine at the rear, had a crew of five, and gave the gun a wider traverse.
Was the Grille a tank?
No. The Grille was a self-propelled heavy infantry gun, designed to provide mobile heavy fire support for the infantry. It was thinly armoured and open-topped, and it was not intended to fight tanks.
Where did the Grille serve?
Mainly on the Eastern Front, where it first saw combat in the spring of 1943, and also in Italy and in Normandy. It remained in service to the end of the war.
12. Sources
- Wikipedia, “Grille (artillery)” — Sd.Kfz. 138/1, production of about 383, specifications (11.5 tons, 4.95 m, 35 km/h, 4,700 m range, 15cm sIG 33).
- Wikipedia, “15 cm sIG 33” — the heavy infantry gun, 38 kg shell, range and service.
- Deutsches Panzermuseum, Munster — the Grille in German service, the Ausf. H and Ausf. M, and the Panzer 38(t) chassis.
- Musée des Blindés, Saumur — the Grille preserved in France and its service on the Eastern Front.
- Thomas L. Jentz and Hilary Louis Doyle, Panzer Tracts No. 10: Artillerie Selbstfahrlafetten — the Grille, the Hummel and the Wespe in German service.
- Imperial War Museum, London — German self-propelled artillery in the Second World War.