Trumpeter 00378 Grille II 17cm Cannon

The Grille II (another designation: Grille 17) was a prototype German self-propelled gun from the Second World War. The only prototype of the gun was built in April or May 1945 - the car never entered mass production. The Grille II was supposed to be powered by a single engine Maybach HL230 P30 with 700 hp. It was to be armed with a single 170mm K18 gun.

Design work on the Grille II began in 1942 at the Krupp factory. The Grille II was to be part of a larger series of new, heavy self-propelled guns for the Wehrmacht, which were to replace the equipment used so far. In the design of the Grille II, an extended chassis of the Pz.Kpfw tank was used. VI Tiger II and its drive system, and it was placed in the front part of the car. At the rear of the hull, there is a combat compartment for the great 170mm K18 cannon. The Grille II armor was supposed to protect the crew only against artillery fragments and small-caliber weapons. The Grille II, however, did not receive high priority in the German arms programs and never entered mass production.