12.8 cm Selbstfahrlafette auf VK 3001(H) (Panzerselbstfahrlafette V “Sturer Emil”) was an experimental German heavy tank destroyer built on a lengthened VK 3001(H) chassis and armed with a powerful 12.8 cm K 40 L/61 gun. Developed by Rheinmetall-Borsig and Henschel between 1941 and 1942, only two prototypes were built. Accommodating a 5-man crew, the open-topped rear compartment held a limited load of 15 to 18 rounds, supplemented by a hull-mounted MG 34 for close defense. Sent to the Eastern Front for combat evaluation in mid-1942 (assigned to the 2nd Panzer Division and 521st Panzerjäger Battalion), both vehicles proved highly effective against enemy armor. However, mass production was canceled in favor of the Tiger tank. One prototype was destroyed in battle, while the second—bearing 22 kill marks on its barrel—was captured by Soviet forces at Stalingrad in January 1943 and is now preserved at the Kubinka Tank Museum.
