The Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun was designed to provide cheap fire support to troops assigned to planets important enough to protect but not important enough to warrant a full garrison of troops. Primary customers are the Capellan Confederation of House Liao and planets in the Periphery.
         Although the Crusher Super Heavy Cannon gives the vehicle enormous fire potential, the Hetzer's lack of a turret and other diversified weaponry make it a nightmare for crews taking it into non-defensive combat situations.
         Another problem with the Hetzer is that it is a wheeled vehicle. Though this keeps production costs down (the whole point of the Hetzer), it restricts the vehicle's mobility. Troops can always tell when a Hetzer is around because paths must be cut to allow it to travel over any terrain that is not flat.
         Most regular combat crews consider the Hetzer to be a "rolling coffin," because it is so difficult to escape its cramped crew compartment in case of fire. Indeed, most troopers prefer any duty to climbing into a Hetzer, and so many sergeants use Hetzer assignments as a form of punishment for low performance.

         The Hetzer is a very simple vehicle to manufacture. Using a basic truck chassis and engine, Quikscell welds armor plate into a box-shape, cuts out holes for hatches and weapons, and places enough equipment inside to allow the vehicle to be marginally effective on the battlefield (or at least not totally ineffective). The simplicity of the procedures also allows Quikscell to employ unskilled labor, which definitely improves the firm's profit margins.
         The manufacturing technique may be cheap and fast, but it can result in a very slipshod product. Many crewmembers have complained that their newly issued vehicles do not have all of the equipment properly installed. In many cases, gun sights and ammo racks have been found thrown into the crew compartment. If the crew is lucky enough to find a bag of bolts also included, they can install these components themselves. More often than not, however, the crews are unable to install this critical equipment, and so quite a few brand new vehicles are immediately listed as inoperable on the unit status reports. Because of this problem, many crews refuse to exchange their older vehicles for new ones, for at least they know that their current machine works.
         Another minor problem with the Hetzer is its electrical system. As the Hetzer's battery is not large enough to power its weapons system and radios for any length of time, the engine must constantly be turned on to recharge the battery. Not only does this waste fuel, but it can also lead to the Hetzer giving away its position at an inopportune moment.
         The Hetzer's only saving grace is its Crusher SH Cannon. This 150 mm autocannon is well known for its reliability and accuracy. With the burst of ten hyper-velocity slugs that the Crusher fires, it can savage any 'Mech in less than ten seconds. In addition, the Hetzer carries enough ammunition to sustain it in a long engagement.

         The only known victory of Hetzers over a superior force occurred on the planet Barras, in Liao space. The commander of the Hetzer battalion grew so bored with the simple routine of garrison duty that one day he decided to put his unit through full field exercises and to stage war-games. One of these was a Command Post exercise in which the companies called in reports to the battalion command post just as though a real battle were occurring; the staff then responded by maneuvering the battalion against their phantom attackers.
         While all this was going on, a Marik 'Mech company performing reconnaissance in force dropped into the middle of the wargame. When reports began to arrive at the Liao Command Post, the commanders responded vigorously, without ever realizing that the attack was a real one. It was not until the Hetzer battalion had crushed the Marik company and forced them offplanet that anyone knew how serious the situation had been.

A few variants on the Hetzer have become popular over the years , but the cannon remains the perfered weapon . The rare modifications have been on an indivual basis , with long- , short-ranged missile racks and even lasers and flamers sometimes replacing the Crusher cannon.
   Some forces use Hetzers with advanced scouting and detection equipment. Such equipment is so prohibitively expensive that it is usually reserved for better-armed and mobile units .

         Anjin Smith
         Anjin Smith , a Liao sergent , is the only known member of a Hetzer crew who has not requested a transfer to a different vehicle unit at some time in his career . Smith has been through more than 15 engagements , having managed to destroy at least one 'Mech and two other vehicles in every fight .