Although the early German Panzerjäger carried more effective weapons than the tanks on which they were based, they were generally lacking in protection for the crew, having thinly armored open-topped superstructures.
Aínda que os primeiros Panzerjäger levaban armas máis efectivas que os carros nos que estaban baseados, xeralmente faltáballes protección para a tripulación, tras blindar fortemente superestruturas co teito aberto.