The Sd.Kfz.124 'Wespe' was a German self-propelled artillery vehicle developed and used during the WWII. It was based on the Panzer II tank. The design for the 'Wespe' was produced by Alkett, and was based on the Panzer II Ausf.F chassis. Production of the vehicles was carried out at various plants, mainly in Poland. The conversion process itself proved relatively simple, involving the replacement of the Panzer II turret with a 105mm howitzer and gun-shield. The 'Wespe' first saw combat in 1943 on the Eastern Front, and proved so successful that Hitler ordered all Panzer II production to be reserved for the 'Wespe' alone, dropping other projects such as the 'Marder' II. Rare, they were allocated to the armored artillery battalions of Panzer divisions along with heavier Hummel self-propelled guns. The 'Wespe' stayed in production from February 1943 until mid-1944. By that time, 662 had been produced, with an additional 158 built as weaponless ammunition carriers.