Sturmgeschütz III
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The Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) assault gun was one of Germany's most produced armored fighting vehicles during World War II. It was built on the chassis of the Panzer III tank. Initially intended as a mobile, armoured light gun for infantry support, the StuG was continually modified until, by 1942, it was widely employed as a tank destroyer.
The Sturmgeschütz series is probably best known for its excellent price-to-performance ratio. By the end of the war, over 10,500 had been built.
History
The Sturmgeschütz III originated from an initial proposal that Colonel Erich von Manstein submitted to General Beck in 1935 in which he suggested that Sturmartillerie (Assault Artillery) units should be used in a direct-fire support role for infantry divisions. To that end, on June 15, 1936, Daimler-Benz AG received an order to develop an armoured infantry support vehicle capable of mounting a 75 mm (3 in) artillery piece. The gun was to have a limited traverse of a minimum of 25 degrees and be mounted in a fully enclosed superstructure that provided overhead protection for the crew. The height of the vehicle was not to exceed that of the average man.
Daimler-Benz AG used the chassis and running gear of its recently designed Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank as a basis for the new vehicle. Prototype manufacture was passed over to Alkett, which produced five examples in 1937 of the experimental 0-series StuG based upon the PzKpfw III Ausf. B. These prototypes featured a mild steel superstructure and Krupp’s short-barreled 75 mm Sturmkanone 37 L/24.
As the StuG III was intended to fill an anti-infantry close support combat role, early models were fitted with a low-velocity 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 gun, firing high explosive shells. After the Germans encountered the Soviet T-34, the StuG III were armed with the high-velocity 75 mm StuK 40 L/43 (Spring 1942) or 75 mm L/48 (Autumn 1942) anti-tank gun.
Later models of the StuG III had a 7.92mm MG34 mounted on the hull for added anti-infantry protection.
In 1944 the Finnish army received 59 StuG III from Germany and used them against Soviet Union. These Stug III's destroyed at least 87 enemy tanks, for a loss of only 8 StuG's (some of these were destroyed by the crew before they abandonded the vehicle). After the war most of surviving vehicles were used as main battle tanks of the Finnish army.
After the Second World War, the Soviet Union gave some of the captured German vehicles to Syria, which continued to use them at least until the Six Days War (1967).
Variants
Image:Stug3g.jpg Image:StugIII at Kursk.jpg
- StuG III Ausf. A (Sd.Kfz 142; 1940, 30 produced)
First used in the Battle of France, the StuG III Ausf. A used the chassis of the Panzer III Ausf. F and the 75mm StuK 37 L/24 gun.
- StuG III Ausf. B (Sd.Kfz 142; 1940-41, 320 produced)
Widened tracks and other minor changes.
- StuG III Ausf. C (Sd.Kfz 142; 1941, 50 produced)
Minor improvements over the StuG B.
- StuG III Ausf. D (Sd.Kfz 142; 1941, 150 produced)
Minor improvements over the StuG C.
- StuG III Ausf. E (Sd.Kfz 142; 1941-42, 272 produced)
A MG 34 is added to protect the vehicle from enemy infantry. Other minor improvements.
- StuG III Ausf. F (Sd.Kfz 142/1; 1942, 359 produced)
The first real upgunning of the StuG, this version uses the longer 75 mm StuK 40 L/43 gun. This change marked the StuG as being more of a tank destroyer than an infantry support vehicle.
- StuG III Ausf. F/8 (Sd.Kfz 142/1; 1942, 334 produced)
Another upgunning, the F/8 used 75 mm StuK 40 L/48 gun.
- StuG III Ausf. G (Sd.Kfz 142/1; 1942-45, 7,893 produced)
The final, and by far the most common, of the StuG series. The G-series StuG used the hull of the Panzer III Ausf. M and, after 1944, a second machine gun. Later versions were fitted with the Saukopf (Ger. pig's head) gun mantlet, which was more effective than the original box metal structure at deflecting shots.
- Other Stug III Based Vehicles
Some StuG III were also made from a Panzer III chassis but fitted the bogie suspension system of the Panzer IV tank. Only about 20 were manufactured. The intention was to simplify field repairs but this did not work out well and the model was cancelled.
In 1942, a variant of the StuG III F was designed with a 10.5 cm (105 mm) howitzer instead of the 75 mm StuK 40 L/43. These new vehicles, designated Sturmhaubitze 42 (or StuH 42, also known by its Werhmacht designation Sd.Kfz 142/2) were designed to provide infantry support with the increased number of StuG III F/8 and Gs being used for anti-tank duties. The StuH 42 mounted a variant of the Model 1918 Light Field Howitzer, modified to be electrically fired and fitted with a muzzle brake. Later models were built from StuG III G chassis, as well as, StuG III F and F/8 chassis. The muzzle brake was often deleted as well because of the scarcity of resources.
In 1943, 10 StuG IIIs were converted to StuG I (FLAMM) configuration by replacing the main gun with a Schwade flamethrower. These chassis were all refurbished at the depot level and were a variety of Pre-Ausf. F models. There are no reports to indicate any of these were actually used in combat, and all were returned to a Stug III G standard at the depot level by 1944.
The Soviet SU-76i self-propelled gun was based on captured German StuG III and Panzer III vehicles. About 1,200 of these vehicles were converted for Red Army service by adding an enclosed superstructure and the ZiS-5 76.2 mm gun.
External links
- Information about the Sturmgeschütz III at Panzerworld
- Achtung Panzer!
- AFV Database
- LemaireSoft
- OnWar model specifications: A B D E F G
- WWII Vehicles
- WarGamer
| German armored fighting vehicles of World War II | |
|---|---|
| Tanks | |
| Panzer I | Panzer II | Panzer III | Panzer IV | Panther | Tiger I, II | Panzer 35(t) | Panzer 38(t) | |
| Self-propelled artillery | |
| Wespe | Hummel | Grille | Panzerwerfer | Panzerfeldhaubitze 18M | SIG 33 | Wurfrahmen 40 | |
| Assault guns | |
| StuG III | StuG IV | StuH 42 | Brummbär | Sturmtiger | |
| Tank destroyers | |
| Panzerjäger I | Marder I , II , III | Hetzer | Jagdpanzer IV | Jagdpanther | Nashorn | Jagdtiger | Elefant | |
| Armored half-tracks | Armored cars |
| SdKfz 4 | 250 | 251 | 252 | 253 | Sdkfz 221/22/23 | Sdkfz 231/32/34/63 |
| Self propelled anti-aircraft | |
| Flakpanzer IV: Möbelwagen, Wirbelwind, Ostwind, Kugelblitz | Gepard | |
| Prototypes | |
| Maus | P-1000 Ratte | E- series | Panther II | Waffenträger | Neubaufahrzeug | |
| Proposed designs | |
| P-1500 'Monster' | Panzer VII 'Löwe' | Panzer IX | |
| German armored fighting vehicle production during World War II | |
de:Sturmgeschütz III ja:3号突撃砲 nl:Sturmgeschütz III no:Sturmgeschütz III pl:Sturmgeschütz III sr:Штурмгешиц III fi:Sturmgeschütz III