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Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G
StuG III Ausf. G in Yad la-Shiryon museum, Israel.
Type	Assault gun
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1940 to 1945 (German service) StuG IIIs in Syria were in use until the Six-Day War (1967), possibly later
Used by	Germany  Bulgaria  Finland  Hungary  Italy  Romania  Spain  Syria
Wars	World War II (Continuation War), Six-Day War
Production history
No. built	10,500
Specifications
Mass	23.9 tonnes
Length	6.85 m
Width	2.95 m
Height	2.16 m
Crew	4
Armor	16 - 80 mm
Main armament	1x 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 54 rounds
Secondary armament	1x 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 600 rounds
Engine	Maybach HL120TRM V-12 gasoline engine 300 hp (224 kW)
Power/weight	13 hp/tonne
Suspension	torsion bar
Operational range	155 km
Maximum speed	40 km/h

The Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) assault gun was Nazi Germany's most produced armoured fighting vehicle 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 and 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. 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 an 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 the Soviet Union. These destroyed at least 87 enemy tanks for a loss of only 8 StuG's (some of these were destroyed by the crew when they abandoned the vehicle to prevent capture). After the war they were main combat vehicles of the Finnish Army until early 1960s. These Sturms gained the nickname "Sturmi" which can be found in some plastic kit models.

Sturmgeschutz III's were also exported to other nations like Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and Spain.

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).

Operational history

Probably the most successful engagement involving Sturmgeschütz III Ausf F took place in Stalingrad in early September of 1942. Stug III Ausf F from Stug.Abt.244, commanded by Oberwachtmeister Kurt Pfreundtner destroyed 9 Soviet tanks in 20 minutes. On September 18 1942, Oberwachtmeister Kurt Pfreundtner received the Knight's Cross for this achievement.

From 1 to 4 January 1943, Unteroffizier Horst Naumann from Stug.Abt.184 destroyed 12 Soviet tanks during heavy fighting in the Demyansk area. On January 4, Naumann was awarded a Knight's Cross for destruction of a total of 27 enemy tanks.

The most notable Waffen SS Stug ace was Waffen SS Sturmbannführer Walter Kniep, who commanded the 2nd Sturmgeschütz Abteilung of 2nd Waffen SS Panzer Division "Das Reich". From July 5 1943 to January 17 1944, his unit claimed destruction of some 129 Soviet tanks, while losing two Stugs. Kniep was then awarded the Knight's Cross.

Overall, Sturmgeschütz series proved to be very successful and served on all fronts as assault guns and tank destroyers. Although Tigers and Panthers are more famous, assault guns killed many tanks. Because of their low silhouette, Sturmgeschütz III's were easy to camouflage and a difficult target. Most German assault guns carried a high-velocity 75mm gun by 1944. Sturmgeschütz crews were considered to be the elite of the artillery units. Sturmgeschütz units held a very impressive record of tank kills - some 20,000 enemy tanks by spring of 1944. As of April 10 1945, there were 1,053 Stug IIIs and 277 StuH IIIs in service. Approximately 9,500 Sturmgeschütz IIIs of various types were produced until March of 1945 by Alkett and a small number by MIAG.

Variants

• 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 7.5 cm 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 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/43 gun. This change marked the StuG as being more of a tank destroyer than an infantry support vehicle. Side hull skirts were added to some F models for protection from Soviet anti-tank rifles; although these skirts were far more common on the later ausf G.

• StuG III Ausf. F/8 (Sd.Kfz 142/1; 1942, 334 produced)

Another upgunning, the F/8 used 7.5 cm 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. Side hull skirts were added to G models for added armour protection on their sides.

• 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 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/43. These new vehicles, designated Sturmhaubitze 42 (or StuH 42, also known by its Wehrmacht 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 used in combat and all were returned to a Stug III G standard at 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
• Sturmgeschütz III / IV at Achtung Panzer!
• Sturmgeschutz III Photos of the Sturmgeschutz III at the Canada War Museum in Ottawa, Canada

• AFV Database
• LemaireSoft
• OnWar model specifications: A B D E F G
• WWII Vehicles
• WarGamer
• Surviving Sturmgeschütz III and Sturmhaubitze 42 tanks - A PDF file presenting the Sturmgeschütz III and Sturmhaubitze 42 tanks still existing in the world

Template:World War IIGermanAFVs

• Assault guns
• World War II German tank destroyers