StuG III

The StuG III (Sturmgeschütz III) was a 75-mm self-propelled artillery piece. With its official designation being SdKfz 142, it was fielded by Germany during World War II. It was developed on the chassis of the Panzer III tank and entered service by mid 1940. However, it saw combat action the following year in late June 1941, during Operation Barbarossa as it was known by the troops by its abbreviation StuG III. With over 10,000 units having been produced by early 1945, it was fielded in several versions; the Sturmgeschutz III ausf A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.

The StuG III Ausf G in 1944.

Armament

The first variants of the Sturmgeschutz III (Ausf A, B, C, D, and E) were all equipped with the short-barreled 7.5 cm L/24 gun. Thus, these versions were underpowered as they were not effective as an anti-tank weapon. This was the reason they were used only to provide fire support to infantry units, especially in Urban Warfare. For Operation Barbarossa and Case Blue, it was part of the arsenal of every mechanized infantry regiment.

The emergence of the T-34 during the Battle of Moscow, in December 1941, saw the urgent need to provide the StuG III with a very powerful gun to enable it to face the new Russian tank. Therefore, it would be fitted with a longer and more powerful gun; the 7.5 cm L/43 as it became the Sturmgeschūtz III Ausf F. The version that followed, the Ausf G, would feature the 7.5 cm L/48. All models, however, were equipped with two 7.92mm Mauser machine guns.

Both the L/43 and the L/48 long-barreled anti-tank guns had been developed from the 7.5 cm PaK 40, a towed anti-tank cannon employed by the German infantry. This new anti-tank gun was also mounted in the turrets of the Panzer IV Ausf G/H and the Panzer V "Panther". It features an extremely-high muzzle velocity of 930 m per second, as it fired both armor-piercing, tungsten-tipped and high-explosive anti-tank rounds.

Specification

Weight: 23.9 tons

Length (Chassis): 6.77 m (22 ft, 2.5 in)

Width: 2.95 m (9 ft, 8 in)

Height: 2.16 m (7 ft, 1 in)

Powerplant: one 265 HP, Maybach V-12 gasoline engine

Maximum Speed: 40 km/h

Range: 170 km

Crew: 4

Below, the StuG III Ausf B, during the 1941 eastern offensive.

Below, the Sturmgeschutz III Ausf F, rolling southeastwards during Caucasus Campaign.