Last Ditch Stug

Fabrizio Pincelli presents a StuG III from the closing months of the War.

 

 

Germany’s most produced armoured fighting vehicle during World War II, the Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) was built on the chassis of the already successful Pz.Kpfw.III tank, the turret being replaced by a fixed superstructure mounting a more powerful gun. Initially intended as an infantry-support weapon, the StuG III underwent various improvements, which resulted in a highly effective tank destroyer. Prototype manufacture of the vehicle was carried out by Altmärkische Kettenwerk GmbH (Alkett), which produced five prototypes based on the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.B chassis. These featured a mild steel superstructure, and were armed with Krupp’s short-barrelled 7.5cm StuK 37 L/24 cannon.

While the StuG was regarded as a self-propelled artillery weapon, there was much debate as to which combat arm of the Wehrmacht Heer would take on this new asset. The Panzer arm had no resources for the formation of StuG units; nor did the infantry branch. Eventually, it was decided that they would be employed as part of the artillery arm. Although the L/24 gun was ideally suited to the infantry-support role, it proved to be of no use against Soviet KV-1 and T-34 tanks. Consequently, the StuG was re-fitted with the high-velocity 7.5cm StuK 40 L/43 gun in the Spring of 1942, and several months later with the slightly longer 7.5cm StuK 40 L/48.

As with any new development, production cost is a major factor. In fact, the vehicles of the Sturmgeschütz series were cheaper to build than other contemporary German tanks (82,500 RM for a StuG III Ausf.G, compared with 103,163 RM for a Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf.M). The omission of a turret greatly simplified manufacture, and allowed the chassis to carry a larger gun than it could otherwise. It is estimated that by the end of the war, 11,300 StuG IIIs and StuH 42s had been built.