SdKfz 142 StuG III (Sturmgeshutz)

The StuG III was a well known German assault gun of World War 2. The system stemmed from a German Army need to supply ground troops with a mobile artillery system when traditional armor units such as tanks were not not made available. The system would have to mount formidable firepower in its design and provide a mechanized element to advancing fronts in order to keep up with the requirements inherent in the Blitzkrieg concept. The resulting system - though at the time deemed an interim solution - became the Sturmgeshutz (StuG) III, which utilized the existing Panzer III tank hull and sported a 75mm main gun in a fixed position on the superstructure.

The StuG III entered production in January of 1940. The system mounted a powerful 75mm main gun into a turretless all-hull design (the 75mm gun was simply too long to fit into Panzer III turrets). This, coupled with the use of existing Panzer III hulls, cut down on production costs and time. However, the major drawback of this turretless design however lay in the fact that the entire tank had to be turned to target and fire on an enemy. Later models would add self-defense 7.92mm machine guns for crew protection. Crew accommodations amounted to four personnel. Externally, the design of the StuG III was characterized by the small six road wheels, low profile and, in some models from 1943 onwards, side skirting for additional armor protection for the crew.

The StuG III appeared in a few variants with earlier ones mounting the StuK 37 L-24 main gun. The definitive StuG III came in the form of the Ausf F model which sported an StuK 40 L/43 main gun. This model's designation changed slightly to showcase the difference from previous ones and became the SdKfz 142/1 and would sometimes be known as the StuG 40 from that point on. Additionally frontal armor protection was further addressed and continued to be so in future variants.

Production of the StuG series numbered in the thousands with a majority of production facilities concentrating on StuG IIIs by war's end. The system proved so effective and vital that even captured Soviet versions turned up with the Red Army sporting a variety of Soviet main armaments. Finland was also the other major user of the StuG III. Easy to build and relatively inexpensive when compared to other German systems, the StuG III series became a pivotal battlefield component of the German Army up through the closing months of the world conflict.

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Last Updated: 9/21/2009