Content Assault gun Stug III Technical description Stug gun Ausf.B – Ausf.E Assault gun Ausf.F – Ausf.G Assault gun I “Sturmgeschütz” III StuG III; Sturmgeshütz III (Sd.Kfz.142). The assault gun was created by Daimler-Benz on the basis of the Pz-III (T-III) tank and was produced since 1940 as a means of direct infantry support. It differed from the tank in the absence of a turret. The 75-mm gun with a barrel length of 24 caliber was placed on a special machine in a spacious conning tower, mounted in front of the chassis, borrowed from the T-III tank with virtually no changes. A commander's cupola with viewing devices was installed on the roof of the cabin. The assault gun was equipped with a radio station, a tank intercom and a smoke exhaust system. During the serial production of the assault gun, it was repeatedly modernized both in terms of armament and armor protection. The thickness of the frontal armor was eventually increased from 15 mm to 80 mm. Armor screens were used to protect the sides. The short-barreled gun was replaced by a gun of the same caliber with a long barrel of 43 calibers, and then 48 calibers. The base of the assault gun was also used to mount a 105 mm howitzer with a 28,3 caliber barrel. Assault guns III entered service with assault gun brigades, tank regiments, and anti-tank units of infantry divisions. In total, during the production period, about 10,5 thousand III assault guns of various modifications were produced. The story behind the StuG III Learn more about the history behind the Sturmgeschütz III The official contract for the development of the assault gun was issued on June 15, 1936.The contract stipulated the following technical requirements for the vehicle: main armament with a caliber of at least 75 m; the sector of shelling of the gun along the horizon of at least 30 g without turning the whole machine; the vertical guidance angle of the gun must ensure the destruction of targets at a distance of at least 6000 m; cannon shells must be capable of penetrating all known types of armor from a distance of at least 500 m;  all-aspect armor protection of the assault gun, the design of the installation is reckless with a wheelhouse open on top. The frontal armor must withstand a direct hit by a 20-mm anti-tank projectile and have a slope close to 60 degrees to the vertical, the armor of the sides must be resistant to bullets and shrapnel; the total height of the machine should not exceed the height of a standing person; the length and width of the installation depend on the selected track base; other design details, ammunition, communication equipment, the number of crew members, etc., the developer has the right to determine independently. As stipulated by the specification, the top of the wheelhouse of the installation was carried out open, without a roof. In 1936, it was believed that an open top would provide additional tactical advantages: the crew gets a better view of the terrain than the crew of a tank and, in addition, can hear the sounds of the enemy's combat equipment. However, in 1939 it was decided to switch to a variant with a fully armored roof of the installation. The design with a closed top was the result of changed tactical requirements for an assault gun. The need for a roof was explained by the possible ricochet of bullets inside the fighting compartment, when the car was fired on descents or ascents. It was believed that the probability of hitting the top of the s.Pak installation on the move or in place by a direct hit by a mine or projectile is very low. The thin upper armor plate could not withstand a direct hit by an 81-mm mortar or a 75-mm high-explosive projectile, while at the same time it provided protection for the crew members from hand grenades. The roof of the fighting compartment was not waterproof and could not prevent the Molotov cocktail from getting inside the installation from the burning liquid. Already after the development of the roof structure, there was a requirement to ensure firing from a gun from closed positions, as a result, the project had to be somewhat redone. A hole was made in the roof for the optical head of the panoramic sight. The gunner was aiming the gun without seeing the target, he received the order about the angles of the sight from the commander of the battery. This method of shooting was used when firing from closed positions. The chassis of the PzKpfw III tank was chosen as the base. The first prototype of this tank, known as the "Zugfurerwagen" (platoon commander's vehicle) appeared at the end of 1935. After testing and modifications, the tank was put into serial production at the Daimler-Benz AG plant No. 40 in Berlin-Marisnfeld. From 1937 to 1939 The following series of PzKpfw III tanks were built: series 1./ZW (chassis numbers 60101-60110); 2./ZW series (chassis numbers 60201-60215; series For / ZW (chassis numbers 60301-60315); series Зb / ZW (chassis numbers 6031666-60340); series 4 / ZW (chassis numbers 60401-60441, 60442-60496). Learn more about the history behind the Sturmgeschütz III Assault guns “0-series” Learn more about Series 0 Assault Weapons The first five assault guns of the “0-series” were made of ordinary structural steel based on the chassis of the PzKpfw III tanks of the 2nd series. Accurate records of production by the armaments department were not kept until December 1938, so it is very difficult to determine the period of time in which the 0-series assault guns were built. It is known that several companies were involved in their manufacture, in particular, Daimler-Benz supplied the chassis and cabins, and Krupp supplied the guns. The first three vehicles were assembled by December 1937, it is known that the chassis of the fourth and fifth vehicles were transferred to the 1st Tank Regiment in Erfurt on December 6, 1937. Data on that. when cuttings were made by Daimler-Benz are absent. There is a document dated September 30, 1936, which says: “four chassis of PzKpfw III tanks with wooden models of assault gun cabins should be prepared for testing in April-May 1937.” Assault guns of the “0-series” differed from the vehicles of later modifications mainly in the design of the undercarriage, which included eight road wheels, a drive wheel, a sloth and three rollers supporting the caterpillar on board. The track rollers were blocked in pairs into bogies, in turn, every two bogies were suspended on a common leaf spring: the movement of the bogies in the vertical plane was limited by rubberized stops. The sharp throws of carts when driving over rough terrain were partly damped by Fichtel und Sachs shock absorbers, which worked only when the cart was moving up. The caterpillar consisted of 121 tracks 360 mm wide (the distance between the fingers was 380 mm). A 12-cylinder carburetor V-shaped internal combustion engine “Maybach” HL108 was mounted in the rear of the case, the collapse of the cylinder blocks was 60 grams, the cast engine crankcase consisted of two parts, fastened with bolts. The lower part of the crankcase was an oil bath. The engine developed a power of 230 hp. at 2300 rpm The clutch, transmission and turning mechanism were located in front of the body in a single structural unit. The five-speed synchro-mechanical transmission "Afon" SFG-75 was developed and manufactured by "Sahnradfabrik Friedrichshafn" (ZF). The army received five “0-series” vehicles in September 1939, since the cuttings of the vehicles were made of ordinary steel, the combat use of prototype assault guns was excluded, they were used to train crews. Five experimental installations eventually ended up in the school of assault artillery in Juteborg, where they were used at least until the end of 1941. Learn more about Series 0 Assault Weapons Assault gun Ausf.A (StuG III Ausf.A) Heereswaffenat signed a contract with Daimler-Benz for the construction of 30 chassis for assault guns. Chassis numbers of 30 “Sturmgeschutz” Ausf.A units are 90001-90030. The 5./ZW chassis of the PzKpfw III tank was chosen as the base. Work on the assault gun was hampered by problems with the ZW transmission. The Ordnance Office decided on May 23, 1939 that the chassis should be equipped with transmissions equipped with “Hochtrieber” devices, also known as “accelerating gear”. With the help of the “Hochtrieber” device, the number of revolutions of the transmission could exceed the number of revolutions of the engine shaft. To install the “accelerating gears”, it was necessary to remove and re-install the superstructures involved in the tests of the PzKpfw III tanks. In addition, the tests showed the unreliability of the transmission, which often broke down. Finally, for a new chassis with an independent torsion bar suspension of the road wheels, it was absolutely necessary to install shock absorbers, which could be made no earlier than July 1939. Dated October 13, 1939, the memorandum recorded the following situation with the work on the combat vehicle “Pz.Sfl.III (sPak)” (official name of the assault gun until May 1940): Development of the Pz.Sfl machine. III (sPak) completed, the program entered the preproduction phase; Five Pz.Sfl vehicles were manufactured. III (sPak) with standard armament, but a wheelhouse made of ordinary steel; Release of the first series of 30 Pz.Sfl. III (sPak) is scheduled for December 1939 - April 1940, the production of 250 machines of the second series should begin in April 1940 with a production rate of 20 assault guns per month; Further work on the installation of the Pz.Sfl. III (sPak) should focus on integrating a 75 mm gun with a 41 caliber barrel and 685 m / s muzzle velocity into the vehicle. The production of a prototype of such a machine from ordinary steel is scheduled for May 1940. At the training ground in Kummersdorf on December 12, 1939, a test fire was carried out on a set of assault gun parts made of armor - a cabin and a gun mantlet. A 37-mm anti-aircraft gun was used for shelling, firing was carried out with shells weighing 0,695 kg with an initial speed of 750 m / s at a distance of 100 meters. Some results of the control fire: After a direct hit of the projectile in the gun mantlet, a crack about 300 mm long formed, and the hull armor plates installed above the mantlet shifted by 2 mm. Two more shells hit the upper right corner of the frontal shield of the mask, and one hit the very top of the mask. The effect of these hits was manifested in the complete destruction of the welded seam of the gun mask, the bolts on which the frontal shield of the mask is attached were torn off the threads. The military informed the Krupp company about the results of the firing and demanded that the mask be improved. The machines of the first series (Series I. Pz.Sfl III) were assembled at the plant number 40 of the Daimler-Benz company in Berlin-Marienfeld: the first was collected in December 1939, four - in January 1940, eleven in February seven - in March seven in April. In accordance with a memorandum dated January 1940, delays in the fulfillment of the contract for the supply of the first batch of 30 assault guns were associated with the late delivery of the first serial 75-mm guns. The planned completion of deliveries of the first 30 vehicles had to be postponed from April 1, 1940, first to the tenth of the same month, and then to May 1. The Polish campaign also affected the delay in the production of assault guns of the first series, during which a significant number of PzKpfw III tanks were damaged. The restoration and repair of tanks took components and assemblies that were originally intended for assault guns. In addition, changes were made to the design of the Pz.Sfl during production, in particular, it was necessary to abandon the crew compartment open from above and install a roof to protect the crew, many changes were made to the cabin drawings in order to improve the view of the crew members, as a result, the manufacturer of armor plates, the company " Brandenburg Eisenwerke GmbH, received the drawings too late to complete the order on time and, moreover, could not maintain the quality of the armor according to the specification. Problems continued with the transmission, an improved model of which (with an accelerating gear) occupied a larger volume, now the gun cradle rested against the transmission. The performance characteristics of the Wehrmacht assault guns ausf A-B   Model StuG III ausf.A-B Military index Sd.Kfz.142 Manufacturer "Daimler Benz" Combat weight, kg 19 600 Crew 4 Speed, km / h   - by highway 40 - along the country road 24 Power reserve, km   - on the highway 160 - on the ground 100 Fuel tank capacity, l 320 Length, mm 5 480 Width 2 950 Height, mm 1 950 Clearance, mm 385 Track width, mm 360 Engine, firm “Maybach” Type HL120TR Power, hp 300 Weapon, type StuK37 Caliber, mm 75 Barrel length, cal, 24 Early projectile speed, m / s   - armor-piercing 385 - fragmentation 420 Ammunition, rds. 44 Machine guns, number x type *** no Caliber, mm   Ammunition, cartridges   Reservations, mm 50-30 * - The length of the self-propelled guns with a barrel of 48 calibers ** - A number of StuG III ausf.E received a StuK lang gun with a 40 caliber barrel *** - Assault guns and howitzers StuG 40, StuH 42 of later releases had a second machine gun coaxial with a cannon ausf CD   Model StuG III ausf.CD Military index Sd.Kfz.142 Manufacturer "Alkett" Combat weight, kg 22 000 Crew 4 Speed, km / h   - by highway 40 - along the country road 24 Power reserve, km   - on the highway 160 - on the ground 100 Fuel tank capacity, l 320 Length, mm 5 500 Width 2 950 Height, mm 1 960 Clearance, mm 385 Track width, mm 380 – 400 Engine, firm “Maybach” Type HL120TRME Power, hp 300 Weapon, type StuK37 Caliber, mm 75 Barrel length, cal, 24 Early projectile speed, m / s   - armor-piercing 385 - fragmentation 420 Ammunition, rds. 44 Machine guns, number x type *** no Caliber, mm 7,92 Ammunition, cartridges 600 Reservations, mm 80 – 50 * - The length of the self-propelled guns with a barrel of 48 calibers ** - A number of StuG III ausf.E received a StuK lang gun with a 40 caliber barrel *** - Assault guns and howitzers StuG 40, StuH 42 of later releases had a second machine gun coaxial with a cannon outf E   Model StuG III ausf.E Military index Sd.Kfz.142 Manufacturer "Alkett" Combat weight, kg 22 050 Crew 4 Speed, km / h   - by highway 40 - along the country road 24 Power reserve, km   - on the highway 165 - on the ground 95 Fuel tank capacity, l 320 Length, mm 5 500 Width 2 950 Height, mm 1 960 Clearance, mm 385 Track width, mm 380 – 400 Engine, firm “Maybach” Type HL120TRME Power, hp 300 Weapon, type StuK37** Caliber, mm 75 Barrel length, cal, 24 Early projectile speed, m / s   - armor-piercing 385 - fragmentation 420 Ammunition, rds. 50 (54) Machine guns, number x type *** 1 x MG-34 Caliber, mm 7,92 Ammunition, cartridges 600 Reservations, mm 80 – 50 * - The length of the self-propelled guns with a barrel of 48 calibers ** - A number of StuG III ausf.E received a StuK lang gun with a 40 caliber barrel *** - Assault guns and howitzers StuG 40, StuH 42 of later releases had a second machine gun coaxial with a cannon execute F   Model StuG III ausf.F Military index Sd.Kfz.142 / 1 Manufacturer "Alkett" Combat weight, kg 23 200 Crew 4 Speed, km / h   - by highway 40 - along the country road 24 Power reserve, km   - on the highway 165 - on the ground 95 Fuel tank capacity, l 320 Length, mm 6 700 * Width 2 950 Height, mm 2 160 Clearance, mm 385 Track width, mm 400 Engine, firm “Maybach” Type HL120TRME Power, hp 300 Weapon, type StuK40 Caliber, mm 75 Barrel length, cal, 43 Early projectile speed, m / s   - armor-piercing 750 - fragmentation 485 Ammunition, rds. 44 Machine guns, number x type *** 1 x MG-34 Caliber, mm 7,92 Ammunition, cartridges 600 600 Reservations, mm 80 – 50 * - The length of the self-propelled guns with a barrel of 48 calibers ** - A number of StuG III ausf.E received a StuK lang gun with a 40 caliber barrel *** - Assault guns and howitzers StuG 40, StuH 42 of later releases had a second machine gun coaxial with a cannon Ausf G   Model StuG 40 Ausf.G Military index Sd.Kfz.142 / 1 Manufacturer “Alkett”, “MlAG” Combat weight, kg 23 900 Crew 4 Speed, km / h   - by highway 40 - along the country road 24 Power reserve, km   - on the highway 155 - on the ground 95 Fuel tank capacity, l 320 Length, mm 6 700 * Width 2 950 Height, mm 2 160 Clearance, mm 385 Track width, mm 400 Engine, firm “Maybach” Type HL120TRME Power, hp 300 Weapon, type StuK40 Caliber, mm 75 Barrel length, cal, 48 Early projectile speed, m / s   - armor-piercing 750 - fragmentation 485 Ammunition, rds. 54 Machine guns, number x type *** 1 x MG-34 Caliber, mm 7,92 Ammunition, cartridges 600 Reservations, mm 80 – 50 * - The length of the self-propelled guns with a barrel of 48 calibers ** - A number of StuG III ausf.E received a StuK lang gun with a 40 caliber barrel *** - Assault guns and howitzers StuG 40, StuH 42 of later releases had a second machine gun coaxial with a cannon StuH 42   Model StuG 42 Military index Sd.Kfz.142 / 2 Manufacturer "Alkett" Combat weight, kg 23 900 Crew 4 Speed, km / h   - by highway 40 - along the country road 24 Power reserve, km   - on the highway 155 - on the ground 95 Fuel tank capacity, l 320 Length, mm 6 300 Width 2 950 Height, mm 2 160 Clearance, mm 385 Track width, mm 400 Engine, firm “Maybach” Type HL120TRME Power, hp 300 Weapon, type StuG 42 Caliber, mm 105 Barrel length, cal, 28 Early projectile speed, m / s   - armor-piercing 470 - fragmentation 400 Ammunition, rds. 36 Machine guns, number x type *** 1 x MG-34 Caliber, mm 7,92 Ammunition, cartridges 600 Reservations, mm 80 – 50 * - The length of the self-propelled guns with a barrel of 48 calibers ** - A number of StuG III ausf.E received a StuK lang gun with a 40 caliber barrel *** - Assault guns and howitzers StuG 40, StuG 42 of later releases had a second machine gun coaxial with a cannon StuG IV   Model StuG IV Military index Sd.Kfz.163 Manufacturer “Krupp Gruson” Combat weight, kg 23 200 Crew 4 Speed, km / h   - by highway 38 - along the country road 20 Power reserve, km   - on the highway 210 - on the ground 110 Fuel tank capacity, l 430 Length, mm 6 770 Width 2 950 Height, mm 2 220 Clearance, mm 400 Track width, mm 400 Engine, firm “Maybach” Type HL120TRME Power, hp 300 Weapon, type StuK40 Caliber, mm 75 Barrel length, cal, 48 Early projectile speed, m / s   - armor-piercing 750 - fragmentation 485 Ammunition, rds. 63 Machine guns, number x type *** 1 x MG-34 Caliber, mm 7,92 Ammunition, cartridges 600 Reservations, mm 80-50 * - The length of the self-propelled guns with a barrel of 48 calibers ** - A number of StuG III ausf.E received a StuK lang gun with a 40 caliber barrel *** - Assault guns and howitzers StuG 40, StuG 42 of later releases had a second machine gun coaxial with a cannon Back – Forward >>