Building + Inbox Review of Zvezda 1:100 German Self-Propelled Assault Gun StuG III ausf.B

by MrScaleModelling 3:12

Following the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, military commanders from the Reichswehr began to consider how mobile armored artillery units could provide support to advancing infantry units. Colonel Erich von Manstein recommended the concept of infantry Begleitbatterien (escort batteries) to General Beck, Chief of the General Staff in 1935.[1] Manstein theorized the vehicle would not be used as one uses a tank, but rather as an infantry support vehicle to destroy fortified objectives through direct fire.[2] Its mission was to destroy prepared defensive works, pill boxes, machine gun emplacements and tanks. It was not intended to be used to exploit breakthroughs and drive into the enemy rear areas, as the panzertruppen units were intended to do.
StuG III[edit]
Bundesarchiv Bild 101III-Pachnike-041-06A, Italien, Sturmgeschütz der Waffen-SS.jpg
Daimler-Benz AG was given the order to develop and produce such a weapon on June 15, 1936. They created five prototypes, based on the chassis of the Panzer III, which were not useful for combat operations but did prove valuable for training.[3]
The first production units, the Sturmgeschütz III Ausf A, arrived in 1940 mounted with the 75 mm StuK 37L/24 gun and increased frontal hull armor (from 30 mm to 50 mm).[3] The main armament, which had a limited lateral traverse, was mounted directly in a casemate-style hull. This created the lowest possible profile in order to reduce the vehicle's height, making the StuG more difficult to hit and easier to protect in hull defilade.Between 1942 and 1943, the StuG was one of the most effective tracked vehicles of World War II in terms of opposition vehicles destroyed, and over 10,000 of them were eventually produced.[citation needed] The inability to traverse the gun at times became a significant weakness, and the lack of an internal light machine gun in the initial models left the StuG vulnerable to close-range infantry attack. A machine gun and shield were added to later versions.
A StuG III in Normandy.
The omission of a regular tank turret also made for much simpler and cost-effective production, enabling greater numbers to be built. However the lack of traverse movement in the gun meant the entire vehicle had to be turned left or right in order to acquire targets.Sturmgeschütz (or StuG) meaning "assault gun" was a series of armored vehicles used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War that primarily consisted of the StuG III and StuG IV. The most common of the two, the StuG III, was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III. The StuG III was initially designated "StuG" but with the creation of the StuG IV it was re-designated the "StuG III" to distinguish the two. Initially they were intended as a mobile, armored gun platform, providing close fire support to the infantry to destroy bunkers, pillboxes and other entrenched positions. As the war progressed a number of aspects of the StuG series made them a valued supplement to the panzer forces.
Following invasion of Soviet Russia in 1941 a significant problem developed when it was discovered that the main armament on the Panzer Mk II, III and IV tanks were all inadequate to deal with the newer Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks. The main German anti-tank gun, the 37 mm Pak 36, also proved unable to penetrate the armour of these Soviet designs. Though a more powerful 75 mm Pak 40 gun was being developed, the turret of the Panzer Mk III, Germany's main battle tank, could not handle the larger barreled gun. It was found, however, that the turretless StuGs had enough room in the crew compartment to handle the 75 mm Pak 40, and this modification was made. The new vehicle proved to be an effective tank destroyer. Not only was its main gun powerful enough to knock out the new Soviet tanks, but the Panzer Mk III chassis on which it was based was highly mobile and reliable, and the increased armour plating combined with its low silhoutte made it a difficult vehicle to destroy. The StuG became Nazi Germany's most produced armored fighting vehicle during World War II.
The StuG was used primarily within the Sturmartillerie, a branch of the artillery in the Wehrmacht.

References

CompanyZvezda
Game / CollectionArt of Tactics
FactionGerman
SetGerman assault gun Stug-III Ausf.B