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The StuG III

Photography Military posted on Jul 16, 2009
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Description


The right answer was: the inside of the the cannon of a Sturmgeschutz III assault gun. "Forward and at the enemy! Assault guns are an offensive weapon and give the infantry immediate, powerful support through mobility, fire and striking power" (from the Sturmgeschuetz Training Manual). The Sturmgeschuetz III (StuG III) assault gun was Germany's most produced armoured fighting vehicle during World War II. It was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III tank. Initially intended as a mobile, armoured light gun for infantry support, the StuG was continually modified and was widely employed as a tank destroyer. In 1935, Colonel Erich von Manstein proposed that Sturmartillerie units were to be equipped with assault guns mounted on tracked chassis and used to accompany the infantry into the attack. The assault gun’s main aim was to knock out pill-boxes, machine gun nests, anti-tank guns and other obstacles. As the StuG III was designed to fill an infantry close support combat role, early models were fitted with a low-velocity 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 gun to destroy soft-skin targets and fortifications. After the Germans encountered the Soviet KV-1 and T-34 tanks, the StuG III was equipped with a high-velocity 75 mm StuK 40 L/43 main gun (Spring 1942).Overall, Sturmgeschütz series assault guns proved very successful and served on all fronts as assault guns and tank destroyers. Although Tigers and Panthers have earned a greater notoriety, assault guns collectively destroyed more tanks. Because of their low silhouette, StuG IIIs were easy to camouflage and a difficult target. StuG crews were considered to be the elite of the artillery units. StuG units held a very impressive record of tank kills – some 20,000 enemy tanks by the spring of 1944. The StuG assault guns were extremely cost-effective compared to the heavier German tanks, though in the anti-tank role, it was best used defensively, as the lack of a turret would be a severe disadvantage out in the open. In 1944 the Finnish Army received 59 StuG III Ausf. Gs from Germany and used them against the Soviet Union. After the war, they were the main combat vehicles of the Finnish Army until the early 1960s. StuG IIIs were also exported to other nations like Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and Spain. Many German StuG IIIs were captured by Yugoslav Partisans and after the war they were used by the Yugoslav Peoples Army until the 1950s. After the Second World War, the Soviet Union donated some of their captured German vehicles to Syria, which continued to use them at least until the Six Days War (1967). Today, examples have been kept in running condition, including the one seen in the movie Mr. Bean's Holiday. Freely interpreted from various sources.

Comments (61)


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anahata.c

6:05AM | Sun, 08 February 2015

I don't know much about tanks and guns, but the pictures are fascinating, and you have lots of fine detail. The rust and general rain and moisture stains on the front of the tank; the stains and I assume 'burn' debris on the gun head, the part that several people thought was a camera shutter, and the complex of gears and wheels and tank tracks in the lower right-hand shot. All well captured and detailed, and a nice variety between them. I was once inside a tank, and it was pretty scary---very claustrophobic, and if you dropped something, it echoed, which was disconcerting considering how tiny the space was. And you felt totally at the mercy of whatever was outside, except that you were protected by thick, thick metal. And when it moved, you felt you were being taken someplace blind (I wasn't driving, I was just a 'tourist',) where every bump and grind went right through your spine. Shock absorbers weren't a major feature of the tank I was in: It bumped! Not a great place to relax. It must've taken fortitude to fight in one of these. A fascinating collection of photos, with fine detail (and history) in each.


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