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The Sturmgeschütz series is probably best known for its excellent price-to-performance ratio. By the end of the war, over 10,500 had been built.
The Sturmgeschütz III originated from an initial proposal that Colonel Erich von Manstein submitted to General Beck in 1935 in which he suggested that Sturmartillerie (Assault Artillery) units should be used in a direct-fire support role for infantry divisions. To that end, on June 15, 1936, Daimler-Benz AG received an order to develop an armoured infantry support vehicle capable of mounting a 75mm (2.95-in) artillery piece. The gun was to have a limited traverse of a minimum of 25 degrees and be mounted in a fully enclosed superstructure that provided overhead protection for the crew. The height of the vehicle was not to exceed that of the average man.
Daimler-Benz AG used the chassis and running gear of its recently designed Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank as a basis for the new vehicle. Prototype manufacture was passed over to Alkett , which in 1937 produced five examples of the experimental O-series StuG based upon the PzKpfw III Ausführung B. These prototypes featured a mild steel superstructure and Krupp’s short-barreled 75mm Sturmkanone 37 L/24 .
As the StuG III was intended to fill an anti- infantry close support combat role, early models were fitted with a low-velocity 75mm KwK37 L/24 gun, firing high explosive shells. After the Germans encountered the Soviet T-34, the StuG III were armed with the high-velocity 75mm KwK40 L/43 anti-tankAnti-tank or simply AT refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. The most common forms of anti-tank systems are cannons with a high muzzle velocity, wire guided missiles in various forms, and various autocannon f gun.
Later models of the StuG III had a 7.92mm MG34The Maschinengewehr 34 or MG34 was a German machine gun first issued in 1934, considered by many to be the first modern general-purpose machine gun. It was used as the primary infantry machine gun during the 1930s, and remained as the primary tank and air mounted on the hull for added anti infantry protection.
StuG III A (1940, 30 produced)
First used in the Battle of FranceIn World War II, Battle of France or Case Yellow Fall Gelb in German) was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed 10 May, 1940 which ended the phony war. German armored units punched through the Ardennes, outflanking the Maginot Line, the StuG III A used the chassis of the Panzer III F and the 75mm StuK 37 gun.
StuG III B (1940-41, 320 produced)
Widened tracks and other minor changes.
StuG III C (1941, 50 produced)
Minor improvements over the StuG B.
StuG III D (1941, 150 produced)
Minor improvements over the StuG C.
StuG III E (1941-42, 272 produced)
A MG 34 is added to protect the vehicle from enemy infantry. Other minor improvements.
StuG III F (1942, 359 produced)
The first real upgunning of the StuG, this version uses the longer 75mm StuK 40 L/43 gun. This change marked the StuG as being more of a tank destroyer then an infantry support vehicle.
StuG III F/8 (1942, 334 produced)
Another upgunning, the F/8 used 75mm StuK 40 L/48 gun
StuG III G (1942-45, 7,893 produced)
The final, and by far the most common, of the StuG series. The StuG G used the hull of the Panzer III M and post 1944 added a second machine gun. Later versions were fitted with the Saukopf (Pig's Head) gun mantlet, which was more effective than the original box metal structure at deflecting shot.
The StuG III also had a model that was a Mark III chasis with a Mark IV bogey system. They were not many made, around 20. This model was to make things easier on the repair crews in the field, however, this idea did not work out well and the model was cancelled.
See also: List of common WWII combat vehicles