Self-propelled artillery mounts. Self-propelled gun, which became a legend of the Second World War Self-propelled artillery installations of the Second World War

On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War Soviet self-propelled guns massively appeared relatively late, only at the end of 1942. But this delay was compensated by a whole series of successful machines, which were loved and respected by the soldiers. About the headache of German tanks and pillboxes - in this material.

Self-propelled artillery mount Su-76 on the streets of Vienna, 1945. Photo: V. Galperin / RIA Novosti www.ria.ru

This self-propelled artillery mount was created in 1942 on the basis of light tank T-70. In total, there were more than 13,000 self-propelled guns of this type! Such popularity is explained quite simply. Firstly, the Su-76 gun was a universal divisional gun ZIS-3 with a caliber of 76.2 mm, which at that time had already proved its usefulness. Its sub-caliber shells from a distance of half a kilometer could penetrate any enemy tanks, however, "Tigers" and "Panthers" were still recommended to hit the sides. Secondly, the open cabin of the vehicle helped the crew to interact more closely with the infantry, for example, in urban combat. Of the minuses - the almost complete absence of armor, only a few millimeters of steel separated the crew from the crazy machine-gun bursts. But still, this self-propelled gun was very popular, because its mobility was like that of the light tanks of the Red Army, and the gun was much stronger.

Su-85 and Su-100

Su-100 self-propelled guns on the site of the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant before being sent to the front, 1942. Photo: TASS archive

The next milestone in the development of domestic self-propelled guns was the Su-85, which belonged to the class of tank destroyers. Su-85 was built on the basis legendary tank T-34 in 1943, and its gun was the 85 mm D-5S-85 cannon. I must say that it was the first self-propelled guns that could fight German tanks on equal terms. From a distance of more than a kilometer, the crew of the Su-85 could disable any enemy tank, for example, the "Panther" easily made its way into the gun mask with sub-caliber shells. Also, the self-propelled guns retained the maneuverability and speed of their "relative" T-34, and this mobility saved the lives of the Su-85 crews many times. And under fire, the self-propelled gun felt much more comfortable than the Su-76 - the sloping armor was no longer bulletproof and took a blow with dignity.

With the appearance of new tanks of the "Tiger-2" type and self-propelled guns "Ferdinand" among the Germans, the question arose of increasing the power of Soviet anti-tank self-propelled guns. It was decided to use the base of the T-34-85 tank and the 100 mm D-10S gun. In a record short time, by the winter of 1943, the design bureau of Uralmashzavod presented a new Su-100 self-propelled gun to the commission. The main difference from the Su-85, of course, was a new, more powerful gun and sloped frontal armor 75 mm thick. Despite the short development time and a generally successful project, the Su-100 appeared at the front only in January 1945. Urban battles turned out to be the "horse" of self-propelled guns, which often "blew away" enemy firing points with one shot of a high-explosive projectile. Interestingly, after 70 years, the Su-100 is still in service or in storage in a good dozen countries of the world, once again proving its simplicity and reliability.

Su-152 and ISU-152

ISU-152 in Berlin, 1945. Photo: TASS

"St. John's Wort", "can openers" and many other nicknames were given to these mighty twins. The Su-152 received its baptism of fire in the great battle on the Kursk Bulge, where it immediately established itself as an excellent fighter of German "cats". The self-propelled gun - the 152-mm ML-20S cannon - was equipped with all types of 152-mm shells, but in reality the crews needed only high-explosive fragmentation and concrete-piercing ones. One hit of such a multi-kilogram "core", generously stuffed with TNT, was enough to kill the entire enemy crew and rip off the turret. Often, such a hit also detonated the ammunition, disturbed by the shock wave - then everyone around could see a free salute.

An interview given to a front-line correspondent by the commander of the 399th self-propelled regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Kobrin, is known:

"... Imagine such a picture ... As I remember now: height 559.6. Commander Rybalko is with us. Klimenkov's self-propelled gun is right there - guarding the headquarters. There is a business conversation. And suddenly German tanks are coming from the left. Eighteen pieces "They're coming in a column... What's going to happen?" Rybalko's face changed a little - his cheeks were getting nodules. He orders Klimenkov, who was standing nearby: "Forbid the way for the German tanks with fire!" What do you think? With the first shell from 1800 meters, the lead tank ignited, the second began to crawl out from behind it - it knocked it out, the third climbed - it broke it too, and then the fourth ... Stopped the Nazis, they backed away, thinking that there is a whole battery."

The monstrous power of the gun was widely used to suppress enemy firing points and pillboxes. Even if the concrete wall withstood the impact of the projectile, the people inside received concussions and ruptured eardrums.

Toward the end of the war, the ISU-152 self-propelled gun appeared, in many ways very similar to its predecessor. Its main difference is the chassis of the IS tank, and therefore greater mobility, useful for urban battles. The famous tanker Dmitry Loza recalled in his memoirs:

"The self-propelled gun, slapping on the asphalt with wide caterpillars, took up a position on one of the streets overlooking the southeastern side of the square ... The very curiosity that killed more virgins than love dragged us out to the street to see how the self-propelled guns would smash to pieces of German artillerymen with their cannon Tankers and paratroopers settled down near the "St. Beautiful houses with Venetian windows rise on both sides. A shot from a large-caliber self-propelled gun rang out. The air shook sharply. One and a half floors of the house, together with an enemy anti-tank gun and its servants, collapsed to the ground. And in our location, from a powerful air wave of a shot, thick windows burst with a crack in the houses located next to the self-propelled unit. Their heavy fragments rained down on the heads of the “spectators”, as a result, the arms and backs of ten people were injured, and two had broken collarbones. Fortunately, the tankers were in helmets, the paratroopers were in helmets, and their heads remained intact!

Like the Su-100, the ISU-152 is still serving in the armies of Vietnam and North Korea, still leading the soldiers in awe with its destructive power.

Self-propelled artillery began to be massively used by the Red Army relatively late - only at the end of 1942. However, the machines produced by Soviet designers made a great contribution to the overall victory. Without exception, all Soviet self-propelled guns of the war period can be attributed to formidable vehicles that were useful in various ways on the battlefield. From a small, but no less effective SU-76, to such a monster as the ISU-152, which could easily hit a pillbox or destroy a house in which the Nazis settled.

Light self-propelled guns SU-76

This self-propelled gun was developed in 1942 by the design bureaus of plant No. 38 in the city of Kirov, the machine was created on the basis of the T-70 light tank well mastered by industry. In total, from 1942 until the end of the war, more than 14 thousand machines of this type were manufactured. Thanks to this, the SU-76 is the most massive Soviet self-propelled artillery installation of the Great Patriotic War, and its output was second only to the production of the T-34 tank. The popularity and prevalence of the machine is due to its simplicity and versatility.

A huge role was played by the fact that a very good ZIS-3 divisional gun of 76.2 mm caliber was chosen as a weapon for arming this self-propelled guns. The gun proved to be excellent during the war years and was distinguished by its high versatility of use. It was difficult to think of a better weapon to support the infantry. When using sub-caliber shells, the gun also revealed its anti-tank properties, however, tanks such as the Tiger and Panther were still recommended to be destroyed by firing at their sides. Against most samples of German armored vehicles, the armor penetration of the ZIS-3 gun remained adequate until the end of the war, although 100-mm armor remained an insurmountable obstacle for the gun.

The advantage, and in some cases the disadvantage of the machine, was its open felling. On the one hand, she helped the crew of the self-propelled guns to interact more closely with their infantry, especially in street combat, and also provided better visibility on the battlefield. On the other hand, the SPG crew was vulnerable to enemy fire and could be hit by shrapnel. In general, the self-propelled guns were distinguished by a minimum level of booking, which was bulletproof. However, the SU-76 was still very popular in units. Possessing the mobility of a light tank, the self-propelled gun had a much more serious weapon.

Not the most powerful weapons, thin armor, a fighting compartment open from above - all this, paradoxically, did not make the self-propelled gun unsuccessful. With its immediate task on the battlefield, the SU-76 coped perfectly. It was used for infantry fire support, acting as a light assault gun and anti-tank self-propelled guns. She was able to largely replace the light tanks of direct infantry support. Almost 25 years after the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, Marshal Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky noted: “Our soldiers especially fell in love with the self-propelled gun SU-76. These mobile, light vehicles had time everywhere to help out and support the infantry units with their fire and caterpillars, and the infantrymen, in turn, did everything to protect these vehicles.

Anti-tank self-propelled guns SU-85 and SU-100

A separate place among all Soviet self-propelled guns was occupied by the SU-85 and SU-100, which were created on the basis of the mass tank during the war - the medium tank T-34. As you can easily guess, they differed primarily in the caliber of their guns and, accordingly, in their anti-tank capabilities. It is noteworthy that both self-propelled guns remained in service. various countries after the end of World War II.

The SU-85 was a medium-weight Soviet self-propelled artillery mount belonging to the tank destroyer class. Its main task on the battlefield was to fight enemy armored vehicles. Fighting machine was developed at the Design Bureau of UZTM (Ural Heavy Engineering Plant, Uralmash) in May-July 1943. Serial production of new anti-tank self-propelled guns was launched in July-August 1943. The 85-mm D-5S-85 cannon, which had good anti-tank capabilities, was chosen as the main gun for the new self-propelled gun. In fact, it was the SU-85 that became the first Soviet self-propelled guns that could fight German tanks on equal terms. From a distance of more than a kilometer, the crew of the SU-85 could easily disable any medium tank enemy. The frontal armor of the "Tiger" using armor-piercing shells could be penetrated from a distance of up to 500 meters, the use of sub-caliber ammunition made this task even easier.

Along with good firepower, the SU-85 was able to maintain the speed and maneuverability of its "progenitor" - the medium tank T-34 and these good performance mobility was saved more than once by the crews of this anti-tank self-propelled gun in battle. And under enemy fire, the SU-85 self-propelled guns felt much more confident than the SU-76 with its open cabin. In addition, her frontal armor, located at rational angles of inclination, was no longer bulletproof and could take a hit.

In total, 2329 such machines were produced in 1943-1944. Despite the relatively small number, it was the SU-85 self-propelled guns, from 1943 until the end of hostilities in Europe, that was the basis of Soviet self-propelled artillery units armed with medium-weight vehicles. The SU-100, which replaced it, was able to show up in battles only in January 1945. Therefore, it was the SU-85 self-propelled guns and their crews that carried on their shoulders almost the entire burden of anti-tank and assault work of medium self-propelled artillery during the war.

With the advent of new types of armored vehicles among the Germans, such as the heavy tank "King Tiger" and self-propelled guns "Ferdinand", the question of increasing the anti-tank capabilities of Soviet self-propelled guns became acute. The designers of Uralmash responded to a new challenge and in the middle of 1944 presented the best tank destroyer of the Second World War - self-propelled guns SU-100. The self-propelled gun used the base of the T-34-85 tank and went into serial production in August 1944. In total, for the period from 1944 to 1956, 4976 such self-propelled artillery installations were produced, while in the USSR production was stopped in 1948, but continued under license in Czechoslovakia.

The main difference and the main highlight of the self-propelled guns was its cannon - a 100-mm D-10S gun, which could confidently fight even the heaviest and well-armored German tanks. It is no coincidence that the finest hour of the SU-100 struck during the Balaton defensive operation, when the German large-scale tank offensive, codenamed "Winter Awakening", ended in huge losses of armored vehicles and became, in fact, the cemetery of the Panzerwaffe. Also, the self-propelled gun was distinguished by the best booking. The thickness of its sloping frontal armor reached 75 mm. The self-propelled gun felt confident not only in the fight against enemy tanks, but also in urban battles. Often, one shot with a high-explosive projectile from a 100-mm gun was enough to literally "blow off" the detected enemy firing point.

The uniqueness and exceptional combat capabilities of the SU-100 are confirmed by the fact that it was in service Soviet army for several decades after the war, periodically modernized. In addition, the self-propelled guns were supplied to the allies of the Soviet Union, actively participated in post-war local conflicts, including the Arab-Israeli wars. The self-propelled gun remained in service with the armies of some countries until the end of the 20th century, and in some countries, such as Algeria, Morocco and Cuba, they remained in service as of 2012.

Heavy self-propelled guns SU-152 and ISU-152

Heavy Soviet self-propelled artillery mounts SU-152 and ISU-152 also made a significant contribution to the victory. The effectiveness of these machines is best indicated by their nicknames - "Deerslayer" and "Can Opener", which were given to these mighty twins in the army. The SU-152 was created on the basis of the KV-1S heavy tank and armed with a 152 mm ML-20S howitzer gun. The self-propelled gun was developed by the designers of ChKZ (Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant), the construction of the first prototype was completed on January 24, 1943, and the next month mass production of the machine began. It is worth noting that only 670 of these self-propelled guns were assembled, since the KV-1S tank, on the basis of which it was built, was discontinued. In December 1943, this vehicle was replaced on the assembly line with the ISU-152, which was equivalent in terms of armament, but better armored self-propelled guns based on the IS heavy tank.

The SU-152 self-propelled gun made its combat debut in the famous battle of the Kursk Bulge, where it was immediately able to show itself as worthy opponent new German tanks. The capabilities of self-propelled guns were enough to deal with the new brood of German "cats". The use of the 152-mm howitzer-gun ML-20S assumed the use of all the shells developed for it. But in reality, the crews of the vehicles managed with only two - high-explosive fragmentation and concrete-piercing shells. A direct hit on an enemy tank by concrete-piercing shells was enough to inflict heavy damage and incapacitate it. In some cases, the shells simply broke through the armor of the tanks, tore off the turret from the shoulder strap, and killed the crew. And sometimes a direct hit by a 152-mm projectile led to the detonation of ammunition, which turned enemy tanks into burning torches.

High-explosive fragmentation shells were also effective against German armored vehicles. Even without breaking through the armor, they damaged the sights and observation devices, the gun, the undercarriage of the vehicle. Moreover, in order to put an enemy tank out of action, sometimes it was enough just to close the gap of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile. The crew of Major Sankovsky, commander of one of the SU-152 batteries in the Battle of Kursk, disabled 10 enemy tanks in one day (according to other sources, this was the success of the entire battery), for which the major was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Of course, in the role of tank destroyers, the SU-152 was not used from a good life, but in this capacity, the self-propelled gun proved to be a wonderful machine. In general, the SU-152 was an excellent example of versatility. It could be used as an assault gun, tank destroyer and self-propelled howitzer. True, the use of the vehicle as a tank destroyer was complicated by the low rate of fire, but the effect of hitting the target could easily cross out this shortcoming. The monstrous power of the 152-mm howitzer-gun was indispensable in suppressing pillboxes and firing points of the Germans. Even if the concrete wall or ceilings withstood the impact of the projectile, the people inside received a serious concussion, they were torn eardrums.

The ISU-152 heavy self-propelled artillery mount replaced the SU-152, it was created by the design bureau of the experimental plant No. 100 in June-October 1943 and was put into service on November 6 of the same year. The release of the new self-propelled guns was launched at ChKZ, where it simply replaced the SU-152. The production of self-propelled guns continued until 1946, during which time 3242 vehicles of this type were built. The self-propelled gun was widely used in the final stage of the war and, like its predecessor, the SU-152, could be used in all aspects of the use of self-propelled artillery. These vehicles were withdrawn from the armament of the Soviet Army only in the 1970s, which also indicates their great combat potential.

The ISU-152 self-propelled guns became indispensable during urban battles, literally leveling enemy buildings and firing points with the ground. She showed herself very well during the assaults on Budapest, Konigsberg and Berlin. Good armor allowed the self-propelled guns to advance to a direct shot distance and hit German firing points with direct fire. For conventional towed artillery, this was a mortal danger due to the massive machine-gun and aimed sniper fire.

Information sources:
http://rg.ru/2015/04/24/samohodka-site.html
http://armor.kiev.ua
http://pro-tank.ru
http://www.opoccuu.com

Anti-tank self-propelled artillery during World War II were in great demand. Often they were cheaper than tanks, built faster, but at the same time they were well armed and could deal with any enemy tank on the battlefield. The most successful anti-tank self-propelled guns big war the Soviet SU-100 and the German Jagdpanther are considered. But which one is better?

Mobility

SU-100

The SU-100 was equipped with a V-2-34 diesel engine with a capacity of 500 hp. with., which allowed self-propelled guns weighing 31.6 tons to reach speeds of up to 50 km / h, and on a country road - about 20 km / h. Fuel consumption was about 180 liters per 100 km.

Considering that only 400 liters of diesel fuel were placed in the internal tanks, the Su-100 was equipped with four external additional cylindrical fuel tanks with a capacity of 95 liters. With them, the power reserve increased to 310 km.

The SU-100 was equipped with a five-speed manual transmission with constant mesh gears. A simple and reliable undercarriage was completely borrowed from the T-34-85 tank.

Jagdpanther

The Jagdpanther was fairly easy to operate: the driver had a semi-automatic gearbox with preselection. Seven speeds forward and one reverse. The self-propelled gun was controlled using levers.

The power of the 12-cylinder V-shaped engine "Maybach" HL230P30 is 700 hp. This was enough to accelerate the 46-ton Jagdpanther to 46 km / h on the highway and 24 km / h off-road.

The cruising range on the highway was only 210 km. Gasoline OZ 74 (octane number 74) was poured into six tanks - a total of 700 liters. Fuel was supplied to the carburetors using a "Solex" pump, additionally there was a manual pump. 42 liters of oil were poured into a dry engine, 32 liters were poured when changing the oil.

Chassis Jagdpanther was completely borrowed from the average tank PzKpfw V "Panther", it provided the self-propelled gun with a smooth ride and more uniform pressure on the ground. On the other hand, the repair of such a running gear was a real nightmare: to replace just one roller from the inner row, it was necessary to dismantle from 1/3 to half of all outer rollers.

armor protection

Armored felling Su-100 assembled from rolled armor plates, the thickness of the frontal part was 75 mm. It was at an angle of 50 degrees. The thickness of the side and stern armor reached 45 mm, and the roof - 20 mm. The gun mantlet was protected by 110 mm armor. The armor of the commander's cupola in a circle was 45 mm. The frontal plate was weakened by a large driver's hatch.

The hull of the self-propelled guns was made as a single unit with the cabin and was assembled by welding from rolled armor plates. The bottom consisted of four sheets connected by welded seams, reinforced overlays.

Design featureJagdpanther consisted in the fact that the cabin was a single unit with the hull, and was not attached to it with bolts or welding. The frontal armor of the self-propelled guns had excellent geometry and was practically invincible.

The front sheet with a thickness of 80 mm was placed at an angle of 55 degrees. The projectile resistance was only slightly reduced by the presence of a slot in the driver's viewing device and the embrasure of the course machine gun. The thickness of the side armor of the cabin was 50 mm, and the stern - 40 mm. The sides and rear of the hull were protected by 40 mm armor, and the roof was covered with 25 mm armor plates.

It should be noted that the walls of the hull and the cabin had different angles of inclination, which contributed to the dissipation of the kinetic energy of the projectiles. Additionally, welds were reinforced with tongues and grooves. The hull was assembled from rolled steel heterogeneous plates, and its mass was 17 tons.

Armament

SU-100 It was equipped with a 100-mm D-10S rifled gun of the 1944 model. The initial velocity of the armor-piercing projectile was 897 m/s. Shooting was carried out using a telescopic sight TSh-19, which had a fourfold increase and a field of view of 16 degrees.

The SU-100 did not have sub-caliber shells in its ammunition load (they appeared in 1966), only armor-piercing ones. From 1000 meters, the SU-100 gun pierced 135 mm armor plate, from 500 m - 155 mm. Guidance of the gun could be carried out in the vertical plane in the range from -3 to +20 degrees and in the horizontal ± 8 degrees.

For self-defense, the crew was equipped with 7.62-mm PPSh-41 submachine guns, 1420 rounds of ammunition, as well as 4 anti-tank and 24 fragmentation grenades. The ammunition load of the gun was 33 unitary shots.

Jagdpanther was armed with a long-barreled 88 mm Pak 43/3 L/71 cannon. The horizontal pointing angle of the gun is +11°, the elevation angle is +14°, the declination is 8°. In the ammunition load, consisting of 57 unitary shells, there were three types of ammunition: high-explosive fragmentation, armor-piercing and armor-piercing sub-caliber.

Armor-piercing projectiles PzGr39 / 1 weighing 10.2 kg had an initial speed of 1000 m / s and pierced armor 185 mm thick from a distance of 500 m, from 1000 m - 165 mm, from 2000 m - 132 mm. Sub-caliber PzGr. 40/43 weighed less - 7.5 kg and had a higher initial speed - 1130 m / s. They pierced armor 153 mm thick from a distance of 2000 m, 193 mm from 1000 m, and 217 mm at a distance of 500 meters.

The rate of fire of the gun was 6-8 rounds per minute, and the shooting was carried out using telescopic sights SflZF5, and later - WZF1 / 4. The latter was the most advanced and had a 10x magnification at an angle of view of 7 degrees.

For defense against infantry, a 7.92-mm MG-34 machine gun was installed in the front plate, equipped with optical sight, in addition, the self-propelled guns were armed with a "Nahverteidungswaffe" melee grenade launcher. In the ammunition of the latter there were fragmentation, smoke, signal or lighting grenades. The grenade launcher had a circular sector of fire and could fire at a distance of up to 100 m. In addition, the crew had two MP-40 submachine guns with 384 rounds of ammunition.

Fire extinguishing system

Self-propelled gunners burned often and terribly, so the fire extinguishing system cannot be ignored. At the disposal of the crew Su-100 there were tetrachlorine fire extinguishers, which could only be used in gas masks. The fact is that when carbon tetrachloride hit hot surfaces, a chemical reaction occurred, as a result of which the toxic substance phosgene was formed.

Jagdpanther could boast of an automatic fire extinguishing system, which operated as follows: when the temperature inside the car exceeded the threshold of 120 degrees, the first fire extinguisher flooded the fuel pump and carburetors with the SV fire mixture. The second one filled the engine housing with the same mixture. The ACS crew had three small hand-held fire extinguishers.

Outcome

Summing up, we note that the Jagdpanther was superior to the SU-100 in terms of crew comfort, quality of sights, ammunition load and armor penetration.

At the same time, the German self-propelled gun was inferior in mobility and manufacturability, as well as reliability - most of the diseases of the PzKpfw V "Panther" tank passed to the self-propelled guns.

During the war, only about 400 Jagdpanthers were produced, while the SU-100, taking into account post-war production, was 4976 units. Due to its simplicity and reliability, the SU-100s are still fighting. For example, not so long ago, these self-propelled guns were seen in Yemen, while German self-propelled guns can only be seen in a museum.

At the initial stage of World War II, German troops captured rich European trophies, among which were the armored vehicles of the defeated countries. The Germans used some of the tanks with little or no modifications, and on the chassis of some of them they created armored vehicles for various purposes: from ammunition transporters to self-propelled howitzers, which were often produced in very limited series. This article will focus on self-propelled howitzers Sturmpanzer II (Bison II) (only 12 pieces were produced), G.Pz. Mk. VI (e) (18 built: 6 with 150mm and 12 with 105mm howitzers) and 10.5 cm leFH 18/3(Sf) B2(f) (only 16 built).

Sturmpanzer II (Bison II)

Somewhat unexpected, although quite natural success combat use improvised self-propelled guns, armed with a 150-mm howitzer sIG 33 and built on the basis of the Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B light tank, opened a "second wind" for obsolete tanks. Work on the installation of various artillery systems on tank chassis in Germany continued. Since 1940, attempts to install heavy 150-mm howitzers, so necessary to support infantry on the battlefield, have been made many times in Germany.

German designers worked with various chassis of both light and medium tanks: from Pz.Kpfw.I to Pz.Kpfw.IV. Even before the Sturmpanzer I Bison went into production, German designers had plans to create something more efficient, built on the chassis and components of the Pz.Kpfw.II tanks. In October 1940, Alkett assembled the first prototype based on the chassis Panzer tank II Ausf B, which, as it turned out, did not provide enough space to accommodate such a massive gun, and also could not sufficiently dampen the recoil of the gun when fired. At the same time, the infantry 150-mm howitzer sIG 33 was placed on the tank without a carriage and wheels.

On February 18, 1941, the decision was made to build the Sturmpanzer II (sometimes referred to as the Bison II) on a modified Pz.Kpfw.II tank chassis. The layout was left the same, but the hull of the tank was lengthened by 600 mm and expanded by 330 mm. One additional track roller was added to the undercarriage, in the end there were six of them. Unlike many German self-propelled guns, the same Sturmpanzer I Bison model, which resembled a birdhouse on tracks, or Wespe self-propelled guns, the new self-propelled howitzer did not have armor plates protecting the calculation along the entire length of the superstructure. Due to the almost complete absence of an armored tube, the height of the self-propelled guns was small.

The armament remained unchanged. An infantry 150-mm howitzer sIG 33 was used, which the Germans installed on no tank chassis. The gun was equipped with a regular Rblf36 telescopic sight, which provided a twofold increase. The ammunition load consisted of 30 shots almost entirely of high-explosive fragmentation, but cumulative ammunition could also be used to combat armored targets. The stowage carried a 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun, designed to protect against enemy infantry.

The driver of the self-propelled gun was located in a small armored wheelhouse in front of the fighting compartment. Unlike the base tank, it had a hatch for boarding and disembarking from a combat vehicle. The power plant, chassis elements and transmission were borrowed from the serial tank without fundamental changes. The engine remained the same. It was a Maybach HL62 TRM 6-cylinder gasoline engine that developed 140 hp. at 2800 rpm. According to other data, serial self-propelled guns could use the Büssing-NAG L8V engine with a maximum power of 150 hp. also at 2800 rpm.

The fuel was placed in two tanks with a total capacity of 200 liters. To ensure better cooling, two large hatches were cut into the roof of the engine compartment. This was also done because self-propelled guns were originally planned to be used in North Africa, where the African Corps under the command of General Rommel had already been transferred. The transmission was inherited from the tank and included a mechanical gearbox (5 speeds forward and one reverse) of the ZF Aphon SSG46 type, main and side clutches, as well as band brakes.

After all the changes, the weight of the self-propelled gun increased to 11.2 tons, which was 2.3 tons more than the base version of the tank. However, this fact did not have a serious impact on the driving performance of the car. The Sturmpanzer II could still reach 40 km/h on the highway. But the power reserve slightly decreased from 200 km (at the tank) to 180 km when driving on paved roads.
The production of self-propelled guns was carried out by Alkett in December 1941 - January 1942, in total 12 self-propelled howitzers were assembled during this period. Of these, the 707th and 708th companies of heavy infantry guns were formed, which were sent to the North African theater of operations. Here they were quite actively used in battles, took part in the battle of El Alamein. The last Sturmpanzer II (Bison II) were captured by the Allies in May 1943 after the surrender of German troops in Tunisia.

Tactical and technical characteristics Sturmpanzer II:
Overall dimensions: length - 5410 mm, width - 2600 mm, height - 1900 mm, ground clearance - 340 mm.
Combat weight - 11.2 tons.
The power plant is a Büssing-NAG L8V liquid-cooled carburetor engine, 150 hp.
Max Speed- 40 km/h (highway), about 20 km/h (cross country).
Power reserve - 180 km.
Armament - 150 mm sIG 33 infantry howitzer and one 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun in stowage.
Ammunition - 30 shots.
Crew - 4 people.

10.5 cm leFH 18/3(Sf) B2(f)

After the capture of France, German troops received at their disposal a wide variety of captured tanks of various years of production, which were in different technical conditions. Among other things, the Germans got about 160 heavy French tanks Char B1 bis. Most of them were used by the Germans without any special alterations, about 60 tanks were converted into flamethrower tanks, and 16 became 105-mm self-propelled howitzers, the full name is 10.5-cm leichte Feldhaubitze 18/3 (Sf.) auf Geschützwagen B2 (f) 740 (f).

The decision to create self-propelled artillery installations on the basis of the chassis of captured French tanks was made in Germany in March 1941. They were planned to be used to support the Flammenwerfer Auf Pz.Kpfw.B2 flamethrower tanks created on the same tank chassis. The task set before the designers was quickly enough solved by installing a 105-mm light field howitzer leFH18 in the open cabin. To do this, the tank turret with a 47-mm gun, as well as a 75-mm howitzer in the hull, were dismantled. On the roof of the fighting compartment there was a fixed cabin, in the front sheet of which a new gun was mounted. The cutting thickness was 20 mm, the roof was missing. Pointing angles in the vertical plane ranged from -4 to +20 degrees, in the horizontal plane 15 degrees to the left and right. Carried ammunition consisted of 42 shots.

It should be noted that the 105 mm light field The leFH 18 howitzer formed the backbone of the Wehrmacht's field artillery throughout World War II, so its choice was not accidental. The howitzer was in service with light battalions of artillery regiments and was the basis of all German divisional artillery. According to official data, the Wehrmacht was armed with up to 7076 howitzers of this type. Naturally, at different times, German designers considered various options to increase the mobility of this artillery system by installing it on various tank chassis.

The first prototype of the new self-propelled guns with a cabin made of non-armored steel was ready by June 1941. At the same time, by the time work began, there were quite a few fully serviceable chassis of French heavy tanks. According to production plans The Armament Directorate in 1941 produced only 10 such self-propelled howitzers in two batches of 5 vehicles. In 1942, another 6 tanks were converted in this way. Thus, Rheinmetall Borsig, located in Düsseldorf, assembled a total of 16 self-propelled artillery mounts of this type.

The dimensions of the new self-propelled howitzer were very impressive (almost 3 meters high, 6.5 meters long), its appearance could be called awkward. But if the size of the self-propelled gun was not such a serious drawback, then the large weight had a stronger effect. The combat weight of the vehicle was inherited from the heavy tank and amounted to at least 32.5 tons, which was quite a lot for the 307-horsepower engine that remained unchanged. Even when driving on the highway, the self-propelled guns did not reach speeds of more than 28 km / h, and its power reserve was relatively small - 150 km.

All issued self-propelled guns received a letter designation in alphabetical order - from A to P. All vehicles entered service with the 93rd artillery regiment of the 26th tank division. The regiment had three batteries of 4 self-propelled howitzers each, and 4 more vehicles were above the norm. During the operation of this military equipment, shortcomings were identified almost immediately, which included low maneuverability and congestion of the chassis, which often led to breakdowns. As of May 31, 1943, 14 vehicles remained combat-ready in the regiment. At the same time, they were transferred to the training unit located in Le Havre, and 12 Wespe self-propelled guns came in their place. However, in the future, as the situation at the front worsened, self-propelled guns were again returned to service. They were attached to the 90th Panzer Division, which operated in Sardinia.

The performance characteristics of 10.5 cm leFH 18/3(Sf) B2(f):
Overall dimensions: length - about 6.5 m, width - 2.4 m, height - about 3 m.
Combat weight - 32.5 tons.
The power plant is a 6-cylinder Renault gasoline engine with an HP 307 power.
Maximum speed - up to 28 km / h (on the highway).
Power reserve - 135-150 km.
Armament - 105 mm leFH 18/3 light field howitzer and one 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun in stowage.
Ammunition - 42 shots.
Crew - 4 people.

G.Pz. Mk. VI(e)

Unlike numerous French armored vehicles, British tanks were never used or modified by the Germans en masse. The only exceptions to some extent were the light British tanks Mk VI. Apparently, for the reason that they formed the basis of the tank fleet of the British Expeditionary Force in France and were captured by the Germans in at least some significant quantities. On the chassis of these tanks, the Germans manufactured two types of self-propelled guns, armed with a 105-mm light field howitzer leFH 16 and a 150-mm heavy field howitzer 15 cm sFH 13.

In both cases, it was about the use of outdated artillery systems from the period of the First World War. A variant of the self-propelled howitzer with the full designation 10.5cm leFh16 auf Fgst Geschutzwagen Mk.VI(e) was ready in the summer of 1940. Improvements to the vehicle were primarily associated with the installation of a 105-mm howitzer on a special carriage on a tank chassis. An artillery gun with a barrel length of 22 calibers and not having a muzzle brake received vertical guidance angles ranging from -8 to +41 degrees. The crew of the self-propelled gun included 5 people: a driver, a commander, a gunner and two loaders.

The howitzer was located in an armored cabin open at the top and rear, which appeared in place of the tank turret in the rear of the combat vehicle. The thickness of the cabin armor ranged from 12 to 20 mm, the cabin armor plates were located at small angles and provided protection from bullets and shrapnel. The installation of the 150 mm sFH 13 howitzer was also considered as an alternative option. However, a gun of such a large caliber for the chassis of a British light tank was too powerful, which led to problems when firing. However, several captured tanks (up to 6) were still armed with such a weapon.

In total, the Germans assembled 12 self-propelled guns armed with a 105 mm howitzer and 6 with a 150 mm howitzer. For their release, the best-preserved British tanks Mk.VIb and Mk.VIc were used, which were stored at collection points for captured equipment in France. In fact, these were tankettes with rotating turrets, weighing just over 5 tons. On the basis of these light British tanks, the Germans also created an ammunition transporter (12 vehicles) and a mobile observation post (4 vehicles). All self-propelled guns and related equipment entered service with the 227th artillery regiment, as well as the newly formed 1st battery of assault guns as part of this part.

Most likely, the self-propelled guns, along with the regiment, left for the Eastern Front in October 1941. These self-propelled howitzers received their baptism of fire in the battles near Leningrad. Moreover, according to the Germans, they could even be used to fight Soviet tanks. Self-propelled guns on the English chassis fought in the USSR until the end of 1942, when the last vehicles of this type were lost in battles.

The performance characteristics of the G.Pz. Mk. VI(e):
Combat weight - 6.5 tons.
The power plant is a Meadows ESTE 6-cylinder gasoline engine with an HP 88 power.
Armament is a 105 mm leFH 16 field howitzer and one 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun.
Crew - 5 people.

Information sources:
http://www.aviarmor.net/tww2/tanks/germany/15cm_sig33_pz2.htm
http://www.aviarmor.net/tww2/tanks/gb/light_mk6.htm
http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Tank:G93_GW_Mk_VIe/
http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Tank:F28_105_leFH18B2/History
http://stalinhdtv.livejournal.com/21397.html
Materials from open sources

During the Second World War, the industry of the Third Reich produced 9675 StuG III of all series and modifications, which makes this self-propelled gun the most massive armored vehicle that entered service with the Wehrmacht. StuG III turned out to be a very successful self-propelled gun. It should be noted that in the top ten German tank aces, the seventh and eighth places are occupied by the commanders of these particular self-propelled guns.

History of German self-propelled artillery pieces(hereinafter - ACS) began with a memorandum on the interaction of infantry units, artillery and mobile artillery, published by Wehrmacht Major General Erich von Manstein in 1935. In particular, this document proved the feasibility of creating assault divisions self-propelled guns three-battery composition (six vehicles per battery), intended to support the advancing infantry, suppress bunkers, pillboxes and enemy resistance centers, as well as combat his armored vehicles.

"Armor" for infantry support

The memorandum caused a lively discussion among the German military, but in 1936 Daimler-Benz received an order to implement design work on the creation of assault self-propelled guns on the chassis of the latest Z.W. tank at that time. (future Pz.Kpfw.III). At the end of the 20s, an attempt was already made to create self-propelled guns based on the Hanomag WD-25 tractor, but these were vehicles with an open artillery platform, and their serial production was abandoned. Later, in 1930, Daimler-Benz designers developed an assault self-propelled gun project for ... the USSR - as part of the activities of the joint Soviet-German Technical Commission (TEKO). It was planned to protect the self-propelled gun with armor from 15 (sides and rear) to 30 mm (forehead), to equip it with a 76-mm gun, while its weight should not exceed 12 tons. in the middle of 1932, she set a price for her developments that was several times higher than the approved one. Representatives of the Soviet Union refused further cooperation, but the resulting developments were useful to Daimler-Benz in the future, when designing an assault self-propelled gun for the army of the Third Reich.

In 1937, five prototypes of the new self-propelled guns were assembled at the Daimler-Benz plant in Berlin-Marienfeld (the chassis of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.B tanks were used for their assembly). To speed up and reduce the cost of work, the conning towers of the vehicles were made not from armor plates, but from ordinary structural steel. The cabins were bolted to the chassis. Four crew members were placed in one fighting compartment, which was an innovation for armored vehicles of that time.

One of the zero modification StuG III prototypes. Round inspection hatches are visible in the lower frontal armor plate (they were available only for prototypes)

The main weapon of the new self-propelled guns was the 75-mm StuK 37 L / 24 cannon with a barrel length of 24 calibers manufactured by the Essen corporation Krupp. Horizontal guidance of the gun was carried out within ±12º, vertical - from -10º to +20º. The ammunition load was 44 rounds. An MG-34 machine gun was additionally placed in the conning tower of the vehicle. Later, the MP-40 submachine gun was added to the armament of the self-propelled gunners.

Since 1938, prototypes have been intensively tested at various test sites in Germany. Simultaneously with the start of testing, disputes were resumed regarding the advisability of creating self-propelled guns, since there were Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks that carried the same weapons. Lieutenant-General Heinz Guderian especially objected to the creation of self-propelled guns, but the initiator of the new project, Erich von Manstein, insisted on his point of view. Soon, the realities of the Polish campaign clearly demonstrated the need for infantry units to have armored mobile artillery units at their disposal, and all questions were removed. At the end of 1939, mass production of new self-propelled guns began.

StuG III prototype. Eight track rollers are clearly visible, combined into carts
Source - worldwarphotos.info

In January-February 1940, the first serial copies left the gates of the Daimler-Benz plant, and on March 28, the new SPG was given the army designation Sturmgeschutz III (abbreviated as StuG III). In the future, the self-propelled gun has undergone many modifications.

The first production cars were called StuG III Ausf.A and differed from the prototypes using the upgraded chassis of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.F. Five experimental self-propelled guns in the undercarriage had eight road wheels on board, which were assembled in pairs into four balancing carts. The serial self-propelled guns had six road wheels, and they were not going to carts.

The armament of the serial machine did not differ from the prototype. The frontal booking of the cabin was 50 mm, the rear armor plate was 26 mm, and the side armor was 30 mm. In front of the cabin, its side armor protection was reinforced with additional 9 mm armor plates, which were welded to the hull at an angle of 60º. The thickness of the cabin roof reached 11 mm. The thickness of the aft armor plate was increased from 21 to 30 mm. In addition, to increase the strength, the designers removed the side evacuation hatches. The total weight of the ACS reached 19.6 tons.

The StuG III Ausf.E booking scheme differed little from the booking of the first series of self-propelled guns
Source - hisofweapons.ukoz.ru

Crew members were provided with optical observation devices. The commander had at his disposal an SF 14z stereo tube, for the installation of which a special hatch was provided in the cabin roof. The aiming of the gun was carried out using the Sfl ZF periscope sight located to the left of the gun, and the driver controlled the machine using the Fahrersehklappe 50 device with a KFF2 binocular periscope. The only one who wasn't provided optical instrument- this is a radio operator (he had a VHF radio at his disposal, located in a special armored box on the left fender).

StuG III Ausf.A on the street of a Western European city, 1940

During the period from January to June 1940, the Daimler-Benz plant produced 30 StuG III Ausf.A modifications.

In June 1940, at the Berlin company Alkett (Altmärkische Kettenfabrik), which was part of the state concern Reichswerke AG, the production of a modification began. StuG III Ausf.B. From that moment on, this enterprise became the main manufacturer of the StuG III assault self-propelled gun. New vehicles were planned to be assembled on the basis of the Pz.Kpfw.III chassis latest model Ausf.G, but since there were not enough of them, the first self-propelled guns were released on the chassis of the previous Ausf.F series. The latest self-propelled guns of the StuG III Ausf.B model were already produced on the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.H chassis.

StuG III Ausf.B. Distinctive feature - asymmetric gaps between the 1st and 2nd, as well as the 2nd and 3rd supporting rollers
Source - dishmodels.ru

The self-propelled gun differed from the previous modification with a new six-speed manual gearbox installed instead of a five-speed preselector box from the same manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen AG. In addition, the ignition system was modified in the 12-cylinder 300-horsepower Maybach HL 120 TRM engine. The width of the tracks from 360 mm was increased to 400, respectively, increasing the size of the road wheels. The conning tower and armament have not undergone any changes. The total weight of the vehicle increased slightly - up to 20.2 tons. During the year (from June 1940 to May 1941), the German industry produced 360 self-propelled guns of this modification.

The Red Army soldiers from the trophy team withdraw the captured StuG III Ausf.S. to the rear. Summer 1942
Source - rgakfd.ru

Ausf.B modifications still continued to be produced when the production of machines of the series began in the Alkett workshops. StuG III Ausf.C. On these self-propelled guns, the aiming loophole in the frontal sheet of the cabin was removed, and the eyepiece of the sight was moved to the roof of the cabin, placed in a special hatch (in connection with this, its shape changed). The antenna was made folding, providing for it a special protective wooden chute. In the spring of 1941, 100 of these "products" were manufactured, after which the enterprise began to produce StuG III Ausf.D. The new self-propelled guns were almost no different from the previous series, therefore, in the German accounting statistics, vehicles of both modifications were taken into account as StuG III Ausf.C / D. External distinctive feature StuG III Ausf.D had protective brackets on the headlights. During the period from May to September 1941, German enterprises produced 150 self-propelled guns of this modification.

ACS StuG III Ausf.D, captured by the British in North Africa
Source: skaramanga-1972.livejournal.com

In September 1941, the production of self-propelled guns began. StuG III Ausf.E, which were planned to be used as command vehicles. They wanted to replace the light half-tracked armored personnel carriers Sd.Kfz.253 of observer-spotters, who withdrew StuG self-propelled guns from the units. To do this, not one, but two radio stations were placed in armored boxes above both fenders of each self-propelled gun. They did not completely occupy the space allotted to them, so six shells were additionally placed in the left of the boxes, which increased the ammunition load of the self-propelled guns to 50 rounds. The designers abandoned the inclined onboard additional armor plates. Total machines of this modification, manufactured from September 1941 to March 1942, amounted to 284 units.

Ausf.E - the latest modification of the StuG III, armed with a short-barreled 75-mm gun
Source - waralbum.ru

TTX StuG III before re-equipping with the StuK 40 L / 43 gun (data from the site panzerschreck.de)

Model	Prototype
Width, m
Height, m
Maximum speed, km/h
Engine model	Maybach HL 120 TR	Maybach HL 120 TR	Maybach HL 120 TRM	Maybach HL 120 TRM	Maybach HL 120 TRM	Maybach HL 120 TRM
Engine power, l. With.
	1 x 75 mm StuK 37 L/24	1 x 75 mm StuK 37 L/24	1 x 75 mm StuK 37 L/24	1 x 75 mm StuK 37 L/24	1 x 75 mm StuK 37 L/24	1 x 75 mm StuK 37 L/24
						1 x 7.92 mm MG 34
Manufactured
Release years

With new guns to a new life

On September 28, 1941, Hitler signed an order in which he demanded an increase in the armor-piercing ability of the guns of German tanks and self-propelled guns so that they could fight on equal terms with the latest models of Soviet armored vehicles. In pursuance of this order, a 75-mm Rheinmetall-Borsig AG StuK 40 L / 43 gun with a barrel length of 43 calibers was chosen for the modernization of the Sturmgeschutz III. The new cannon was excellent for fighting the T-34 and KV-1 tanks, but it could not carry out mounted fire, which reduced its effectiveness in fighting enemy infantry, artillery, and bunkers. StuK 40 was installed on one of the StuG III Ausf.E self-propelled guns for experimental purposes, another vehicle was armed with a 105-mm howitzer. All this served as the basis for the new StuG III series and the creation of the StuH 42 self-propelled howitzer on its basis.

In March 1942, the production of a modernized self-propelled guns began. StuG 40 Ausf.F(the designation "StuG III Ausf.F" was also used), except for the new gun, which differed little from the StuG III Ausf.E. An electric fan was installed on the roof of the conning tower, and the ammunition capacity of the new vehicle was increased to 54 rounds. Instead of the Sfl ZF sight, the gunner received an improved Sfl ZF la sight.

The StuG 40 Ausf.F assault gun from the 5th SS Panzer Division "Viking" moves along the deck from railway sleepers near Kharkiv
Source - waralbum.ru

In June 1942, the armor of the hull and the conning tower began to be reinforced with additional 30 mm armor plates, as a result of which the total thickness of the frontal armor increased to 80 mm. This increased the weight of the car by 450 kg and reduced its top speed. A total of 182 units with reinforced armor were produced, in which, in addition, two headlights with blackout covers were replaced with one from Notek, which was originally mounted on the left wing, and later moved to the middle of the upper front hull plate.

In the summer of 1942, 31 more StuG 40 Ausf.F units were armed with 75 mm StuK 40 guns with a barrel length of 48 calibers. During the period from March to September 1942, the German industry produced 364 StuG 40 Ausf.Fs of all modifications.

In September 1942, the production of Pz.Kpfw.III tanks was completely stopped in the Alkett workshops, and the company concentrated on the production of StuG III self-propelled guns, which was once again modified. New episode received the label StuG 40 Ausf.F/8. The main changes affected the body of the self-propelled gun (it was made more technologically advanced and convenient). The thickness of the aft armor plate was increased to 50 mm, while the thickness of the frontal armor remained unchanged (80 mm). The designers made the towing earrings in the form of brackets, which were a continuation of the hull. In addition, the appearance of the access hatches to the transmission (in front of the machine) and to the engines (in the stern) has changed.

The designers abandoned the smoke vent device of previous models, which was used to mask the self-propelled guns, as well as folding antennas, so the wooden safety boxes for them were removed.

Assault gun StuG 40 Ausf.F / 8 in the exposition of the Military Museum in Belgrade, Serbia
Source - wikimedia.org

The StuG 40 Ausf.F/8 was equipped with a gun with a single-chamber muzzle brake. At the beginning of 1943, a protective shield for the MG-34 machine gun began to be installed on F / 8 modifications above the loader's hatch on the right side of the roof. Since May 1943, on self-propelled guns that survived the battles, they began to mount armored side screens that effectively protected them from hits from HEAT shells and anti-tank armor-piercing bullets. From September to December 1942, 250 StuG 40 Ausf.F / 8 self-propelled guns were manufactured.

From December 1942 to March 1945, the Alkett company produced the last, most successful and most massive series of self-propelled guns - StuG 40 Ausf.G, which is also referred to in various sources as the StuG III Ausf.G.

Most of the changes affected the armored hull. Armored boxes for radios were removed, and the sides were moved to the middle of the fenders. On the first machines of the series, 50 mm frontal armor was retained, which was reinforced with overhead 30 mm armor plates, which were bolted or welded to the hull. Since April 1944, the company began to use 80-mm armored rolling for the manufacture of frontal parts.

The electric fan was originally located in the same place as the machines of the StuG 40 Ausf.F series, but later it was moved to the rear of the cabin roof. The driver's observation device was eliminated, the loophole under which was simply welded in the wheelhouses of the first G-series cars. Later, the designers also abandoned the driver's observation device, which was located on the left side of the self-propelled guns.

Since November 1943, instead of the old welded gun mantlet of the 75-mm StuK 40 L / 48 cannon, a new cast one was mounted on part of the self-propelled guns, which was called Saukopfblende (German - “boar snout”). Both masks were installed on cars until the end of the war. Since June 1944, the MG-34 coaxial machine gun began to be mounted in welded masks, and in October of the same year it appeared in cast masks.

In self-propelled guns produced after May 1944, a hole appeared in the roof of the cabin for a mortar that fired smoke and fragmentation grenades. Prior to this, part of the self-propelled guns were equipped with NbK 39 90-mm smoke grenade launchers, which were installed in front of the cabin (three to the left and right of the gun).

An early version of the StuG 40 Ausf.G assault gun on the march in Italy. Visible smoke 90 mm NbK 39 grenade launchers, as well as additional 30 mm armor welded to the lower armor plate

The StuG 40 Ausf.G was produced with a commander's cupola, which improved visibility for the vehicle commander. Since the armor of the walls was weak, from October 1943 they began to equip it with a fairing - a cast shield that reflected bullets and shrapnel.

Initially, the loader's hatch, located in the front right part of the roof of the cabin, consisted of two wings - the rear and the front, which, when raised, served as a shield for the MG-34 machine gun. On the later versions of the self-propelled gun, the hatch doors already opened to the left and right, and the MG-42 machine gun, mounted on the roof, could be remotely controlled by the gunner. The need to lean out of the hatch now arose only at the time of reloading weapons. In this case, the gunner was protected by the side flaps of the open hatch, which stood vertically in the open position, as well as a small V-shaped shield mounted on a machine gun.

A German tanker fires from an MG-34 machine gun mounted on a StuG III Ausf.G self-propelled gun
Source - waralbum.ru

For the StuG 40 Ausf.G, two types of caterpillars were produced - 400 mm wide (normal) and 550 mm wide (the so-called "Eastern", intended to increase the machine's cross-country ability on quickly sagging heavy soils and in the snows of the Eastern Front). On the later versions of the ACS, the designers refused to rubberize the support rollers, which was due to the shortage of rubber that arose in the Third Reich by the end of the war.

Almost all self-propelled guns of the G series received 5-mm screens that protected them from hits from cumulative projectiles. The cars had only one problem with the screens - when driving over rough terrain, they often clung to the ground with them, so soon the lower front corners of the screens began to be cut off. Since the summer of 1943, a special coating of zimmerite began to be applied to the self-propelled guns, which protected them from magnetic mines.

German assault gun StuG III Ausf.G with onboard anti-cumulative screens and zimmerite hull coating
Source - waralbum.ru

From December 1942 to April 1945, 5191 StuG 40 Ausf.G self-propelled guns were produced at the Alkett plant. In February 1943, MIAG in Braunschweig joined their production, where, by March 1945, another 2643 vehicles of this modification were manufactured. In addition, in 1943, 165 self-propelled guns based on Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M. tanks were produced, and in 1944 - 173 self-propelled guns on the chassis of “triples” of other modifications that underwent repair and restoration work at the Alkett enterprise. Thus, 8172 machines of the Ausf.G series were delivered to the assembly shops in total (according to other sources - 7720).

Performance characteristics of various StuG III series armed with the StuK 40 gun (data from panzerschreck.de)

Model		Ausf.F/8
Width, m
Height, m
The thickness of the frontal armor of the hull, mm
Maximum speed, km/h
Engine model	Maybach HL 120 TRM	Maybach HL 120 TRM	Maybach HL 120 TRM
Engine power, l. With.
	1 x 75 mm StuK 40 L/43	1 x 75 mm StuK 40 L/48	1 x 75 mm StuK 40 L/48
	1 x 7.92 mm MG 34	1 x 7.92 mm MG 34	2 x 7.92mm MG34
Manufactured
Release years

In total, during the Second World War, the industry of the Third Reich produced 9675 StuG III of all series and modifications, which makes this self-propelled guns the most massive armored vehicle that entered service with the Wehrmacht.

StuG 40 Ausf.G with pig snout gun mantlet and zimmerite coating
Source - nevsepic.com.ua

More and more new models

The fighting on the Eastern Front in the first month of the war showed the need to create armored mobile gun mounts of large calibers necessary to suppress enemy resistance centers and strongholds. Back in July 1941, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, chairman of the tank commission of the Army Ordnance Department, initiated the creation of a 150-mm self-propelled gun, which was commissioned to be developed by the designers of the Alkett enterprise. From December 1941 to January 1942, a similar number of 150-mm self-propelled guns were made on the basis of twelve StuG III Ausf.E self-propelled guns. For the production of twelve more units, the chassis of the StuG III Ausf.F / 8 self-propelled guns was used, on which armored cabins with howitzers were installed in the fall of 1942. The new self-propelled guns received the designation StuIG 33V- the word Infanterie (German - "infantry") was added to the decoding of the properties of the gun.

The 15 cm schweres Infanterie Geschütz 33 field howitzer, or 15 cm sIG 33 for short (150-mm heavy infantry gun of the 1933 model of the year), was chosen as the main armament for the new self-propelled gun, on which a recoil device was installed, which allowed it to be mounted on armored chassis. The firing range of 15 cm sIG 33 was 4.7 km, while this gun could only be aimed horizontally at ± 3 °. Vertical pointing angles reached +25° and −6°. The ammunition load of the new self-propelled guns was equal to 30 shells. Additionally, a removable MG-34 machine gun was installed in the self-propelled gunhouse.

150-mm self-propelled guns StuIG 33V on the march
Source: plaza.rakuten.co.jp

In October 1942, the first twelve guns received their baptism of fire in the battles near Stalingrad as part of the 177th and 244th separate siege gun battalions, where they died. Of the remaining twelve self-propelled guns, the 17th siege anti-personnel artillery battery, which was given to the 22nd Panzer Division. She took part in an attempt to break through the ring closed by the Red Army around the 6th Infantry Army of the Wehrmacht in Stalingrad. In these battles, the division was defeated, and the battery lost six self-propelled guns.

The remaining six vehicles were handed over to the 23rd Panzer Division, where they became part of the 201st Tank Regiment as an assault battery. The battery took part in the battles on the Kursk Bulge, during the defense of the Dnieper line, and as of September 1944, only five self-propelled guns remained serviceable. Only one copy of the StuIG 33B has survived to this day, which is on display at the Museum of armored weapons and equipment in Kubinka (Russia).

150-mm self-propelled guns StuIG 33В in the exposition of the Museum of armored weapons and equipment in Kubinka

The second, more successful and massive self-propelled howitzer, created on the basis of StuG III, was StuH 42 . After the execution of Hitler's order of September 28, 1941, when the StuK 37 gun was replaced with a longer StuK 40, the StuG 40 self-propelled guns did not fully correspond to the functions of an assault gun. The flat trajectory of the projectile of the new gun made it difficult to fight enemy infantry defending in trenches and trenches, as well as with its firing points. To fill the gap that had arisen, it was decided to create a self-propelled howitzer with a larger caliber gun and a hinged projectile flight path.

The 10.5 cm leFH18 / 40 howitzer of the 1918 model produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG was chosen as the main armament for the new self-propelled guns. The first experimental StuH 42 was built on the StuG III Ausf.E chassis, the next five prototypes were assembled on the StuG III Ausf.F chassis and four more on the StuG III Ausf.F/8 chassis.

Echelon with self-propelled guns StuH 42 at Lyubotin station
Source - warallbum.ru

The machine went into series with a modified gun, which differed from the field design of the recoil device and a modernized shutter shape. From September 1944, the muzzle brake was no longer mounted on the barrel. The self-propelled guns had 36 rounds of ammunition, of which 26 were high-explosive fragmentation, and another 10 were cumulative, penetrating armor 90–100 mm thick. Just like the StuG III Ausf.G, a shield was located on the roof of the new self-propelled guns, behind which an MG-34 or MG-42 machine gun was hidden, from which, if necessary, the loader could fire.

SAU StuH 42 of the early series, abandoned by the Germans on the Eastern Front. Howitzer without muzzle brake, gun mantlet - welded
Source - warallbum.ru

The design of the self-propelled howitzer was not much different from the StuG III - only the layout of the gun and the placement of shells were different. Self-propelled howitzers, like the StuG III Ausf.G, eventually received cast gun masks instead of welded ones and were also shielded with additional anti-cumulative armor. Later specimens were coated with zimmerite. In total, during the period from March 1942 to April 1945, the German industry produced 1299 StuH 42 units.

ACS StuH 42 with troops on the armor. Muzzle brake of early modifications, cast gun mantlet
Source - warallbum.ru

"Incendiary" self-propelled guns

In December 1942, it was decided to create self-propelled flamethrower installations based on the StuG III Ausf.F. StuGIII Flamm, which would be intended to storm the fortified strongholds of the enemy. Work on the new machines began in February 1943. Instead of a 75-mm gun in the conning tower, the self-propelled guns installed 14-mm flamethrowers protected by steel casing pipes (Wegmann & Co. and Koebe were responsible for the installation of flamethrower weapons).

Source - wehrmacht-history.com

The firing range of the flamethrower was 50–60 m, depending on weather conditions(direction and strength of the wind). Before firing, the fire mixture warmed up for about five minutes. hot water, which was supplied to the tanks from the radiator. Throwing was carried out using compressed air, which was produced by a compressor equipped with a separate two-piston gasoline engine. The ammunition of each machine was 1000 liters of fire mixture. Horizontally, the flamethrower could be guided without turning by the ACS body at ± 10 °, and fired vertically at angles from + 20 ° to -6 °. In total, German machine builders produced 10 machines of this modification.

Flamethrower SAU StuG III Fl Flamm
Source: moderndrawings.jexiste.be

In 1944-45, part of the StuG III Ausf.G chassis was used to create armored personnel carriers for transporting shells ( Munitionspanzer auf StuG 40 Ausf.G), which were used to transport 75-mm and 105-mm shells along with the Sd.Kfz.250 and Sd.Kfz.251 half-tracked armored personnel carriers, but since there were very few of them, preference was given to the last two vehicles.

Changes in the design of the machine consisted in the fact that the gun was not installed, and the loophole in the frontal plate was welded with an armor plate. Sometimes, for the convenience of loading / unloading shells, an arrow-crane was mounted on the roof of the cabin.

On a larger chassis

On November 23 and 26, 1943, the Allied flying fortresses, which continued to bombard military and industrial targets in Germany, severely damaged the production facilities of the Alkett enterprise in Berlin. In order not to stop the production of anti-tank self-propelled guns, the need for which at the front was growing every day, the Germans decided to entrust part of the production of self-propelled guns to a subsidiary of the Krupp corporation in Magdeburg (Krupp-Gruson-Werk). Since it specialized in the production of Pz.Kpfw.IV medium tanks, it was decided to install StuG III Ausf.G cabins on the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G chassis to save time. There was no economic feasibility in such a decision, but the current situation left the German engineers no other choice.

Since the Pz.Kpfw.IV chassis was longer than the chassis used in the assembly of the StuG III, the driver's seat turned out to be outside the standard conning tower, and a separate armored cabin with an evacuation hatch and two periscopes was designed for him. The resulting completely new self-propelled unit received the designation StuG IV and modernized along with the changes that were made to the standard StuG III conning tower and the Pz.Kpfw.IV chassis (for example, the last hulls of the new self-propelled guns were mounted on the chassis of the "four" modification Ausf.J).

Destroyed German assault gun StuG IV
Source - warallbum.ru

Since the cutting designs of the self-propelled guns manufactured by Alkett and Krupp-Gruson-Werk coincided, additional armament(course machine gun and machine gun on the roof of the cabin), radio stations and other equipment were almost identical. Due to the larger chassis, the StuG IV had more ammunition - 63 rounds versus 54 for the StuG III Ausf.G.

For the period from December 1943 to March 1945, 1108 vehicles (according to other sources - 1163) of a new design were produced in Magdeburg. Another 31 self-propelled guns were converted from ready-made tanks, which arrived at the Krupp factories for overhaul. Only three copies of these self-propelled guns have survived to this day - two in Poland (one of them is active) and one in Latvia.

StuG IV with RC machine gun on roof, coaxial machine gun hole in gun mantlet, screens, but no zimmerite coating
Source - militaryimages.net

"Shtugi" enter the battle

For the first time, StuG III assault guns took part in the fighting in the spring and summer of 1940 in France and Holland. Self-propelled guns, of which four batteries were formed in the training artillery regiment (Artillerie Lehr Regiment) in Uteborg-Damme, supported the advance of the infantry units to which they were attached. Battery No. 640 supported the 3rd Regiment of the Großdeutschland (Great Germany) Division, Battery No. 659 supported the 13th Army Corps, No. 660 supported the SS Panzer Division Totenkopf (Totenkopf), and No. 665 arrived in France only in early July and practically did not participate in the battles. Combat practice has shown the need to increase the number of such units in the Wehrmacht.

The first StuG III batteries were formed on the basis of a regular structure approved on November 1, 1939. Each battery consisted of three platoons of two vehicles each, that is, the number of batteries was six vehicles. In addition to combat self-propelled guns, each platoon included service vehicles: the commander's half-track armored vehicle Sd.Kfz.253, intended for artillery observers, and the front-line ammunition transporter Sd.Kfz.252 with a trailer Sd.Anh.32. Thus, the StuG III battery was an impressive combat unit in terms of numbers.

StuG III Ausf.B assault gun unit on the Eastern Front. At the head of the column is the armored personnel carrier of the platoon commander Sd.Kfz.253
Source - waralbum.ru

By November 1940, a sufficient number of self-propelled guns had been produced to begin the formation of three-battery divisions of 18 vehicles each (not counting service armored personnel carriers). Since November, the staff of each division began to additionally include a separate self-propelled guns for its commander, in addition, each battery was given one vehicle for battery commanders. The number of StuG IIIs in the division has grown to 22 vehicles.

In the foreground is the Sd.Kfz.252 ammunition carrier, behind it is the StuG III Ausf.C / D self-propelled guns
Source - waralbum.ru

During this period, StuG III divisions took part in the battles in Greece and Yugoslavia. For all the time before the start of the campaign on the Eastern Front, of all the Sturmgeschutz IIIs that fought in France and the Balkans, only one vehicle was lost. But in the summer of 1941 the situation changed dramatically.

Very few StuG IIIs fought in Africa. At the beginning of 1942, a battery of three StuG III Ausf.D self-propelled guns arrived in Tripoli (Libya) as part of the SonderVerband 288 special unit, formed from the personnel of the 800 Brandenburg Special Purpose Division. The number of units at first was 1400 people, and by May 1942 was gradually increased to 1800 with 610 pieces of equipment. The commander of this actually sabotage regiment was Colonel Otto Menton. "Things" and "marders" attached to the special forces were intended for its assault and anti-tank support. As part of a special unit, which was also called the "Menton group", StuG III Ausf.D took part in the assault on British positions at El Gazala and the capture of Tobruk.

After the defeat at El Alamein, SonderVerband 288 retreated to Tunisia, along with other parts of the Africa Panzer Army. On the way, he lost all his armored vehicles, including all three StuG III Ausf.D. One of these self-propelled guns was captured by the British in good condition, and at the moment it is on display at the Bovington Museum.

Destroyed Pz.Kpfw.III tank and StuG III Ausf.D assault gun (right) from SonderVerband 288 on a road in North Africa. A column of British tanks M3 "Stuart" passes by
Source - waralbum.ru

Six more StuG.III Ausf.F / 8 from the 1st battery of the 242nd assault gun battalion, specially prepared for war in the desert, were sent on December 31, 1942 from the vicinity of Juteborg to Naples. There, the self-propelled guns were loaded onto ferries and sent to Tunisia with a call at the port of Trapania in Sicily. On the way to the island, one transport with two “things” of the allied aviation was sunk. The remaining four vehicles reached Tunisia, where they were renamed Assault Battery No. 90 and attached to the Barentin Parachute Regiment. On May 1, 1943, the regiment capitulated, and the battery was given to the landing brigade of Major General Bernard Ramke, in which she surrendered to the Allies on May 15 of the same year.

The StuG III Ausf.A assault gun broke through the bridge. Balkans, 1941
Source - waralbum.ru

In the boundless eastern expanses

By the beginning of the Barbarossa plan, twelve divisions and five separate StuG III batteries were formed, which were subordinate to the commanders of Army Groups North, Center and South. Separate units of self-propelled guns were included in the SS troops. So, on June 22, 1941, as part of the SS Totenkopf division, the Western Bug crossed the 192nd StuG III division, one battery of which crossed the river along the bottom (this battery had previously been prepared for landing in Britain). In SS units, the number of vehicles in batteries could differ from their number in Wehrmacht units. So, in the SS division “Das Reich” (“Reich”), a separate StuG III battery consisted of eight vehicles, each of which had its own name in honor of the famous German commanders (“Seidlitz”, “Lutzow”, “Prince Eugene”, etc. .).

With the outbreak of hostilities, StuG IIIs, the main share of which were Ausf.B modification vehicles, took an active part in the main battles on the Eastern Front. They were especially "noted" during the assault on fortified areas on the border of the USSR and the "old" Soviet-Polish border, during the general assault on Kyiv in August 1941 and in the battles in the Crimea. In Soviet documents, vehicles of this model were designated as “artillery assault” (in no other country in the world they were called that).

Kievans inspect the captured German self-propelled guns StuG III Ausf.C, captured near the village of Vita-Pochtovaya. August 1941
Source - waralbum.ru

The StuG III's good frontal armor for that time, which the 45-mm gun (the main anti-tank weapon of the Red Army) did not penetrate, as well as the low silhouette made them a formidable weapon, including for tanks. The regular T-34 gun could penetrate the frontal armor of the StuG III only at medium and close ranges, while the probability of damage to the Soviet tank during the approach to the German self-propelled guns was very high. Perhaps it was because of this that in the first six months of the war (from June 22 to December 31, 1941), the Wehrmacht lost only 96 self-propelled guns.

In the same period, the use of captured StuG III by the Red Army begins. It is reliably known about two self-propelled guns captured by the Red Army in the first half of August 1941 near the village of Vita-Pochtovaya near Kiev. They were exhibited for viewing by the people of Kiev on one of the central squares of the city, and then were sent to the troops (their further fate is unknown).

At the beginning of 1942, due to the increase in the number of self-propelled guns in the troops, the number of vehicles in the platoon was increased. Thus, the strength of the StuG III battery increased to 10 units (including the command vehicle), and the strength of the division to 31. At the same time, due to insufficient self-propelled armor, the production of the Ausf.F model began, the thickness of the frontal armor of which was increased to 80 mm. In addition, they began to install a new StuK 40 L / 43 gun, capable of penetrating the armor of the T-34 and KV-1. Here is what the Soviet self-propelled tanker Yu. N. Polyakov, who fought on the SU-76, recalled about the new StuG III: “We knew the same 75-millimeter artillery assault. The armor was thicker than ours. Yes, and they have a good gun.

StuG III/40 divisions played a significant role in the third (last) assault on Sevastopol in June 1942, after which the city fell. Between 50 and 65 StuG IIIs participated in these battles, and the German SPG divisions suffered significant losses (the 197th division was completely destroyed). Self-propelled guns died on minefields, from fire coastal batteries and anti-aircraft guns, from grenades of soldiers and marines.

German soldiers walk down the street past StuG III self-propelled guns. Outskirts of Sevastopol, 1942
Source - waralbum.ru

It is curious that on June 30, 1942, it was the crews of several StuG IIIs of the 190th division (the first at the front to receive the Ausf.F modification vehicles), together with the soldiers of the 72nd Infantry Regiment, that broke through to the Sevastopol Panorama building and hoisted the flag of the Third Reich on it.

Tangible losses were suffered by units equipped with StuG III self-propelled guns, and in Battle of Stalingrad- in the boiler on the Volga, the 243rd, 244th and 245th divisions of assault guns were completely destroyed. In 1942, the irretrievable losses of StuG IIIs amounted to 332 vehicles.

German soldiers and StuG III assault guns on the street of the destroyed Stalingrad, 1942
Source - waralbum.ru

Since March 2, 1943, in connection with the advent of self-propelled howitzers created on the basis of StuG III (StuН 42), in order to give universality to self-propelled gun batteries, they began to be made combined, adding three StuН 42 vehicles to seven StuG III or StuG 40. Thanks to this, the battery became universal and could fight both enemy armored vehicles (using the flat trajectory of 75-mm StuG III / 40 self-propelled guns), and its field fortifications, which were suppressed by 105-mm howitzers.

In 1943, there was a significant organizational change in the management of self-propelled gun units - they were transferred from the Wehrmacht artillery department to the armored department. After that, many divisions of self-propelled guns were included in the tank and motorized divisions of the Wehrmacht.

The most significant battle in which the StuG III / 40 took part in 1943 was the Battle of Kursk, in which 455 of these self-propelled guns took part. As of June 30, 1943, 26 assault gun battalions were concentrated on the Eastern Front, equipped with 35 StuG III Ausf.А-Е self-propelled guns, 727 StuG 40 Ausf.F-G and 57 StuH 42 assault howitzers. Thus, the Wehrmacht concentrated up to 50 % self-propelled guns of this type. In the battle, the Germans lost 273 StuG III / 40 and 38 StuH 42, and in total in 1943 the Wehrmacht lost 1492 self-propelled guns and 73 self-propelled howitzers of these types (of this number, German repairmen were able to return only 208 vehicles to service).

In the same year, the production of the SU-76I self-propelled gun began in the Soviet Union, which was made on the basis of the chassis of captured Pz.Kpfw.III tanks and StuG III / 40 self-propelled guns. In total, from April to November 1943, 201 units were produced, but then the production was stopped in favor of self-made self-propelled guns SU-76m, since the flow of captured tanks was very unstable, and the repair of captured equipment in field conditions caused a lot of problems.

SU-76I at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow
Source - la-star.ru

At the beginning of 1944, four-platoon batteries appeared in the StuG III / 40 divisions (three platoons were equipped with StuG III / 40, and one - with StuH 42). Until the end of the war, batteries of 10 and 14 self-propelled guns coexisted in parallel, at the same time, the overgrown self-propelled gun divisions began to be renamed into brigades, which could include a different number of batteries (from two to five), which introduced additional difficulties in accounting for the actual number of vehicles in units .

From the very beginning of the Eastern Campaign, there was a constant increase in the number of StuG III self-propelled guns of all modifications, but in 1944-45, the German industry, whose production facilities suffered irreparable losses as a result of Allied bombing, no longer had time to compensate for the losses of the Wehrmacht in armored vehicles.

German technology on Mitteltragheim street in Königsberg (after the assault). In the foreground is the StuG III Ausf.G assault gun, in the background is the tank destroyer Jgd.Pz.IV
Source - waralbum.ru

Finally

StuG III turned out to be a very successful self-propelled gun. She had a low silhouette and "held" the shells of the main Soviet tanks, which made it an excellent anti-tank weapon, especially if it operated from an ambush. It should also be noted that in the top ten German tank aces, the seventh and eighth places are occupied by the commanders of these particular self-propelled guns. Major Hans Sandrock fought in the Afrika Korps (Panzer Army "Africa"), and then in the division of the Luftwaffe "Hermann Göring" ("Hermann Goering") in a parachute-armored regiment (German statistics attribute 123 tank victories to him), and at the expense of his colleague Wachmister Fritz Lang from the 232nd Assault Gun Battalion is credited with 113 wrecked vehicles.

After the end of World War II, StuG III continued to be in service with the armies of some countries in Europe and the Middle East: Finland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Spain, Egypt and Syria. The last fighting in which these machines took part was the Six Day War of 1967. The Yad Le-Shirion Museum of Armored Vehicles in Latrun still exhibits the StuG III Ausf.G captured by the Israelis during that war, and at least two more wrecked self-propelled guns have been rusting on the heights of the Golan Heights for half a century.

Destroyed Syrian StuG III in the Golan Heights
Source - waronline.org