Stug III vol2 - WalkAround

Sturmgeschütz III – Stug III
Pays	Germany
Role	Chasseur de char

Galerie photo du StuG III, Le StuG III canon d’assaut (Sturmgeschütz III) était construit sur une base de char Panzer III, il a été le véhicule blindé de combat dont la production par l’Allemagne a été la plus massive durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. A l’origine il était conçu comme simple un canon léger blindé d’appui à destination de l’infanterie, puis le StuG II ayant été en permanence amélioré et modifié il a été beaucoup utilisé comme chasseur de chars. Largement répandue (plus de 10000 exemplaires produits) cette série de Sturmgeschütz a beneficié d’un très bon équilibre qualité / prix.

Source: Stug III sur Wikipedia

Sturmgeschütz III – Stug III
Photographer	Unknow
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	57

Stug III 01

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Stug III 04

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Stug III 09

Stug III 08

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The Silent Workhorse of the Panzerwaffe

The Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) holds the record as Germany’s most-produced fully tracked armored vehicle of WWII. Originally conceived by General Erich von Manstein as a turretless assault gun to provide direct fire support for infantry, it evolved into a lethal tank destroyer. By removing the turret and mounting the gun directly in the hull (a casemate design), engineers created a vehicle that was cheaper to build, easier to hide, and carried a much heavier gun than the Panzer III chassis was ever intended to hold.

Attribute	Technical Specification (StuG III Ausf. G)
Role	Assault Gun / Tank Destroyer
Crew	4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)
Chassis	Modified Panzer III
Main Armament	7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 (54 rounds)
Secondary Armament	1 or 2 × 7.92 mm MG34 machine guns
Frontal Armor	80 mm (on later Ausf. G models)
Maximum Speed	40 km/h (25 mph) on road
Production Total	Over 10,000 (including all variants)

Design Engineering: Stealth and Simplicity

The Casemate Advantage: By eliminating the heavy, complex rotating turret, the StuG III stood only 2.16 meters tall—roughly the height of a tall man. This low silhouette made it nearly impossible to spot when hidden in a treeline or behind a low ridge.
The « Saukopf » Mantlet: Late-war models featured a distinctive cast gun mantlet known as the Saukopf (Sow’s Head). Its rounded shape was far more effective at deflecting incoming shells than the earlier boxy, welded designs.
Schürzen (Side Skirts): To protect its thin 30mm side armor from Soviet anti-tank rifles and hollow-charge rounds, the StuG was often fitted with 5mm steel plates hanging from the sides, giving it a bulky, skirted appearance.
Fixed Traverse: The gun could only move about 10 degrees to the left or right. To aim at targets further away, the entire vehicle had to be turned by the driver, a disadvantage in close-quarters combat but a non-issue for long-range ambushes.

Operational History: The Sniper of the Steppe

Most Lethal AFV: By the end of the war, StuG units claimed to have destroyed more than 20,000 enemy tanks—more than the Tiger or Panther divisions. Their success came from defensive « shoot and scoot » tactics.
Finnish « Sturmi »: Finland received dozens of StuG IIIs from Germany. During the 1944 battles against the Soviet Union, Finnish StuG crews achieved a staggering 8-to-1 kill ratio, cementing the vehicle’s legendary status in Finnish military history.
Post-War Service: The StuG’s service didn’t end in 1945. Several nations continued to use them; most notably, Syria used StuG IIIs in combat against Israel as late as the 1967 Six-Day War.
Infantry’s Best Friend: Unlike the elite Tiger battalions, StuG brigades were often attached directly to infantry divisions. The soldiers loved them because the StuG could get close enough to « knock on the door » of a bunker that was pinning them down.