15 cm sIG 33

15 cm sIG 33
Country	Germany
Type	Howitzer
In service	1927–1945
Built	4600+

The 15 cm sIG 33 (schweres Infanterie Geschütz 33, lit. “heavy infantry gun”) was the standard German heavy infantry gun used in the Second World War. It was the largest weapon ever classified as an infantry gun by any nation. Its weight made it difficult to use in the field, and the gun was increasingly adapted to various ad hoc mobile mountings. These were generically referred to as the SIG 33

Source: 15 cm sIG 33 on Wikipedia

15cm SIG 33 Walk Around
Photographer	Unknow
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	31

15cm SIG 33 01

15cm SIG 33 02

15cm SIG 33 03

15cm SIG 33 04

15cm SIG 33 05

15cm SIG 33 06

15cm SIG 33 07

15cm SIG 33 08

15cm SIG 33 09

Click on a photo and use the mouse scroll to view all photos

Wait, Searching German 150mm s.F.H.18 Howitzer photos for you…

Wait, Searching Howitzer photos for you…

General Characteristics

The 15 cm sIG 33 (Heavy Infantry Gun 33) was the standard German heavy infantry support weapon used throughout World War II. It was the largest and heaviest weapon ever officially classified as an infantry gun by any nation.

Property	Value (Towed sIG 33)
Role	Heavy Infantry Support Gun
Designer	Rheinmetall
Entered Service	1933
Caliber	149.1 mm (5.87 in)
Mass (In Action)	1,800 kg (4,000 lb)
Carriage	Box trail
Number Built	~4,600 (1936–1945)

Performance and Ammunition

Shell Weight: Standard High Explosive (HE) shell (I Gr 33) was approximately 38 kg (84 lb).
Muzzle Velocity: ~240 m/s (790 ft/s) (HE shell), which was very low.
Maximum Range: 4,700 meters (5,100 yd). The short range reflected its role as a close-support weapon.
Rate of Fire: 2–3 rounds per minute (rpm).
Key Ammunition: Fired the standard HE and Smoke shells, but also the specialized 90 kg Stielgranate 42 demolition projectile, which was muzzle-loaded and had a range of about 1,000 meters.

Mobility and Self-Propelled Variants

Towed Mobility: Originally horse-drawn due to its heavy weight. Later models had pressed steel wheels and air brakes for limited motor towing, but was still generally slow and cumbersome in the field.
Self-Propelled Use: Due to mobility limitations, the sIG 33 was widely adapted to various armored chassis to create self-propelled artillery pieces (commonly referred to as SIG 33), including:
- 15 cm sIG 33 auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B (“Sturmpanzer I Bison”)
- 15 cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf) (“Sturmpanzer II Bison”)
- Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B (StuIG 33B) on a StuG III chassis
Role: Primarily used for destroying enemy strongpoints, machine gun nests, and fortified positions with high-explosive fire in direct support of the infantry.