Sturmgeschütz III
Use of Assault Guns
German Sturmgeschütze (assault guns) were created as a close support weapon for infantry. They would advance alongside infantry, and would fight strongpoints and armored vehicles. Assault guns would also supplement infantry guns and anti-tank guns in defensive operations, and were considered as a possible replacement for anti-tank guns.
While assault guns were organized in brigades, they were not intended to fight independently on the brigade level. Rather, they would fight on the platoon level with the infantry.
After encountering Soviet heavy tanks assault gun armor and armament was increased to allow them to fight the heavy Soviet tanks. This did not signify abandoning the original concept; the upgrade was merely a necessity to allow them to continue to fight the tanks they were likely to encounter.
Later, as tank production struggled to keep up with losses, assault guns were pressed into service as tank destroyers. Even so, assault gun brigades and battalions continued to fight as such infantry in both offensive and defensive operations.
Production
| Month | Ausf. A through Ausf. E | Ausf. F and Ausf. G | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | |||
| January | 1 | - | 1 |
| February | 3 | - | 3 |
| March | 6 | - | 6 |
| April | 10 | - | 10 |
| May | 10 | - | 10 |
| June | 12 | - | 12 |
| July | 22 | - | 22 |
| August | 20 | - | 20 |
| September | 29 | - | 29 |
| October | 35 | - | 35 |
| November | 35 | - | 35 |
| December | 29 | - | 29 |
| 1941 | |||
| January | 36 | - | 36 |
| February | 30 | - | 30 |
| March | 30 | - | 30 |
| April | 47 | - | 47 |
| May | 48 | - | 48 |
| June | 56 | - | 56 |
| July | 34 | - | 34 |
| August | 50 | - | 50 |
| September | 38 | - | 38 |
| October | 71 | - | 71 |
| November | 46 | - | 46 |
| December | 46 | - | 46 |
| 1942 | |||
| January | 45 | - | 45 |
| February | 45 | - | 45 |
| March | - | 3 | 3 |
| April | - | 36 | 36 |
| May | - | 79 | 79 |
| June | - | 70 | 70 |
| July | - | 60 | 60 |
| August | - | 80 | 80 |
| September | - | 70 | 70 |
| October | - | 84 | 84 |
| November | - | 100 | 100 |
| December | - | 120 | 120 |
| 1943 | |||
| January | - | 130 | 130 |
| February | - | 140 | 140 |
| March | - | 197 | 197 |
| April | - | 228 | 228 |
| May | - | 260 | 260 |
| June | - | 275 | 275 |
| July | - | 281 | 281 |
| August | - | 291 | 291 |
| September | - | 345 | 345 |
| October | - | 395 | 395 |
| November | - | 295 | 295 |
| December | - | 174 | 174 |
| 1944 | |||
| January | - | 227 | 227 |
| February | - | 196 | 196 |
| March | - | 264 | 264 |
| April | - | 294 | 294 |
| May | - | 335 | 335 |
| June | - | 341 | 341 |
| July | - | 377 | 377 |
| August | - | 312 | 312 |
| September | - | 356 | 356 |
| October | - | 325 | 325 |
| November | - | 361 | 361 |
| December | - | 452 | 452 |
| 1945 | |||
| January | - | 391 | 391 |
| February | - | 189 | 189 |
| March | - | 235 | 235 |
| April | - | 48 | 48 |
| Total | 834 | 8416 | 9250 |
Technical Information
| Ausf. A | Ausf. B though E | Ausf. F | Ausf. F/8 | Ausf. G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | |||||
| Crew |
|
||||
| Physical Characteristics | |||||
| Weight | 20.7 t | 22.0 t | 23.2 t | 23.9 t | |
| Length | 5.38 m | 5.40 m | 6.31 m | 6.77 m | |
| Width | 2.92 m | 2.95 m | |||
| Height | 1.95 m | 2.15 m | 2.16 m | ||
| Ground clearance | 0.39 m | ||||
| Ground pressure | 0.95 kg/cm² | 0.96 kg/cm² | 1.01 kg/cm² | 1.04 kg/cm² | |
| Armor | |||||
| Hull, front | 50 mm | 50-80 mm | |||
| Hull, sides and rear | 30 mm | 30-50 mm | |||
| Hull, top | 10-25 mm | ||||
| Hull, bottom | 15 mm | ||||
| Performance | |||||
| Maximum speed | 40 km/h | ||||
| Road speed | 20 km/h | ||||
| Cross-country speed | 12-15 km/h | ||||
| Maximum grade | 30° | ||||
| Trench crossing | 2.30 m | ||||
| Vertical obstacle | 60 cm | ||||
| Fording depth | 100 cm | 80 cm | |||
| Fuel capacity | 310 l | ||||
| Mileage (road) | 1.94 l/km | 2.21 l/km | 2.00 l/km | ||
| Mileage (cross-country) | 3.10 l/km | 3.65 l/km | 3.26 l/km | ||
| Cruising range | 160 km | 140 km | 155 km | ||
| Cross-country range | 100 km | 85 km | 95 km | ||
| Engine | |||||
| Make and model | Maybach HL 120 TRM | ||||
| Type | Water cooled | ||||
| Cylinders | 12 | ||||
| Displacement | 11 900 cc | ||||
| Fuel | Gasoline | ||||
| Max. governed speed | 2600 rpm | ||||
| Net h.p. | 265 | ||||
| Armament | |||||
| Main weapon | 7,5 cm Kan L/24 | 7,5 cm Stu K 40 L/48 | |||
| Secondary weapon | - | 7,92 mm M G 34 | |||
| Auxillary weapon | 9 mm M P (2) | ||||
| Ammunition Storage | |||||
| Main weapon | 44 | ||||
| Secondary weapon | - | 600 | |||
| Auxillary weapon | 384 | ||||
Additional Reading
- Sturmgeschütz III photographs (external link)
- Photographs of the Sturmgeschütz III at Panzerphotos.
- Pz Kpfw III
- Information about the Panzerkampfwagen III.
- Sturmgeschütz IV
- Information about the Sturmgeschütz IV.
- Sturmhaubitze
- Information about the Sturmhaubitze.
- Assault Gun Employment Guidelines, 1942
- 1942 manual detailing the use of assault guns.
Sources
- Panzer hilfen Dir : Was der Grenadier vom gepanzerten Kampffahrzeuge wissen muß. Berlin : Heereswaffenamt, 1944. 40 p. Merkblatt 18b/38.
- JENTZ, Thomas L. & DOYLE, Hilary Louis. Panzer Tracts No. 8 - Sturmgeschuetz : s.Pak to Sturmmoerser. Darlington, MD : Darlington Productions, 1999. 60 p. ISBN 1-892448-04-X.
- JENTZ, Thomas L., DOYLE, Hilary Louis & SARSON, Peter. New Vanguard 19 - StuG III Assault Gun, 1940-1942. Oxford : Osprey Publishing, 1996. 48 p. ISBN 1-85532-537-3.
- JENTZ, Thomas L., DOYLE, Hilary Louis, FULLER, Mike & SARSON, Peter. New Vanguard 37 - Sturmgeschütz III & IV, 1942-45. Oxford : Osprey Publishing, 2001. 48 p. ISBN 1-84176-182-6.