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Soon after the formation of the new Wehrmacht under Hitler’s Third Reich, many high-ranking infantry officers came to see the need for a heavily armoured support gun that could eliminate strong points and obstacles during an assault. In 1936 the German High Command ordered the development of such a vehicle mounting the 75mm KwK L/24 howitzer then being adopted for the PzKpfw IV tank. Daimler-Benz designed the chassis and superstructure while Krupp developed the gun and its new mounting.
In 1937 five O-Series prototypes were built using a low, fixed superstructure built on the PzKpfw III Ausf B chassis and with a limited-traverse mount for the gun. The pilot models were identifiable by twin round access hatches in the nose plate. Since they were constructed of mild steel they did not see combat. The first production vehicles were based on the PzKpfw III Ausf F and were designated Sturmgeschütz Ausf A. The superstructure front and nose plates were 50mm thick while the vertical sides were 30mm thick. A rectangular radio pannier was installed on the left side. In front of this on the left and all along the right side wall there were 9mm angled armour plates forming an outer wall that extended over part of the mudguards. The first series of Sturmgeschütz went into production in February 1940 and five examples appeared in time to see action in the invasion of France in May of that year. Full production began in September, and a total of 184 was built during 1940.
In the autumn of 1940 an improved model appeared, the Ausf B, incorporating the improvements introduced in the PzKpfw III Ausf H. Most Ausf B had the new pattern drive sprockets and idler wheels. However, as with the PzKpfw III Ausf H, some kept the old sprockets and idlers used in conjunction with spacer rings. All had the new 400mm wide track and the front return roller each side moved forward. The latter change, therefore, provides the best recognition point.
Ausf C and D
The Ausf C was introduced in early 1941 and differed from the Ausf B in having a redesigned superstructure front. The gunner’s sight now protruded through a slot in the roof plates rather than through an aperture in the front armour. The side plates and driver’s roof plates were also simplified, as were the front plates on the right side of the gun. The Ausf D was externally no different to the Ausf C but incorporated several minor internal alterations introduced during the production run.
1) Pansarmuseet, Axvall, Sweden
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118
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This StuG is an Ausf D. It appears to have appliqué armour plates fixed to the sloped sides of the superstructure.
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2) Solitary Vehicles, Volokolamsk, Russia
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119
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This StuG is on display near Volokolamsk beside the main road from Moscow. It is incorporated into, and is part of, a large marble and steel memorial. On this site eleven Red Army engineers reputedly held up the German Army’s advance on Moscow by destroying twenty of its tanks. The date of the action, 18 November 1941, is marked on the side of the marble structure. The StuG appears to be largely complete but its right-hand track is broken and a portion of it runs across the top of the memorial.
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Ausf E
The next model developed, the Ausf E, had a redesigned superstructure with the 9mm angled side plates being eliminated. The armoured radio pannier on the left side was extended forward. A second pannier was added to the right side of the superstructure; in command vehicles this was used for additional radios and in standard vehicles for the stowage of ammunition. The glacis plate hatches now had two small hinges per side in place of the single large hinges used on previous models. A more significant improvement was the provision of a machine gun for the crew. This was stowed inside the vehicle when not in use.
3) Solitary Vehicles, Unknown Location, Germany
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120
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This StuG was recovered from a river in the former Soviet Union. It is currently in Germany undergoing restoration (source: R. Fleming/AFV News). When it was recovered it was missing its tracks and track guards and many external fittings.
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Ausf F
When the Germans first met the Russian T-34 and KV-1 tanks, the obvious superiority of the Soviet vehicles led to the call for more powerful weapons to be fitted to the main German armoured vehicles. The StuG III received the longer 75mm StuK 40 L/43; this was modified from the 75mm KwK 40 L/43 tank gun by moving the recoil cylinders from each side of the barrel to a position above it. This was done in order to provide adequate clearance for traverse of the gun within the constraints of the fixed superstructure. A new welded block mantlet with 30mm front armour was also fitted and the central part of the roof was raised in the rear. An electric fan and ventilator were fitted in this raised section. During Ausf F production the roof plates over the driver and on the right side of the gun were raised to become flush with the side plates and the superstructure front plate. Some Ausf F’s were later rearmed with the 75mm StuK 40 L/48 but were otherwise unchanged.
4) Brussels Tank Museum, Brussels, Belgium
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121
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This StuG was acquired from Germany in an exchange and it is believed that it may previously have been used by the British as a test-bed (source: G. Mazy). It is not fitted with its original gun, as its present gun has a calibre of 90mm (92mm including rifling). It is also unusual in having welded appliqué armour on the superstructure front, glacis and nose.
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Ausf F/8
After the Ausf F had been in production for a time it was modified by the introduction of a new gun, the StuK 40 L/48, that was 5 calibres longer. The chassis design also changed as it was now based on the PzKpfw III Ausf L and therefore most of the rear engine deck was altered. The cast deck ventilators now ran lengthways rather than across the engine inspection hatches, and the tail-plate was redesigned. Additional 30mm armour was bolted to the 50mm armour on the nose plates and the driver’s and offside front plates. Some vehicles had the older single-baffle muzzle brake but most had the later double-baffle one as fitted on the L/43. Some vehicles had an MG 34 for the loader, with a folding shield, and some had Schürzen armour fitted.
Ausf F and F/8 vehicles saw service on the Eastern Front, in Italy and in the last stages of the North African campaign in Tunisia. Their low silhouette, thick frontal armour and powerful gun made them excellent anti-tank weapons when fighting from an ambush position.
5) BWB Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung, Koblenz, Germany
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122
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This Ausf F/8 is not currently on display at Koblenz; it is either in storage at Koblenz or at one of the other storage depots such as Meppen and Trier. It was previously on display at the Munster Panzermuseum.
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6) Kubinka NIIBT Research Collection - Foreign Vehicles, Kubinka, Russia
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123
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This Ausf F/8 is unusual in having its appliqué armour welded rather than bolted to the superstructure front, glacis and nose.
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7) National Museum of Military History, Kalemegdan Fortess, Serbia
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124
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This is an Ausf F/8 with its characteristic bolted appliqué armour on the superstructure front, glacis and nose.
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Ausf G
The Ausf G was the final production version of the StuG III and appeared in early 1943. It had a number of changes evident in the superstructure, and during its production run many smaller improvements were incorporated.
Early Ausf Gs had the same armour arrangement on the nose plates and driver’s plate as the Ausf F/8; 30mm armour plates bolted or welded to the 50mm basic armour. Again, the ventilator and fan were mounted in the centre of the rear roof plate in the same way as before. Most early vehicles were also equipped with smoke grenade dischargers, three on each side of the front superstructure. Very early vehicles still had the driver’s Fahrerfernrohr binocular vision device, identifiable by the presence of two holes above the driver’s visor.
All Ausf G’s had the main body of the superstructure widened to extend over the tracks and enclose the spaces previously occupied by the radio panniers. The roof was raised in the rear and fitted with a new armoured cupola mounting a ring of eight episcopes and a central hatch hinged at the rear. The front-folding roof shield for the loader’s auxiliary machine-gun was now a standard feature.
On later vehicles the 80mm front plate to the right of the gun was made from one piece of armour, and the ventilator and fan were moved to the vertical rear wall of the superstructure over the engine deck. During production of the Ausf G, Schürzen armour plates were introduced and most later vehicles had them fitted, as well as a layer of Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste.
The Ausf G remained in production from early 1943 to the end of the war and saw a number of changes and modifications incorporated into late production vehicles. A cast armour shield was welded to the roof in front of the cupola to deflect bullets away from it. The Schürzen armour evolved through a number of different versions. In 1944 a new cast mantlet was introduced, though the block mantlet was retained in some late production vehicles. The new mantlet was known as Saukopfblende (sow’s head mount) because of its shape. The rubber-tyred return rollers were replaced with all-steel rollers to conserve rubber. The loader’s roof hatches were turned through 90 degrees so they opened to the sides, and a remote controlled mount for an armoured external machine gun was placed in the roof ahead of the loader’s position. A coaxial machine-gun was introduced on vehicles with the block mantlet and some very late vehicles had one fitted in the Saukopf mantlet. Zimmerit was discontinued by the early part of 1945.
From early 1944 a Nahverteidigungswaffe (close-defence weapon) was fitted for use against infantry. The Nahverteidigungswaffe was a 92mm swivelling grenade launcher mounted in the superstructure roof of turret-less vehicles or in the turret roof of tanks. It replaced external smoke grenade dischargers on vehicles so fitted, and also had the dual purpose of firing high explosive grenades against attacking infantry.
A number of Ausf G’s were used by covert German forces during the Battle of the Bulge. They were fitted with deeper bazooka plates and a false engine compartment cover made from sheet steel, and the muzzle brake was removed from the gun. They were then painted olive drab and given Allied recognition stars and the markings of the 81st Regiment, US 5th Armored Division. The disguise was not very effective and all vehicles were lost during the fighting with little result.
8) Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Britain
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125
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“F. 207” painted on left of glacis plate. German crosses previously seen painted on nose and hull rear,
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Text in original Preserved German Tanks publication:
This Sturmgeschütz has a Saukopf mantlet and is fitted with the cast cupola shield. It is coated with Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste.
Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
This StuG was put on the Bovington tank museum books in 1951. It was marked ‘LOAN OUT’ in the museum record on 30 June 2005. It is presumed that it was transferred from Bovington to Duxford at about that time.
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9) Museé Des Blindés, Saumur, France
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127
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This is a late-production Ausf G fitted with steel return rollers, Schürzen armour and a Saukopf cast gun mantlet. [Preserved Tanks in France: Number 69].
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10) Becker Collection, Unknown Location, Belgium
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128
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[Preserved Tanks in France: Number 212].
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11) Panzermuseum, Munster, Germany
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129
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This Ausf G was manufactured in December 1944. The details of its wartime history and parent unit are not known, however it is known that it was captured in 1945 by US troops and transported to Aberdeen Proving Ground in the USA. It went subsequently to Fort Knox in Kentucky and was donated in September 1979 to Kampftruppenschule 2 by the Patton Armour Museum at Fort Knox. It was restored by Panzer Werkstatt (Armour Workshop) No. 1 between 1983 and 1987 and is now in running order. It carries the number “101”.
It is a late-production model with steel return-rollers. It has a Saukopf mantlet with coaxial machine-gun and a cast cupola shield. It is unusual in that its front plate to the right of the gun is made from one piece of 80mm armour.
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12) Museo di Guerra per la Pace Diego de Henriquez, Trieste, Italy
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130
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“16” painted on driver’s vision port.
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Text in original Preserved German Tanks publication:
This Ausf G has a box mantlet and rubber return rollers. It was previously part of the De Henriquez Arsenal on display outside Trieste. Its final fate, and that of the other vehicles in this collection, is as yet unknown.
Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
Additional photographs available.
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13) Panzermuseum, Thun, Switzerland
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131
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“2” and German crosses painted on superstructure sides. German cross painted on rear hull. Unit markings painted on nose and rear hull. Painted overall in a three colour striped camouflage scheme.
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This is a late-production Ausf G fitted with a box mantlet with coaxial machine-gun. It is fitted with steel return rollers. It appears, however, to be armed with a 75mm StuK 40 L/43.
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14) Armoured Vehicle Maintenance Centre, Segovia, Spain
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132
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Spain had twenty PzKpfw IV tanks and ten Sturmgeschütz III assault guns in service from 1943 to 1956. Most of them were then sold on to Syria; this is one of the four StuG retained by Spain. It is in a fairly good condition (source: F. Marin).
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15) Artillery Academy, Segovia, Spain
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133
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This StuG III is in a fairly good condition (source: F. Marin). It is fitted with a box mantlet and has spare roadwheel units fixed on the engine deck.
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16) Artillery Academy, Segovia, Spain
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134
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This StuG III is in a fairly good condition (source: F. Marin).
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17) U.S. Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen Proving Ground, USA
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Unique ID: |
135
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This is an early production Ausf G. It is fitted with a box mantlet without coaxial MG. It has rubber return rollers and is equipped with smoke grenade dischargers.
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18) Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor, Fort Knox, USA
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136
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This is a late-production Ausf G with Saukopf mantlet. It still has its original paint-work and markings. It belonged to the Sturmgeschütz Abteilung of the 116th Panzer Division. It was restored to running order using parts from another StuG III that the museum had at the time.
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19) Ropkey Armor Museum, Crawfordsville, USA
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Unique ID: |
137
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Text in original Preserved German Tanks publication:
This vehicle used to be in private hands in Indianapolis, Indiana, owned by Fred Ropkey. It had spent a decade on a range on military land in western Canada before being recovered. It is a late-production vehicle with a box mantlet and all-steel return rollers. It is now in the Fred Ropkey Collection of the Indiana Museum.
Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
The current location and status of this vehicle are unknown.
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20) Canadian War Museum, LeBreton Flats, Canada
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Unique ID: |
138
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Text in original Preserved German Tanks publication:
This StuG III is currently in storage at Vimy House.
Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
This StuG is displayed in a wrecked condition. It was transferred from Vimy House when the current museum was opened. It is a former range target (source: CHAFVR). It has been claimed that it was captured by Canadian forces on the Gothic Line in Italy (source: DeanoWorldTravels) but this probably just indicates the way it has been displayed.
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21) Muzeum Wojska Polskiego, Powiśle, Poland
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Unique ID: |
139
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Text in original Preserved German Tanks publication:
This StuG III was discovered in the outskirts of Warsaw in the late 1980's (source: S. Zaloga). Its current status is not known.
Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
This is a wreck and consists of just the superstructure of a Sturmgeschutz III. It retains the roof, gun and mantlet, but is missing the complete lower hull and chassis.
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22) Kubinka NIIBT Research Collection - Foreign Vehicles, Kubinka, Russia
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Unique ID: |
140
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This is a late production Ausf G with all-steel return rollers, cast cupola shield and a box mantlet. It has been fitted with a Soviet style headlamp in place of the original one.
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23) Panssarimuseo, Parola, Finland
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Unique ID: |
141
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This is an Ausf G with rubber return rollers and a box mantlet. It has Finnish swastika markings and a number of Finnish Army modifications, including a stowage box on the right side of the superstructure, a pannier frame on the left side, and a modified driver’s vision block.
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24) Panssarimuseo, Parola, Finland
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Unique ID: |
142
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This is a late production Ausf G with all-steel return rollers, cast cupola shield and a box mantlet. Its left side has been cut away to display the interior layout and crew positions. It has spare roadwheel units fixed on the engine deck.
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25) Panssarimuseo, Parola, Finland
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144
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This StuG III is not on display at the museum. It is stored at the nearby workshops of the Panssarikilta at Parolanummi (source: R. Fleming/Wheels and Tracks).
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26) Museum of Slovak National Uprising, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
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145
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27) Military Museum, Sofia, Bulgaria
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Unique ID: |
146
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This is a mid-production Ausf G with a box mantlet (source: H. Duske). It has the standard 30mm armour plates bolted to the front nose and has the ventilator and fan fixed to the rear wall of the superstructure.
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28) Military Museum, Sofia, Bulgaria
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Unique ID: |
147
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This is a late production Ausf G with a Saukopf mantlet (source: H. Duske). It has a spare roadwheel unit fixed on the engine deck and a cast cupola shield.
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29) Israeli Army Armour School, Latrun, Israel
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Unique ID: |
212
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This is an ex-Syrian StuG III, captured from Syria during the Six Day War in 1967. The Syrians had purchased six examples from Spain. It has all-steel return rollers, and has spare roadwheel units fixed on the engine deck.
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30) Piazzale Garibaldi, Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
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Unique ID: |
1528
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Missing fourth roadwheel on left side. Shell case fixed on superstructure front. Painted overall with camouflage scheme of green stripes over desert sand.
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Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
New entry.
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31) The Tank Museum - Public Areas, Bovington, Britain
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126
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“Ps531-44” (Finnish) painted on superstructure front.
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“Maija” painted on driver’s visor (previously “Ulla” painted on the superstructure sides).
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Three large wooden logs fastened to superstructure sides.
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Text in original Preserved German Tanks publication:
The Sturmgeschütz III was known to Finnish soldiers as the Sturmi, and examples were in service in the Finnish Army until the mid-1960’s. This StuG was presented to the museum by the Panssarikilta (Finnish Tank Guild) and was previously in the collection of the Parola Panssarimuseo. It was part of an exchange that took place between the museums in 1990. A Saladin armoured car and a Humber Pig personnel carrier were transported to Finland. This StuG III and a Soviet T-26 light tank were brought back. The transportation and exchange were conducted on behalf of the museum by members of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment and the crew of the landing craft HMAV Arakan.
The vehicle is a late production Ausf G with a Saukopf mantlet, without coaxial machine-gun, and it also has a cast cupola shield and all-steel return rollers. It had Finnish markings on the side and the number “Ps.531-45” painted on the superstructure front. It appears to have had Finnish Army modifications, including an extra stowage box on the front right of the superstructure and a modified driver’s vision block. It is now displayed in German camouflage and markings. However, it still retains the Finnish modifications.
Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
The Germans supplied this StuG to the Finnish Army in 1943. For a while it was displayed in the Museum painted to represent a vehicle that was used by the Germans in Italy in 1943. It was also given a German-style concrete coating and ‘waffle pattern’ Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste. In 2007 it was repainted in Finnish markings, though it retains the German concrete and Zimmerit, and is now displayed as a Finnish vehicle.
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