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Sturmgeschutz III Ausf G in the Ardennes.

German Armored Forces & Vehicles

Sturmgeschutz III Ausf G in the Ardennes.

Bundesarchiv.

Late-model StuG III G of an unidentified Waffen-SS unit advances in the Ardennes, January, 1945. The Stug III was the result of an order to develop an infantry close-support assault gun-type vehicle, made in June, 1937. The design adopted was based on that of the PzKpfw III tank. Early models - Ausf A (which entered production in January, 1940 through to the Ausf E - were armed with the short-barreled gun also used on the PzKpfw IV tank, consistent with the close support brief. The StuG Ausf F, which entered production in April, 1942, reflected the need for a self-propelled assault gun capable of engaging Soviet tanks and SPGs. Early Ausf F models carried a long-barreled high-velocity L/43 gun; this was soon upgraded to a long-barreled L/48, which was carried forward to the Ausf G (entered service January, 1943). The Ausf G, such as that shown here, was a significantly different vehicle from the original Ausf A, and was also destined for a different use. Side armour was improved by sloping, and by the addition, where desired, of mild steel or wire mesh "skirts" to combat shaped charged projectiles. Also, with its high-velocity L/48 gun, the Ausf F and G had a very practical application as a tank destroyer. From 1943, Ausf G vehicles were increasingly allocated to tank destroyer and panzer divisions as an economical and effective replacement for destroyed medium tanks, which were increasingly difficult to replace. The StuG Ausf G pictured here incorporates standard features of the latest models, including the "Saukopf" (Sow's Head) gun mantlet and a full coating of Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste. The StuG III, in all its marks and sub-variants was, arguably, the most important German fighting vehicles of the war. In all, some 10,300 StuG III in all marks and variants were produced in the period 1940-1945. Best regards, JR.

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10/22/2014

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