Stug IIIG 75mm Assault Gun

Specification Crew : 4 Engine power : 300 hp Combat weight :23,900 kg (52,699 lb) Max speed : road 40 km/h (24.84 mph) Length : 6.77 m (22.21 ft) Range : 155 km (96.26 miles) Width : 2.95 M (9.68 ft) Main gun : 75 mm(2.90 in) Height : 2.16 m (7.09 ft) Armour : 11 mm (0.43 in) to 50 mm (1.97 in)

The Strumgeschutz(assault gun)stemmed from a 1936 requirement for a direct-fire infantry support tank capable of mounting a shore-barrelled 77 mm(2.96 in)gun on a Panzer III chassis.Entering service in 1940 the Stug III's combat role expanded as German tank production failed to meet demand.Cheaper and quicker to manufacture then turreted tanks their production became a top priority from 1943 by which time many old Panzer III chassis had been converted to Stug III's. Early models mounted a short low-velocity gun.The Ausf F was the first model to mount a higher performance long-barrelled 75 mm gun a variant of the 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun.The last production model mounted a 105 mm(4.14 in)howitzer this was the StuH 42.That was not the heaviest armament carried by the Stug 33,mounted a 150 mm(5.91 in)howitzer in a raised open superstructure.On all models and variants a roof-mounted machine gun was usually provided for local defence. Due to their infantry support role the Stug III series were generally better armored then the Panzer III tank models.Their low silhouette also made them difficult targets.However on all Stug III models the main armament had only a limited traverse making them far from ideal for tank combat.