Tanks and self-propelled guns of the Second World War. Self-propelled guns of the Second World War. More and more new models

During World War II, the industry of the Third Reich produced 9675 StuG III of all series and modifications, which makes this self-propelled gun the most massive armored vehicle that entered service with the Wehrmacht. The StuG III turned out to be a very successful self-propelled gun. It should be noted that in the top ten German tank aces, the seventh and eighth places are occupied by the commanders of these particular self-propelled guns

The history of German self-propelled artillery guns (hereinafter referred to as self-propelled guns) began with a memorandum of cooperation infantry units, Artillery and Mobile Artillery, published by Wehrmacht Major General Erich von Manstein in 1935. In particular, this document argued the feasibility of creating divisions of assault self-propelled guns of three batteries (six vehicles per battery), intended to support the advancing infantry, suppress bunkers, bunkers and enemy resistance units, as well as combat their armored vehicles.

"Armor" for infantry support

The memorandum caused a lively discussion among the German military, but in 1936, Daimler-Benz received an order to carry out design work to create self-propelled assault guns on the chassis of the then newest Z.W tank. (future Pz.Kpfw.III). At the end of the 20s, an attempt was already made to create self-propelled guns based on the Hanomag WD-25 tractor, but these were vehicles with an open artillery platform, and their serial production was abandoned. Later, in 1930, Daimler-Benz designers developed a project for an assault self-propelled gun for... the USSR - as part of the activities of the joint Soviet-German Technical Commission (TEKO). It was planned to protect the self-propelled gun with armor thickness from 15 (sides and rear) to 30 mm (front), arm it with a 76-mm gun, and its weight should not exceed 12 tons. The German side missed all the deadlines specified in the contract, and after the completion of the work in mid-1932, it set a price for its developments that was several times higher than the approved price. Representatives of the Soviet Union refused further cooperation, but the developments obtained were useful to Daimler-Benz in the future, when designing an assault self-propelled gun for the army of the Third Reich.

In 1937, five prototypes of the new self-propelled guns were assembled at the Daimler-Benz plant in Berlin-Marienfeld (the chassis of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.B tanks was used for their assembly). To speed up and reduce the cost of work, the conning towers of the vehicles were made not from armor plates, but from ordinary structural steel. The deckhouses were bolted to the chassis. Four crew members were placed in one fighting compartment, which was an innovation for armored vehicles of that time.

One of the zero modification StuG III prototypes. Round inspection hatches are visible in the lower frontal armor plate (only prototypes had them)

The main weapon of the new self-propelled gun was the 75-mm StuK 37 L/24 cannon with a 24-caliber barrel produced by the Essen corporation Krupp. Horizontal guidance of the gun was carried out within ±12º, vertical – from −10º to +20º. The ammunition load was 44 rounds. An MG-34 machine gun was additionally placed in the conning tower of the vehicle. Later, the MP-40 submachine gun was added to the self-propelled guns' armament.

Since 1938, prototypes have undergone intensive testing at various test sites in Germany. Simultaneously with the start of testing, disputes regarding the feasibility of creating self-propelled guns resumed, since there were Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks that carried the same weapons. Lieutenant General Heinz Guderian was especially opposed to the creation of self-propelled guns, but the initiator of the new project, Erich von Manstein, insisted on his point of view. Soon the realities of the Polish campaign clearly demonstrated the need for infantry units to have armored mobile artillery units at their disposal, and all questions were removed. At the end of 1939, mass production of new self-propelled guns began.

StuG III prototype. Eight road wheels combined into bogies are clearly visible
Source – worldwarphotos.info

In January-February 1940, the first production copies left the gates of the Daimler-Benz plant, and already on March 28, the new self-propelled gun was given the army designation Sturmgeschutz III (abbreviated as StuG III). Subsequently, the self-propelled gun underwent many modifications.

The first production cars were called StuG III Ausf.A and differed from the prototypes by using the modernized chassis of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.F tank. The five experimental self-propelled guns had eight road wheels per side in the chassis, which were assembled in pairs into four balancing bogies. Serial self-propelled guns now had six road wheels, and they were not assembled into bogies.

The armament of the production vehicle did not differ from the prototype. The frontal armor of the wheelhouse was 50 mm, the rear armor plate was 26 mm, and the side armor was 30 mm. In the front part of the cabin, its side armor protection was reinforced with additional 9-mm armor plates, which were welded to the hull at an angle of 60º. The thickness of the cabin roof reached 11 mm. The thickness of the rear armor plate was increased from 21 to 30 mm. In addition, to increase strength, the designers removed the side escape hatches. Total weight The self-propelled guns reached 19.6 tons.

The reservation scheme of the StuG III Ausf.E differed little from the reservation of the self-propelled guns of the first series
Source – hisofweapons.ukoz.ru

The crew members were provided with optical observation devices. The commander had at his disposal an SF 14z stereo tube, for installation of which a special hatch was provided in the cabin roof. The gun was aimed using a Sfl ZF periscope sight located to the left of the gun, and the driver controlled the vehicle using a Fahrersehklappe 50 device with a KFF2 binocular periscope. The only one who was not provided with an optical device was the radio operator (he had at his disposal a VHF radio, located in a special armored box on the left fender).

StuG III Ausf.A on the street of a Western European city, 1940

During the period from January to June 1940, the Daimler-Benz plant produced 30 StuG III vehicles of the Ausf.A modification.

In June 1940, at the Berlin enterprise Alkett (Altmärkische Kettenfabrik), part of the state concern Reichswerke AG, production of the modification began StuG III Ausf.B. From that moment on, this company became the main manufacturer of the StuG III assault self-propelled gun. The new vehicles were planned to be assembled on the basis of the Pz.Kpfw.III chassis of the latest Ausf.G model, but since there were not enough of them, the first self-propelled guns were produced on the chassis of the previous Ausf.F series. The latest StuG III Ausf.B self-propelled guns were produced on the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.H chassis.

StuG III Ausf.B. A distinctive feature is the asymmetrical gaps between the 1st and 2nd, as well as the 2nd and 3rd support rollers
Source – dishmodels.ru

The self-propelled gun differed from the previous modification by a new six-speed manual gearbox, installed instead of a five-speed preselector gearbox from the same manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen AG. In addition, the ignition system in the 12-cylinder 300-horsepower Maybach HL 120 TRM engine was modified. The width of the tracks was increased from 360 mm to 400, correspondingly increasing the size of the road wheels. The conning tower and armament have not undergone any changes. The total weight of the vehicle increased slightly - to 20.2 tons. During the year (from June 1940 to May 1941), German industry produced 360 self-propelled guns of this modification.

Red Army soldiers from the captured team take the captured StuG III Ausf.S self-propelled gun to the rear. Summer 1942
Source – rgakfd.ru

Modifications of the Ausf.B were still being produced when production of the series began in the Alkett workshops. StuG III Ausf.C. On these self-propelled guns, the aiming embrasure in the front panel of the cabin was removed, and the sight eyepiece was moved to the roof of the cabin, placed in a special hatch (due to this, its shape changed). The antenna was made foldable, with a special protective wooden groove provided for it. In the spring of 1941, 100 of these “products” were produced, after which the company began production StuG III Ausf.D. The new self-propelled guns were almost no different from the previous series, therefore, in German accounting statistics, vehicles of both modifications were counted as StuG III Ausf.С/D. An external distinctive feature of the StuG III Ausf.D was the presence of protective brackets on the headlights. During the period from May to September 1941, German enterprises produced 150 self-propelled guns of this modification.

Self-propelled gun StuG III Ausf.D, captured by the British in North Africa
Source – skaramanga-1972.livejournal.com

In September 1941, production of self-propelled guns began StuG III Ausf.E, which were planned to be used as command vehicles. They wanted to replace the light half-track armored personnel carriers Sd.Kfz.253 observer-spotters, who were withdrawn from the units of StuG self-propelled guns. To do this, not one, but two radio stations were placed in armored boxes above both fenders of each self-propelled gun. They did not completely occupy the space allotted to them, so six additional shells were placed in the left of the boxes, which increased the ammunition load of the self-propelled guns to 50 rounds. The designers abandoned inclined side additional armor plates. The total number of vehicles of this modification manufactured from September 1941 to March 1942 was 284 units.

Ausf.E – the latest modification of the StuG III, armed with a short-barreled 75 mm gun
Source – waralbum.ru

With new guns to a new life

On September 28, 1941, Hitler signed an order in which he demanded to increase the armor-piercing ability of the guns of German tanks and self-propelled guns, so that they could fight on equal terms with the latest models Soviet armored vehicles. In pursuance of this order, a 75-mm gun from Rheinmetall-Borsig AG StuK 40 L/43 with a barrel length of 43 calibers was chosen for the modernization of the Sturmgeschutz III. The new gun was excellent for fighting T-34 and KV-1 tanks, but could not conduct mounted fire, which reduced its effectiveness in the fight against enemy infantry, artillery and bunkers. For experimental purposes, a StuK 40 was installed on one of the StuG III Ausf.E self-propelled guns, and another vehicle was armed with a 105 mm howitzer. All this served as the basis for the new StuG III series and the creation of the StuH 42 self-propelled howitzer on its basis.

Production began in March 1942 modernized self-propelled guns StuG 40 Ausf.F(the designation “StuG III Ausf.F” was also used), apart from the new gun, it differed little from the StuG III Ausf.E. An electric fan was installed on the roof of the conning tower, and the ammunition capacity of the new vehicle was increased to 54 rounds. Instead of the Sfl ZF sight, the gunner received an improved Sfl ZF la sight.

The StuG 40 Ausf.F assault gun from the 5th SS Viking Panzer Division moves along a flooring made of railway sleepers in the Kharkov area
Source – waralbum.ru

In June 1942, the hull and conning tower armor began to be reinforced with additional 30 mm armor plates, as a result of which the total thickness of the frontal armor increased to 80 mm. This increased the weight of the car by 450 kg and reduced its top speed. A total of 182 units with reinforced armor were produced, in which, in addition, two headlights with blackout covers were replaced with one from Notek, which was initially mounted on the left wing, and later moved to the middle of the upper frontal sheet of the hull.

In the summer of 1942, another 31 StuG 40 Ausf.F units were armed with 75-mm StuK 40 guns with 48-caliber barrels. During the period from March to September 1942, German industry produced 364 StuG 40 Ausf.F of all modifications.

In September 1942, the production of Pz.Kpfw.III tanks was completely stopped in the Alkett workshops, and the company concentrated on the production of the StuG III self-propelled gun, which was once again modified. New episode received the mark StuG 40 Ausf.F/8. The main changes affected the body of the self-propelled gun (it was made more technologically advanced and convenient). The thickness of the rear armor plate was increased to 50 mm, while the thickness of the front armor remained unchanged (80 mm). The designers made the towing earrings in the form of brackets, which were a continuation of the body. In addition, it has changed appearance access hatches to the transmission (in the front of the vehicle) and to the engines (in the rear).

The designers abandoned the smoke exhaust device of previous models, which was used to camouflage self-propelled guns, as well as folding antennas, so the wooden safety boxes for them were removed.

StuG 40 Ausf.F/8 assault gun on display at the Military Museum in Belgrade, Serbia
Source – wikimedia.org

The StuG 40 Ausf.F/8 was equipped with a gun that had a single-chamber muzzle brake. At the beginning of 1943, a protective shield for the MG-34 machine gun began to be installed on F/8 modification vehicles above the loader's hatch on the right side of the roof. Since May 1943, armored side screens began to be installed on self-propelled guns that survived the battles, which effectively protected them from hits from cumulative shells and armor-piercing PTR bullets. From September to December 1942, 250 StuG 40 Ausf.F/8 self-propelled guns were manufactured.

From December 1942 to March 1945, the Alkett company produced the last, most successful and most widespread series of self-propelled guns - StuG 40 Ausf.G, which is also referred to in various sources as StuG III Ausf.G.

Most of the changes affected the armored hull. The armored boxes for radios were removed, and the sides were extended to the middle of the fenders. The first vehicles in the series retained 50 mm frontal armor, which was reinforced with overhead 30 mm armor plates attached to the hull with bolts or welding. Since April 1944, the company began to use 80-mm armored steel for the manufacture of frontal parts.

The electric fan was initially located in the same place as on the StuG 40 Ausf.F series, but later it was moved to the rear of the cabin roof. The driver's observation device was eliminated, the embrasure under which in the wheelhouses of the first G series cars was simply welded. Later, the designers also abandoned the driver’s observation device, which was located on the left side of the self-propelled gun.

From November 1943, on some self-propelled guns, instead of the old welded gun mantlet of the 75-mm StuK 40 L/48 gun, they began to mount a new cast one, which was called Saukopfblende (German - “boar’s snout”). Both masks were installed on vehicles until the end of the war. Since June 1944, a coaxial MG-34 machine gun began to be mounted in welded mantlets, and in October of the same year it also appeared in cast mantlets.

In self-propelled guns produced after May 1944, a hole appeared in the roof of the wheelhouse for a mortar that fired smoke and fragmentation grenades. Before this, some self-propelled guns were equipped with 90-mm NbK 39 smoke grenade launchers, which were installed in the front part of the wheelhouse (three each to the left and right of the gun).

An early version of the StuG 40 Ausf.G assault gun on the march in Italy. Visible are 90 mm NbK 39 smoke grenade launchers, as well as additional 30 mm armor welded to the lower armor plate

The StuG 40 Ausf.G was produced with a commander's cupola, which improved visibility for the vehicle commander. Since the armor of the walls was weak, from October 1943 it began to be equipped with a fairing - a cast shield that reflected bullets and shrapnel.

Initially, the loader's hatch, located in the front right part of the cabin roof, consisted of two doors - rear and front, which, when raised, served as a shield for the MG-34 machine gun. On later versions of the self-propelled gun, the hatch doors could already be opened to the left and right, and the MG-42 machine gun, mounted on the roof, could be controlled remotely by the gunner. The need to lean out of the hatch now arose only at the moment of reloading the weapon. In this case, the gunner was protected by the side doors of the open hatch, which stood vertically in the open position, as well as a small V-shaped shield mounted on the machine gun.

A German tankman fires from an MG-34 machine gun mounted on a StuG III Ausf.G self-propelled gun
Source – waralbum.ru

For the StuG 40 Ausf.G, two types of tracks were produced - 400 mm wide (regular) and 550 mm wide (the so-called “eastern” ones, intended to increase the vehicle’s cross-country ability on quickly liquefied heavy soils and in the snow of the Eastern Front). On later versions of the self-propelled guns, the designers abandoned the rubber coating of the support rollers, which was due to the shortage of rubber that arose in the Third Reich towards the end of the war.

Almost all self-propelled guns of the G series received 5-mm screens that protected them from hits from cumulative projectiles. The cars had only one problem with the screens - when driving over rough terrain, they often caught on the ground, so soon the lower front corners of the screens began to be cut off. Since the summer of 1943, self-propelled guns began to be coated with a special Zimmerit coating, which protected them from magnetic mines.

German assault gun StuG III Ausf.G with side anti-cumulative shields and zimmerit coating of the hull
Source – waralbum.ru

From December 1942 to April 1945, the Alkett plant produced 5191 StuG 40 Ausf.G self-propelled guns. In February 1943, the MIAG company in Braunschweig joined their production, where until March 1945 they produced another 2,643 vehicles of this modification. In addition, in 1943, 165 self-propelled guns were produced on the basis of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M. tanks, and in 1944 - 173 self-propelled guns on the chassis of “triples” of other modifications that underwent repair and restoration work at the Alkett enterprise. Thus, the assembly shops delivered a total of 8172 Ausf.G series vehicles (according to other sources - 7720).

In total, during the Second World War, the industry of the Third Reich produced 9675 StuG III of all series and modifications, which makes this self-propelled gun the most massive armored vehicle that entered service with the Wehrmacht.

StuG 40 Ausf.G with pig snout gun mantlet and Zimmerit coating
Source – nevsepic.com.ua

More and more new models

The fighting on the Eastern Front in the first month of the war showed the need to create large-caliber armored mobile artillery mounts necessary to suppress enemy resistance centers and strongholds. Back in July 1941, the chairman of the tank commission of the Army Armament Directorate, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, initiated the creation of a 150-mm self-propelled gun, which was entrusted to the designers of the Alkett company to develop. From December 1941 to January 1942, a similar number of 150-mm self-propelled guns were manufactured on the basis of twelve StuG III Ausf.E self-propelled gun chassis. To produce twelve more units, they used the StuG III Ausf.F/8 self-propelled gun chassis, on which armored deckhouses with howitzers were installed in the fall of 1942. The new self-propelled gun received the designation StuIG 33B– the word Infanterie (German – “infantry”) was added to the decoding of the properties of the weapon.

As the main weapon for new self-propelled gun The 15 cm schweres Infanterie Geschütz 33 field howitzer, or abbreviated 15 cm sIG 33 (150 mm heavy infantry gun of the 1933 model), was chosen, on which a recoil device was installed, allowing it to be mounted on an armored chassis. The firing range of the 15 cm sIG 33 was 4.7 km, and this gun could only be aimed horizontally by ±3°. Vertical pointing angles reached +25° and −6°. The ammunition load of the new self-propelled gun was 30 shells. Additionally, a detachable MG-34 machine gun was installed in the self-propelled gun cabin.

150-mm self-propelled gun StuIG 33В on the march
Source – plaza.rakuten.co.jp

In October 1942, the first twelve guns received their baptism of fire in the battles of Stalingrad as part of the 177th and 244th separate battalions of siege guns, where they died. From the remaining twelve self-propelled guns, the 17th siege anti-personnel artillery battery was formed, which was assigned to the 22nd Panzer Division. She took part in an attempt to break through the ring closed by the Red Army around the 6th Infantry Army of the Wehrmacht in Stalingrad. In these battles, the division was defeated, and the battery lost six self-propelled guns.

The remaining six vehicles were transferred to the 23rd Tank Division, where they became part of the 201st Tank Regiment as an assault battery. The battery took part in the battles on the Kursk Bulge, during the defense of the Dnieper line, and as of September 1944, only five self-propelled guns remained operational. Only one copy of the StuIG 33B has survived to this day, exhibited at the Museum of Armored Weapons and Equipment in Kubinka (Russia).

150-mm self-propelled gun StuIG 33В on display at the Museum of Armored Weapons and Equipment in Kubinka

The second, more successful and widespread self-propelled howitzer, created on the basis of the StuG III, was StuH 42 . After the execution of Hitler's order of September 28, 1941, when the StuK 37 gun was replaced by the longer StuK 40, the StuG 40 self-propelled guns no longer fully corresponded to the functions of an assault gun. The flat trajectory of the new gun's projectile made it difficult to fight enemy infantry defending in trenches and trenches, as well as its firing points. To fill the gap, it was decided to create a self-propelled howitzer with a gun of more than large caliber and the hinged flight path of the projectile.

The 10.5 cm leFH18/40 howitzer, model 1918, manufactured by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG, was chosen as the main weapon for the new self-propelled gun. The first experimental StuH 42 was created on the StuG III Ausf.E chassis, the next five prototypes were assembled on the StuG III Ausf.F chassis and four more on the StuG III Ausf.F/8 chassis.

Train with StuH 42 self-propelled guns at Lyubotin station
Source – warallbum.ru

The vehicle went into production with a modified gun, which differed from the field one in the design of the recoil device and the modernized shape of the bolt. Since September 1944, the muzzle brake was no longer mounted on the barrel. The self-propelled gun's ammunition consisted of 36 shells, of which 26 were high-explosive fragmentation, and another 10 were cumulative, penetrating armor 90–100 mm thick. Just like the StuG III Ausf.G, on the roof of the new self-propelled guns there was a shield behind which was hidden an MG-34 or MG-42 machine gun, from which the loader could fire, if necessary.

Self-propelled gun StuH 42 early episodes abandoned by the Germans on the Eastern Front. Howitzer without muzzle brake, gun mantlet - welded
Source – warallbum.ru

The design of the self-propelled howitzer was not much different from the StuG III - only the layout of the gun and the placement of shells were different. Self-propelled howitzers, like the StuG III Ausf.G, eventually received cast gun mantlets instead of welded ones and were also shielded with additional anti-cumulative armor. Later examples were coated with a zimmerite coating. In total, from March 1942 to April 1945, German industry produced 1,299 StuH 42 units.

Self-propelled gun StuH 42 with troops on armor. Muzzle brake of early modifications, cast gun mantlet
Source – warallbum.ru

"Incendiary" self-propelled guns

In December 1942, it was decided to create flamethrower self-propelled guns based on the StuG III Ausf.F StuGIII Flamm, which would be intended to storm fortified enemy strongholds. Work on new vehicles began in February 1943. Instead of a 75-mm gun, 14-mm flamethrowers, protected by steel casing pipes, were installed in the conning tower of the self-propelled gun (Wegmann & Co. and Koebe were responsible for the installation of flamethrower weapons).

Source – wehrmacht-history.com

The flamethrower's firing range was 50–60 m, depending on weather conditions(wind direction and strength). Before firing, the fire mixture was heated up for about five minutes with hot water, which was supplied to the containers from the radiator. Throwing was carried out using compressed air, the production of which was produced by a compressor equipped with a separate two-piston gasoline engine. The ammunition capacity of each vehicle was 1000 liters of fire mixture. Horizontally, the flamethrower could be aimed at ±10° without additional rotation by the self-propelled gun hull, and vertically it fired at angles from +20° to −6°. In total, German machine builders produced 10 vehicles of this modification.

Flamethrower self-propelled gun StuG III Fl Flamm
Source – moderndrawings.jexiste.be

In 1944–45, part of the StuG III Ausf.G chassis was used to create armored personnel carriers for transporting shells ( Munitionspanzer auf StuG 40 Ausf.G), which were used to transport 75-mm and 105-mm shells along with the Sd.Kfz.250 and Sd.Kfz.251 half-track armored personnel carriers, but since very few of them were produced, preference was given to the latter two vehicles.

Changes in the design of the vehicle consisted in the fact that the gun was not installed, and the embrasure in the front plate was welded with an armor lining. Sometimes, for the convenience of loading/unloading shells, a crane boom was mounted on the roof of the wheelhouse.

On a larger chassis

On November 23 and 26, 1943, the Allied flying fortresses, which did not stop bombing military and industrial targets in Germany, severely damaged the production workshops of the Alkett enterprise in Berlin. In order not to stop the production of anti-tank self-propelled guns, the need for which at the front was growing every day, the Germans decided to entrust part of the production of self-propelled guns to a subsidiary of the Krupp corporation in Magdeburg (Krupp-Gruson-Werk). Since it specialized in the production of medium tanks Pz.Kpfw.IV, they decided to install the StuG III Ausf.G wheelhouses on the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G chassis to save time. There was no economic feasibility in such a decision, but the current situation left German engineers no other choice.

Since the Pz.Kpfw.IV chassis was longer than the chassis used to assemble the StuG III, the driver's position was outside the standard conning tower, and a separate armored conning tower with an escape hatch and two periscopes was designed for him. The resulting completely new self-propelled gun received the designation StuG IV and was modernized along with the changes that were made to the standard StuG III conning tower and the Pz.Kpfw.IV chassis (for example, the last hulls of the new self-propelled guns were mounted on the “four” chassis of the Ausf.J modification).

Destroyed German StuG IV assault gun
Source – warallbum.ru

Since the design of the cabins of the self-propelled guns produced by Alkett and Krupp-Gruson-Werk were the same, the additional weapons (a machine gun on the wheelhouse and a machine gun on the roof of the cabin), radio stations and other equipment were almost identical. Due to its more spacious chassis, the StuG IV had more ammunition - 63 rounds versus 54 for the StuG III Ausf.G.

During the period from December 1943 to March 1945, 1108 vehicles (according to other sources - 1163) of a new design were produced in Magdeburg. Another 31 self-propelled guns were converted from finished tanks, which arrived at Krupp factories for overhaul. Only three copies of these self-propelled guns have survived to this day - two in Poland (one of them is operational) and one in Latvia.

StuG IV with a remote-controlled machine gun on the roof, a hole for a coaxial machine gun in the gun mantlet, screens, but without a zimmerit coating
Source – militaryimages.net

Stugas enter the battle

For the first time, StuG III assault guns took part in combat operations in the spring and summer of 1940 in France and Holland. Self-propelled guns, from which four batteries were formed in the training artillery regiment(Artillerie Lehr Regiment) in Uteborg-Damme, supported the advance of the infantry units to which they were assigned. Battery No. 640 supported the 3rd Regiment of the Großdeutschland (Great Germany) Division, Battery No. 659 supported the 13th Army Corps, No. 660 supported the SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (Totenkopf), and No. 665 arrived in France only took part in the beginning of July and practically did not participate in the battles. Combat practice showed the need to increase the number of such units in the Wehrmacht.

The first StuG III batteries were formed on the basis of the standard structure approved on November 1, 1939. Each battery consisted of three platoons of two vehicles each, that is, the battery size was six vehicles. Each platoon, in addition to combat self-propelled guns, included service vehicles: a command half-track armored vehicle Sd.Kfz.253, intended for artillery observers, and a front-line ammunition transporter Sd.Kfz.252 with an Sd.Anh.32 trailer. Thus, the StuG III battery was an impressive combat unit in terms of numbers.

StuG III Ausf.B assault gun unit on the Eastern Front. At the head of the column is the armored personnel carrier of the platoon commander Sd.Kfz.253
Source – waralbum.ru

By November 1940, a sufficient number of self-propelled guns had been produced to begin forming them into three-battery divisions of 18 vehicles each (not counting service armored personnel carriers). Since November, the staff of each division began to additionally include a separate self-propelled gun for its commander, in addition, each battery was assigned one vehicle for battery commanders. The number of StuG IIIs in the division increased to 22 vehicles.

In the foreground is an Sd.Kfz.252 ammunition carrier, behind it is a StuG III Ausf.C/D self-propelled gun
Source – waralbum.ru

During this period, StuG III divisions took part in battles in Greece and Yugoslavia. During the entire period before the start of the campaign on the Eastern Front, of all the Sturmgeschutz IIIs that fought in France and the Balkans, only one vehicle was lost. But in the summer of 1941 the situation changed dramatically.

Very few StuG IIIs fought in Africa. At the beginning of 1942, a battery of three StuG III Ausf.D self-propelled guns arrived in Tripoli (Libya) as part of the SonderVerband 288 special forces unit, formed from personnel of the 800th Special Forces Division "Brandenburg". The strength of the unit was initially 1,400 people, and by May 1942 it was gradually increased to 1,800 with 610 units of equipment. This actually sabotage regiment was commanded by Colonel Otto Menton. “Stugas” and “Marders” assigned to the special forces were intended for its assault and anti-tank support. As part of a special unit also called the "Menton Group", StuG III Ausf.D took part in the assault on British positions at El Ghazala and the capture of Tobruk.

After the defeat at El Alamein, SonderVerband 288 retreated to Tunisia along with other units of Panzer Army Africa. Along the way he lost all his armored vehicles, including all three StuG III Ausf.D. One of these self-propelled guns in good condition was captured by the British, and is currently on display in the Bovington Museum.

Destroyed Pz.Kpfw.III tank and StuG III Ausf.D assault gun (right) from SonderVerband 288 on a road in North Africa. A column of British M3 Stuart tanks passes by
Source – waralbum.ru

Another six StuG.III Ausf.F/8 from the 1st battery of the 242nd assault gun division, specially prepared for desert warfare, were sent from the vicinity of Uteborg to Naples on December 31, 1942. There, the self-propelled guns were loaded onto ferries and sent to Tunisia, calling at the port of Trapania in Sicily. On the way to the island, one transport with two Stukas was sunk by Allied aviation. The remaining four vehicles reached Tunisia, where they were renamed Assault Battery No. 90 and assigned to the Barentin parachute regiment. On May 1, 1943, the regiment capitulated, and the battery was assigned to the airborne brigade of Major General Bernard Ramcke, as part of which it surrendered to the Allies on May 15 of the same year.

A StuG III Ausf.A assault gun breached the bridge. Balkans, 1941
Source – waralbum.ru

In the endless eastern expanses

By the start of Plan Barbarossa, twelve divisions and five separate StuG III batteries had been formed, which were subordinate to the commanders of Army Groups North, Center and South. Separate units of self-propelled guns also became part of the SS troops. So, on June 22, 1941, as part of the SS division “Totenkopf”, the Western Bug crossed the 192nd StuG III division, one battery of which crossed the river along the bottom (this battery had previously been prepared for landing in Britain). In SS units, the number of vehicles in batteries could differ from their number in Wehrmacht units. Thus, in the SS division “Das Reich” (“Reich”), a separate StuG III battery consisted of eight vehicles, each of which had its own name in honor of the famous German commanders (“Seydlitz”, “Lutzow”, “Prince Eugene”, etc. .).

With the outbreak of hostilities, the StuG III, the main share of which were vehicles of the Ausf.B modification, took an active part in the main battles on the Eastern Front. They were especially “noticeable” during the assault on fortified areas on the border of the USSR and the “old” Soviet-Polish border, during the general assault on Kyiv in August 1941 and in the battles in the Crimea. In Soviet documents, vehicles of this model were designated as “artsturm” (they were not called that in any other country in the world).

Kiev residents inspect the captured German self-propelled gun StuG III Ausf.C, captured near the village of Vita-Pochtovaya. August 1941
Source – waralbum.ru

The StuG III's good frontal armor for that time, which the 45-mm gun (the main anti-tank weapon of the Red Army) could not penetrate, as well as the low silhouette made them a formidable weapon, including for tanks. The standard T-34 gun could penetrate the frontal armor of the StuG III only at medium and close distances, while the likelihood of damage to the Soviet tank during the approach to the German self-propelled guns was very high. Perhaps it was thanks to this that in the first six months of the war (from June 22 to December 31, 1941), the Wehrmacht lost only 96 self-propelled guns.

During the same period, the use of captured StuG III by the Red Army began. It is reliably known about two self-propelled guns captured by the Red Army in the first half of August 1941 in the area of ​​​​the village of Vita-Pochtovaya near Kiev. They were exhibited for viewing by Kiev residents in one of the central squares of the city, and then were sent to the troops (their further fate is unknown).

At the beginning of 1942, due to the increase in the number of self-propelled guns in the troops, the number of vehicles in the platoon was increased. Thus, the number of StuG III batteries increased to 10 units (including the command vehicle), and the number of the division - to 31. At the same time, due to the revealed insufficient armor of self-propelled guns, the production of the Ausf.F model began, the thickness of the frontal armor of which was increased to 80 mm. In addition, they began installing a new gun, the StuK 40 L/43, capable of penetrating the armor of the T-34 and KV-1. Here is what the Soviet self-propelled tankman Yu. N. Polyakov, who fought on the SU-76, recalled about the new StuG III: “We knew the same 75mm artillery assault. The armor was thicker than ours. And they have a good gun.”

StuG III/40 divisions played a significant role in the third (final) assault on Sevastopol in June 1942, after which the city fell. Between 50 and 65 StuG IIIs took part in these battles, and the German self-propelled gun divisions suffered significant losses (the 197th division was completely destroyed). Self-propelled guns died in minefields, from fire from coastal batteries and anti-aircraft guns, from grenades from soldiers and marines.

German soldiers walk down the street past a StuG III self-propelled gun. Outskirts of Sevastopol, 1942
Source – waralbum.ru

It is curious that on June 30, 1942, it was the crews of several StuG IIIs of the 190th division (the first at the front to receive Ausf.F modification vehicles), together with soldiers of the 72nd Infantry Regiment, who broke through to the Sevastopol Panorama building and hoisted the flag of the Third Reich on it.

The units equipped with the StuG III self-propelled gun suffered significant losses in the Battle of Stalingrad - the 243rd, 244th and 245th assault gun divisions were completely destroyed in the cauldron on the Volga. In 1942, the irretrievable losses of the StuG III amounted to 332 vehicles.

German soldiers and StuG III assault guns on the street of destroyed Stalingrad, 1942
Source – waralbum.ru

From March 2, 1943, in connection with the advent of self-propelled howitzers created on the basis of the StuG III (StuН 42), in order to make self-propelled gun batteries more versatile, they began to be combined, adding three StuН 42 vehicles to the seven StuG III or StuG 40. Thanks to this, the battery became universal and could fight both enemy armored vehicles (using the flat trajectory of 75-mm StuG III/40 self-propelled gun shells) and its field fortifications, which were suppressed by 105-mm howitzers.

In 1943, there was a significant organizational change in the management of self-propelled gun units - they were transferred from the Wehrmacht artillery department to the armored department. After this, many self-propelled gun divisions were included in the tank and motorized divisions of the Wehrmacht.

The most significant battle in which the StuG III/40 took part in 1943 was the Battle of Kursk, in which 455 of these self-propelled guns took part. As of June 30, 1943, 26 assault gun divisions were concentrated on the Eastern Front, equipped with 35 StuG III Ausf.A-E self-propelled guns, 727 StuG 40 Ausf.F-G and 57 StuH 42 assault howitzers. Thus, near Kursk, the Wehrmacht concentrated up to 50 % self-propelled guns of this type. In the battle, the Germans lost 273 StuG III/40 and 38 StuH 42, and in total in 1943, the Wehrmacht lost 1,492 self-propelled guns and 73 self-propelled howitzers of these types (of this number, German repairmen were able to return only 208 vehicles to service).

In the same year, the production of the SU-76I self-propelled gun, which was made on the basis of the chassis, began in the Soviet Union captured tanks Pz.Kpfw.III and self-propelled guns StuG III/40. A total of 201 units were produced from April to November 1943, but then production was stopped in favor of self-propelled guns of its own production, SU-76m, since the flow of captured tanks was very unstable, and repairing captured equipment in the field caused a lot of difficulties.

SU-76I in the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow
Source – la-star.ru

At the beginning of 1944, four-platoon batteries appeared in the StuG III/40 divisions (three platoons were equipped with StuG III/40, and one with StuН 42). Until the end of the war, batteries of 10 and 14 self-propelled guns coexisted in parallel; at the same time, the expanded divisions of self-propelled guns began to be renamed into brigades, which could include a different number of batteries (from two to five), which introduced additional difficulties in accounting for the real number of vehicles in units .

From the very beginning of the Eastern Campaign, there was a constant increase in the number of StuG III self-propelled guns of all modifications, but in 1944–45 the German industry, whose production capacities suffered irreparable losses as a result of bombing by Allied aircraft, no longer had time to compensate for the Wehrmacht's losses in armored vehicles.

German equipment on Mitteltragheim street in Königsberg (after the assault). In the foreground is a StuG III Ausf.G assault gun, in the background is a Jgd.Pz.IV tank destroyer
Source – waralbum.ru

Finally

The StuG III turned out to be a very successful self-propelled gun. It had a low silhouette and "held" the shells of the main Soviet tanks, which made it an excellent anti-tank weapon, especially if it operated from an ambush. It should also be noted that in the top ten German tank aces, seventh and eighth places are occupied by the commanders of these particular self-propelled guns. Major Hans Zandrock fought in the Afrika Korps (Tank Army "Africa"), and then in the Luftwaffe division "Hermann Göring" ("Hermann Göring") in the parachute armored regiment (German statistics credit him with 123 tank victories), and at the expense of his colleague Sergeant Fritz Lang from the 232nd Assault Gun Battalion attributed 113 damaged vehicles.

After the end of World War II, the StuG III continued to be in service with the armies of several countries in Europe and the Middle East: Finland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Spain, Egypt and Syria. The last military action in which these vehicles took part was the Six-Day War of 1967. The Yad Le-Shiryon armored vehicle museum in Latrun still displays the StuG III Ausf.G, captured by the Israelis during that war, and at least two more damaged self-propelled guns have been rusting on the heights of the Golan Heights for half a century.

Destroyed Syrian StuG III on the Golan Heights
Source – waronline.org

We wish you good health, comrade tankers, and our High Explosive Messenger is with you again! Last time we studied the first experimental tank destroyers in Germany and touched on the Wehrmacht terminology. We learned how a tank destroyer differs from a tank destroyer.

For those who have previously sat in “Mouse”, I will repeat. Tank destroyers are special heavy self-propelled guns, designed primarily to effectively counter tanks with thick armor. They stood out among other equipment with powerful weapons, up to the monstrous 128-mm PaK 44 guns. These “Gargantuas” from tank weapons terrified even the crews of ISs, to say nothing of less armored vehicles.

What did the foreigners fight with? How did the first anti-tank installation appear? why were there so many more German types of tank destroyers than other states? It's simple... PT was invented by the Germans.

Self-propelled gun Sturmgeschutz III
The Sturmgeschutz (StuG III) was originally conceived as a motorized field gun for infantry support. However, during World War II it proved to be an excellent tank destroyer.
The idea of ​​the self-propelled gun was developed by Oberst Erich von Manstein, who before the war served at the main headquarters of the Wehrmacht. In a 1935 memorandum, he proposed the development of a new armored weapon "that could be used for both offensive and defensive operations, supporting the infantry at critical moments."
Unrated armored tank
This idea was the result of an experience gained during World War I, when the Germans were surprised by the appearance of enemy armored tanks. Those who broke through their defenses found themselves powerless in the battle with the new machines. To impede the advance of armored tanks, they needed to use horse-drawn field guns. Although von Manstein's idea was attractive, it was not unanimous. General Guderian, creator of the new Panzerwaffe ( armored forces), strongly objected to him. He was afraid of losing production capacity to produce an armored infantry support tank.
On the eve of World War II, Germany's military industry was operating at full capacity. The situation became acute when supporters of self-propelled guns were accused of “accelerating the decline of the armored army.” But after the first battles of 1939-1940, these charges were quickly dropped. Several self-propelled guns have proven their usefulness.
Obvious advantages
As the months passed, the idea for a new machine was outlined, and no one else opposed the development of a new weapon. In the initial drawings, the structure was equipped with front and side armor; it did not have a roof or rear protection. The crew was not protected by anything. We solved this problem in the most radical way: we built a fully armored hull. The engineers took the Panzer III tank, which was already in production, as a basis. It was 5 tons lighter than the Panzer IV tank and therefore more convenient to operate. The short L/24 75 mm cannon, located on a fixed casemate, was not designed to engage enemy tanks, but could fire high-explosive shells. The absence of a turret made it possible to make the armored tank compact and low. A less massive and less flashy tank was more difficult to hit with shells. The weight reduction associated with the absence of a turret allowed for increased armor. Ultimately, without a turret, the cost of producing the tank decreased, and the company was already producing many of the parts. The new vehicle turned out to be 25% cheaper than the Panzer III tank with a turret.
Once again, the fears of Guderian, who declared excessive costs for the production of a new armored tank, turned out to be unfounded. Moreover, when the Panzer III was discontinued at the end of 1943, the remaining equipment (equipment and tools) and stock of parts came in handy, and the price of the self-propelled gun dropped further. Both from an economic and tactical point of view, the new vehicle was completely suitable for solving the assigned tasks. But everything depended on the combat zones where it was used. To shoot, the vehicle had to be in line with the target. To follow the target, the car had to rotate around its axis. In large, spacious areas of battle on the Eastern Front this did not cause problems, but in rough terrain or in urban areas the tank lost its advantages, its maneuverability was limited in narrow areas of land or streets. In addition, if its tracks were damaged, it could not turn, and became defenseless.
Installations with a short gun
In June 1936, specialists from the Office of the Armed Ground Forces (Heereswaffenament) made a request to Daimler-Benz to develop the base of the casemate, while Krupp was developing a gun, which was the same as on the first generation Panzer IV tank. After testing five copies of the experimental series, mass production of Model A (50 copies) began in February 1940.
The basis of the Panzer III Ausf E or F tank was driven by a 12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM engine with 300 hp. and speed of 3 thousand rpm. The tracks consisted of 6 wheels, one drive wheel at the front and one heavy wheel at the rear. Three upper road wheels provided tension for the tracks. The crew consisted of only four people. The driver and machine gunner were in front, the artilleryman and loader were behind, in the fighting compartment. They were protected at the front by 50mm thick armor, which was 20mm thicker than the Panzer III. The main weapon was a 37 L/24 75 mm cannon with 44 shells.
On the field, the self-propelled guns coped with their task perfectly, and it was decided to increase production volumes. The basis for the 320 Sturmgeschutz III Ausf B was the Panzer III Ausf H with a modified gearbox and different drive track wheels. Versions C and D, which were produced from March 1941, were based on the Panzer III Ausf G tank with some changes. The StuG III Ausf E (284 examples until February 1942) had additional armor for the radio section and rear machine gun.
Long-barreled guns
Although the StuG III was effective against infantry and soft targets on the Eastern Front, it was also used to attack armored vehicles. Its armament left much to be desired, the shells did not have armor-piercing capabilities, and their initial speed was too low. To enhance its power, the Model 366 StuG Ausf F was equipped with a high-velocity 75 mm L/43 cannon. After such modernization, the Sturmgeschutz could hardly be called a self-propelled gun; it turned into a tank destroyer, and direct infantry support became a secondary task.
The basis of the StuG Ausf F was the same as the Panzer III Ausf J-M. The model was produced in March-September 1942. In addition to its armament, the vehicle had smoke exhausters in the upper part of the hull and front armor 80 mm thick. From June 1942, some StuG Ausf Fs were equipped with the long-barreled StuK 40 L/48 cannon, which fired the Panzergranat-Patrone 39 and could penetrate 96 mm thick armor from a distance of 500 m and at an angle of 30 degrees. The StuG III Ausf F/8 was almost the same, but more simplified and with wider rear armor.
From December 1942 until the end of the war, the attacking troops received 7,720 StuG Ausf Gs, the most numerous. The taller and wider hull ended with the tank commander's turret. Schurtzen protective side screens became common, and some armored vehicles were equipped with a more round shaped gun mantlet. Sturmgeschutz III vehicles served on all fronts and were considered a dangerous weapon. During 1943, they disabled 13,000 enemy tanks. One brigade alone knocked out 1,000 tanks during 15 months of fighting on the Eastern Front. Some Soviet units were even ordered not to engage the Sturmgeschutz.

Panzerjager I
At the beginning of 1939, Germany was developing a new type of armored tank - tank destroyer number 1, or Panzerjager I. The weapon proved its effectiveness, followed by a whole series of similar vehicles.
During wars, natural law manifests itself. When an adversary begins to use a weapon that displaces another, the one at a disadvantage tries in turn to develop a weapon that can counter that threat. This process continues until one of the opponents achieves a final victory. In 1918, Germany did not have time to resist the armored tanks of the Entente countries, which were brought into battle en masse, and the Allies won, despite the fact that their tanks were far from perfect. However, the Germans responded quickly by developing the first anti-tank weapon. It was unable to repel powerful armored attacks on the Western Front because it was produced in insufficient quantities. The experience gained was insignificant, and after the Great War, the Reichswehr began testing the entire arsenal of anti-tank weapons. The Treaty of Versailles prohibited Germany from producing "tanks, armored vehicles and other similar devices", but anti-tank weapons were defensive weapons and were not subject to these prohibitions. Since the 1920s, development of the 37 mm anti-tank gun in Germany was in full swing.
Hybrid armored tank
In 1939, when the Wehrmacht decided to begin developing experimental vehicles based on the Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B design, the first tank destroyers appeared. The idea of ​​such a machine was interesting. The tank destroyer was economical and easy to manufacture, since it did not have a rotating heavy turret. The armored tank was difficult to track and easy to camouflage. Based on these considerations, the first 47 mm anti-tank gun was installed on the Panzer I, which became the Panzerjager I tank destroyer. The hull of the original tank was retained along with the engine and cinematic chain, while the armored tank lost its turret. Instead, the top of the hull received a 47 mm Skoda cannon, equipped with a front armor plate, but without a chassis. It was supposed to equip the armored tank with a more effective 50 mm cannon, but by that time it was not yet ready. The market was divided by two manufacturers: Alkett, Berlin, assembled 132 Panzerjager I, equipped with five protective sheets, the Czech Skoda plant (captured by the Germans in 1938) began producing 70 other tank destroyers, recognizable by seven protective sheets.
The thickness of the armor was 14.5 mm, the protection was purely symbolic and could not withstand shots and shell fragments. The Czech weapon was considered excellent, but its lateral deflection angle was very small (15 degrees on the right and left). However, the armored tank was well suited for tracking targets.
In action
The Panzerjager I entered tank destroyer units and was first used during the Battle of France in May 1940. The following year, the Panzerjager battalion was sent to North Africa along with the Afrika Korps, and some tanks subsequently saw action on the Eastern Front. A little later, when the Allied forces began to use increasingly more effective tanks, the Panzerjager I fell into disuse. Its low firepower and thin armor made the vehicle an easy target for the enemy. In addition, the body was too light and did not allow the necessary changes to be made to the design.
The cessation of production of this armored tank did not mean the end of production of tank destroyers in general. Development of this inexpensive and destructive weapons continued throughout the Second World War.

Marder I anti-tank gun
The Marder I tank was the answer to the formidable Russian T-34 tanks. The anti-tank weapons used by the Wehrmacht were ineffective against the well-designed armor of Soviet tanks.
During the Russian campaign, the Soviet T034 tank became an increasingly obvious and formidable danger. German anti-tank guns of 37 mm and 50 mm caliber turned out to be too weak. The German command needed to make a quick decision in order to prevent large losses in combat strength. The urgency of the issue did not allow us to wait for the development of new, more effective weapons; it was necessary to modify existing weapons, adapting them to solve the problem that arose. These machines were not perfect; their most important advantage was the possibility of rapid production.
Quick success
Tank destroyer Marder I - the official name of the Sd. Kfz. 135 - became a temporary solution to the problem. The installations were built hastily; they did not meet all the requirements, but on the whole they coped with the task. In 1941, the Army Weapons Department decided to use the chassis of captured enemy equipment to assemble the Marder I. The main costs were for the production of the housing. Among the vehicles used in this way were about 400 Lorraine artillery tractors captured by the Germans during the attack on France. According to the reference books, these were “small supply vehicles with a front engine and transport superstructures at the rear.” In addition, the chassis of the French Hotchkiss H35 and H39 tanks was used, and in the latest models the Panzer II D chassis was installed.
The tracks and suspension of the Lorraine tractors were strong and reliable. Tractor chassis became the main ones in the production of Marder I. The hull was a superstructure protected by only 12 mm of armor. At first, the installations were equipped with a captured Russian Pak 36(r) anti-tank gun of 76.2 mm caliber, modified to accept 75 mm shells. Subsequently, Pak 40/1 L/46 anti-tank guns of 75 mm caliber were installed. This gun occupied the space originally reserved for the transport compartment. The height of the gun barrel was 2.20 m, the gun deflection angle was 50 degrees.
The crew of four was protected by the superstructure and gun shield. However, the armor was vulnerable to individual weapon rounds and light explosions on the battlefield. Thicker armor was not expected - its weight would have exceeded 8 tons, the tank would have become too heavy for the 70 hp engine. The chassis of the Lorraine tractor also served as the base for the Sd self-propelled gun. Kfz.135/1, equipped with a light howitzer 18/40 caliber 100 mm or a heavy howitzer 13 caliber 150 mm.
Accommodation
185 Marder I mounts were manufactured and were mainly deployed to occupation forces in France. A number of them were in service in anti-tank units infantry divisions on the Eastern Front, but in 1943 these installations returned to France. Although the Marder I proved effective, military units suffered heavy losses due to the weakness of the armor, which was easily penetrated by any enemy anti-tank gun, even such a small caliber as 36 mm, which was equipped with many American light armored tanks. This shortcoming was especially evident in France in 1944 in the battles with the liberating Anglo-American troops.
By the end of the war, only six operational Marder Is remained.

Self-propelled artillery installations Semovente 75/18 and 105/25
The Italian Semovente self-propelled artillery mounts were similar in their characteristics to the German Sturmgeschutz III self-propelled guns. Both German and Italian weapons were generally successful developments. It is not surprising that after the surrender of Italy in September 1943, German troops captured a number of these weapons.
During World War II, Italy produced, among other things, noteworthy weapons, such as the Semovente self-propelled gun. Due to the country's lack of resources and outdated production lines, the Italian military industry was unable to support the army throughout the long war, which greatly depressed Mussolini, who dreamed of Italian dominance throughout the Mediterranean. However, despite numerous limitations, Italian engineers managed to develop several types of effective weapons, but production - poorly organized and suffering from constant shortages - could not function properly during a world war that consumed tons of weapons. Only a few developments were accepted for mass production.
Semovente 75/18
Even at the beginning of the war, artillery colonel Sergio Berlese, impressed by the Sturmgeschutz used during the French campaign, proposed starting the production of similar weapons. The idea resonated with the command, and in February 1941, the Semovente 75/18 self-propelled gun (meaning “self-propelled”), similar to its German counterpart, appeared. The model was created on the basis of the M13/40 medium tank (an improved version of which is known as the M14/42) and was armed with a 75 mm cannon. Access to the welding room was through the upper hatch in the upper armor. The car was equipped with a Fiat Diesel engine. The crew consisted of a driver, gunner and commander of the self-propelled guns, who were located in the front part, in the armored cabin of the self-propelled guns. An additional weapon, an 8 mm Breda anti-aircraft machine gun, was mounted on a special support, but the gunner had to leave the wheelhouse to fire. According to Italian military doctrine, the Semovente 75/18 was primarily used for motorized artillery support, which included the self-propelled gun itself, which had a howitzer. But very soon, during the North African campaign, it turned out that this self-propelled howitzer with an armored wheelhouse that well protected the crew was capable of fighting enemy tanks, which turned it into a tank destroyer. In total, at least 765 vehicles of modification 75/18 were produced.
The Allies responded to the development of this self-propelled gun with a more powerful type of weapon, and Semovente lost its effectiveness. However, after the surrender of Italy at the end of the summer of 1943, the Wehrmacht found itself in service with a large number of these armored vehicles, which were called Sturmgeschutz M42(i).
Semovente 105/25
During the months when Italian troops fought alongside the Germans on the Eastern Front, the Semovente 75/18 was found to be seriously lacking in assertiveness in engagements with numerous Soviet heavy tanks. For equivalent resistance to the enemy, Italian units needed a tank destroyer with more effective weapons. The Fiat-Ansaldo company began creating the 105/25 model. This vehicle, nicknamed "bassotto" (meaning "dachshund") by the troops, was over time called one of the best Italian tanks. From its predecessor, the 105/25 model has retained its low silhouette, compactness and light weight. The chassis of the M14/42 tank was expanded, a gasoline engine and a more powerful 105 mm gun were installed, and the armor was also improved.
The Wehrmacht was not disappointed, receiving most of the 90 Semovente 105/25s produced by the Italians. The weapon that fell into the hands of the Germans, according to the nomenclature of the tank forces, received the name Sturmgeschutz M43 (i).

Marder II, an improvised tank destroyer
The Marder II was based on the Panzer II tank. Two versions were assembled, the soy equipment depended on the location of the operation. Despite the open wheelhouse at the rear, the tank was quite effective.
At the beginning of World War II, German tanks emerged as a very effective weapon, capable of making breakthroughs and encircling units. The Panzer divisions, which operated in conjunction with the assault air force, really showed their worth during the Blitzkrieg of 1939-1940. However, in Operation Barbarossa, the capture Soviet Russia, the German tanks were in for a big surprise. After several successful offensives, some units encountered the extremely effective Soviet T-34 medium tank and the difficult to qualify KV-1 heavy tank. In June 1941, these vehicles had not yet become a threat because they were operated by poorly trained crews or operated erratically. However, these machines caused amazement and concern at German headquarters. In battles, the T-34 is superior to the Panzer. With even greater urgency, the German Army requires tank destroyers suitable for capturing and destroying medium Soviet armored tanks. You need to react quickly; there is almost no time to create, develop and finish a new tank destroyer. During this period, Marder II becomes a temporary unreliable option. To gain time, a decision is made to use an already existing base: to build a tank based on an effective German anti-tank gun or a previously captured Soviet gun. This solution allows you to react quickly, build in record time anti-tank vehicle, reducing testing time. Although the Marder series was not without its shortcomings, this tank was mastered by German industry and was produced until 1944.
First version
First version of Sd. Kfz. 131 is based on the design of the Panzer II tank. Different models were produced: A, B, C and F. Armament includes the formidable Pak 40/2 L/46 75 mm cannon, a weapon capable of engaging the enemy at long range. The Pak gun is located in an open fighting compartment in the rear upper part. The sides and front are covered with armor that is only 10 mm thick. The Marder's Achilles heel was that three crew members were exposed to open fire, thereby making the tank very vulnerable. From 1942 to 1943, FAMO, MAN and Daimler-Benz built 53 Marder II tanks. 65 others were planned for release in 1943-1944, until production of the Panzer, on which the Marder II was based, was discontinued.
Second version
Marder Sd. Kfz. 132 is based on the Panzer II tank models D and F. The Marder D2 was based on the Flammpanzer II Flamingo flamethrower tank. In both cases, the tank was equipped with a Soviet 76.2 mm cannon, numerous examples of which were captured from 1941 and 1942. Special ammunition was developed for the use of this machine. Sometimes the Germans chose a version of the Model 7 Type 296(r) gun without a muzzle brake. To position the cannon, it was rebuilt top part fighting compartment.
About 200 Marder Sd vehicles were assembled. Kfz. 132

Self-propelled gun Sturmhaubitze 42
Initially, self-propelled artillery mounts were developed as tactical howitzers, but during the course of the war their original role changed, they became self-propelled anti-tank guns (PT SAU). With the Sturmhaubitze 42, the Wehrmacht tried to resurrect the idea of ​​an assault howitzer. The vehicle itself was a successful development, but during major tank battles on the Eastern Front at the end of 1942, the model's shortcomings quickly became apparent.
In his book “German self-propelled artillery installations 1935-1945.” (“Die deutschen Sturmgeschutze 1935-1945”) Wolfgang Fleischer describes the advantage of self-propelled guns as follows: “The self-propelled gun is a typical German weapon. Although it was developed in the second half of the 1930s, it was used successfully throughout World War II. The fact that this weapon was copied by other countries confirms the merits of this type of weapon and the convenience of its tactical use. However, after 1945, self-propelled guns completely disappeared from arsenals.”
With good reason, we can assume that self-propelled guns are a typical weapon of the Second World War, which ceased to be used after the end of the conflict. A striking example of this type of weapon is the Sturmhaubitze 42.
Assault artillery
The military needed defensive weapons that could come to the aid of infantry if necessary. Assault artillery, in cooperation with infantry, was supposed to destroy pockets of resistance and dugouts with direct fire. The choice of such tactics implied some technical features: armor that protects from shells on the battlefield; good all-terrain capabilities; main weapon suitable for “soft targets”; low silhouette so as not to be noticeable from afar and to be able to act as part of infantry troops. To reduce costs, General Erich von Manstein wanted to use the chassis and suspension of serial tanks.
But very soon it became clear that on the Eastern Front, Soviet tank forces, no matter what they said about their quality, were quantitatively superior to the German ones. The Sturmgeschutz III self-propelled gun with the 75 mm StuK 40 L/43 gun has become a successful anti-tank weapon. The vehicle was deprived of a rotating turret, but this disadvantage was compensated by the fact that the self-propelled guns were easier to camouflage.
The factories continued to produce Sturmgeschutz tank destroyers, despite the fact that they did not meet the needs of the German tank forces. General Guderian was against the development of such weapons.
Back to the roots
The Sturmhaubitze 42 assault howitzer, according to the high command, was designed to change the trend and return to the use of self-propelled guns. The project began to be considered at the end of 1941. It was planned to keep the chassis and fighting compartment of the Sturmgeschutz III (first the chassis of the StuG III Ausf F, later the Ausf G) and equip the installation with a 105 mm L/28 cannon. In May 1942, an experimental model was ready. The tests were promising, and the weapon impressed Hitler so much that he demanded that production be speeded up. So the Wehrmacht received a new tracked self-propelled gun. A 105 mm howitzer could hit targets 10-12 km away. Under normal conditions, the amount of ammunition did not exceed 36 shells, but the crew of four used every means to increase the number of shells on board.
At the front, the 105 mm StuH 42 howitzer worked wonders. The artillery gun, based on the conventional 10.5 cm FH18 howitzer, was equipped with a powerful muzzle brake, but this was later abandoned to save steel. Until 1945, a little more than 1,200 units rolled off the production lines.

Self-propelled artillery unit Sturmgeschutz IV
The self-propelled gun was developed on the basis of the Panzer IV chassis with a wheelhouse from the Sturmgeschutz III installed on it. More than 1,000 Sturmgeschutz IV vehicles left the factory floors. These reliable and durable self-propelled guns were in service until the end of the war.
The Sturmgeschutz IV was called the “fist of battle artillery.” The vehicle was intended to provide support to infantry on the battlefield, and it coped with this task perfectly. During the battles on the Eastern Front, it turned out that anti-tank defense could not be effective without the use of self-propelled artillery units.
From the main headquarters of the Eastern Front they reported a problem that had arisen: “The numerical superiority of Russian armored forces equipped the latest cars, could not be stopped by a small number of ineffective anti-tank artillery pieces, and this led to disaster.” The Germans could not repel the attack of Soviet tanks, and infantry units experienced difficulties on the battlefield and when launching retaliatory attacks. That is why they needed a tank that could quickly and effectively deal with enemy armored vehicles.
The terrible “red avalanche”
The German infantry already had the Sturmgeschutz III self-propelled gun. Nevertheless, at the beginning of 1943, the Soviet command had a better grasp of the situation. German armored units suffered heavy losses and were rarely able to replace them, and the Red Army divisions were replenished month after month new technology. In 1943 alone, Soviet factories produced 1,600 heavy and medium tanks. If the German army could not do anything to stop the avalanche of Soviet tanks, the Germans would face an imminent disaster. The StuG III and IV self-propelled guns turned out to be a serious weapon against the T-34 and KV-1 tanks. The Sturmgeschutz was not technically superior to the enemy tanks, and the number of self-propelled guns was very limited (especially the StuG IV), but the improved communication system performed well on the battlefield.
New self-propelled gun
German industry could not cope with increasing demands navy, land army and air force, and could not provide everyone with the requested number of guns. To establish a balance, it was necessary to develop a technique whose advantages would compensate for the lack of quantity. The Sturmgeschutz IV, intended as a tank destroyer, nevertheless remained a self-propelled artillery unit for infantry support. The model replaced the Sturmgeschutz III and was approved by Hitler. The first machine was offered by Krupp and was equipped with a wheelhouse of the previous model. The first specially designed vehicle was the StuG III F on the Panzer IV chassis, but its development was not completed due to too heavy weight. Other projects (Jagdpanzer IV) appeared before the idea of ​​​​mounting the StuG III wheelhouse on the Panzer IV hull was conceived. The British company Alkett began production of the new tank in February 1943. In November the plant was severely damaged, and it became necessary to find other production facilities. At the end of the year, the Krupp company began production of self-propelled guns. This time the StuG III G was chosen, the significant change being the addition of a real helm station. The weapon remained the 75 mm L/48 cannon (as on the StuG III), but the StuG IV weighed less than the previous 900 kg wheelhouse.
Only 1,108 cars were produced. This is a small number (with more than 9,000 Sturmgeschutz III assembled), so front-line units could not be fully equipped with this effective armored vehicle.

Sd. Kfz. 4/1 – half-track rocket launcher
The rocket launcher is a modification of the multifunctional chassis of a half-track vehicle.
This standard half-track vehicle of the German Army was considered by the Allies to be the best in its category. It was superior to its American counterpart, which is in service with the Americans and the British. Durable and efficient. Although difficult to maintain, it performed well in rough terrain. However, Sd. Kfz. 4/1 had a big drawback - expensive production, requiring complex equipment. In other words, this rocket launcher was not suitable for mass production. Despite the simplification of production processes during the war, motorized forces always lacked armored half-tracks.
Failure of German industry to supply sufficient quantities of Sd. Kfz. 250 and its various modifications caused a big problem when the Germans on the Eastern Front faced the same enemy that Napoleon's soldiers had faced 140 years earlier - "General Winter". Wheeled vehicles were unable to move through snow and mud. Only tracked and half-tracked vehicles managed to move forward, but these vehicles were designed for combat, not logistics. A solution had to be found quickly.
A simple solution
It was urgently necessary to find a basis for creating an all-terrain model that would not be too difficult to produce. German designers decided to start developing an economical half-track vehicle, using parts from an existing vehicle. It turned out that it was enough to remove the rear axle and replace it with a tracked undercarriage. To further reduce costs, the chassis of the British Carden-Lloyd wedges, captured in large numbers during the attack on France, was used. From 1942 to 1945, about 22,500 half-track vehicles were assembled. A large number of designers were involved in the production of a unique car, which received the name “Maultier” (Mule). The name reflected the transportation task that this technique performed.
Most of the vehicles retained the wooden cabin and body of the original trucks (Opel Blitz), some of them were equipped with armored superstructures for transporting various weapons, others were equipped with a 20-mm Flak cannon for air defense.
Panzerwerfer 42
The Opel company was developing the Panzerwerfer 42 (and 43) self-propelled rocket mortar on the Maultier chassis. The gun, called Nebelwerfer (literally “fog thrower”), consisted of ten barrels, which were arranged in two rows, one above the other; the gun could rotate 360 ​​degrees. The range of the shells reached 6.7 km, 20 were placed on board rockets caliber 150 mm. According to some expert estimates, these installations were inferior in power to the famous Katyushas.
Be that as it may, rocket launchers had a strong effect on the psyche. The Allied troops called them Moaning Minnies, and the Russians called them “donkeys” because of the sound of the rockets, similar to the cry of a donkey. Although the armored personnel carrier was equipped with an MG-34 and MG-42 machine gun, the Sd. Kfz. The 4/1 was very vulnerable, and its heavy and ineffective armor reduced the vehicle's mobility.
In total, about 300 rocket launchers were produced.

T18 "Hellcat" - the fastest tank destroyer
The high-speed, low-hulled M18 Hellcat with significant firepower was one of the most effective tank destroyers of World War II. Despite the fact that the vehicle's armor protection was weak, it managed to outperform even well-armed heavy tanks.
The tank destroyer was developed directly during the Second World War. Among the advantages of the machine, the military dictionary mentions the following: “The production of tank destroyers is cheaper than the production of classic tanks, since they do not have rotating turrets. In addition, the low body is easier to camouflage, and since the vehicle is smaller, it is not easy for the enemy to hit it.” This description primarily referred to German self-propelled guns and tank destroyers, but it can also be applied to the excellent American T18 tank destroyer.
From the point of view of the American military who participated in World War II, for maximum effectiveness, anti-tank weapons in battle should have been used strictly for their intended purpose and for a limited time. It acted as a fast-acting force and was only supposed to fire at enemy tanks. During a surprise attack on German tanks using hit and run tactics, speed and speed were paramount. Unlike German tank destroyers, the American tank was equipped with a rotating turret, but it was open so that the crew had good visibility for quick response when confronted with the enemy.
The first American tracked tank destroyer, the M10 Walverain (Wolverine), was equipped with a 76.2 mm M7 cannon. Due to insufficient armor, this vehicle can hardly be called a flawless design. In addition, the significant size of the vehicle, although lighter than the M4 Sherman, from which the chassis design was borrowed, made the M10 too noticeable.
Development and creation
In December 1941, the US Ordnance Corps issued technical specifications for the development of a fast tank destroyer equipped with a Christie suspension, a Wright Continental engine and a 37 mm caliber gun. During development and after the first battles in North Africa, the British 57 mm gun and torsion bar suspension were preferred. Further tests showed that the 57 mm gun was already outdated, and the final choice fell on a 75 mm gun and then a 76 mm one. After the development of the prototype, a pilot series was released in July 1943, the first copies were assembled at the Buick plant. By October 1944, more than 2,500 copies of the combat vehicle had already been assembled.
Unlike other largely standardized American tanks, the M18 was completely unique, including the chassis. In the engine compartment there were rails with which it was possible to remove the entire engine block, disconnect the gearbox from it and install a new one in just one hour. The Hellcat reached a speed of 80 km/h thanks to the maximum reduction in hull weight and light armor. To compensate for the insufficient thickness of the armor, it was attached at an angle, reducing the risk of damage when hit by projectiles, since it became sliding. Thanks to the open turret, the tank commander, driver, loader, gunner and radio operator had good visibility, but were poorly protected. The M18 could rely only on its maneuverability and speed in battle with a better armed, but slower enemy.
In use
A combat report from one of the German tank divisions talks about a meeting with the T18: “The 76 mm M18 caliber gun does not fully reveal its capabilities. In August 1944 alone, the 630th American tank destroyer battalion disabled 53 German heavy tanks and 15 jet guns, losing only 17 pieces of equipment.” Although the 76mm gun was ultimately unable to deal with the Tiger or even the Panther, the M18 could move so fast that it posed a real threat to the enemy. During the Ardennes operation, American paratroopers, supported by four M18s, managed to blockade the 2nd Panzer Division, cutting it off from the fuel depot and completely making it impossible to move. American tank destroyers disabled 24 German tanks.

The fighter is “Elephant”
The Elefant tank destroyer is an improved version of the previous Ferdinand model. Despite the fact that the engineers managed to solve some problems (the lack of a weapon for close combat), the Elefant inherited many of the shortcomings of the Ferdinand. However, the size and effectiveness of the main gun impressed the enemy
During World War II, the German arms industry was focused on existing weapons. However, technological progress in enemy countries ultimately forced Germany to develop new technology. The Reich experienced a shortage of strategic materials, special types of steel, as well as skilled workers, and therefore it was necessary to use or redirect certain technological lines and already tested types of weapons. This is exactly how “Elephant” was created.
From "Ferdinand" to "Elephant"
"Ferdinand" did not live up to the military's expectations. This tank destroyer, based on the Tiger (P) chassis, weighed 65 tons, had a hybrid gasoline-electric engine and was equipped with the best anti-tank gun of its time - Pak gun 43 L/71 caliber 88 mm. Officially, the car was called “Tiger (P)” (Sd. Kfx. 184) “Ferdinand”. A total of 90 Tiger (P) chassis were used for its production.
During the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, the Ferdinands operated as part of the 653rd heavy battalion and destroyed 320 tanks, not including self-propelled guns. The 654th heavy battalion had about 500 Soviet tanks. The losses of military equipment of both battalions amounted to 50%, since, contrary to expectations, the Ferdinands turned out to be insufficiently maneuverable. And besides, the lack of machine guns for close combat made the Ferdinand very vulnerable when attacked by infantry. A simple mine could easily disable this bulky machine.
The 48 Ferdinands that were available at the time of the Battle of Kursk were immediately sent to the Nibelungen-Werke factories in St. Valentin for further development and re-equipment. Significant changes were made: a commander's cupola and a hull machine gun were added. After these transformations, the car was renamed and became known as “Elephant”.
Application at the front
The more efficient “Elephant” gained weight during the transformation, which negatively affected the reliability of its mechanisms. Combat tactical missions were clarified. The vehicle has become better adapted to perform independent unexpected tasks and actions that are possible when leaving an ambush and frequently changing positions. Thick armor reliably protected the crew, and the gun made it possible to deal with any enemy tank from a distance of 2000 m. The Elefant performed well during the Italian campaign. However, its weight limited its use in the following cases: when traveling through cities; an insufficiently mobile vehicle could not climb steep slopes; in addition, due to its weight, the Elefant could not move around some engineering structures.
Although the 200 mm armor provided good protection from enemy shells, the vehicle remained vulnerable to mines and air attacks. If the enemy noticed the Elephant, the tank could no longer quickly disappear from view due to its low speed; moreover, the electric motor often failed, or a damaged track immobilized the tank. Don’t forget about the enormous fuel consumption (1000 liters per 100 km on rough terrain!) and the lack of repair equipment that could tow such a monster. A large number of The Elefants were abandoned by crew members due to mechanical damage or lack of fuel. Nevertheless, the Elephants remained in service until Germany’s surrender in 1945. The last Elephants saw action south of Berlin, defending the capital at Zossen, close to the General Headquarters of the High Command.

Jagdpanther
The Jagdpanzer was launched into production as part of the German Jagdpanzer V series of tanks in 1944 with the official name Sd. Kfz. 173. For its superior armament and high mobility, this vehicle was recognized as unsurpassed in its category. It was no coincidence that the Allies called it a “heavy tank destroyer”
When people talk about World War II Jagdpanther tank destroyers, they mean a tank with a low superstructure specifically designed to fight other tanks. Unlike combat tanks, such a tank does not have the characteristic rotating defensive turret. In this regard, his shooter can rotate the gun several degrees horizontally and vertically. Since the turretless tank destroyer had to show itself to the enemy from the front, its front part was protected by heavy armor, while the sides and rear part were thin and light. This allowed the designers to significantly save on weight, thanks to which this machine is characterized by greater mobility. These qualities made it possible to develop special combat tactics for the Jagdpanther. Well camouflaged, she makes a surprise attack on an enemy battle tank, using her weapon endowed with enormous penetrating power. Having encountered too powerful barrage fire from the defenders, it quickly retreats. Then, remaining in ambush, he waits for an opportune moment for the next strike.
History of the development of the Jagdpanther
After the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, with the largest tank battles of the Second World War, when both armies, German and Soviet, suffered huge losses in a short time, the High Command of the German Ground Forces intensively began to analyze the causes of the strategic defeat. The existing tank destroyers, such as the Naschhorn and Ferdinand/Elephant, were not up to the task, or were simply too vulnerable to the enemy. There is a need to create a new model, and urgently. Back in 1942, the German Army Weapons Office was looking into creating a tank destroyer, and at the same time the Krupp company presented a full-scale wooden model with increased ground clearance, wide tracks and an improved periscope for the driver. Further development was entrusted to Daimler-Benz.
The Tiger's chassis, due to the special requirements for the speed of the new tank destroyer, could not be used due to its bulkiness. Therefore, it was again decided to use the already tested Panther G chassis. Its engine produces 700 hp. The Maybach HL handled 45.5 tons of its own weight well.
The onboard gun was placed in an inclined, strong superstructure in the shape of a pyramid. It has proven its effectiveness as a protection. This was achieved thanks to the vertical lengthening of the upper side walls of the Panther's chassis in its front part. The roof had a forward slope of 5 degrees, which influenced the lowering of the onboard gun barrel. A gun embrasure was located in the solid frontal plate, which had a slope of 35 degrees.
Armament, armor protection and crew
The Jagdpanther was armed with the well-proven 8.8 cm Pak 43 L/71 anti-tank gun from the King Tiger and an MG machine gun. The side gun, located with a slight offset to the right from the longitudinal axis of the tank, had, due to the casemate method of construction, as already mentioned at the beginning, a very limited aiming angle: up to 11 degrees. on both sides, as well as +14 deg. and, accordingly, -8 gr. vertically. The thickness of the superstructure's armor was extremely solid: the Jagdpanther had 80 mm of frontal armor, was protected by 50 mm of armor on the sides and 40 mm of armor at the rear.
The crew consisted of five people. There was a driver's seat on the front left near the inspection hatch. To his right, on the other side of the gun, was the radio operator, who also served the MG 34 machine gun. Behind him was the tank commander, and behind the driver was the gunner, who performed his function using a surveillance device protected by a special shutter. The fifth, loading, was located at the rear of the superstructure.
"Jagdpanther" in battle
From the very beginning, the new tank fighters, from the point of view of the speed of their introduction into battle formations, faced great difficulties. In the 15 months remaining until the end of the war, a total of 382 (according to other sources 384) vehicles left the factory buildings, that is, too few to be able to decisively influence the course of the battles. “The Jagdpanther2 was used mainly on the Western Front, such as in the successful offensive in December 1944 in the Ardennes, where 51 such tank destroyers took part. There he showed his capabilities in the best possible way, often stopping the offensive march of entire enemy tank columns for some time. In this regard, it is not surprising that, despite the long process of commissioning and the small number of vehicles produced, the Jagdpanther was recognized as the best tank destroyer of the Second World War. This was also recognized by the Allied troops, who spoke of it with respect. She earned it thanks to the enormous penetrating power of her side cannon, a Pak-43 armored gun, and incredible mobility.

Inexpensive tank destroyer "Chariotir"
Developed in the early 1950s, this British tank destroyer was a quick response to the Soviet tank threat. The Chariotir was equipped with the chassis of the popular Cromwell tank and a powerful anti-tank gun. The model turned out to be quite successful, but despite this, the tank was produced in small quantities.
After 1945, tensions between West and East increased increasingly. The Americans had atomic bomb, and the USSR was ahead of the United States in the field of armored vehicles, the Soviet army was quantitatively superior to American tank forces. In this area Soviet Union has come a long way in the field of technology. Western tanks were in many ways inferior to the T-54, developed in 1947, the workhorse of Soviet mechanized units. In the fall of 1945, the invulnerable IS-3 was released, equipped with a slanted turret with armor 255 mm thick.
NATO forces (an organization created in 1949) urgently needed new tanks to counter the wave of new Soviet equipment that could hit Western Europe at any moment. But the development and production of a new tank takes time. Chariotir is one of the vehicles that was developed urgently in a tense political environment.
Development
The Chariotir (meaning charioteer, i.e. one who drove a cart in ancient times) was based on the Cromwell tank. After the end of World War II, Britain had hundreds of 27-ton tanks, which had a high speed, but were equipped with an outdated 75 mm gun. To reduce costs and gain time, it was decided to install a new turret with a powerful anti-tank gun on the Cromwell tank chassis. The weapons already existed. It was an 84-mm Centurion gun, which had just begun to be produced. All that remains is to create the tower. The new turret could accommodate only two people, but at the same time it was possible to load more ammunition into it than could be placed in the Centurion turret. The test results were promising - the Chariotir weighed 10 tons less than the Centurion, but was less armored. Soon, the conversion of the Cromwell chassis for a tank destroyer was entrusted to the Robinson and Kershaw company.
Design
Almost no changes were made to the chassis and hull of the Cromwell tank; five rollers and tracks without rotary rollers remained in place. The Rolls-Royce Meteor engine was still quite powerful. The main difference was the tower, which became taller and took on a characteristic trapezoidal shape. The FV 4101 "Chariotir" (the tank's official name) was equipped best armor compared to the Cromwell tank (57 mm in the front and 30 mm on the sides), but this thickness was not enough to withstand the new generation of Soviet tanks. Despite the slight increase in weight compared to the Cromwell, the Chariotir retains the excellent mobility of its predecessor.
The fighting compartment could accommodate 2-3 people and 50 shells. The Ordnance QF 20-pounder (which replaced the World War II 17-pounder) was based on the German 88mm gun, from which it adopted its 66.7-caliber length. The cannon fired armor-piercing projectiles with a ballistic head (1020 m/s) and arrow-shaped projectiles capable of reaching speeds of up to 1350 m/s. A total of 442 copies of the Chariotir tank were produced. They entered the tank regiments of infantry divisions. In the mid-1950s, tanks entered service with foreign tank armies.

Anti-tank self-propelled artillery units were in great demand during World War II. They were often cheaper than tanks, built faster, but at the same time they were well armed and could deal with any enemy tank on the battlefield. The most successful anti-tank self-propelled guns great war the Soviet SU-100 and the German Jagdpanther are considered. But which one is better?

Mobility

SU-100

The SU-100 was equipped with a V-2-34 diesel engine with a power of 500 hp. s., which allowed self-propelled guns weighing 31.6 tons to reach speeds of up to 50 km/h, and on a country road - about 20 km/h. Fuel consumption was about 180 liters per 100 km.

Considering that the internal tanks held only 400 liters of diesel fuel, the Su-100 was equipped with four external additional cylindrical fuel tanks with a capacity of 95 liters. With them, the power reserve increased to 310 km.

The SU-100 was equipped with a five-speed manual transmission with constant mesh gears. The simple and reliable chassis was completely borrowed from the T-34-85 tank.

Jagdpanther

Driving the Jagdpanther was quite simple: the driver had a semi-automatic transmission with preselection. Seven speeds forward and one reverse. The self-propelled gun was controlled using levers.

Power of the 12-cylinder V-shaped engine "Maybach" HL230Р30 - 700 hp. This was enough to accelerate the 46-ton Jagdpanther to 46 km/h on the highway and 24 km/h off-road.

The highway range was only 210 km. Gasoline OZ 74 (octane number 74) was poured into six tanks - a total of 700 liters. Fuel was supplied to the carburetors using a Solex pump; there was also a manual pump. 42 liters of oil were poured into a dry engine, and 32 liters were poured when changing the oil.

The Jagdpanther's chassis was completely borrowed from the PzKpfw V "Panther" medium tank; it provided the self-propelled gun with a smooth ride and more uniform pressure on the ground. On the other hand, repairing such a chassis was a real nightmare: to replace just one roller from the inner row, it was necessary to dismantle from 1/3 to half of all outer rollers.

Armor protection

Armored cabin Su-100 It was assembled from rolled armor plates, the thickness of the frontal part was 75 mm. It was located at an angle of 50 degrees. The thickness of the side and stern armor reached 45 mm, and the roof - 20 mm. The gun mantlet was protected by 110 mm armor. The all-round armor of the commander's cupola was 45 mm. The front plate was weakened by a large driver's hatch.

The self-propelled gun hull was made as a single unit with the wheelhouse and was assembled by welding from rolled armor plates. The bottom consisted of four sheets connected by welded seams, reinforced with overlays.

Design featureJagdpanther was that the cabin was a single unit with the hull, and was not attached to it with bolts or welding. The frontal armor of the self-propelled gun had excellent geometry and was practically indestructible.

The frontal sheet, 80 mm thick, was placed at an angle of 55 degrees. Projectile resistance was only slightly reduced by the presence of a slot in the driver's viewing device and the embrasure of the course machine gun. The thickness of the side armor of the wheelhouse was 50 mm, and the stern - 40 mm. The sides and rear of the hull were protected by 40 mm armor, and the roof was covered with 25 mm armor plate.

It should be noted that the walls of the hull and wheelhouse had different angles of inclination, which contributed to the dissipation of the kinetic energy of the projectiles. Additionally, the welds were reinforced with tongues and grooves. The body was assembled from rolled heterogeneous steel plates, and its weight was 17 tons.

Armament

SU-100 was equipped with a 100-mm rifled gun D-10S model 1944. Initial speed armor-piercing projectile was 897 m/s. The shooting was carried out using a TSh-19 telescopic sight, which had a fourfold magnification and a field of view of 16 degrees.

The SU-100's ammunition load did not include sub-caliber shells (they appeared in 1966), only armor-piercing ones. From 1000 meters, the SU-100 gun penetrated 135 mm armor plate, from 500 m - 155 mm. The gun could be aimed in the vertical plane within the range from −3 to +20 degrees and in the horizontal plane ±8 degrees.

For self-defense, the crew was equipped with 7.62 mm PPSh-41 submachine guns, 1,420 rounds of ammunition, as well as 4 anti-tank and 24 fragmentation grenades. The gun's ammunition load was 33 unitary rounds.

Jagdpanther was armed with a long-barreled 88 mm Pak 43/3 L/71 cannon. The horizontal pointing angle of the gun is +11°, the elevation angle is +14°, the declination angle is 8°. The ammunition load, consisting of 57 unitary shells, included three types of ammunition: high-explosive fragmentation, armor-piercing and armor-piercing sub-caliber.

PzGr39/1 armor-piercing shells weighing 10.2 kg had an initial speed of 1000 m/s and pierced armor 185 mm thick from a distance of 500 m, 165 mm from 1000 m, and 132 mm from 2000 m. Sub-caliber PzGr. 40/43 weighed less - 7.5 kg and had a higher initial speed - 1130 m/s. They penetrated 153 mm thick armor from a distance of 2000 m, 193 mm from 1000 m, and 217 mm at a distance of 500 meters.

The gun's rate of fire was 6-8 rounds per minute, and shooting was carried out using telescopic sights SflZF5, and later WZF1/4. The latter was the most advanced and had a 10x magnification with a viewing angle of 7 degrees.

For defense against infantry, an MG-34 machine gun of 7.92 mm caliber was installed in the front plate, equipped with optical sight In addition, the self-propelled gun was armed with a close-range grenade launcher "Nahverteidungswaffe". The latter's ammunition included fragmentation, smoke, signal or illumination grenades. The grenade launcher had a circular firing sector and could fire at a distance of up to 100 m. In addition, the crew had two MP-40 submachine guns with 384 rounds of ammunition.

Fire extinguishing system

Self-propelled guns burned frequently and terribly, so the fire extinguishing system cannot but be given attention. At the disposal of the crew Su-100 There were tetrachlorine fire extinguishers, which could only be used while wearing gas masks. The fact is that when carbon tetrachloride came into contact with hot surfaces, a chemical reaction occurred, resulting in the formation of the toxic substance phosgene.

Jagdpanther could boast of an automatic fire extinguishing system, which operated as follows: when the temperature inside the car exceeded the threshold of 120 degrees, the first fire extinguisher filled the fuel pump and carburetors with the fire-fighting mixture “SV”. The second one filled the engine housing with the same mixture. The SPG crew had three small hand-held fire extinguishers.

Bottom line

To summarize, we note that the Jagdpanther was superior to the SU-100 in terms of crew comfort, quality of sighting devices, transportable ammunition and armor penetration.

At the same time, the German self-propelled gun was inferior in mobility and manufacturability, as well as reliability - most of the diseases of the PzKpfw V "Panther" tank were transferred to the self-propelled guns.

During the war, only about 400 Jagdpanthers were produced, while the SU-100, taking into account post-war production, was 4976 units. Thanks to its simplicity and reliability, the SU-100 is still in service today. For example, not long ago these self-propelled guns were spotted in Yemen, while German self-propelled guns can only be seen in the museum.

The Italian army was not far behind the German in recognizing the need for armament with assault guns and developed a whole range of installations that were superficially reminiscent of the German StuG 3. These guns were produced in significant quantities, since they were easier to produce than the new Italian tanks, which had more armor. But by the time there were already enough of them, Italy had practically withdrawn from the war, and the assault guns went to the Germans. Most Italian self-propelled guns, known as "semovente", had 75 mm or 105 mm guns or howitzers with barrels different lengths, but they were all mounted on firing frames..

The Japanese lagged behind other countries in the development of armored vehicles throughout World War II. Their first military campaigns in China and Manchuria left them with the erroneous idea that heavy armored vehicles were unnecessary; instead they focused their efforts on what is considered worldwide light tanks and wedges. This was also facilitated by the state of Japanese industry, which was at an early stage of development and did not have large production facilities. So Japan fell behind in development self-propelled artillery; Only a small one was released.

The first example of the mobile SIG 33 was tested in the French campaign of 1940. It was still extremely simple: the howitzer was directly attached, together with the frame and wheels, to the Pz.Kpfw light tank with the turret removed. The crew of four was protected by armored shields. In general, the installation was not very successful: the center of gravity was located quite high, and the chassis was overloaded. All these shortcomings were eliminated in 1942. When creating the PzKpfw II Ausf C (SdKfz 121) model, the howitzer was placed much lower in the chassis, which turned out to be the right decision, and by the end of 1943.

Back in 1939, it became clear that the days of the small PzKpfw II tank were numbered: it lacked weapons and armor. But it continued to be produced as quite reliable, and when the need for self-propelled artillery arose, the PzKpfw II was chosen as the carrier of the 105-mm leFH 18 field howitzer. The modification of the tank hull was simple: the howitzer was installed behind an open armored shield in the rear of the hull, and the area where there had previously been a tower, it was armored on top and adapted to accommodate ammunition. The armor thickness was no more than 18 mm. The resulting self-propelled howitzer...

The Hummel was a hybrid of the chassis and components of two light tanks called GWIII/IV. The first model of 1941 used an extended suspension and rollers from the PzKpfw IV, and the drivetrain, gearbox and tracks were from PzKpfw III. On this hull an open structure was built from light armored shields, into which one of two types of guns could be installed. Self-propelled guns designed to destroy tanks received a modified 88-mm anti-tank gun, and to provide artillery support - a special 80-mm model...

The concept of this specialized gun transporter was new to Germany when it was first discussed in 1942. What was needed was not just another self-propelled gun, but a transporter for a gun housed in a turret. At the position, the gun had to be removed from the tank hull and installed on it after the battle. The exact tactical purpose of this type of weapon remains unclear to this day - after all, in 1942, the Wehrmacht tank divisions dictated the rules of maneuver warfare to all their opponents and there was no need for separate and static artillery...

The Karl series is represented by the largest self-propelled guns ever produced. One of the transporter options, “Geret” 040, with a 600 mm barrel installed on it; the second is “Geret” 041, with a 540 mm barrel. In the army they were called "Thor". The guns had a firing range of 4500 m and 6240 m, respectively. To achieve maximum effect, the shells were capable of exploding, penetrating a layer of concrete from 2.5 to 3.5 m. The shells themselves were very heavy: the 600 mm had a mass of at least 2170 kg, and the 540 mm - 1250 kg. Both Karls were huge, intimidating weapons. Weight and dimensions of the guns...

Despite their excellent reputation, the StuG III assault guns by 1943 were considered too light for this role, and a new heavy assault gun was needed. The existing 150-mm slG 33 self-propelled guns had insufficient armor for close combat; therefore, with the gradual replacement of the PzKpfw IV tank by “Panthers” and “Tigers”, a real opportunity arose to create such a unit based on latest models tank PzKpfw IV. Prototypes appeared in 1943 under the name Assault Howitzer IV "Brümmbär" ("Grizzly Bear"). They represented a box-like structure formed by armor plates descending to the ground, covering the front part of the PzKpfw IV tank with the turret removed.

Stalingrad taught the German army many lessons, not the least of which was the Germans’ unwillingness to fight in urban conditions, which was also associated with the lack of adequate close combat weapons. In their usual manner, they intended to cope with combat operations in large cities by the method of total destruction of enemy personnel with massive fire from super-heavy guns. At the same time, it seemed that it was possible to simply raze all the enemy’s fortified points and firing points to the ground. This is what the ground-based analogue of naval weapons was intended for, the projectile of which was similar to a depth charge.

Based on the experience of the First World War, the German army saw the need to have a mobile armored gun to advance along with the infantry and provide fire support to it, suppressing fortified points and destroying enemy bunkers. At the end of the 30s, such an installation was developed on the basis of the chassis, suspension and running gear of the PzKpfw III tank. It was known as StuG III. The standard upper part of the hull along with the tank's turret were replaced with a thick armor plate on which a short-barreled 75 mm gun was mounted in the front. StuG III Ausf A entered service in 1940; Models B, C and O soon appeared, and in 1942 the StuG III Ausf F.

When the Red Army lost a significant part of its weapons in 1941, mass production of military equipment became a priority. Only a few types of weapons were selected for use in the near future and were designated for release. Among them was the famous 3IS-3, a 76.2 mm gun, which was not only an excellent field weapon, but also an anti-tank weapon. By adopting the 3IS-3, the Red Army not only received an excellent weapon, but subsequently made it self-propelled.

The first of the hard ones Soviet self-propelled guns, SU-152, appeared in 1943, before the battle of Kursk. The 152 mm M-1937 howitzer was attached to the large and heavy protective ring of the front armor shield of the KV-2 tank hull. There were hatches in the top plate of the hull, one of which had a mount for anti-aircraft machine gun. The first examples were planned as anti-tank and assault weapons - these two tasks were never separated by Soviet tactics - especially since in combat the SU-152 relied mainly on the large mass of the projectile and its kinetic energy.

In early 1941, the British Purchasing Commission in Washington found that the chassis of the American M7 Priest tank, which mounted a non-standard 105 mm gun for the Royal Army, could be modified to accommodate a British 25-pounder howitzer. The United States fulfilled the order, but due to its full production capacity, they refused to set up serial production. The order was accepted by the Canadians, using the REM type tank as a basis, which was soon replaced by the American MZ and M4. This is how Sexton was born. Sexton retained the basic design of the M7 Priest tank, modified to British standards.

The idea for the Bishop self-propelled gun arose at a time when batteries of 25-pounder guns were used to fight Rommel's tanks in the North African desert. To protect the crews, they decided to install the guns on the chassis of the Valentine infantry tank. Unfortunately, the tactical objectives of this combination of gun and combat vehicle were uncertain from the very beginning. The 25-pound Valentine Mk 1 is the result of a direct modification: the tank's turret was replaced with a larger one and a gun was installed in it. It turned out to be too noticeable for the enemy on the battlefield, and there was not enough space inside for crews.

The experience gained by the US Army when installing 105 mm howitzers on half-track vehicles suggested that it was better to adapt fully tracked carriers for this purpose. So the chassis of the M3 medium tank was chosen, significantly modified to accommodate an open-top superstructure with a gun mounted in front. The prototype was named T32; After field testing, a machine gun turret was installed to the right of the fighting compartment, and the M7 mount was put into service. The armor thickness was 25.4 mm.

The M 12 was the first production self-propelled gun of World War II made in the United States. This self-propelled gun with a 155-mm cannon was created according to the T6 project, based on the chassis of the M3 medium tank. A new combination of the 155 mm M1A1 gun, known as the "Long Tom" (with 20 rounds of ammunition) and the M4A3 medium tank chassis, appeared in December 1943. The chassis width was increased, more powerful suspension springs were installed, the engine was moved forward, and a coulter was provided to dampen rollback forces. The firing range of the 43-kg projectile was 23514 m.