10.5cm SturmHaubitze 42 \ StuH 42 Self-propelled artillery mount

10.5 cm Stu H 42
(officially completely
German 10.5 cm Sturmhaubitze 42
[1]) is a medium-weight German 105-mm self-propelled artillery mount of the assault gun class of the Second World War period based on the Pz Kpfw III tank.

History[ | ]

Sturmhaubitze 42 (Sturmhaubitze 42) - assault howitzer model 1942. According to the departmental rubricator of the Ministry of Armaments of Nazi Germany, the vehicle was designated as Sd Kfz 142/2.

Combat experience in 1940 showed the insufficient power of the high-explosive fragmentation projectile of the 75 mm Stu.G assault guns. 7.5 cm K. and 7.5 cm Stu.K.40, installed on the StuG III, against concentrations of enemy personnel and field fortifications.

In the summer of 1941, an order was received for a 105 mm sample with a barrel with the ballistics of the leFH18/40 light field howitzer. In the early autumn of 1942, after repairs, several production StuG III Ausf.Fs had their 7.5 cm StuK40 cannon replaced with a 10.5 cm StuH 42 howitzer, thus obtaining the first prototype of the 10.5 cm Stu H 42

. The howitzers differed from the StuG III only in the installation of the gun and the layout of the ammunition rack for separate-loading artillery rounds with 36 rounds of ammunition. Like all StuGs, the StuH used electric ignition of the charge (in the terminology of that time - electric ignition). A muzzle brake was installed on the muzzle of the howitzer barrel, of which there were several options, but since the fall of 1944, due to technological difficulties, not all guns were produced with this device.

StuG III Gepanzerter Selbstfahrlafette fur Sturmgeschutz 7.5cm Kanone Ausf. AG (Sd.Kfz.142)

During the First World War, military tactics underwent significant changes. It turned out that the attacking infantry was suffering huge losses and could not fully rely on artillery support from guns firing from stationary positions. To fully support infantry in dynamic battle conditions, artillery would have to be located directly next to the infantrymen. Now the attackers could accurately and most importantly quickly hit enemy defenses: machine gun nests, fortifications, and cannons. However, along with undeniable advantages, assault artillery also had a number of serious disadvantages. Since assault guns moved in battle along with infantry, artillery crews were easily hit by enemy small arms fire, not to mention artillery. Providing ammunition to the advanced guns was also very problematic. However, assault artillery proved its right to life and continued to develop after the end of WW1.

The signing of the Vrsala Treaty greatly limited the development of weapons in Germany after WW1. The “Black Reichswehr” could not comprehensively develop the German army without outside help. And we found such help. While Western countries carried out all sorts of inspections in Germany itself in order to stop German military developments, the Land of Soviets provided the German military with strategic raw materials and its territory. With Hitler's rise to power, secret military cooperation continued to develop. At the end of 1932 - beginning of 1933, Soviet representatives - Chairman of the State Enterprise UMM RKKA S. Ginzburg and Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Committee UMM RKKA I. Lebedev ordered the development of a fully armored self-propelled gun with a 76mm cannon from Daimler-Benz. The sample manufactured by the Germans did not meet Soviet requirements and greatly exceeded the agreed price. The deal fell through.

In 1935, Colonel Erich von Manstein sent a memo to General Beck, Chief of the General Staff, justifying the need to create accompanying battalions (Begleitbatterien). In the note, the “godfather” of Sturmgeschütze, Manstein, proposed the creation of assault artillery to directly support infantry on the battlefield. The note stated: “Assault artillery acts as accompanying artillery in the infantry. It does not attack like a tank, it does not engage in breakthroughs, but it supports the advance of infantry by destroying the most dangerous targets with direct fire. Unlike tank units, it does not operate in large numbers, but is usually used as part of a platoon. A platoon, or even a separate gun, suddenly appearing, clears the way for the infantry before it can become a target for enemy artillery. The gun should be capable of disabling enemy machine gun emplacements with just a few shots. Also, it should knock out enemy tanks; In comparison with which, the gun is inferior in armor, but superior in visibility and the first shot.” According to Manstein, the assault gun division was to consist of three batteries of 6 self-propelled guns each.

It was supposed to mount the guns on self-propelled tracked chassis. The priority targets of the assault guns were to be the main enemies of the infantrymen: pillboxes, field fortifications and field guns, machine gun nests and well-entrenched infantry. The idea of ​​assault guns was received ambiguously, since it was assumed that tanks could cope with this task. For example, the Pz-IV tank was initially armed with an anti-personnel gun, and horizontal guidance was carried out at 360°, while the assault gun had a very limited traverse. Tactically, the StuG III was supposed to be used to support the infantry, while the tanks would be supported by fire from the Pz IV tank. Therefore, in both cases they decided to use the 7.5 cm L/24 KwK 37 gun, but the self-propelled gun did not require a turret. One of the influential opponents of the assault gun was Heinz Guderian himself.

However, on June 15, 1936, Daimler-Benz received instructions to develop an assault gun the height of an average person and equipped with a 7.5 cm L/24 howitzer. Friedrich Krupp und Sohn AG in Essen was responsible for the development of the gun and its machine. Since it was supposed to shoot at an entrenched enemy, they created a gun with a low initial projectile velocity and a steep trajectory - 75mm StuK 37 L/24. This howitzer was later adapted for the PzKpfw IV medium tank. For the sake of a squat silhouette, the designers abandoned the turret, installing the cannon in a closed armored wheelhouse.

In the spring of 1937, 5 prototypes of the “0” series were ready, assembled on the basis of the chassis of the PzKpfw III Ausf.B tank.

The cars were equipped with a Maybach HL 120 TRM 4-stroke gasoline engine, 12 cylinders V60°, volume 11900 cm3, power 300 hp. at 3000 rpm.

The fully enclosed cabin accommodated a crew of 4 people: commander, driver, gunner, loader. The hull and deckhouse were welded. The cabin was attached to the hull with bolts, the roof of the cabin was also bolted, which greatly facilitated the dismantling of the gun. The self-propelled gun was armed with a 7.5cm Stu.K howitzer. 37 L/24 (1766.3 mm) weighing 490 kg. The gun was installed with a slight offset to the right and had a traverse of 12° to the left and right and elevation from -10° to +20°. It is obvious that Krupp was not very diligent in its task. The gun was mounted on a rather primitive machine, screwed to the floor, had simple aiming mechanisms, and there was no full-fledged bullet and shrapnel reflector.

An MG 34 machine gun and an MP 40 submachine gun were stored inside the cabin. All the cabins of the “0” series prototypes were made of non-armored steel and were not suitable for combat use.

It can be noted that this self-propelled gun suspiciously resembled a model previously rejected by the Soviet side.

In 1938, the prototypes were tested at the training ground in Döberitz and Kummersdorf, then they were transferred to the artillery school in Uteborg-Damme, where they served until the fall of 1941.

Serial production of the StuG III began in February 1940. Unlike the prototypes, the serial StuG III was made from full-fledged cemented armor steel. On March 28, 1940, the vehicle received the official name Gepanzerter Selbstfahrlafette für Sturmgeschütz 7.5cm Kanone Ausf. A (Sd.Kfz.142).

StuG III Ausf.A (SdKfz 142)

After testing the “0” series, improvements were made to the design of the self-propelled guns. StuG III Ausf. A was now produced on the chassis of the light tank Pz III Ausf. F. The power plant and suspension of the tank have not changed despite the more powerful armor of the StuG III. The front of the hull, the front of the cabin, the rear wall of the cabin and the mantlet of the gun had a thickness of 50mm; sides - 30mm; glacis - 26mm; roof - 11mm; stern of the cabin and hull - 30mm; floor - 16 mm and front - 20 mm to protect the crew. The first series were made of homogeneous armor. On the left side of the wheelhouse there was a faceted protrusion in which the radio station was located. From the outside, the front left part of the cabin in front of this protrusion and the entire right wall of the cabin were covered with additional 9mm armor plates. This additional armor was sloped and attached with some clearance above the main armor. It can be stated that for its time, the armor protection of the StuG III was quite powerful both in thickness and in quality. In addition, the assault gun had a low profile (195 cm), which also contributed to its survivability on the battlefield.

Old model drive wheel and guide

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The crew (commander, driver, gunner, loader) had 3 hatches on the roof of the cabin. In an emergency, the driver could escape through technical hatches in the glacis, which were usually used to access the transmission from the outside.

The driver's seat was on the left in front, behind him was the gunner, behind him was the commander; the loader was on the right in the wheelhouse.

The commander carried out a review through the SF 14z stereo tube, for which there was a special hatch on the roof of the cabin. The gunner used an Sfl ZF internal monocular periscope sight mounted to the left of the gun. A small embrasure of the sight came out on the front plate and was protected by shields in the shape of the letter V. The shields and the wheelhouse between them were corrugated so that bullets and fragments would not ricochet into the embrasure. The driver had a viewing slot on the front wall of the cabin. When it was closed by an armored shutter, the driver used a KFF2 binocular periscope. In addition, the driver could look to the left through a gap in the left side.

StuG III Ausf. A was armed with a 7.5cm Stu.K gun. 37 L/24 with a direct shot range of 620 - 650 m, with a maximum range of 6200 m. The range of ammunition of 44 rounds included: high-explosive fragmentation GR.34, armor-piercing K.Gr.rot Pz., cumulative Gr. 38 HL, Gr. 38 HL/A, Gr. 38 HL/B and smoke NbGr (weight 6.21 kg, initial speed 455 m/s). The shells were stored in metal containers grouped into 4 ammunition racks.

Below is the German accuracy percentage table. The first number is accuracy during test shooting in non-combat conditions, the second number is accuracy in combat. Shooting was carried out at a shield 2 m high and 2.5 m wide, and the distance to the target was precisely known. By doubling the dispersion during control shooting, the Germans derived the relative value of “accuracy in battle.”

In addition, an MG 34 machine gun and 2 submachine guns were stored in the wheelhouse.

The assault gun was equipped with a carburetor 4-stroke Maybach HL 120TR engine, 12 cylinders, V60°, power 300 hp. at 3000 rpm, displacement 11,867 cm3. The engine required leaded gasoline with an octane rating of at least 74. A 310-liter gas tank allowed an autonomy of 160 km on the highway and 100 km over rough terrain. The gearbox had 10 forward speeds and 1 reverse.

The driver should not have accelerated the car more than 40 km/h.

The first series of vehicles were equipped with VHF radio stations that worked exclusively for reception (UKW-Empfanger). The crew carried out internal communications via speaking pipes. Later, the FuG 15 radio station with a 2 m high whip antenna began to be installed, providing telephone communication over a distance of 6.4 km and telegraph communication over a distance of 9.4 km.

The StuG III had side lights at the rear and headlights at the front. The mounting location and type of headlights changed frequently. On the StuG III Ausf. A conventional headlights were mounted one on each wing

Weight StuG III Ausf. A amounted to 19,600 kg.

Serial production of StuG III Ausf. A lasted from January 1940 to May 1940 and amounted to 30 vehicles, Fgst.Nr.Serie (chassis serial numbers) 90401-9050. Assembly took place at plant No. 40 of Daimler-Benz AG in Berlin-Mariensfeld. Until May 1940, the assault gun was called Pz.Sfl. III (sPak).

4 batteries of these assault guns took part in the French campaign in May 1940.

StuG III Ausf.B (SdKfz 142)

Since the StuG III was assembled on the basis of the Pz III tank chassis, when a new modification of the Pz III Ausf tank appeared. H this immediately affected the self-propelled guns. Externally, the first StuG III Ausf. B were practically no different from Ausf. And, because the changes affected the internal mechanics. A new Maybach HL120TRM engine was installed, and the 10-speed Variorex gearbox was replaced with a 6-speed ZF SSG77. Soon they decided to increase the track width from 36 to 40 cm, the road wheels received wider rubber tires, after which the StuG III Ausf. It became possible to visually distinguish B from the previous modification.

New model of drive wheel and guide

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Now new cast ones were used - the guide wheel and idler. The front support roller was moved further forward to avoid sagging of the track. For some time StuG III Ausf. B could be equipped with different combinations of wheels: old drive wheels (equipped with an expansion ring) and old idlers, or old drive wheels with new idlers, or new drive wheels with old idlers.

It is noteworthy that the first 8 self-propelled guns were assembled on the basis of the Pz III Ausf. G and even had side escape hatches.

Serial production of StuG III Ausf. B took place at the Alkett plant from June 1940 to May 1941 and amounted to 300 (according to other sources 320) assault guns, Fgst.Nr.Serie 90101-90400 and 90501-90550.

StuG III Ausf.C and D (SdKfz 142)

At the beginning of 1941, another modification of the self-propelled gun appeared - StuG III Ausf. C.

This time the changes affected the armor protection of the hull. It was decided that the sight embrasure on the front sheet of the cabin weakened the protection. The sight was redesigned and placed on the roof through a special hatch. The new panoramic sight rose, fell and rotated with the gun. The gunner had 2 sights at his disposal: for direct fire and from a closed position - Rundblickfernrohr 32 and Sfl.Zielfernrohr 1.

Old headlight model

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The front and side plates, as well as the commander's roof, were changed, which simplified and improved the shape of the StuG III. The gunner's hatch was transformed from a double-leaf into a single-leaf.

As production progressed in the StuG III Ausf. C have made a number of minor improvements that are completely invisible from the outside. An intercom was installed for the crew to communicate with each other. As a result, a modification of the StuG III Ausf appeared. D, launched into production in May 1941. Often when calling these self-propelled guns, no distinction is made and the collective designation is used - StuG III Ausf. D.

Binocular sight

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Serial production was carried out by Alkett from May 1941 to September 1941 and amounted to 150 self-propelled guns of both modifications: 50 StuG III Ausf. C (Fgst.Nr.Serie 90551-90600) and 100 StuG III Ausf. D (Fgst.Nr.Serie 90601-90750).

StuG III Ausf.E (SdKfz 142)

StuG III Ausf. The E was planned for use as a command vehicle instead of the SdKfz 253 observer-spotters, which were withdrawn from the StuG units.

The additional 9mm side armor plates were dismantled in order to install an armor box on the right side, and enlarge the armor box on the left side forward. These boxes contained additional radio equipment needed on the commander's vehicle. In the left box there was a FuG 15 VHF radio station, and in the right box there was a FuG 16, which was serviced by the loader. However, the left box also held 6 additional shots. The ammunition capacity of the new StuG III has increased to 50 rounds.

The commander received an SF 142 stereoscopic viewing periscope.

According to order No. 101 of December 20, 1941, the StuG III was supposed to carry with it a spare track fragment of 11 links. Holders for a spare track appeared on the front part of the self-propelled gun. However, German self-propelled guns placed parts of the caterpillar tracks wherever possible in order to improve the armor protection of the self-propelled guns.

Rear view of early StuG III

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However, StuG III Ausf. E was also produced in a linear configuration. Command vehicles can be easily identified by two antennas on the rear of the superstructure. The series lasted from September 1941 to March 1942 and amounted to 284 (according to other sources 272) StuG III Ausf. E, assembled by Alkett, Fgst.Nr.Serie 90751-90034.

StuG III Ausf.F (SdKfz 142)

With the beginning of the military campaign in the USSR, German assault guns could no longer successfully support their infantry. The good ballistics of the short-barreled StuK 37 L/24 turned out to be absolutely useless against the Soviet T-34 and KV tanks. The self-propelled gun's armor also did not quite meet the new requirements of the war. The same sad picture was observed with German tanks. The Wehrmacht won one great victory after another solely thanks to the gross tactical miscalculations of the Red Army, but technically German tanks were in a state of crisis. Therefore, on September 28, 1941, Hitler issued a special order to urgently increase the firepower of a number of tanks and assault guns.

New track roller

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And again, the StuG III, having the Pz III chassis, received weapons identical to the Pz IV. In December 1941, Rheinmetall-Borsig introduced a new long-barreled gun 7.5 cm KwK 40, L/44, which was used to arm the new modification of the Pz IV Ausf. F. StuG III received an adapted version of this gun. — 7.5 cm StuK 40, L/43. In the taknova gun, the recoil cylinders were located on the sides of the barrel and bolt, while in the StuK 40 the cylinders were placed at the bottom of the barrel so that horizontal guidance could be carried out normally without enlarging the hole for the gun in the body. The gun was equipped with an Sfl ZF 1a sight, located through a hatch in the roof. Ammunition increased from 44 to 54 rounds. The gun was equipped with a welded mantlet with a front plate thickness of 30 mm. Sometimes this modification of the self-propelled gun was called the Sturmgeschütz 40 Ausf. F (SdKfz 142/1).

In April, the smoke grenade launcher mortar was removed from the rear wall of the cabin.

The back part of the middle of the roof was raised and an electric fan was placed there.

When StuG III Ausf. F were already in full serial production, German designers developed a gun with a barrel 5 calibers longer - 7.5 cm StuK 40, L/48. The StuG III Ausf.F began to be equipped with this gun in June 1942, starting with the 121st vehicle.

In June 1942, additional armor for the StuG III began. Armor plates 30 mm thick were bolted to the hull and wheelhouse at the front, bringing the total thickness to 80 mm. The sloping roof above the driver and a similar one to the right of the gun were raised almost to the roof of the wheelhouse.

StuG III Ausf. F, unlike its predecessors, could confidently fight Soviet T-34 tanks at long distances. The heavy KV tank was now knocked out from approximately 800 m, while with the old short-barreled gun the StuG III could not even frighten the KV by shooting at point-blank range. However, with the advent of a new long-barreled self-propelled gun, the German infantry lost reliable support. The fact is that the ballistics of the old short-barreled gun with a steep projectile trajectory was optimally suited for fighting the main enemies of infantry - cannons, machine guns, entrenched enemy infantry, bunkers. But the long-barreled gun, with its flat trajectory, turned the StuG III into an excellent anti-tank weapon, to the detriment of other infantry escort requirements. To fill the resulting tactical gap, the Germans created the StuG III Ausf. F is a new self-propelled gun armed with a modified standard 105 mm howitzer - 105 cm. le FH 18. This assault gun was called Sturmhaubitze 42 (StuH 42) Ausf. F, (SdKfz 142/2). However, a meager number of howitzer self-propelled guns were made and now the new assault guns, for the most part, had a clear anti-tank specialization.

Series StuG III Ausf. F was produced by Altmaerkische Kettenwerk, GmbH from March to September 1942 and amounted to 366 units, Fgst.Nr.Serie 91034-91400.

StuG III Ausf.F/8 (SdKfz 142)

Since September 1942, self-propelled guns began to be assembled on the basis of the 8.Serie/ZW chassis (PzKpfw III Ausf. J), which affected the design of the vehicle. The StuG III Ausf.F/8 gun had a single-chamber muzzle brake. At the beginning of 1943, a protective armored shield for a machine gun appeared on the roof, in front of the loader's hatch. The antennas were attached rigidly and did not fold anymore. Fans in the engine compartment were now installed along, rather than across, the car; the inlet ventilation holes became larger for better engine cooling and were covered with armored shields; the aft armor increased to 50mm, the engine compartment hatches changed, and the brake access hatches on the glacis became single-leaf and of different sizes. The sight hatch became smaller, and the sight itself was covered with a protective metal mesh. Towing shackles were abandoned in favor of protruding side armor plates with holes.

In October, the brake access hatches again regained their previous appearance - double-leaf, single-size ones. In the same month, the frontal armor of the wheelhouse was reinforced with screw-on cemented armor plates.

In December 1943, the StuG III Ausf.F/8 received side screens (schuerzen), which protected against anti-tank guns and cumulative rounds.

Serial production was carried out by Altmaerkische Kettenwerk, GmbH from September to December 1942. 250 StuG 40 Ausf.F/8, Fgst.Nr.Serie 91401-91650 were produced.

StuG III Ausf.G (SdKfz 142)

At the beginning of 1943, the latest and most widespread modification appeared - the StuG III Ausf.G. This version embodies all the accumulated combat experience of previous modifications and the latest design ideas.

Commander's cupola with a hole for bringing out the commander's binocular telescope

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Mainly, the improvements affected the body. The armor boxes for radio equipment were dismantled and the wheelhouse was expanded on the sides, so that it began to protrude above the tracks. The rear part of the roof was raised to install a fan above the gun breech; They used a new cylindrical commander's cupola with eight viewing episcopes, which significantly improved the commander's visibility. In addition, the commander's cupola hatch consisted of two parts: the main one, attached to the rear of the cupola, and the front part, which could be opened separately to expose the SF.14Z binocular observation device to the outside. The commander's binocular optics were protected by transparent plastic inserts.

The commander's cupola stood out noticeably above the wheelhouse and, with its armor thickness of only 30 mm, was a very vulnerable spot for the StuG III. Since October 1943, a cast shield began to be welded to the roof of the cabin and the front part of the turret to reflect bullets and shrapnel.

On early production machines, the fan was installed in the old way - in the rear part of the roof of the cabin; later it was moved to the rear vertical wall.

MG 34 machine gun with remote control, mounted on the roof of the StuG III

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The loader's hatch consisted of two doors - the rear and the front, which served as a machine gun shield. In the open position, the front flap-shield was fixed with a latch and a machine gun was installed on it. The shield had two brackets for installing a machine gun, one under the hole through which fire was fired and the second bracket at the top of the shield hatch for firing at air targets.

On later versions of the StuG III Ausf.G, the 2-door gunner's hatch was rotated 90°, so that the doors began to open left and right. On the roof, in front of the gunner's hatch, a significant innovation appeared - a remote-controlled MG 42 machine gun. When the machine gun required reloading, the gunner had to stick out of his hatch. Nevertheless, during reloading of the machine gun, the gunner had relative protection - the open doors of his hatch were fixed in a vertical position and protected from the sides, and a small shield of the machine gun covered the front.

In May 1944, to protect against nearby enemy infantry, the StuG III Ausf.G was armed with a small mortar, which through a hole in the right front part of the roof could fire fragmentation or smoke grenades at 360°. A similar device was installed on the Tiger and Panther tanks.

Most early StuG III Ausf.Gs had 90 mm NbK 39 grenade launchers, which were mounted 3 to the left and right of the gun.

The armor protection of the StuG III has once again undergone significant enhancements. The frontal armor of the StuG III Ausf.G was increased by 30 mm overlay armor plates bolted on top of the main 50 mm armor.

The earliest StuG III Ausf.Gs were still equipped with a driver's binocular viewing device, this in particular was one of the reasons to use composite frontal armor (50+30) rather than a monolithic 80mm plate, since the binocular viewing device was designed for 50mm armor.

Cast gun mantlet "pig's head" with a hole for a coaxial machine gun

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In November 1943 (according to other sources, early 1944), instead of the old welded gun mantlet, a new cast round one was introduced, which we usually call the “pig snout” (Saukopfblende). However, mass production simultaneously produced the StuG III Ausf.G with both a welded and cast mantlet. Over time, the StuG III with a welded mantlet received a coaxial machine gun with a cannon, but the self-propelled guns with a Saukopf mantlet acquired a coaxial machine gun at the very end of production.

The style of the muzzle brake was finally established on the StuG III Ausf.G.

In the summer of 1943, the StuG III began to be coated with anti-magnetic coating “zimmerit”. The pattern on the surface of the zimmerit layer could differ, which is probably due to different manufacturers. Most often, a “waffle” pattern was applied. Be that as it may, the design on the Zimmerit had absolutely no significance in the fight against magnetic mines. At the beginning of 1945, zemmerite was abandoned.

Spare track roller holder

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During the production of the StuG III Ausf.G, it was decided to equip the self-propelled guns with on-board anti-cumulative screens (Schurzen) - steel sheets 5 mm thick. However, the shielded self-propelled guns naturally became wider and could not fit on a transport railway platform. Therefore, during transportation by rail, the screens with these fastenings were dismantled from the StuG III. In addition, shielding had another inconvenience - when driving over rough terrain, it often clung to uneven ground or various obstacles. To eliminate this phenomenon, already in the process of mass production, the front lower corners of the front screens were cut off.

On the later StuG III Ausf.G, the support rollers lost the rubber tire in favor of a metal one.

Altmaerkische Kettenwerk, GmbH in Berlin and MIAG in Braunschweig, which joined production in February 1943, produced 7720 StuG III Ausf.G + 173 converted from Pz.Kpfw.III, Fgst.Nr.Serie 76101-76400, 91651-11000.

The StuH 42, based on the StuG III Ausf.G, began to enter service at the beginning of 1943 and had a welded gun mantlet.

StuH 42 (Sd. Kfz. 142/2)

Initially, the StuG III was planned as an assault weapon for direct support of infantry on the battlefield. The armament of the StuG III Ausf.A-E fully corresponded to its task. Short-barreled gun 7.5cm Stu.K. 37 L/24 did an excellent job of destroying entrenched enemy infantry, open machine-gun and artillery positions, and bunkers. When the lightning campaign planned by the Germans in the USSR smoothly turned into a protracted and debilitating phenomenon, the issue of fighting the oppressively large number of Soviet T-34 and KV tanks became acute. The German command had to radically reconsider the tactics of using the StuG III. Since March 1942, German industry switched to the production of long-barreled StuG IIIs with a clearly anti-tank orientation, and by the summer of 1943, almost all early StuG IIIs were re-equipped with long-barreled guns. As compensation for the infantrymen, the Armament Directorate at the beginning of 1942 ordered the company Altmaerkische Kettenwerk, GmbH to produce 12 self-propelled guns with a howitzer - 105 cm in 1942. le FH 18 from Rheinmetall-Borsig.

Back in mid-1941, Wa Prüf 6 far-sightedly included in its list of projects the development of a Sturmgeschütz leichte Feldhaubitze with a 105mm howitzer.

The modified gun differed from the field howitzer only in the recoil device, double-chamber muzzle brake and bolt, while the barrel and ballistics remained the same. The assault howitzer was aimed horizontally within 24° and vertically from -10° to +20° (obviously insufficient elevation for the optimal 45° howitzer). The howitzer self-propelled gun's ammunition consisted of 36 separately loaded rounds - Sprenggranaten (high-explosive fragmentation) and Hohlladungsgranaten (armor-piercing). There was an MG 34 machine gun.

By March 1942, Alket delivered the only experimental howitzer to the converted StuG III Ausf.E. On October 2, 1942, Minister of Armaments Albert Speer organized a demonstration of a Sturmhaubitze with a 105 mm howitzer to Hitler at the Reich Chancellery and announced that 6 such vehicles were already ready from a series of 12 self-propelled guns that were in production. The Fuhrer was very pleased with the new car. The trial series was assembled on converted chassis of early StuG III, and the StuG III Ausf.F/8, which was in production at that time, was not touched. In March 1943 the Sturmhaubitze went into mass production.

On March 18, 1943, the new vehicle was officially named Sturmgeschütz III für 10.5 cm Stu.Haub.42 (Sd.Kfz.142/2), and in August 1944 the Generalinspektuer der Panzertroppen gave a shorter name - Sturmhaubitze 42 (StuH 42), (SdKfz 142/2 ). The self-propelled guns were produced on the basis of the StuG III Ausf.F (prototypes), Ausf.F/8 and Ausf.G. Almost all changes in the design of the StuG III were carried over to the StuH 42.

In September 1944, the StuH 42 was produced without a muzzle brake, instead they wanted to install the muzzle brake from the le.FH.18 and le.18/40.

In mid-1944, the howitzer was equipped with a cast Tpfblende mantlet, which, however, did not stop the parallel production of self-propelled guns with a welded mantlet.

The StuH 42 entered service with assault gun battalions in motorized divisions and assault gun battalions in infantry divisions. In addition, StuH 42 served in anti-tank divisions and assault gun brigades. At the end of the war, in tank divisions, sometimes anti-tank divisions had a StuH 42 company instead of a StuG III. The German command tried to maintain a ratio of 7 StuG III: 3 StuH 42 in the battery.

For the first time, these assault howitzers entered the battle on the Kursk Bulge - in the amount of 68 pieces. Then, in addition to the Eastern Front, they fought in Africa, Italy, and France.

On April 10, 1945, Germany had 132 StuH 42s, which indicates high losses of these assault guns.

In total Alket produced 1311 StuH 42, Fgst.Nr.Serie from approximately 92001 to 94250 and for 105001.

StuG III (Flamm)

At a conference held on December 1-3, 1942, at which Hitler was present, it was decided to produce a small series of 10 StuG flamethrowers. It is difficult to understand the reason for such a dubious decision. Unlike tanks, self-propelled guns had a very limited gun traverse and did not have an installed machine gun. Based on this, it was extremely contraindicated for an assault gun to get close to enemy infantry, against which the StuG was practically defenseless. However, the relatively short flamethrowing range required just a dangerous approach to the target.

Initially, it was planned to convert 10 vehicles of the current series by installing the Flamm-Anlage System Schwade (a flamethrower system designed by Schwade). Later, they decided not to touch the newest StuG models, but to remake the old vehicles that were delivered to the plant for rearmament and reinforcement of armor. In May 1943, 9 StuGs were received for conversion and another one in June.

StuG III (Flamm), instead of a barrel, was equipped with a metal pipe through which a flamethrower nozzle with a diameter of 14 mm was output. The trunk had a traverse of 10° to the left and right and an elevation of -6°/+20°. Before firing, the combustible mixture was heated with hot water taken from the engine cooling system. Pressure up to 15 atmospheres for throwing the flammable mixture was pumped by a small benzine-free two-stroke motor PKW F2 with a power of 3 kW. The flamethrowing range is 50 m with unlit liquid and 60 m with lit liquid.

All 10 flamethrower StuG III (Flamm) were assigned to Panzertruppenschule I and on June 23, 1943 the train departed for its destination.

It is not known for certain whether the StuG III (Flamm) was used in combat conditions, but it has been established that one StuG III (Flamm) ignited and burned completely. In July 1943, the damaged StuG III flamethrower was returned to the factory and, after repairs, returned to service in September 1943.

In January 1944, all 10 flamethrowing StuG III (Flamm) were returned to the factory and converted into a regular StuG III with a 7.5 StuK 40 L/48 cannon. 7 StuG III (Flamm) converted in January 1944, 1 in March and 2 in April. This was the end of the short, fiery career of the StuG III.

topic navigation

Gallery StuG III, StuH 42, StuG III Flamm

StuG III - organization, equipment, tactics

sources

Bruce Culver - Sturmgeschütz III -SQUADRON/SIGNAL PUBLICATIONS, ARMOR NO.14, 1976 (English version)

Bruce Culver - Sturmgeschütz III -SQUADRON/SIGNAL PUBLICATIONS, ARMOR NO.14, 1976 (German version)

Baryatinsky - StuG III assault gun - Armored Collection, No. 6, 2001

Sergeev. P. - StuG III - Military-technical series No. 154, 2000

Ammunition[ | ]

105-mm unitary cartridge with a cumulative projectile for 10.5 cm StuH 42[1]
Separate-case loading. Howitzer 10.5 cm Stu H 42

could fire almost all types of standard shells for 105-mm light field howitzers: high-explosive fragmentation, smoke, incendiary, etc. The cartridges and charges used were the same as for all leFH18 variants: cartridge length 155.1 mm, flange diameter 125 mm ;
sleeve index 6342 (brass) and 6342 St (steel), and to ensure electrical conductivity, only brass-plated steel sleeves were allowed. The primer sleeve in the sleeve was electric igniter C/22 (or C/22 St.), which made the StuH charges non-interchangeable with other field and self-propelled howitzers of the same caliber [1] (interchangeability is possible by replacing the primer sleeves, but this was not regulated in the troops). The main ammunition consisted of 26 high-explosive fragmentation and 10 cumulative rounds. To combat heavily armored targets, four types of cumulative projectiles were used, the armor-piercing effect of which reached 90-100 mm, regardless of the shot distance. An interesting fact is that for this howitzer with separate loading, to increase the rate of fire when fighting armored targets, a unitary cartridge with a cumulative projectile in a special elongated cartridge case was created: 10 cm Gr Patr 39 rot FES Hl/C Stu H 42
. But this ammunition did not go into large production.

Design description[edit]

The body of the self-propelled gun has undergone minor changes - the installation of a larger gun required modifications to the front part of the wheelhouse. In addition, the 10.5cm StuH 42 howitzer, adapted for installation in self-propelled guns, had separate loading, which required changing the ammunition layout for 36 rounds (26 high-explosive fragmentation and 10 cumulative). The gun had the ability to point within 20° horizontally and within the range from -6° to +20° vertically. Otherwise, the hull of the StuH 42 repeated the design of the StuG III Ausf.F, maintaining its layout and armor scheme. Additional armament consisted of one 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun with 600 rounds of ammunition. The crew of the self-propelled gun consisted of 4 people: commander, gunner, loader and driver.

Production[ | ]

Production began in October 1942 at . In total, from October 1942 to February 1945, 1212 vehicles were produced.

Production of assault guns during World War II

Monthly production

1942

October - 9 (converted from repair vehicles)

1943

January - 3 (converted from repair vehicles) March - 10 April - 34 May - 45 June - 30 July - 25 August - 5 September - 10 October - 11 November - 4 December - 30

1944

January - 26 February - 54 March - 56 April - 58 May - 46 June - 100 July - 92 August - 110 September - 119 October - 100 November - 102 December - 40

1945

January — 71 February — 24 March — 49 April — 48

Combat use[ | ]

StuH 42 were actively used in the European and Eastern theaters of war. Of the 53 vehicles of this type that participated in the Battle of Kursk, 38 were lost. There they made up less than 10% of all available self-propelled guns.

From the beginning of 1944, the StuH 42 began to be used in conjunction with the StuG 40, equipping one of the four platoons in each battery with howitzers. This composition combined in battle the advantages of fire from flat 75 mm guns and mounted 105 mm howitzers. By the end of the war, three-battery divisions were reorganized into brigades and could include from 2 to 5 batteries.

General characteristics of StuH 42 G

• Country : Germany
• Type of self-propelled
• Rank 2

• Battle rating in arcade mode 3
• realistic mode 3
• simulator mode 3

More options

Advanced options

Arcade mode

• Weight 23.9 tons
• Price 55,000€
• Reward 110%
• Research bonus 130%
• Crew training price 16,000€
• Visibility 73%
• Reload time 13.0 s
• 10 free repairs
• Power 426 l. With. at 3000 rpm
• Max. speed 44 km/h
• Climbability 37°
• Repair price 1,170€
• Gun 105 mm howitzer StuH42 (Ammo: 36)
• Turret rotation 10.6°/s
• armor_piercing_100 213 mm
• armor_piercing_500 210 mm
• armor_piercing_1000 190 mm
• Weapon sets 1
• Free repair time 4 hours. 58m.
• Hull (stern) armor 30 mm
• Hull armor (side) 30 mm
• Hull armor (forehead) 80 mm
• Turret armor (stern) 30 mm
• Turret armor (side) 30 mm
• Vert. aiming angles (max) 20°
• Vert. aiming angles (min) -6°
• Turret armor (front) 80 mm

Realistic mode

• Weight 23.9 tons
• Price 55,000€
• Reward 120%
• Research bonus 130%
• Crew training price 16,000€
• Visibility 73%
• Reload time 13.0 s
• 10 free repairs
• Power 265 l. With. at 3000 rpm
• Max. speed 40 km/h
• Climbability 39°
• Repair price 1,050€
• Gun 105 mm howitzer StuH42 (Ammo: 36)
• Turret rotation 7.1°/s
• armor_piercing_100 213 mm
• armor_piercing_500 210 mm
• armor_piercing_1000 190 mm
• Weapon sets 1
• Free repair time 6 hours. 24m.
• Hull (stern) armor 30 mm
• Hull armor (side) 30 mm
• Hull armor (forehead) 80 mm
• Turret armor (stern) 30 mm
• Turret armor (side) 30 mm
• Vert. aiming angles (max) 20°
• Vert. aiming angles (min) -6°
• Turret armor (front) 80 mm

Simulator mode

• Weight 23.9 tons
• Price 55,000€
• Reward 140%
• Research bonus 130%
• Crew training price 16,000€
• Visibility 73%
• Reload time 13.0 s
• 10 free repairs
• Power 265 l. With. at 3000 rpm
• Max. speed 40 km/h
• Climbability 39°
• Repair price 1,110€
• Gun 105 mm howitzer StuH42 (Ammo: 36)
• Turret rotation 7.1°/s
• armor_piercing_100 213 mm
• armor_piercing_500 210 mm
• armor_piercing_1000 190 mm
• Weapon sets 1
• Free repair time 6 hours. 24m.
• Hull (stern) armor 30 mm
• Hull armor (side) 30 mm
• Hull armor (forehead) 80 mm
• Turret armor (stern) 30 mm
• Turret armor (side) 30 mm
• Vert. aiming angles (max) 20°
• Vert. aiming angles (min) -6°
• Turret armor (front) 80 mm

Statistics on StuH 42 G for 1 month

These statistics are collected on players who visited our site and cannot be used to point out problems to developers, as they are not complete. Arcade mode

• Number of battles 631
• Win rate 55.1%
• Air frags per battle 0.05
• Air frags per death 0.05
• Ground frags per battle 3.43
• Ground frags per death 2.78

Realistic mode

• Number of battles 480
• Win rate 44.61%
• Air frags per battle N/A
• Air frags per death N/A
• Ground frags per battle 2.74
• Ground frags per death 1.71

Simulator mode

• Number of battles 23
• Win rate 50%
• Air frags per battle N/A
• Air frags per death N/A
• Ground frags per battle 0.5
• Ground frags per death 0.96