The Sturmgeschütz was the most produced and the deadliest German Armoured Fighting Vehicle of WWII.
Its original purpose was to support the infantry, using the short-barrelled 75mm KwK 24 gun against targets such as bunkers. However later versions were fitted with the powerful Stuk 40 gun, with a much longer barrel. This turned the StuG into a lethal tank killer.
The StuG was ideal for the Germans when it came to operations such as defending the Gothic Line during the Italian Campaign. The restrictive terrain forced the Allies to attack down predictable routes, so the Germans could place StuGs in the best positions for them to open fire – but the hardest for the Allied soldiers to spot. Many Allied tanks were lost to this unseen enemy.
The Tank Museum’s StuG III
This StuG is an Ausf (model) G that was built between August 1943 and September 1944. Originally donated to The Tank Museum in 1951, it spent many years on loan to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford before returning to the Museum in 2019.
The Tank Museum’s StuG III
Currently on loan to The Heeresgeschichtliches Museum in Vienna, Austria, this StuG is an Ausf (model) G. It was built by Alkett and is one of 59 supplied to the Finnish Army and used by them in the Continuation War with the Soviet Union. They nicknamed them ‘Sturmi.’ This vehicle is believed to have seen combat in July 1944. It came to The Tank Museum from the Panssari Museum in Finland in 1990.
