StuG III - Germany: Books - History, Types and Construction (2/2)

Sturmgeschütz III Assault Gun 1940-42

The workhorse of the German Army that swept across Poland, France and Russia, the Sturmgeschütz III saw service in all theatres of World War II, both in an infantry support role and as a tank destroyer. Cheaper and quicker to produce than a tank, the assault gun proved a remarkably effective weapon. Its design and development, production, capabilities and operational history are all closely examined, as is its tactical employment and organisation into units.

This book uses original German combat and experience reports to show how the Sturmgeschütz fared in action, whilst also providing information on both retrofitted and production modifications.

Contents: Design and Development - Production Modifications - Production History - Capabilities - Operational History - Tactical Employment - Organisation - Early Successes in Russia.

T-34 vs StuG III - Finland 1944

In the summer of 1944, the Red Army staged a massive armoured assault up the Karelian Isthmus with the intent of eliminating any remaining German and Finnish forces facing the Leningrad region.
Most of the Soviet units sent into Finland were new to the region, moving mainly from the fighting in the Leningrad area. As a result, some had the latest types of Soviet equipment including the new T-34-85 tank, fielded alongside the older T-34-76.

Germany refused to sell the Finns new tanks without a reinforced military alliance, but in 1943 began selling them a few dozen StuG III assault guns. This made the StuG III battalion the most modern and powerful element of the Finnish armoured division, and it saw very extensive combat in the June-July summer battles.
Featuring specially commissioned artwork and an array of archive photographs, this is the absorbing story of the parts played by Soviet and Finnish armour in the epic battles in Finland during June and July 1944.

M10 Tank Destroyer vs StuG III Assault Gun - Germany, 1944

The Allies' M10 Tank Destroyer and the Germans' Sturmgeschütz (StuG) lll were the unsung workhorses of the northwest European battlefields of 1944-45. While their mission was not principally fighting one another, their widespread use ensured their frequent encounters, from the Normandy Bocage, to the rubble-strewn streets of Aachen.
The StuG lll was the quintessential assault gun, a low-slung, heavily armoured, turret-less vehicle intended to provide direct fire support for infantry formations, whilst the M10 3in Gun Motor Carriage was originally developed as a tank destroyer. However, by 1944 the 3in gun proved ineffectual against the most thickly armored German tanks, and was consequently relegated to infantry support too.
Widely deployed in roles their designers had not envisaged, these two armoured fighting vehicles clashed repeatedly during the 11-month campaign, which saw the Allies advance from Normandy to the heart of the Reich. Fully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this is the story of their confrontation at the height of World War ll.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and Development - Technical Specifications - The Combatants - The Strategic Situation - Combat - Statistics and Analysis - Further Reading - Index.

Sturmgeschütz III on the Battlefield (2)

Excellent photographic coverage of the German Sturmgeschütz III assault gun on all fronts throughout World War 2. Large format photos, one to a page, mostly unpublished.

Sturmgeschütz III on the Battlefield (3)

Excellent photographic coverage of the German Sturmgeschütz III and Sturmhaubitze 42 assault guns on all fronts throughout World War 2.

Sturmgeschütz III on the Battlefield (4)

"Sturmgeschütz III on the Battlefield 4" is Matyas Panczel's fourth on the Sturmgeschütz III for PeKo Publishing of Hungary. It follows their house format of 112 pages, 105 large landscape photographs.