StuG 50 mm - Assault gun

1930 luvulla Saksan sotilasjohto, Reichswehr, alkoi pohtia, miten liikkuvia panssaroituja tykistön yksiköitä voitaisiin käyttää tukemaan ja  edistämään jääkäri yksiköiden hyökkäystä.

Eversti Erich von Manstein suositteli Kenraali Beckille, joka oli pääesikunnan päällikkö 1935, että panssarivaunuja tulee käyttää jalkaväelle tuli-tukea antavana lisä voimana

Mansteinin esityksessä näitä panssaroituja tykkejä ei saa käyttää kuten panssarivaunuja käytetään, vaan lähinnä jalkaväen tuki ajoneuvona joka hävittää vastustajan linnoitetut asemat suoralla tulella.
Niiden tehtävänä oli tuhota vastustajan linnoitetut asemat ja puolustuksen toimet, kuten bunkkerit ja konekivääri pesäkkeet ja puolustuksessa olevat tankit. 

Näitä liikkuvia tykkejä ei ollut tarkoitus käyttää hyödyntämään läpimurtoja tai ajamaan vihollista linjojen takana, kuten panssarivaunujen ryhmityksessä erillisten yksiköiden oli tarkoitus tehdä.

Daimler-Benz AG sai tilauksen kehittää ja tuottaa tällaisen aseen 15. kesäkuuta 1936. Yhtiö valmisti viisi prototyyppiä jotka perustui Panzer III rungolle. Nämä vaunut eivät
olleet käyttökelpoisia taistelutoimiin mutta osoittautui hyödyllisiksi koulutuksessa.

Sodan edetessä ilmaantui useita seikkoja jotka lisäsivät StuG vaunujen arvoa, jotka täydensivät saksan panssarien iskukykyä. Näiden vaunujen valmistus oli helppoa ja
pienten valmistus kustannusten johdosta saksalaiset alkoivat käyttää StuG vaunuja
korvaamaan taisteluissa menetettyjä panssarivaunuja sodan jatkuessa.

StuG III oli tehokas panssaroitu vaunu vielä pitkään sen jälkeen kun Panzer III vaunut oli vedetty pois etulinjan taisteluista.
----------------------------------------------

Sturmgeschütz (or StuG) meaning "assault gun" was a series of armored vehicles used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War that primarily consisted of the StuG III and StuG IV. 

The most common of the two, the StuG III, was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III. 

Following the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, military commanders from the Reichswehr began to consider how mobile armored artillery units could provide support to advancing infantry units. Colonel Erich von Manstein recommended the concept of infantry Begleitbatterien (escort batteries) to General Beck, Chief of the General Staff in 1935.

Manstein theorized the vehicle would not be used as one uses a tank, but rather as an infantry support vehicle to destroy fortified objectives through direct fire. 
Its mission was to destroy prepared defensive works, pill boxes, machine gun emplacements and tanks. It was not intended to be used to exploit breakthroughs and drive into the enemy rear areas, as the panzertruppen units were intended to do.

Daimler-Benz AG was given the order to develop and produce such a weapon on June 15, 1936. They created five prototypes, based on the chassis of the Panzer III, which were not useful for combat operations but did prove valuable for training.

The StuG III was initially designated "StuG" but with the creation of the StuG IV it was re-designated the "StuG III" to distinguish the two. Initially they were intended as a mobile, armored gun platform, providing close fire support to the infantry to destroy bunkers, pillboxes and other entrenched positions. As the war progressed a number of aspects of the StuG series made them a valued supplement to the panzer forces.

The new vehicle proved to be an effective tank destroyer. Not only was its main gun powerful enough to knock out the new Soviet tanks, but the Panzer Mk III chassis on which it was based was highly mobile and reliable, and the increased armour plating combined with its low silhouette made it a difficult vehicle to destroy. The StuG became Nazi Germany's most produced armored fighting vehicle during World War II.

The StuG was used primarily within the Sturmartillerie, a branch of the artillery in the Wehrmacht.

Following the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, military commanders from the Reichswehr began to consider how mobile armored artillery units could provide support to advancing infantry units. Colonel Erich von Manstein recommended the concept of infantry Begleitbatterien (escort batteries) to General Beck, Chief of the General Staff in 1935.

Manstein theorized the vehicle would not be used as one uses a tank, but rather as an infantry support vehicle to destroy fortified objectives through direct fire. 
Its mission was to destroy prepared defensive works, pill boxes, machine gun emplacements and tanks. It was not intended to be used to exploit breakthroughs and drive into the enemy rear areas, as the panzertruppen units were intended to do.

Daimler-Benz AG was given the order to develop and produce such a weapon on June 15, 1936. They created five prototypes, based on the chassis of the Panzer III, which were not useful for combat operations but did prove valuable for training.

The first production units, the Sturmgeschütz III Ausf A, arrived in 1940 mounted with the 75 mm StuK 37L/24 gun and increased frontal hull armor (from 30 mm to 50 mm). The main armament, which had a limited lateral traverse, was mounted directly in a casemate-style hull. This created the lowest possible profile in order to reduce the vehicle's height, making the StuG more difficult to hit and easier to protect in hull defilade.

Because of the decreased costs and ease of production, the Germans began to use the StuGs to replace standard tank losses. They were used in this fashion as German losses of all types of armored vehicles now exceeded production. 

The StuGs proved effective in a defensive role, but were a poor substitute for conventional tanks offensively. 
The omission of a regular tank turret also made for much simpler and cost-effective production, enabling greater numbers to be built. 

However the lack of traverse movement in the gun meant the entire vehicle had to be turned left or right in order to acquire targets.