StuG III Ausf F

The Sturmgeschtz III (StuG III) is a direct-fire infantry support vehicle used by the German army in World War II. It was the result of lessons learned in the First World War. The Germans saw the need for pinpoint artillery fire to break up enemy strong points such as machine gun nests and fortifications encountered by advancing infantry. The first prototype Strmgeschutz vehicles were manufactured in 1937, based on the hulls of the newly-designed Panzer III chassis. Early marks of the StuG III (Ausf A-D) featured a 7.5cm short-barrel howitzer mounted in a low casement rather than a tank-like turret. The vehicles were quickly put into full production. The first Strmartillerie battalions were formed from troops taken from regular army artillery units. The StuG III first saw action during the invasion of Poland in 1939 and would continue service throughout the war. It became the most widely produced armored vehicle used by the Wehrmacht and saw several upgrades and improvements. When more heavily armored Russian tanks were encountered, such as the T-34 and KV-1, a long barrel, high velocity gun was introduced starting with Ausf F series in 1942. From this point onwards, the StuG III's role increasingly shifted from assault artillery to that of a tank destroyer.