The StuG: Germany’s Best Tank, Wasn’t a Tank

The Sturmgeschütz is one of those weapons that tells you far more about how the war actually went than how Germany planned it to go.

The StuG wasn’t born as a tank at all. It was an artillery idea. In the late 1930s, the German Army wanted a cheap, low-profile, armoured gun that could accompany infantry and smash bunkers, machine-gun nests, and strongpoints at close range. No turret just a gun on tracks doing dirty, unheroic work. That job belonged to the artillery arm, not the Panzer boys.

Enter the StuG III, built on the proven Panzer III chassis and initially armed with a short-barrel 75mm gun designed for high-explosive fire. It was flexible, reliable and capable.

However

Once German troops started running into large numbers of better Soviet tanks, the StuG quietly evolved. The short gun was replaced by longer, high-velocity 75mm gun and almost by accident the StuG became one of the most effective tank destroyers of the war.

Low silhouette, thickish frontal armour, powerful gun and cheap to build.

At this point the Panzer troops noticed, and Guderian, recently appointed inspector general of panzers promptly stole the stuGs and diverted much production to his own forces, Weakening normal infantry divisions (Sad infantry noises).

From the StuG idea flowed a whole family of German turret-less vehicles: Nashorn, Jagdpanzer IV, Jagdpanther, etc, and the monstrous Ferdinand/Elefant.

These weren’t technically StuGs anymore, but they all followed the same philosophy: ditch the turret, mount a bigger gun, simplify production.

Germany was desperate and broke, cost mattered.

Which was the best?

Who knows, definitely not me:

they all had their strengths and weaknesses.

But

The Jagdpanther probably wins all round. lethal 88mm gun, good mobility and armour, although based on the temperamental chassis reducing reliability.

The Ferdinand and Tiger-based destroyers were terrifying, but over-engineered, unreliable, and produced in tiny numbers.

The real MVP, though, was the boring one.

Over 10,000 StuG IIIs and IVs were built, making the StuG the most produced armoured fighting vehicle Germany fielded in the war. They were reliable because they were based on proven chassis, easier to maintain, and — crucially — defensively optimised.

The StuG IV, built on the Panzer IV chassis, was really good but still had its flaws. Most versions lacked an internal/coaxial machine gun, leaving crews dangerously vulnerable to infantry. Its armour was also not sufficient for late war fighting and it paid the price.

The StuG was not a breakthrough weapon as originally intended but circumstances developed it into an ambush predator.

Which is the best Nazi Tank Destroyer, let me know below 👇

StuG 3 and 4, low velocity gun vs high and panzer 3 chassis vs 4.