#stug 40

[theworldatwar]

An abandoned German StuG 40 tank destroyer - location unknown, 1944. The StuG III and StuG 40 essentially refers to the same vehicle, with the latter being a designation for the later models produced during WW2, most notably the StuG III Ausf. G, which was produced in large quantities.

[militarymodeller]

Nr.247 Stug 40 with Winterketten ( winter chains ).

Sturmgeschütz 40 Ausf.F, Ausf. F/8 and Ausf. G (Sd.Kfz.142/1).

Beginning with the StuG III Ausf. G from December 1942, a 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun could be mounted on a shield on top of the superstructure for added anti-infantry protection. Some of the F/8 models were retrofitted with a shield. An additional coaxial 7.92 mm MG34 started to appear in 1944 and became standard on all production during the same year.

The vehicles of the Sturmgeschütz series were cheaper and faster to build than contemporary German tanks; at 82,500 RM, a StuG III Ausf G was cheaper than a Panzer III Ausf. M, which cost 103,163 RM. This was due to the omission of the turret, which greatly simplified manufacture and allowed the chassis to carry a larger gun. By the end of the war, ~11,300 StuG IIIs and StuH 42s had been built.