The Sturmgeschütz III is a German assault gun.
Description[]
Often known as the StuG III in short, the Sturmgeschütz III was originally developed from the Panzer III chassis as an armoured self-propelled gun for direct fire support in close coordination with advancing infantry, hence the "assault gun" classification. However, as the German military faced more armoured tanks, particularly in the Eastern Front, the StuG IIIs were upgraded with more powerful high velocity guns for anti-tank combat. This shifted their role from an offensive one to defensive one akin to a tank destroyer. Even though newer and heavier tanks and tank destroyers were developed to replace it, the StuG III underwent continuous modifications and production, soldiering on in multiple fronts until the end of the war; its low cost and ease of manufacture made the vehicle cost-effective compared to many of the heavier vehicles fielded later in the war. As a result, the StuG III became one of the most produced German armoured fighting vehicle in World War II. It saw led to other further variants, such as the Sturmhaubitze 42 self-propelled howitzer.
There are three versions of the Sturmgeschütz III in BattleGroup42: The Ausf B is an early variant equipped with the 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 gun, which is useful against soft-skinned targets in direct fire support role. Although the gun fire high explosive shells with a small area of effect, the lack of machine gun means the vehicle is potentially vulnerable to enemy infantry at close range, hence it should be supported by other friendly units whenever possible.
The Ausf G is the main production variant, and also the most numerous. It is armed with a 75mm StuK 40 L/48 to fight other armoured vehicles, effectively transforming into a tank destroyer. An MG 34 machine gun is also mounted on top of the vehicle's superstructure to fend off enemy infantry in close infantry and, to an extent, low flying aircraft. A late subvariant of Ausf G with better protectedTopfblende cast rounded mantlet (also known as Saukopfblende post-war) also exists in the mod, which also has a coaxial machine gun for improved anti-infantry measures instead of smoke grenade dischargers.
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