Description

The StuG III was the most produced tracked armored fighting vehicle in Germany during World War II. It is an Assault Gun based on the Panzer III chassis. The StuG III Ausf. A was the first mass-produced variant of the StuG III, which mounted the Krupp 7.5 cm StuK 37/24 gun which was a short 75 mm caliber (24 calibers) howitzer-type gun designed primarily to fire low-velocity, high-explosive shells at enemy positions supporting the infantry advance. The short-barreled StuG could penetrate between 39 and 41 mm of sloped armor at a distance between 100 and 500 m, while at 2,000 m it could penetrate about 30 mm but with low hit probability, but the HEAT-type explosive anti-tank ammunition proved especially useful against thick armor, as its penetrating power did not depend on kinetic energy, and in its most basic version it could penetrate 70 mm of steel regardless of distance.