Stug fest 2019, the beginning of a true legend

[Graeme C.]

I'll pull up a chair Bob, be good to see how this all goes. I have a few stugs in the stash too.

[BattleshipBob]

John, remember a Stug will not run well on vodka!

I am planning to build and build Stugs till my head expodes on this thread the others a GB thread

Hi Graeme

Good to hear from you, join the GB, you know it makes sense!

[saguy]

I few have asked about my Stug luv, I think if you asked modellers, people interested in WW11 to name tanks/armoured vehicles they would usually say (in no order)

Tiger/king Tiger, Sherman ,T34. Panther etc but little said about one of the most deadly tank hunters in history the Sturmgeschutz 111, about 20,000 kills or so and in production from 1937 - 1945!

I have a wide interest in history from the middle ages to WW11, battleships to the SS and I have a large library on these subjects especially the SS / Waffen SS but by far the Stug dominates my book collection. I have always liked its mean looks, low down, great ambush vehicle but not as glamorous as a Tiger and not a pretty thing lol.

So for a few good years I have spent hours reading about them so although I bet a few on the sight know more about the Stug I know a thing or two or even three (should do)!!!

So here goes, lets make a small start

In the mid 1930’s German infantry officers supported by von Manstein wanted to find a way of mounting artillery to support the infantry on vehicles. The time it took to set up towed artillery guns was a major problem with the new blitzkrieg ideas. Coupled with their experience of WW1 they wanted an armoured vehicle to work with the infantry to take out obstacles such as pill box’s and other fortifications. Unlike British tactics where infantry tanks moved at the pace of the infantry (slow) The German infantry advanced at the support vehicles pace, much faster. The recently developed Pz 111 was selected for the prototype and the Ausf B was used. The design called for the use of the short barrelled L24 gun, this was use then fitted to the Pz IV with limited movement; remember the Stug was not originally designed as a tank hunter! The vehicle had to have a very low height, this was in the original plans as it must be not be taller than a standing man! Originally it was to have an open body but this was dropped as it offered poor protection for the crew.

A total of 5 were made by Daimler Benz and completed by 1937, these were made out of soft steel, so not for combat. These went on to develop the Sturmgeschutz or assault gun theory. They where used as driver training vehicles, the last know use was in 1941 in Juterbog (home of the Stug).

As you can see the Stug was born and is easily recognised even as a prototype when compared with the other later versions, but by far the biggest difference was the running gear. The Pz 111 B running gear was a very complicated leaf spring suspension with lots of linkages and would have been a nightmare in the field, it would be dropped to the much more recognised torsion bar system.
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The two round hatches were for inspection and dropped, remember not armoured

I do hope this is of interest to you chaps, if not please let me know!! I cry easily though lol

Feedback would be important, please

Thanks bob

very very interesting ... i have built a whole one stug but can see one's affection for them with it's bullish bad looks .... ... sort of like the ground equivalent of a ju87

[boatman]

Bob just watched a bit of a wartime program on the telly an it shew the stug in all its glory an I dint know that to give the frontal armour strength the germans also covered the front with concrete
chris

[Guest]

That was one of the wartime expediency measures, if I recall correctly. The photo of an American StuG posted earlier (or was that in another thread?) shows the concrete armour very nicely:

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All the rounded parts, except for the gun mantlet, are concrete, while the textured surfaces are covered in Zimmerit.

On later versions of the StuG IV, a rectangular block of steel-reinforced concrete was also added in front of the driver’s position only.

Also, I noticed just now that there seems to be a Sturmgewehr 44 in the Rundumfeuer machine gun mount — or maybe the mount is empty and the guy in the loader’s hatch is resting an StG 44 in it.

[boatman]

NICE pic Jakko

[BattleshipBob]

Thanks saguy, join in plenty of room!

Hi Chris, i think it was not much use, cracked when hit and heavy. A few had spare track links covered in concrete as well.

Good pic jakko, just bought the Dragon Stug G with concrete

[Guest]

Just had this picture pop up on one of my Farcebook groups, hope you don't mind. They reckon it's a Stug but I have no idea. Looks extremely cramped whatever it is!

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[Guest]

It’s a well-known picture of StuG III Ausf. G that’s in a Finnish museum (Finland used these vehicles into the 1960s, IIRC), cut open to show the interior to museum visitors, and of course in this case with suitably attired crew to show indeed how cosy AFVs are on the inside.

[BattleshipBob]

Thats a comf Stug alright. Hope curry was not on the menu!. Waste of a Stug!

[Guest]

Didn't realise they were quite so snug inside!

Wouldn't want to have to get out of that in a hurry, and like you say, a bad attack of "gas" would make you very unpopular.

[BattleshipBob]

The driver could just about get out through the steering/brake inspection hatches and the three others, loader, gunner and commander had there own hatches but yes not easy in a panic!

[Guest]

Didn't realise they were quite so snug inside!

There’s quite a good series of videos on YouTube by Nicholas Moran, AKA The Chieftain, in which he shows the out- and insides of a variety of museum AFVs. Many are a lot cosier than that StuG

a bad attack of "gas" would make you very unpopular.

Above the smells of fuel, lubricants, cordite, and unwashed bodies, you mean?

[papa 695]

There’s quite a good series of videos on YouTube by Nicholas Moran, AKA The Chieftain, in which he shows the out- and insides of a variety of museum AFVs. Many are a lot cosier than that StuG :smiling3:


Above the smells of fuel, lubricants, cordite, and unwashed bodies, you mean? :smiling3:

Oh the life of a tanky