Bef. StuG III F is a German Support unit in Steel Division II.
Background[ | ]
Sturmgeschütz III was one of the most successful Nazi designs, both in terms of units produced - ca. 10 086 StuG III- and the number of kills. The G variant was the most numerous, with nearly 8 500 manufactured or converted from previous variants. Several StuGs remained in use in Arab countries as late as 1967, used against Israel in the Six-Day War.
The StuG III began its life as a fire support vehicle, intended to provide infantry units with direct fire support against enemy fortifications and armored units. Daimler-Benz was contracted to create such a weapon in 1936, with the first production units rolling off the assembly line in 1940. Mounting the short-barreled 75 mm StuK 37L/24 gun in a casemate-style hull mounted on the Panzer IIIF chassis, they debuted during the Battle of France. Subsequent iterations of the series, Ausf. B through E, focused on improving mechanical reliability and resilience, without altering its combat role.
Everything changed with Ausf. F, which mounted the 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/43 and boasted thickened frontal armor, to allow it to effectively counter superior Soviet armored vehicles. From June 1942, the lengthened 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 was used.
These StuG III serves as the command vehicle for StuG units. This StuG III were equipped with a Fu 16 transmitting and receiving set along with the normal Fu 15 receiving set that the ordinary StuG III get.
The Sturmgeschütz Brigade or Abteilung had a command StuG in the Stabsbatterie.