Chapter 5 Weapons

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StuG IIIG/StuH 42

Infantry Support Tanks

Tiger I Heavy Tank

Weight 57,000 kg (125,685 lbs) Maximum speed 37 km/h (23 mph) Main gun 88-mm (3.46-in.) L/56 Armor 25 to 100 mm (0.98 to 3.94 in.)

Introduced in 1942, the Tiger I heavy tank was larger, heavier, better armed, and better armored than any previous German tank. For most of the war it was more than a match for any Allied tank. What it lacked in speed, mobility, and fuel economy, the lumbering Tiger made up in firepower and armor protection. With 100 mm of frontal armor and its formidable 88-mm gun (in a very slow-traversing turret), the Tiger was far too dangerous for the American Sherman tank to fight head-on, although it was vulnerable to attack from the rear. The appearance of the American M36 tank destroyer with its high- velocity 90-mm gun meant that the mighty Tiger was no longer invincible. By late in 1944, 1,354 Tigers had been manufactured.

Weight 23,900 kg (52,580 lbs) Maximum speed 40 km/h (24.4 mph)

Main gun StuG IIIG: 75 mm (2.95 in.) L/48; StuH 42: 10.5 cm (4.13 in.) L/28

Armor 11 to 50 mm (0.43 to 1.97 in.)

Introduced in 1940 to provide supporting fire for infantry, the StuG (short for Sturmgeschutz— “assault gun”) mounted a 75-mm main gun on a Panzer III tank chassis. Many Panzer III tanks were eventually converted to StuG specifications. The StuH variant mounted a 10.5-cm L/28 main gun. Their relatively heavy armor and low profile made these vehicles formidable weapons and difficult targets in their intended role. However, the limited traverse of their main guns put them at a disadvan- tage in combat against other tanks that could command a wider field of fire. Other StuG variants mounted larger guns, including the 150-mm howitzer, as main armament.

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Microsoft Close Combat manual StuG IIIG/StuH Infantry Support Tanks Tiger I Heavy Tank