Sturmgeschütze

[Erich]

this might go under the self-propelled gun thread but maybe not.

What do you guys interested in armor battles think of the machine and it's operations during the war ? especially Ost front activities. It seemed to fill the ranks of the Brigaden quite admirably filling when there was an obvious shortage of German armor ~ Panthers and Pz IV's

what say yee ?

E ~

 

[Erich]

geez answering my own thread.........

ok here is an interesting Brigade wappen : 667th Stug Brig. many Ritterkreuz winners

 

[lesofprimus]

Im not familiar with this subject erich, so maybe some pics and background info???

 

[Erich]

a sampling. late Stugs on the train line in movement on the Ost front. from the Baron Aufsess collection

 

[Erich]

during the summer of 44 many of the Heer Armor regiments and later the W-SS regiments did not have enough Pz. IV's allocated so Stug. G's came in providing the necessary firepower for both advnace and defence purposes.

one soldier doing his duty killed in August of 44 on the Ost front

 

[mosquitoman]

IMO good for defense but not for assault, domn't know if that's in any way true though

 

[Udet]

Erich:

Also I recall a man who expertise is German AFVs saying soviet tankers, already hastily trained and many times manning T-34s without gunsights, feared the sturmgeschutz.

The machine became a very efficient T-34 killer; also its low profile made it a difficult target.

 

[Erich]

sounds like time for an education..........

there are probably more Heer Ritterkreuz's given out to the Stug Abt/Brigaden then any other WW 2 German armored force in the war.

over 10,000 kills recorded in these seperate units and in the Heer stug abt. and W-SS abt plus the formation of other Abt. of armored regiments when the usual Pz. IV abt. was not there. Effective as a defence weapon without doubt...........an incredible low to the ground tank killer

 

[Soren]

The StuG, a great little tank destroyer with a very powerful punch. (Especially in 42-43)

The StuG basically saved the Germans from being overrun by the masses of T-34's in early 42, litterally slaughtering the Russian juggernauts. The StuG proved quite effective on the offensive as-well.

I remember reading of an incident in sept. 42 where a StuG III commander "Kurt Pfreundtner", knocked out 9 T-34's in 20 min !

The Sturmgeschutz units also held an enormous record of tank kills, some 20,000 enemy tanks by spring of 44. This should be proof enough of its effectiveness.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

during the summer of 44 many of the Heer Armor regiments and later the W-SS regiments did not have enough Pz. IV's allocated so Stug. G's came in providing the necessary firepower for both advnace and defence purposes.

one soldier doing his duty killed in August of 44 on the Ost front

Interesting I like the notice as well.

 

[Erich]

some as I said were quite successful ~ Herr Bose was one of them

 

[Erich]

friend of a friend. Walter Kühn who received his RK in 3./Panzerjäger 1 with his Pak 40 7.5cm and also with the Panzerfaust: note his right arm. He later scored kills while commanding a Stug III G in Ost Preussia

 

[evangilder]

He looks very young in that photo (Walter)

 

[Erich]

unpublished pic of Walter and his Stug III on the Ost front after his receiving of the Ritterkreuz

 

[Erich]

another unknown giving his life for duty on the Ost Front

 

[schwarzpanzer]

I love it!

Nice cheap and effective, with good protection/gun and formed the basis of many other conversions (StuH, MunitionPanzer etc).

Are we including the StugIV here? (StuGIII production was annihilated at one point - '44 IIRC)

Also one of the only early designs capable of taking on a Mathilda MkII.

 

[Erich]

Geboren 1/1/20 in Nordhausen

27/1//40-20/7/40 Zugfuhrer IV Abt. Art Rgt 209 in France

10/8/40-29/9/41 Zugfuhrer Stug Abt 185 in Ost

30/9/41-14/1/42 Batterieoffizier Stg A.u.E. Abt. 200

15/1/42-13/1/43 Zugfuhrer dann Chef Stug Abt 185 in Ost

14/1/43-1/6/43 Chef Stug A.u.E. Abt 200

2.6.43-1/4/44 Batterie Chef Stug Brigade 237 in Ost

2/4/44-30/11/44 Stug Schule Burg bei Magdeburg

1/12/44 to war's ende Ordonsoffizier on Stab of Guerdian, Stab 29 Panzer Gern. Div in Italien

Doktor of Archaeolgy to this day ....

23/6/40 EK2
2/7/42 EK 1
6/5/42 DK in G
27/8/42 4 TDb's - 4 Soviet panzer kills
27/7/42 East front medal
25/9/42 Ritterkreuz while batterie Kommandeur of 1./239 stug Brigade
3/10/43 Eichenlaub zu Ritterkreuz

8/12/42 wound badge in Gold

Bodo Spranz: have a wonderful signed foto from Bodo

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Where is he an archeologist at? Anywere near Ansbach?

 

[Erich]

Adler look his name up on the net, am not sure where he is located. I received info and signed pics from him through a good friend

E ~

 

[CharlesBronson]

One of the greatest Sturmgeschutz aces was Wachtmeister Hugo Primozic of StuG battalion 667, who was noted for his quick reactions, clever tactical use of ground and the icy nerve which in tense situations enabled him to hold his fire until his opponent had closed to point-blank range. In a five-month period of fighting he was awarded the two grades of the Iron Cross, the Knight's Cross and the Oak leaves. Primozic became the first NCO in the history of the German Army to be awarded the Knight's Cross.

Born in 1914, Primozic joined the Reichswehr and fought in the French campaign as a field artillery gunner. In 1942 he joined the 667th Sturmgeschutz battalion which was sent to the Eastern Front. In September 1942, his three-gun troop, fighting in isolation, routed a determined Russian breakthrough attempt at Rzhev, destroying a total of 24 enemy tanks. Allowing the Russian tanks to advance, the StuG crews aimed at the most dangerous opponents first, killing them with one round at a short distance. By January 1943 Primozic had 60 personal kills to his credit and after an equally gallant action on the 28th he was awarded the Oakleaves, being simultaneously commissioned with the rank of Lieutenant.


" Wachtmeister Primozic destroyed tanks day after day during an enemy offensive. One the fourth day, he had to cover the flank of his division, but during that day he fired his last shell... He had to retreat to escape from encirclement by breaking through... There was another StuG, immobilized, and while the Russians were closing in, Primozic came out of his vehicle to connect both vehicles, and drove both back to their own lines..."

From a special report in the German propaganda magazine Signal
As described above, Primozic was able to connect both vehicles of his platoon with a steel wire rope, and had to fight off the surrounding Russian infantry with a machine gun. For this action he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class.

In September 1942 a large Russian army (including the Stalin Tank Brigade) tried to attack the town and area of Rzhev. As Primozic told: " On september the 15th we had only two StuGs ready, when the Russians wanted to break through. There was heavy artillery fire, and we had to hide in trenches untill the storm was over. When the artillery barrage ended, the first enemy tanks already passed our positions, while we still had to climb aboard our guns." Moving from position to position, the StuG platoon was fighting both tanks and infantry. Primozic destroyed 24 tanks on that particular day, first those who had broken through, often with one shot. For this action Primozic was awarded the Knight's Cross and promoted to senior sergeant.

www.achtungpanzer.com/stug.htm