Brummbar
| Sturmpanzer | |
|---|---|
Sturmpanzer, displayed at the Musée des Blindés, Saumur, France.
|
|
| Type | Heavy assault gun |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Alkett |
| Designed | 1942–43 |
| Manufacturer |
Vienna Arsenal (Series I–III) |
| Produced | 1943–45 |
| No. built | 306 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 28.2 tonnes (62,170 lbs) |
| Length | 5.93 metres (19 ft 5 in) |
| Width | 2.88 metres (9 ft 5 in) |
| Height | 2.52 metres (8 ft 3 in) |
| Crew | 5 (driver, commander, gunner, 2 loaders) |
|
|
|
| Armor | Front: 100 mm (3.93 in) |
|
Main
armament |
15 cm StuH 43 L/12 |
|
Secondary
armament |
Series IV: 1 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 34 |
| Engine | liquid-cooled V-12 Maybach HL 120 TRM 300 PS (296 hp, 220 kW) |
| Power/weight | 10.64 PS/tonne |
| Suspension | two-wheel leaf-spring bogies |
|
Operational
range |
Road: 210 km (130 mi) |
| Speed | Road: 40 km/h (25 mph) Off-road: 24 km/h (15 mph) |
Vienna Arsenal (Series I–III)
The Sturmpanzer (also known as Sturmpanzer 43 or Sd.Kfz. 166) was a German armoured infantry support gun based on the Panzer IV chassis used in the Second World War. It was used at the Battles of Kursk, Anzio, Normandy, and was deployed in the Warsaw Uprising. It was known by the nickname Brummbär (German: "Grouch") by Allied intelligence, a name which was not used by the Germans. Just over 300 vehicles were built and they were assigned to four independent battalions.
The Sturmpanzer was a development of the Panzer IV tank designed to provide a vehicle offering direct infantry fire support, especially in urban areas. It used a Panzer IV chassis with the upper hull and turret replaced by a new casemate-style armored superstructure housing a new gun, the 15 centimetres (5.9 in) Sturmhaubitze (StuH) 43 L/12 developed by Skoda. It fired the same shells as the 15 cm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun. Thirty-eight rounds, with separate propellant cartridges, could be carried. It used the Sfl.Zf. 1a sight. The combined weight of the shell and cartridge (38 kilograms (84 lb) for an HE shell and 8 kilograms (18 lb) for a propellant cartridge) made the work of the loader arduous, especially if the gun was elevated to a high angle.
An MG 34 machine gun was carried that could be fastened to the open gunner's hatch, much like the arrangement on the Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G. Early vehicles carried a MP 40 sub-machine gun inside, which could be fired through firing ports in the side of the superstructure.
The driver's station projected forward from the casemate's sloped frontal armor plate and used the Tiger I's Fahrersehklappe 80 driver's sight. The fighting compartment was, albeit poorly, ventilated by natural convection, exiting out the rear of the superstructure through two armored covers. Sideskirts were fitted on all vehicles.
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Wikipedia