Papercraft Model Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) Ausf. G by Mr. Cube

4 Feb, 2022

Papercraft Model Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) Ausf. G 1/78 Scale

StuG III Ausf. G Papercraft Model by Mr. Cube

The most productive German AFV

Production data don't lie. Despite being fairly underrated by Allied intelligence during WW2 and still somewhat underrated today, the StuG III was, nevertheless, the most widely produced German AFV during the conflict. Its evolution mirrored the more famous Panzer IV. At first, the StuG was a simple derivative of the Panzer III for infantry support only, but ended up as one of Germany's most important war vehicles. With a low profile and low cost, it was the true war horse of the Wehrmacht, shifting from close support vehicles to the first large tank hunter, undisturbed army anywhere from North Africa to Europe and Russia. The crew liked it for its low profile and fine armor, and the infantry it supported was grateful for its firepower and availability.

StuG III hull guard design

Hull protection

was based on the Panzer III Ausf.F chassis, and the front guard was raised to 50 mm (1.97 inches) instead of the original 30 mm (1.18 inches) from the original model. series. Specifically, the 50 mm (1.97 in) thick driver's front plate is tilted to 9°, the hull nose is tilted to 30° and 50°, as well as 50 mm (1.97 in.) thick. The top and sides of the hull are 30 mm (1.18 in) thick, vertically, while the tail plate, also 30 mm (1.18 in), tilts at 10 and 30°. The roof is almost horizontal, 10 mm (0.39 in) thick. The rear engine deck measures 16 mm (0.63 in), while the belly plate measures 15 mm (0.59 in). Gun coat and recuperator 50 mm (1.97 in) thick. Later, the superstructure side received an 8 mm (0.31 in) additional plate with a 30° tilt, and was intended to beat the French tungsten core AP shell.

Case Mate

The armored case mate is short and large, covering part of the mudguard after the addition of an 8 mm (0.31 in) side slope. There is a large hole in the front, for mounting the large main gun. Heavy armored dual frontal tilt, up to 50 mm (1.97 in) on Ausf.A. There are two small two-part hatches for the driver at the front, two larger two-part hatches for the crew at the rear of the box, and an open space on the left for the commander's periscope. The engine is accessible via two large two-section hatches and two smaller one-piece hatches on the rear deck. The driver has amplified vision and binocular vision. Throughout the evolution of the StuG, this front was armored, while the upgraded version had two mounting types, the usual on the Ausf.F and the "pig nose" for most overhauled Ausf.G, which helps differentiate between the two models.

Crew position & equipment

Due to the small height, easy access through the roof hatch. Three are placed directly above the driver's (left), gunner's (right) and commander's (left) seats. In addition, if the tank overturns or if the hatch is blocked, the driver can still escape through the steering brake inspection hatch on the glacis plate. The driver is provided with a faceplate mounted shield and can use the KFF2 periscope in fully shielded mode. He has a fixed visual acuity in the left wall of the superstructure, but is blind on the right. The commander's and gunner's hatches are the same size, and are hinged to the sides. The shooter has a Sfl.ZF periscopic shot, with a hole in the front of the superstructure. The commander has an SF.14Z scissor periscope protruding from the open hatch in a raised position. Otherwise, it is folded, binoculars are fastened to the left wall. The seat is spring-loaded and can be raised when buttoned, and is height-adjustable, locking into position with the foot pedal. This allows a fully raised position for direct observation, or with a periscope. The chair is hinged on the left wall and can be folded. However, the gunner's seat was mounted on the gun mount, a common artillery practice.

Armament

The main weapon is the Krupp 7.5 cm Kanone L/24 (24 caliber length). It is basically a short-barreled rifle designed to fire HE rounds at enemy forts and positions. It was an adaptation of the 7.5 cm KwK L/24 tank gun originally designed for the Panzer IV. It is capable of destroying blockhauses and pillboxes at short, medium or even long distances when at maximum altitude. The Kampfwagenkanone-37 L/24 7.5 cm was supplied with several types of ammunition during the war. K.Gr.rot.Pz. is an armor-piercing armored shell, Kt.Kw.K. is tube, anti-personnel shot, Nbgr.Kw.K. is the smoke round, Gr.38 Hl/A is the main High Explosive Anti-Tank starting round, as well as the /B and /C models. Last but not least is the standard HE spin, the 7.5 cm Sprgr.34, which is the heaviest (7-8 kg).

The HEAT shell, particularly useful due to its low gun speed (385 m/s), was capable of defeating between 39 and 41 mm (1.54-1.61 in) armor between 100 and 500 m (110-550 yd), while at 2000 m (1.24 mi) falls to 30 mm (1.18 in) with a low hit probability. The normal stipulation is 54 rounds.

With the arrival of Stu.K. L/40, bullet penetration capability was increased, and a series of tests followed. As a result, the total load is reduced to 44, and the rotation proportion is changed. 12% of the shell is K.Gr.rot. Pz (armor piercing, capped, with tracer and explosive charge), 65% are THE bullets, or Sprenggranaten, and 23% smoke casings, or Nebelgranaten. Finally, a fourth type was introduced, with increased efficiency against armor, thanks to the principle of shaped charge. This is a HEAT or Gr.38 HL round. It is designed for excellent fragmentation performance, but is still highly effective against soft skin targets. Early designs were less successful than K.Gr.rot. However, following the introduction of HL/A&B, the number supplied to frontline units continued to grow. As an indication, Ausf.D was captured in North Africa with 88 rounds, including 20 HL/As and 35 K.Gr.rot., signaling increased use of tank to tank.

Initially, there was no secondary machine gun, the tank relied solely on accompanying infantry for melee defense, which made sense when its tactical use was first envisioned. However, at the time of the upgraded G version (December 1942), a Maschinengewehr 34 protected by a mask was installed on top of the superstructure. Personal weapons include, generally, the MP 38 submachine gun and some P 38 automatic pistols. For maximum “safe” fire, indirect targeting is used, but at the expense of accuracy. Better accuracy is achieved at short distances (less than 500 m/550 yd), due to the low projectile velocity and the possibility of error when adjusting the arc properly.

In this case, the quality of the optical instrumentation is paramount. With the Ausf.C, D and E, a new ZF1 targeting shot was introduced, with a reticle pattern including seven triangles separated by four miles. The distance between the triangles is used to aim at moving targets. The separation and altitude helps the shooter to estimate the distance, indicated by intervals of 100 m from 1500 m, with a secondary scale for distances of 6000 m. Due to the limited arc of 24° (12° on each side), the entire tank must be moved frequently to handle relatively close moving targets.