Stug III

STUG LYFE!

As you may have read the other tank destroyer pages on this wiki, you may think to yourself, "Damn the Germans must have really hated tanks!". On the contrary, the Germans loved tanks so very very much. However, they hated everyone else's tanks, to the point they constantly devised new ways to kill, maim, and or outright annihilate enemy tanks, some more successful than others. The Stug III was one of those successes, armored, low-profile and armed with a powerful 75mm gun. The Stug III was a powerful tool in the hands of the Germans and was their most produced assault gun/tank destroyer and their second most produced armored vehicle after the SdKfz 251.

Early War

Die Stats.

IRL

The StuG was developed originally to fit a niche in the German army for heavily armored assault vehicles for Urban environments and entrenched units. The Stug III Ausf. A was the first of modified Panzer IIIs to fill this role, equipped with a puny 20mm cannon and an MG34. It saw much success in this role, and some versions were even converted to flamethrower tanks to make them that much better at fucking up your fortifications.

The Stug saw a complete change of service after Operation Barbarossa, when German armor discoverd they didn't have a chance in hell with their current tanks and weapons. Thus, the Stug, with it's superior frontal armor and a 75mm gun they jammed into it, was rushed into service along normal tank divisions, where they saw great success in their new role. Later upgrades to the vehicle included the same remote controlled MG found on the Hetzer, as well as armored skirts called Schurzen, which were largely used by Germany to give their heavier tanks added protection against hits on the side from light caliber guns, rockets, and AT-Rifle rounds.

Stugs served reliably until the end of the war and were produced until Hitler decided to ragequit life. The Stug was operated by many countries, including Bulgaria, Syria, Romania, Italy, and Hungary. Interestingly, the Stug was technically attached to German Artillery companies, the only reason for this being that the Tank and Infantry companies couldn't afford to take any more vehicles without more manpower that they didn't have, so for the Early War at least they served as forward tanks for German Artillery forces.