Emergency StuG | Sturmgeschütz IV für 7.5 cm Sturmkanone 40 (Sd.Kfz. 167)

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When the Alkett factory was heavily bombed by the Allied Air Force in November 1943, the production of the StuG III was almost put to a halt. In an attempt to find a relatively easy solution, the Germans simply merged the Panzer IV chassis with a Stug III upper superstructure, creating a new vehicle, the StuG IV. Production was conducted relatively quickly, with 30 vehicles completed by December 1943 and, by April 1945, over 1,000 would be built. Like its StuG III cousin, the StuG IV was also an effective assault gun that would see service on all major fronts up to the end of the war.
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Article: tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/na...
Sources:
B. Perrett (2004) Sturmartillerie and Panzerjager 1939-45, New Vanguard
J. Ledwoch (2006) Sturmgeschütz IV, Militaria
T. Anderson (2017) Sturmgeschütz, Osprey Publishing.
T.L. Jentz and H.L. Doyle (2001) Panzer Tracts No.20-1 Paper Panzers
S. J. Zaloga (2013) M10 Tank Destroyer Vs. Stug III Assault Gun, Osprey Publishing
S. J. Zaloga (2017) St. Lo 1944, Osprey Publishing
P.P. Battistelli, Panzer Divisions 1944-45, Osprey Publishing
T.L. Jentz and H.L. Doyle (2011) Panzer Tracts No.23 Panzer Production from 1933 to 1945
T.L. Jentz and H.L. Doyle (20) Panzer Tracts No.8 Sturmgeschütz
D. Nešić, (2008), Naoružanje Drugog Svetsko Rata-Nemačka, Beograd
P. Chamberlain and H. Doyle (1978) Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two - Revised Edition, Arms and Armor press.
Walter J. Spielberger (1993). Sturmheschütz and its Variants, Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
D. Doyle (2005). German military Vehicles, Krause Publications.
A. Lüdeke (2007) Waffentechnik im Zweiten Weltkrieg, Parragon books.
K. Hjermstad (2000), Panzer IV Squadron/Signal Publication.
B, Perrett (2007) Panzerkampfwagen IV Medium Tank 1936-45, Osprey Publishing
B. B. Dumitrijević and D. Savić (2011) Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu 1941-1945, Institut za savremenu istoriju, Beograd
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An article by Marko P.
Narrated by Stan Lucian
Edited by ya boy Jim Zawacki

[@facundoalonso213]

Can we appreciate that they used MOW:AS2 footage with Right Behind You (the Meet the Spy song) as background music It worked perfectly to illustrate the power of what a sneakety-sneaky Stug can do

[@OltsuSuomesta]

I appreciate the MOW:AS2 at the start.

[@poikoi1530]

i haven't seen that game in a long time

[@profesercreeper]

Robz mod?

[@pavelsTreis]

@@profesercreeper i think so, the sounds soubd like it is.

[@maggiegordon2058]

Great video! I’ve always been fascinated by German tank destroyers and SPGs and this video helped me learn a lot more about them.

[@der_fuxs]

I needed to pause this video @5:46 ! Probs for your attempt on the correct german pronounciation. That was perfect👌🏼 Amazing how you guys are putting out new content lately!

[@guidor.4161]

Most interesting as usual. REe the Stug IV at 12:16. The metal atop the mantlet does not seem to be armour plate but a rain guard.

[@markstone5597]

well done, good explanations, and pictures. two thumbs up.

[@zaqpak9391]

Loved that they used Men of War: Assault Squad 2! Haha! Great!!

[@AFV85]

I'd love to share my knowledge but hate being on camera haha! I do mine through telling the story with models and dioramas! My research is alot I've not long researched the StuH 3 Alket! Quite alot of small differences from the Miag production!

[@TanksEncyclopediaYT]

We're not doing cameras anymore. Voicing is enough.

[@AFV85]

@@TanksEncyclopediaYT it's hearing myself on camera is what I also ment haha you always think, do I really sound like that lol!

[@kamikazefilmproductions]

I didn’t even know the tank encyclopedia has a KZbin channel

[@agr2190]

Yeah and they play men of war so +respect

[@bobjohnston9154]

As I recall the extended drivers compartment was on the left not the right as stated. Excellent video in any case.

[@morteforte7033]

Great video, always fun to hear about a somewhat common (but also kind of niche at the same time) TD. Also interesting with the adding of concrete for better protection, a habit found on both sides, and equally discouraged by thier commands.

[@kampfgruppepeiper501]

How come it wasn’t looked upon favorably?

[@Oddball_E8]

@@kampfgruppepeiper501 Because it basically just added weight to the tank and ruined the suspension to practically zero benefits. I mean, a .308 rifle bullet will easily penetrate 2-3 inches of concrete... do you really think it will have any effect at all against an armour piercing cannon round? You'd have to have a few meters of concrete to stop that. Same thing with sandbags, which was popular on Shermans. It makes zero difference to an AP round from a cannon, but it weighs down the suspension and wears it out fast.

[@SchleiferGER]

Why was the Stug IV easier to produce than the Jagdpanzer IV? The superstructure of the Jagdpanzer IV is way less complex and therefore easier to cut and weld. The only reason I can think of is that the factories were already tooled for it. But that still makes the Jagdpanzer the easier design hampered by circumstances.

[@bigmac3373]

Probably bc of bombing on the factory and why spent resources,money and other precious material to retool the factory when you already have the factory producing the super structure of the tank Edit:and probably the paK 42 is a little bit more expensive,but this is most likely not the case since theres already a jagdpanzer 4 with a paK 39,though the stuG 4 has the stuK 40 it's still sort of the same gun

[@TanksEncyclopediaYT]

The Jagdpanzer IV and Panzer IV/70(V) used a significantly modified Panzer IV hull. The Panzer IV/70(A) and StuG IV used the usual Panzer IV hull, with minimal to no changes. You can read more about this in our Jagdpanzer IV articles tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/jagdpanzer-iv.php tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2-germany-panzer-iv-70-a/ tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2-germany-panzer-iv-70-v/

[@SchleiferGER]

@@TanksEncyclopediaYT Big thank you for the answer and links, will do.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

@@TanksEncyclopediaYT This link was very helpful. I have to wonder why a muzzle brake would kick up more dust than a barrel without one. You'd think the gasses being dispersed sideways would be helpful in keeping the dust down in front of the vehicle.

[@czwarty7878]

@@billd.iniowa2263 Nah, I think it's exactly the reason. Without muzzle brake the gasses are dispersed in all directions, including to sides and up, which makes for less powerful wind. When entirety of gasses are directed to sides, the effect is a more powerful directed blow that makes dust, sand and foliage swirl to side and then upwards, making for more visible and longer staying dust effect. Amount of gasses is the same, but the directioning causes more lasting "effect".

[@hugod2000]

thank you for posting interesting video.

[@ptonpc]

Excellent video. Thanks

[@EdAtoZ]

I was thinking the STUG 4 used the same ammo as the PaK-42, but your video seems to say the ammo matched the older PaK-40 ?

[@billd.iniowa2263]

I recall something about the Panzer III chassis having to be lengthened to accommodate the Panzer IV suspension. Did i miss something?

[@TanksEncyclopediaYT]

This is a Panzer IV chassis. We don't understand what you mean.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

@@TanksEncyclopediaYT Ok,sorry about that. I must be thinking of something else. The birthdays are starting to add up! lol

[@DeltaEchoGolf]

Did you mean did they lengthened the Pz III hull?

[@glandhound]

Simply put, Stug III was built on Pz. III Stug IV was built on Pz. IV and if you see one and don't know which one it is, count the road wheels and divide by two.

[@glandhound]

I do believe reading something about how the Pz 38t chassis needed to be tweaked somehow for the JPz 38t but it's the only example I can think of when a SPG variant didn't work on the original chassis.

[@AFV85]

8.19 when you say the engine compartment was basically unchanged, the whole rear end was changed from the stug 3 to stug 4!? It is pretty good how they got basically the same shape from a totally different vehicle! Panzer 3s and Stug 3s were my favourite especially the StuH 42 110mm Great research all the same! I don't think they used any of the stugs with the dozer blade in the end no one left to make them! I'm going to look into that one more myself now as love the ARVs and Bergepanther/panzers

[@AFV85]

The end of the video the dozer blade and the ammo carriers the main 75mm looks like it's coming out the rear of the casemate on that thing!? I thought it was another tank behind it but look at the muzzle break it wouldn't be facing that way if it was! That's an odd photo another needing looked into!

[@DeltaEchoGolf]

That is a Russian IS III tank. You can see the tank commander right above the STUG IV.

[@albertwesker9385]

Best ambush tank of them all!

[@TheKingofbrooklin]

Did the Stug IV have any speed and stability advantages to the III considering that the Panzer IV had the superior chassis ?

[@ottovonbismarck2443]

As far as I know, there was literally no difference. Pz III and IV were about the same size, had about the same armor protection and weight and used the same engine. If I'm not totally wrong, the StuG III was 5 cm higher than the StuG IV. Early Pz III versions were faster than the Pz IV, but that became neglectable when they were up-armored. The Panzer III also had a technically more advanced chassis with torsion bar suspension while the IV had simple leaf springs. Note: both Stug III and IV were not quite nimble; both were a bit front-heavy, which is always the case if you put a lot of weight (gun + armor) in the front. Hetzer, Jagdpanther, SU-85 and SU-152 had the same problem. That said, the simpler Pz IV suspension could handle the ever increasing weight better. Thus the Pz IV could take the long 7,5 cm L/48 without any major redesign while the Pz III couldn't handle the additional weight. They tried Pz IV turrets with the L/48 on Pz III chassis (Ausf. K, never produced), but that was too much for the suspension. From then on, the Pz III chassis stayed in production exclusively for the StuG III. In 1943 it was not possible to switch chassis production from Pz III to IV due to high demand of StuGs. Which leads me to the question, why the Wehrmacht bothererd with the Pz III in the first place, speaking 1937/38 ? They could just have built two versions of the Pz IV, one with an anti-tank gun and one support vehicle. Simplified and increased production, interchangeable spare parts, less stress on the supply lines ... Just one chassis for all purposes: battle tank, StuG/Jagdpanzer, Brummbär, Hummel, Wirbelwind, bridge layer ... you name it.

[@TheKingofbrooklin]

@@ottovonbismarck2443 Thank you for the precise explanation.

[@Kyle-gw6qp]

@@ottovonbismarck2443 Panzer 4 was a fair bit bigger than Panzer 3. Panzer 4 had leaf springs, Panzer 3 had torsion bars.

[@ottovonbismarck2443]

@@Kyle-gw6qp It isn't really much bigger. Pz III chassis is about 5 cm wider while Pz IV chassis is about 10 cm longer. That's why the StuG upper hull fitted so well in the first place. The IV turret is a bit bigger, but again not by much. Google for Pz III Ausf. K and Pz III Ausf. D; the former is fitted with a Pz IV turret, the latter has 8 roadwheels and leaf springs like the Pz IV.

[@Kyle-gw6qp]

@@ottovonbismarck2443 Panzer IV had driver and radio operator hatches, Panzer III did not. Panzer IV had a turret basket, Panzer III did not. Also, 5cm and 10cm will effect the internal volume drastically.

[@markchorlton60]

I wonder if they every tried fitting the 75mm L70 cannon?

[@TanksEncyclopediaYT]

They did try it on the StuG III AFAIK.

[@mryhdy6266]

Isn't that the Jagdpanzer IV with the 75mm/70 gun?

[@TanksEncyclopediaYT]

@@mryhdy6266 nope, this is another project

[@elrond3737]

2:54 Speer hoodie

[@jimzawacki3041]

Finally, someone noticed it.

[@noldo3837]

I am still surprized how Germans were so organized in so many fields, but the concept of their military-industrial conplex was a pure disaster. Dozens of vehicle categories, myriads of subtypes, producing sometimes only tens of pieces of a single type.. no aim to use similar parts among as many vehicles as possible... distributed industry instead of concentrated, using dozens of sub-suppliers spread all across Germany... and also heading more to heavy tanks instead of MBTs. Their military production strategy was in fact as bad as it can get. Im not biased. I hope.

[@kellyshistory306]

Slight nitpick. When you talk about the bombing of the Berlin Alkett factory around 4:22, the use of a picture with US B17s in it and the description "Allied bombing" suggests the US Army Air Force was involved. In fact the the disruption to StuG III production was purely from two Royal Air Force night raids on Berlin in November 1943 that burnt down much of the Alkett factory. The US Army Air Force was going no where near Berlin at this time, after the mauling of their bombers at Schweinfurt, they were avoiding deep penetration raids until they had more long range fighter units on strength.

[@merafirewing6591]

STuG Life.

[@st4r658]

ALERT A RED SPY IS IN THE BASE

[@tuttipuffi1302]

An officer just TANKED a shell

[@Oddball_E8]

Oh god! His pronunciation of Nahverteidigungswaffe made me laugh... so much anger in that pronunciation :P

[@ErokLobotomist]

Kind of off topic but at 4:02 is that Goring in a Heer uniform behind Hitler? I know he was head of Police for a while but I don't think I've ever seen that before, bizarre.

[@rosiehawtrey]

He was well known for weird uniforms and lots and lots of morphine. He was nicknamed Moring. Always stoned.

[@terribleauthority]

Yes, well spotted. In August 1933, he was granted the title of General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht's Heer, which he wore until 1935 when the Luftwaffe was officially established.

[@Sofus.]

👍

[@HanSolo__]

2:54 Speer hoodie?

[@gulagkid799]

1111 produced , noice

[@scottyfox6376]

As a boilermaker I always look at the welding on fighting vehicles for production quality. 11:41mins shows excellent welding with the minimum of grinding if any. When ppl say a grinder makes all welds look good, that just tells a tradesman that you can't weld for sh#t. Lol

[@atarirob]

SPEER HOODIE SPEER HOODIE

[@strelok_halo6836]

I love the Team Fortress 2 music

[@glandhound]

Bonus points for the right suspension on the Firefly but those all go away because of that white star. That is a British tank somehow sporting US insignia in 1944 Normandy.

[@TanksEncyclopediaYT]

Wait, do you mean the video at the start? Because if yes, then two things: 1. The Americans actually received and operated a very limited number of Fireflies 2. That ain't a Firefly. That is a M4A3 76(W) HVSS Sherman (the turret is completely wrong for a Firefly).

[@glandhound]

@@TanksEncyclopediaYT Fair enough, I stand corrected. My issue was mostly about how the game video states it being 1944 Normandy. There were neither fireflys or any 76 guns in the US service at that point.

[@Saturnus_Ouranos]

Hello there!

[@Julianbaki]

Hallo!

[@Saturnus_Ouranos]

@@Julianbaki Heil das Kaiserreich!

[@RayyMusik]

Spinner!

[@Kalashnikov413]

please do M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo next

[@TanksEncyclopediaYT]

We already have a Jumbo article out, although it is currently not planned to turn it into a video tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/US/m4a3e2-jumbo-assault-tank

[@Julianbaki]

Hallo!

[@Riceball01]

Great vidoe and very informative but if I may make on suggestion. When narrating, try to avoid placing an emphais or putting a rising tone on the last of every paragraph, it gets kind of annyoing to hear after a while and is distrating as well.

[@comradealex85]

I had to hum the intro music myself... Unacceptable...

[@TheKingofbrooklin]

Too bad that the sloped armor design wasnt implemented.

[@glandhound]

Sloped armor makes sense only if you don't care about crew comfort and want to make the vehicle cheap as possible ie. the Soviet way of thinking. Germany wasn't there yet in 1943.

[@ItsDavieman]

@@AKUJIVALDO true but hetzer is like late 1944 and early 1945 I think

[@tigerii10.5cmpog4]

Gaijin plz

[@niuchajianfa6222]

Can you pronounce "four" like a normal person?

[@rigormortiz5357]

no, he's been chosen by the Stug Life 😎

[@dickyarya8204]

German bias

[@theodorekaczynski8147]

SPEER HOODIE SPEER HOODIE