StuG III (Sturmgeschutz III) is a German armored gun of the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were created in 1937, and series production lasted from 1940 to 1945, ending with the production of approximately 10,300 cars. The StuG III in the E version was equipped with one Maybach HL 120 TRM engine with a capacity of 300 hp. Its armament (option E) was a short-barreled 75-mm gun. and 1 7.92mm MG34 machine gun. The StuG III was created as a result of the initiative of Erich von Manstein, who in a letter to General Beck from 1935 signaled the need to create assault artillery for attacking infantry as part of the Wehrmacht's mechanized units. Ultimately, Daimler-Benz was commissioned to develop a new machine, which in turn used the chassis of the PzKpfw III Ausf tank. B. Several versions of the StuG III gun were created during mass production. Chronologically, the first was version A, armed with a 75mm Stuk 37 L/24 gun based on the PzKpfw III Ausf tank chassis. F and G and was produced from the beginning of 1940. A little later, version B was created - the first to be produced on a large scale, which differed only slightly from version A. In 1941, version D went into production, which had better armor and sights. The E version was quickly created, which was the first to receive additional armament in the form of an MG34 machine gun. In early 1942, the StuG III was heavily modified to become a tank destroyer, mounting the long-barreled 75mm StuK 40 L/48 gun. The designation of the car was also changed to StuG 40. The StuG III served in the years 1940-1945 on almost all fronts on which the German army fought. It turned out to be a very useful weapon, cheap to manufacture and, most importantly, effective. Various versions of the StuG are estimated to be responsible for the destruction of approximately 20,000 Soviet tanks and armored vehicles between 1941 and 1945.
