The 15 cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf), also frequently called the Sturmpanzer II Bison, is a Rank 1 German tank destroyer and assault gun. It’s a very fun tank, equipped with a massive 150 mm cannon capable of obliterating anything at its tier, and even at higher tiers! However, it lacks armor and good mobility. In today’s post, I’ll be going over its strengths and weaknesses, and how to play it in Ground RB.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great main armament | Slow when off-road |
| Relatively easy to hide in brush/behind buildings | Little armor protection; open-topped |
| Surprisingly excellent barrel elevation | Long reload time |
Armament
The reload time is 14 seconds, which is a long time, and it gives the enemy plenty of time to shoot at you if you are exposed.
This weapon is excellent at this rank, being able to vaporize anything that it comes across. The gun gets an astonishing 40 degrees barrel elevation, meaning if an enemy is capping a point very far away, you can attempt to mortar the point, similar to a Sturmtiger (this requires knowledge on the enemy position, because shell has to be at least a few feet from the enemy to do damage). On the other hand, the gun only gets -4 degrees of depression, making it nearly impossible to fire from behind a hill.
The sIG 33 can hold 18 rounds of ammo, and gets two ammo types:
| Shell | Shell type | Maximum penetration value |
|---|---|---|
| I.Gr.38 | HE shell | 61 millimeters |
| I.Gr.39 HI/A | HEAT shell | 185 millimeters |
Both of these shells are subsonic, meaning they take a while to get to their targets, and you will have to adjust your barrel considerably to get a decent shot off. It will also be challenging to lead shots on moving targets, due to the lack of a turret and the slow shell speed.
I.Gr.38
This high explosive shell is the better of the two. It can be used against lighter/open topped vehicles, where the explosion can get the most pen value, but it also doesn’t do terribly against armored vehicles. It has decent post-penetration effects for an HE round, but those aren’t necessary, as most kills will come from sheer overpressure. It can still be pretty useful at higher tiers. Against light tanks, if you miss by a few feet, it’s still possible for a shrapnel blast to hit your enemy and damage them.
I.Gr.39 HI/A
This shell is better against thicker tanks, like medium tanks and heavies. It gets excellent post-pen effects, due to the immense amount of shrapnel generated from the shell. Since it gets 185 millimeters of armor pen at close range, and only a little less at longer ranges, it can penetrate anything at this rank with ease. If you don’t want to grind tank destroyers, you can use this tank up as far as you want, just for the gun (don’t count on your mobility, speed, or armor at higher ranks!). Theoretically, this shell can pen an Abrams from the front!
Armor and Survivability
The Sturmpanzer II’s armor is extremely meager, and it can be penned by anything at this rank (even an L3!). If a shell doesn’t kill you immediately, it will cripple you. You must utilize cover from allied tanks or plants and structures. Your armor will only be able to reliably deflect 7.7mm bullets.
The tank has four crew members, all of which are huddled tightly together under an open roof. One well-placed HE round will easily kill your entire crew. Strafes from aircraft are extremely hard to survive, as it lacks a coaxial machine gun, and the main gun will never be able to reliably hit an aircraft.
If you are penetrated from the side or the upper rear storage boxes, your ammunition or charges will be detonated and you will explode.
Never rely on your armor to save you. Instead, establish a hiding spot, where your back and sides are not exposed, and try to get heavier allies to direct fire away from you.
Mobility
The sIG’s mobility is average on roads, but poor off roads. The max forward speed is around 29 miles per hour, (45 km/h), but realistically, only speeds of around 10-15 mph are obtainable on most maps. Going backwards, the Sturmpanzer is only capable of 4 mph (8 km/h). Running into trees and rocks will cause a severe decrease in speed. Acceleration is slow, but acceptable for a 15.9-ton tank destroyer.
The 155 horsepower engine gives the sIG a 9.7 horsepower/ton ptw ratio, which is average, and comparable to other rank 1 tank destroyers, like the SU-5-1, Ho-Ro, 47/32 L40, and the Lorraine 37L, to name a few.
Hills can be dubious for the Sturmpanzer. They decrease the speed a lot, and are very hard to climb without falling back. It’s best to avoid hills if possible, and instead look for flat ground with cover from which you can fight from.
Playstyle
The sIG 33, being a heavy assault gun, only has a few playstyles that it excels at. Flanking is out of the picture, due to the lack of a turret, as is pushing into enemy points and capturing, due to lack of armor.
Sticking with an ally
Sticking with a heavier tank that can absorb shots for you is a very valid strategy with this tank. They can be a bullet shield, while you fire at the enemy with HE and try to get splash damage on them. After all, the Sturmpanzer II was used as an infantry supporter during WW2. Just make sure to watch your rear and sides, as you will die instantly if you let an enemy get a shot off on one of those positions.
Hiding
Hiding out in cover, be it bushes, trees, or rocks, is another great way to play this assault gun. Due to its flat profile, hiding can be quite easy. If any enemy comes by, just make sure they are distracted, and you get the first shot off, or you will die quickly.
Higher-tier play
The sIG 33 has an amazing armament, and its armor is bad even at lower tiers. This means bringing it into top tier as a tank destroyer to back up your Leopards and FlaRakRad, while not practical, is actually not a terrible idea. As long as your allies absorb fire, and you hide yourself well, killing MBTs with a rank 1 vehicle is not rocket science! Just be aware that you will not be surviving APFSDS any time in this tank.
