Difference between revisions of "StuH 42 G"

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{{Specs-Card|code=germ_stuh_III_ausf_G}}
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{{Specs-Card
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|code=germ_stuh_III_ausf_G
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
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}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
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<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 +
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''StuH 42 Ausf. G''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory"]]. The StuH 42 is essentially a [[StuG III G]] with a 10,5 cm howitzer.
 +
 
 +
While the StuH 42 bears much resemblance to the [[StuG III F]] and [[StuG III G]], its play style is much, much different. While StuG is most effective at medium to long range combat, StuH is much more suitable for close to very close range.
 +
 
 +
The reason is its gun - it is equipped with a large 10.5 cm howitzer. This gun has much lower penetration and shell velocity than that of StuG, but it can cause crippling damage with a single hit. Therefore, to be effective, StuH has to come very close to their opponents, to be able to hit their weakest parts of armour. Fortunately, its armour is reasonably good, at 80mm, and good mobility of Panzer III chassis now becomes even more useful.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
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{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
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<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 +
'''Armour type:'''
  
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
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* Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear (Slope angle) !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 30 mm (86°), 80 mm (50°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 80 mm (19°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 + 5 mm || 30 mm (77°) ''Tlop'' <br> 50 mm (15-42°) ''Middle'' <br> 50 mm ''Bottom'' || 16 mm
 +
|-
 +
| Superstructure || 80 mm (10-11°), 30 mm (50-69°) || 30 (9°) + 5 mm ''Left'' <br> 30 (11°) + 5 mm ''Right'' || 30 mm || 11 mm
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Cupola || 50 mm || 11 mm
 +
|}
 +
'''Notes:'''
 +
 
 +
* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
 +
* Sides of the tank are covered by additional 5 mm thick armour plates, protecting the tank against HEAT and HE shells, as well as reducing damage from nearby explosions.
 +
* Some areas of the front armour are still only 30 mm thick. With a bit of luck they can be penetrated even by much weaker guns
 +
* Belly armour is 30 mm thick.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
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<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
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 +
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=426|rbMinHp=265|AoAweight=0.45}}
 +
 
 +
=== Modifications and economy ===
 +
{{Specs-Economy}}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
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<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
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{{main|StuH42 (105 mm)}}
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 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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|-
 +
! colspan="5" | [[StuH42 (105 mm)|105 mm StuH42]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
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|-
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! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
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! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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|-
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! ''Arcade''
 +
| rowspan="2" | 36 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±10° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 10.6 || 14.6 || 17.8 || 19.6 || 20.9 || rowspan="2" | 13.00 || rowspan="2" | 11.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.60 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
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|-
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! ''Realistic''
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| 7.1 || 8.4 || 10.2 || 11.3 || 12.0
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|-
 +
|}
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 +
==== Ammunition ====
  
=== Additional armament ===
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* '''PzGr ''' - Armour Piercing High Explosive round.  APHE has awesome post-penetration damage but penetrates armor poorly making it, difficult to use against the front armour of most enemies, it is very good to finish off enemies from the side.
''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
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* '''F.H.Gr.''' - Can be used to great effect by skilled players but has little explosive mass compared to howitzer rounds such as the KV-2's OF-530 (5830g) or the Sturmpanzer's J.Gr 38. (8600g).
 +
* '''Gr.39 rot Hl/B''' - High-Explosive Anti-Tank round - This one should be just skipped, it has no advantage over the better HI.Gr.38C.
  
=== Machine guns ===
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* '''Gr.39 rot Hl/C''' High Explosive Anti-Tank round - For begginers HEAT is a good option as it wont struggle to penetrate most tanks and will trigger hull breaks on the lightest foes and easily detonate ammo racks.
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
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* '''F.H.Gr.Nb'''- smoke round, useful to blind a sight line that you want to cross or cover an escape.
  
== Usage in the battles ==
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Many players will ask themselves which round to main, for newer players, considering the inaccuracy of the gun HEAT is a good choice as it will penetrate most armour and is easy to use.
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
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In order to maximize survivability  bringing 12 HEAT, 5 APHE and two smoke rounds is a good idea.
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
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|-
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! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
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! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
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! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
 +
|-
 +
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
 +
|-
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| PzGr || APHE || 70 || 69 || 62 || 54 || 47 || 42
 +
|-
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| F.H.Gr. || HE || 22 || 22 || 22 || 22 || 22 || 22
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|-
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| Gr.39 rot Hl/B || HEAT || 105 || 105 || 105 || 105 || 105 || 105
 +
|-
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| Gr.39 rot Hl/C || HEAT || 115 || 115 || 115 || 115 || 115 || 115
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|-
 +
|}
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{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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! colspan="10" | Shell details
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|-
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! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
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! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
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! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
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! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
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! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
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! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
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! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
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! colspan="3" | Ricochet
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|-
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! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 +
|-
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| PzGr || APHE || 475 || 14 || 1.2 || 19 || 238 || 47° || 60° || 65°
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|-
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| F.H.Gr. || HE || 472 || 14.81 || 0 || 0.1 || 1,750 || 79° || 80° || 81°
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|-
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| Gr.39 rot Hl/B || HEAT || 495 || 12.35 || 0 || 0.1 || 2,530 || 62° || 69° || 73°
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|-
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| Gr.39 rot Hl/C || HEAT || 495 || 12.35 || 0 || 0.1 || 2,550 || 62° || 69° || 73°
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|-
 +
|}
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
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|-
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! Ammunition
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! Velocity<br>(m/s)
 +
! Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
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! Screen radius<br>(m)
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! Screen deploy time<br>(s)
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! Screen hold time<br>(s)
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! Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 +
|-
 +
| F.H.Gr.Nb. || 472 || 13.9 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
 +
|-
 +
|}
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 +
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 +
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
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<!-- '''Last updated:''' -->
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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|-
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! Full<br>ammo
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! Ammo<br>part
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! 1st<br>rack empty
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! 2nd<br>rack empty
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! 3rd<br>rack empty
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! Visual<br>discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
| '''36''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles''<br />''Propellants'' || 25&nbsp;''(+11)''<br />31&nbsp;''(+5)'' || 19&nbsp;''(+17)''<br />7&nbsp;''(+29)'' || 13&nbsp;''(+23)''<br />1&nbsp;''(+35)'' || No
 +
|-
 +
|}
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 +
Left side empty: 19&nbsp;''(+17)''
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 +
== Usage in battles ==
 +
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 +
The StuH boasts formidable front armour impenetrable to almost all enemies it can encounter at its battle rating as with the Add-on armour modification the StuH's armour is brought up to 100mm with quite good angles. Only few foes will manage to crack through its defences. The Sturmhaubitze performs best in urban environment, where the low gun's velocity won't matter as much. The StuH can do very well as a spearhead tank, pushing capture points together with the rest of the team, and can prove very good as a "Heavies Killer" as its strong frontal armour will protect it against the guns carried by heavy tanks around this BR and the HEAT round will deafeat even thicker armour, making the StuH a real headache to Matilda, Churchill and KV-1 tankers.
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 +
A very important thing to keep in mind is never to '''show the StuH's weak sides to the enemy''' as they are only 35mm thick (with the side skirts), so even the weakest guns and SPAAG autocannons can take you out from the side. Thus avoid crossing a long sightline as any enemy covering it will easily destroy the StuH with a well aimed shot at the side.
 +
 
 +
* When facing a tank from the side it is recommended to aim for the engine (if HEAT is loaded) this way the enemy won't be able to flank you, then retreat into cover and load APHE and fire in the side to destroy the enemy with the massive explosive filler.
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 +
* When facing a tank from the front use HEAT to disable their driver and/or transmission then aim for ammo or other crew members.
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 +
* Where to shoot common foes: M4 Sherman: aim for the driver first then shoot in the one of the upper corners off the front plate as that is where ammo is stored. T-34 Aim for the left middle (right from your perspective) part of the front plate that will disable the gunner and driver leaving the tank completely debilitated, then shoot the other side of the UFP to disable the other two crews (a shot in the middle of the UFP will often one shot the T-34,but that depends on crew vitality).KV-1 if it doesn't angle you can penetrate the front. Aim for the left side to knock out the driver then the turret cheeks are good ways of disabling turret crew.
 +
 
 +
Enemies worth noting:
 +
 
 +
* M4A3 (105) and Su-122. Those two foes are quite similar to each other and to the StuH in multiple regards.  They both have heavy calibre howitzers, firing high penetrating HEAT rounds (130mm at 0° and 160mm at 0°respectively) that will rip through your armour with ease. Secondly they both boast above average frontal armour, but weak sides. However the StuH can easily penetrate their armour as well , thus when facing them the winner is usually whoever gets the first shot off. It is worth mentioning that the StuH can use its side skirts against those foes, a smart StuH tanker will angle heavily, exposing the sides which will tempt most of them to take a shot at them, but the skirts will set off the sensitive HEAT fuse prematurely thus causing a Non-Pen once the HE jet reaches the actual armour, leaving the StuH a 15 or so seconds window to shoot themselves.
 +
* Very mobile tanks e.g. M22, M3 and M5 Stuart, Crusaders, Cromwell's etc. Those can flank the StuH with ease and destroy it. Your best bet with those is to detect them as early as possible and expose your front armour, that is invulnerable to their guns.
 +
* Russian tanks. Despite being known for their poor firepower at the BR range of 3.0 their guns deal with angles exceptionally well, thus a shot to the heavily angled 30mm plates above the driver's hatch will often penetrate, luckily the Add- on-Armour modification ads 20mm of track armour, making this kind of penetration much rarer.
 +
 
 +
Achilles, Archer and M10 GMC. The former two boast the infamous British 17- pounder 76mm gun which will rip through your armour in all places. The latter is equipped with the American M7 76mm canon while having less penetration this gun won't pen you everywhere but it will in a lot of places, and has some HE filler increasing the damage once the shell penetrates. They all can easily be penetrated with the APHE round causing a one shot destruction because of the massive HE filler.
 +
 
 +
'''Counter tactics''':
 +
 
 +
If your gun is too weak to deal with the StuH's front armour (which most are), and the StuH is unaware of your presence, it is best to wait for it to expose its side, then take a shot at the rear part, in order to knock out the engine - preventing them from swinging their hull around and positioning their thick front armour and fearsome 105 mm howitzer. Then it is just a matter of finishing it off: from the left side simply fire at the front/middle section, to decimate the three crew members there, thus destroying the StuH. From the right (after disabling the engine) shoot the very front upper section, hitting an ammo rack and very likely detonating it. If a head-on encounter is inevitable, aim for the driver's port, a penetration there will knock out 3 out of 4 crew members - instant destruction. However, few guns can penetrate even there so a head-on encounter should be avoided at all costs.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
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<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
*
+
 
 +
* HEAT won't struggle to penetrate even heavier opponents
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* Very destructive APHE especially from the side
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* Good mobility, especially for a tank that armoured
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* Side skirts can be used to protect against HEAT/HE projectiles, very useful when attacked by a plane with rockets
 +
* Awesome Armour, frontal penetrations are very rare.
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* Good at destroying heavy tanks - which often cause a lot of trouble to weaker allies
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* Quick hull traverse, very useful for a turretless tank
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
*
+
 
 +
* Very weak sides vulnerable to flanking
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* 105 mm howitzer performance lacking compared to [[StuK_40 (75 mm)|75 mm StuK 40]] in penetration even with HEAT
 +
* HEAT damage lacking compared to APHE, trading off significant post-pen for penetration
 +
* Low reload speed, maximum of 13 seconds
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* Low accuracy (even at close range) makes weak spot targeting harder
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* Low gun depression of -6°
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* Very low shell velocity, less than 500 m/s
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* If the loader dies, the vehicle's reload rate decreases dramatically and the StuH becomes rather useless in combat
 +
* Huge ammo rack on the right side of the tank (and loader behind it) - clever players will often target this area
 +
* Lack of a turret means reacting to flanking enemies is harder
 +
* Cupola and machine gun shield on superstructure roof are weak points that can be targeted with HE to penetrate through the 11 mm roof top
 +
* Difficult to climb in snow and sand
 +
* Very difficult to target anywhere other than flat ground.
 +
* With only a main cannon, very hard to use if loader is knocked out or if cannon is damaged
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
+
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 +
===Development===
 +
The role of a self-propelled gun came from combat experiences in World War I. During the German offensives on the Allied front, infantry lacked artillery support against fortifications in places out-ranged by their heavy artillery behind the lines. A need for a mobile artillery piece was necessary to keep up with the German infantry and fight enemy fortifications with a direct-fire assault role. The father of this concept was German General Erich von Manstein and was coined as the ''Sturmartillerie'' (assault artillery), and these units were to be embedded in infantry divisions.
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 +
The result of this concept was a vehicle known as the [[StuG III A|StuG III]], a vehicle built on the Panzer III chassis that fits the role of a support vehicle in the artillery branch. It was meant to give close support to advancing infantry against fortifications or other lightly armoured oppositions. As such, it was initially armed with a 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 howitzer. However, as World War II progressed, the appearance of newer and better tanks such as the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and the [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks forced the Germans to upgun their existing StuG IIIs in order to be able to combat these tanks. This resulted in the StuG III design being armed with a 75 mm StuK 40 L/43 and L/48 cannon in the ''[[StuG III F|StuG III Ausf. F]]'' and ''[[StuG III G|Ausf. G]]'' respectively, turning the design into something of a tank destroyer.
 +
 
 +
===StuH 42 Ausf. G===
 +
The StuG III designs are now bona fide tank destroyer, but an infantry support role was still needed from these assault gun to support the advancing infantry. In 1942, some StuG III Ausf. F were equipped with the 105 mm leFH 18 howizter rather than the usual 75 mm cannons. This variant was designated the '''StuH 42''' (''Sturmhaubitze 42'', or "assault howitzer") and was meant to support the infantry with heavier artillery power than the 75 mm could provide. The StuH 42 was made from the StuG III Ausf. G chassis (though the first 12 were built on refurbished StuG Fs). About 1,300 of these StuH 42 were built between March 1943 to 1945.
 +
 
 +
=== In-game description ===
 +
A modified version of the StuG self-propelled assault mount adapted to strike undefended targets, including those beyond direct firing range. The first models of the vehicle armed with 105mm howitzers were assembled in October, 1942, and on November 22 they were used in combat by the 185th Assault Artillery Division.
 +
 
 +
The first vehicles were based on the StuG.III Ausf.F8. However, all other vehicles were assembled on the basis of the StuG.40 Ausf.G, whose chassis was a better fit for the 105mm howitzer. The vehicles with this modification were built at Allket's factories right up until April, 1945.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 +
 
 +
;Skins
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 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=germany&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=germ_stuh_III_ausf_G Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 +
 
 +
;Videos
 +
{{Youtube-gallery|LiE6tZ-MveI|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|YZeFerI9YiI|'''Unforgotten: StuH 42'''  - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}
 +
 
 +
== See also ==
 +
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
  
== Read also ==
 
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
 
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
''ETC.''
 
  
== Sources ==
+
== External links ==
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 +
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 +
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
 +
 +
{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Revision as of 08:59, 24 February 2021

RANK 6 BRITAIN
Rooikat 105 PACK
germ_stuh_iii_ausf_g.png
GarageImage StuH 42 G.jpg
StuH 42 G
AB RB SB
3.0 3.0 3.0
Research:4 600 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:16 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Sturmhaubitze 42 Ausf. G (or just StuH 42 Ausf. G) is a rank II German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory". The StuH 42 is essentially a StuG III G with a 10,5 cm howitzer.

While the StuH 42 bears much resemblance to the StuG III F and StuG III G, its play style is much, much different. While StuG is most effective at medium to long range combat, StuH is much more suitable for close to very close range.

The reason is its gun - it is equipped with a large 10.5 cm howitzer. This gun has much lower penetration and shell velocity than that of StuG, but it can cause crippling damage with a single hit. Therefore, to be effective, StuH has to come very close to their opponents, to be able to hit their weakest parts of armour. Fortunately, its armour is reasonably good, at 80mm, and good mobility of Panzer III chassis now becomes even more useful.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull80 / 30 / 30
Turret80 / 30 / 30
Crew4 people
Visibility74 %

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear (Slope angle) Roof
Hull 30 mm (86°), 80 mm (50°) Front glacis
80 mm (19°) Lower glacis
30 + 5 mm 30 mm (77°) Tlop
50 mm (15-42°) Middle
50 mm Bottom
16 mm
Superstructure 80 mm (10-11°), 30 mm (50-69°) 30 (9°) + 5 mm Left
30 (11°) + 5 mm Right
30 mm 11 mm
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 50 mm 11 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • Sides of the tank are covered by additional 5 mm thick armour plates, protecting the tank against HEAT and HE shells, as well as reducing damage from nearby explosions.
  • Some areas of the front armour are still only 30 mm thick. With a bit of luck they can be penetrated even by much weaker guns
  • Belly armour is 30 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB44 / 9 km/h
RB and SB41 / 8 km/h
Number of gears6 forward
1 back
Weight24.4 t
Engine power
AB572 hp
RB and SB300 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB23.4 hp/t
RB and SB12.3 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock AoA Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 44 9 23.9 0.45 426 572 17.79 23.44
Realistic 41 8 265 300 11.06 12.3

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB545 → 738 Sl icon.png
RB645 → 873 Sl icon.png
SB756 → 1 024 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications8 420 Rp icon.png
9 500 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost640 Ge icon.png
Crew training4 500 Sl icon.png
Experts16 000 Sl icon.png
Aces160 Ge icon.png
Research Aces190 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
40 / 60 / 70 % Sl icon.png
118 / 118 / 118 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
340 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank traks.png
Ostketten
Research:
340 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
380 Rp icon.png
Cost:
430 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
380 Rp icon.png
Cost:
430 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
680 Rp icon.png
Cost:
770 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
680 Rp icon.png
Cost:
770 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
340 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
380 Rp icon.png
Cost:
430 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement ger.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods tank additional armor.png
Add-on Armor
Research:
680 Rp icon.png
Cost:
770 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
340 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
105mm_germany_HEAT_B_ammo_pack
Research:
340 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
380 Rp icon.png
Cost:
430 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
105mm_germany_HEAT_C_ammo_pack
Research:
380 Rp icon.png
Cost:
430 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
105mm_ger_Smoke_ammo_pack
Research:
680 Rp icon.png
Cost:
770 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition36 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
13.0 → 10.0 s
Vertical guidance-6° / 20°
Horizontal guidance-10° / 10°
Main article: StuH42 (105 mm)
105 mm StuH42 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 36 -6°/+20° ±10° N/A 10.6 14.6 17.8 19.6 20.9 13.00 11.50 10.60 10.00
Realistic 7.1 8.4 10.2 11.3 12.0

Ammunition

  • PzGr - Armour Piercing High Explosive round. APHE has awesome post-penetration damage but penetrates armor poorly making it, difficult to use against the front armour of most enemies, it is very good to finish off enemies from the side.
  • F.H.Gr. - Can be used to great effect by skilled players but has little explosive mass compared to howitzer rounds such as the KV-2's OF-530 (5830g) or the Sturmpanzer's J.Gr 38. (8600g).
  • Gr.39 rot Hl/B - High-Explosive Anti-Tank round - This one should be just skipped, it has no advantage over the better HI.Gr.38C.
  • Gr.39 rot Hl/C High Explosive Anti-Tank round - For begginers HEAT is a good option as it wont struggle to penetrate most tanks and will trigger hull breaks on the lightest foes and easily detonate ammo racks.
  • F.H.Gr.Nb- smoke round, useful to blind a sight line that you want to cross or cover an escape.

Many players will ask themselves which round to main, for newer players, considering the inaccuracy of the gun HEAT is a good choice as it will penetrate most armour and is easy to use.

In order to maximize survivability bringing 12 HEAT, 5 APHE and two smoke rounds is a good idea.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
PzGr APHE 70 69 62 54 47 42
F.H.Gr. HE 22 22 22 22 22 22
Gr.39 rot Hl/B HEAT 105 105 105 105 105 105
Gr.39 rot Hl/C HEAT 115 115 115 115 115 115
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
Mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
PzGr APHE 475 14 1.2 19 238 47° 60° 65°
F.H.Gr. HE 472 14.81 0 0.1 1,750 79° 80° 81°
Gr.39 rot Hl/B HEAT 495 12.35 0 0.1 2,530 62° 69° 73°
Gr.39 rot Hl/C HEAT 495 12.35 0 0.1 2,550 62° 69° 73°
Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
Mass (kg)
Screen radius
(m)
Screen deploy time
(s)
Screen hold time
(s)
Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
F.H.Gr.Nb. 472 13.9 20 5 25 50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the StuH 42 G
Full
ammo
Ammo
part
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
36 Projectiles
Propellants
25 (+11)
31 (+5)
19 (+17)
(+29)
13 (+23)
(+35)
No

Left side empty: 19 (+17)

Usage in battles

The StuH boasts formidable front armour impenetrable to almost all enemies it can encounter at its battle rating as with the Add-on armour modification the StuH's armour is brought up to 100mm with quite good angles. Only few foes will manage to crack through its defences. The Sturmhaubitze performs best in urban environment, where the low gun's velocity won't matter as much. The StuH can do very well as a spearhead tank, pushing capture points together with the rest of the team, and can prove very good as a "Heavies Killer" as its strong frontal armour will protect it against the guns carried by heavy tanks around this BR and the HEAT round will deafeat even thicker armour, making the StuH a real headache to Matilda, Churchill and KV-1 tankers.

A very important thing to keep in mind is never to show the StuH's weak sides to the enemy as they are only 35mm thick (with the side skirts), so even the weakest guns and SPAAG autocannons can take you out from the side. Thus avoid crossing a long sightline as any enemy covering it will easily destroy the StuH with a well aimed shot at the side.

  • When facing a tank from the side it is recommended to aim for the engine (if HEAT is loaded) this way the enemy won't be able to flank you, then retreat into cover and load APHE and fire in the side to destroy the enemy with the massive explosive filler.
  • When facing a tank from the front use HEAT to disable their driver and/or transmission then aim for ammo or other crew members.
  • Where to shoot common foes: M4 Sherman: aim for the driver first then shoot in the one of the upper corners off the front plate as that is where ammo is stored. T-34 Aim for the left middle (right from your perspective) part of the front plate that will disable the gunner and driver leaving the tank completely debilitated, then shoot the other side of the UFP to disable the other two crews (a shot in the middle of the UFP will often one shot the T-34,but that depends on crew vitality).KV-1 if it doesn't angle you can penetrate the front. Aim for the left side to knock out the driver then the turret cheeks are good ways of disabling turret crew.

Enemies worth noting:

  • M4A3 (105) and Su-122. Those two foes are quite similar to each other and to the StuH in multiple regards. They both have heavy calibre howitzers, firing high penetrating HEAT rounds (130mm at 0° and 160mm at 0°respectively) that will rip through your armour with ease. Secondly they both boast above average frontal armour, but weak sides. However the StuH can easily penetrate their armour as well , thus when facing them the winner is usually whoever gets the first shot off. It is worth mentioning that the StuH can use its side skirts against those foes, a smart StuH tanker will angle heavily, exposing the sides which will tempt most of them to take a shot at them, but the skirts will set off the sensitive HEAT fuse prematurely thus causing a Non-Pen once the HE jet reaches the actual armour, leaving the StuH a 15 or so seconds window to shoot themselves.
  • Very mobile tanks e.g. M22, M3 and M5 Stuart, Crusaders, Cromwell's etc. Those can flank the StuH with ease and destroy it. Your best bet with those is to detect them as early as possible and expose your front armour, that is invulnerable to their guns.
  • Russian tanks. Despite being known for their poor firepower at the BR range of 3.0 their guns deal with angles exceptionally well, thus a shot to the heavily angled 30mm plates above the driver's hatch will often penetrate, luckily the Add- on-Armour modification ads 20mm of track armour, making this kind of penetration much rarer.

Achilles, Archer and M10 GMC. The former two boast the infamous British 17- pounder 76mm gun which will rip through your armour in all places. The latter is equipped with the American M7 76mm canon while having less penetration this gun won't pen you everywhere but it will in a lot of places, and has some HE filler increasing the damage once the shell penetrates. They all can easily be penetrated with the APHE round causing a one shot destruction because of the massive HE filler.

Counter tactics:

If your gun is too weak to deal with the StuH's front armour (which most are), and the StuH is unaware of your presence, it is best to wait for it to expose its side, then take a shot at the rear part, in order to knock out the engine - preventing them from swinging their hull around and positioning their thick front armour and fearsome 105 mm howitzer. Then it is just a matter of finishing it off: from the left side simply fire at the front/middle section, to decimate the three crew members there, thus destroying the StuH. From the right (after disabling the engine) shoot the very front upper section, hitting an ammo rack and very likely detonating it. If a head-on encounter is inevitable, aim for the driver's port, a penetration there will knock out 3 out of 4 crew members - instant destruction. However, few guns can penetrate even there so a head-on encounter should be avoided at all costs.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • HEAT won't struggle to penetrate even heavier opponents
  • Very destructive APHE especially from the side
  • Good mobility, especially for a tank that armoured
  • Side skirts can be used to protect against HEAT/HE projectiles, very useful when attacked by a plane with rockets
  • Awesome Armour, frontal penetrations are very rare.
  • Good at destroying heavy tanks - which often cause a lot of trouble to weaker allies
  • Quick hull traverse, very useful for a turretless tank

Cons:

  • Very weak sides vulnerable to flanking
  • 105 mm howitzer performance lacking compared to 75 mm StuK 40 in penetration even with HEAT
  • HEAT damage lacking compared to APHE, trading off significant post-pen for penetration
  • Low reload speed, maximum of 13 seconds
  • Low accuracy (even at close range) makes weak spot targeting harder
  • Low gun depression of -6°
  • Very low shell velocity, less than 500 m/s
  • If the loader dies, the vehicle's reload rate decreases dramatically and the StuH becomes rather useless in combat
  • Huge ammo rack on the right side of the tank (and loader behind it) - clever players will often target this area
  • Lack of a turret means reacting to flanking enemies is harder
  • Cupola and machine gun shield on superstructure roof are weak points that can be targeted with HE to penetrate through the 11 mm roof top
  • Difficult to climb in snow and sand
  • Very difficult to target anywhere other than flat ground.
  • With only a main cannon, very hard to use if loader is knocked out or if cannon is damaged

History

Development

The role of a self-propelled gun came from combat experiences in World War I. During the German offensives on the Allied front, infantry lacked artillery support against fortifications in places out-ranged by their heavy artillery behind the lines. A need for a mobile artillery piece was necessary to keep up with the German infantry and fight enemy fortifications with a direct-fire assault role. The father of this concept was German General Erich von Manstein and was coined as the Sturmartillerie (assault artillery), and these units were to be embedded in infantry divisions.

The result of this concept was a vehicle known as the StuG III, a vehicle built on the Panzer III chassis that fits the role of a support vehicle in the artillery branch. It was meant to give close support to advancing infantry against fortifications or other lightly armoured oppositions. As such, it was initially armed with a 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 howitzer. However, as World War II progressed, the appearance of newer and better tanks such as the T-34 and the KV-1 tanks forced the Germans to upgun their existing StuG IIIs in order to be able to combat these tanks. This resulted in the StuG III design being armed with a 75 mm StuK 40 L/43 and L/48 cannon in the StuG III Ausf. F and Ausf. G respectively, turning the design into something of a tank destroyer.

StuH 42 Ausf. G

The StuG III designs are now bona fide tank destroyer, but an infantry support role was still needed from these assault gun to support the advancing infantry. In 1942, some StuG III Ausf. F were equipped with the 105 mm leFH 18 howizter rather than the usual 75 mm cannons. This variant was designated the StuH 42 (Sturmhaubitze 42, or "assault howitzer") and was meant to support the infantry with heavier artillery power than the 75 mm could provide. The StuH 42 was made from the StuG III Ausf. G chassis (though the first 12 were built on refurbished StuG Fs). About 1,300 of these StuH 42 were built between March 1943 to 1945.

In-game description

A modified version of the StuG self-propelled assault mount adapted to strike undefended targets, including those beyond direct firing range. The first models of the vehicle armed with 105mm howitzers were assembled in October, 1942, and on November 22 they were used in combat by the 185th Assault Artillery Division.

The first vehicles were based on the StuG.III Ausf.F8. However, all other vehicles were assembled on the basis of the StuG.40 Ausf.G, whose chassis was a better fit for the 105mm howitzer. The vehicles with this modification were built at Allket's factories right up until April, 1945.

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • encyclopedia page on the tank;
  • other literature.


Germany tank destroyers
Pz. I Derivatives  Panzerjäger I
Pz. II Derivatives  15cm sIG 33 B Sfl
Pz. 38(t) Derivatives  Marder III · Marder III H · Jagdpanzer 38(t)
Pz. III Derivatives  StuG III A · StuG III F · StuG III G · StuH 42 G
Pz. IV Derivatives  Jagdpanzer IV · Panzer IV/70(A) · Panzer IV/70(V) · Dicker Max · Nashorn · Brummbär · VFW
Pz. V Derivatives  Jagdpanther G1 · Bfw. Jagdpanther G1
Pz. VI Derivatives  Sturer Emil · Elefant · Ferdinand · 38 cm Sturmmörser · Jagdtiger
Wheeled/Half-track  8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl. · Sd.Kfz.251/9 · Sd.Kfz.251/10 · Sd.Kfz.251/22 · Sd.Kfz.234/3 · Sd.Kfz.234/4 · 15 cm Pz.W.42
ATGM Carrier  RakJPz 2 · RakJPz 2 (HOT) · Wiesel 1A2
Other  Waffenträger · M109G · JPz 4-5 · Raketenautomat · VT1-2