WORLD WAR 2 IN REVIEW: 09/23/24

If the M4 Sherman and the PzKpfw. IV Ausf. H are compared point by point, there can be little doubt that the German tank was the better of the two in a meeting engagement.

The gun of the PzKpfw. IV Ausf. H was the 7.5-cm KwK 40 L/48, with a penetration roughly one and a half times that of the M4's M3 gun. The actual figures are about 96-mm and 66-mm respectively for an APCBC projectile at 500-m and an armor slope of 30 degrees from the vertical. Extrapolating these figures by adding twenty-five per cent to each gives a zero slope penetration of approximately 120-mm and 83-mm respectively. The decisive superiority of the KwK 40 is obvious.

The PzKpfw. IV Ausf. H also had better gun optics than the Sherman. Another important factor to consider is that every German medium and heavy tank (as well as many of the light) had an all-round vision cupola for the commander, which greatly improved the vehicle's fighting efficiency. In contrast to this practice, Shermans with vision cupolas didn't see action until mid-1944, and even then only the 76-mm versions had them as standard equipment until cupola production became sufficient. As a result, many Shermans finished the war without one.

In relation to both main armament and optics, mention must be made of the U.S. gyrostabilizer. Strictly speaking, the gyro was used much less in reality. Many sources state this lack of use, but perhaps one quote can sum it up: "Later, in France, 1944, another officer reported that 'experience has proven that tank crews have no faith in gyrostabilizers and will not use them. No amount of training seems to convince the tank's crews of the value of firing while moving … it could be left out of tanks scheduled for theaters of operations.'" Fortunately they weren't omitted, and with constant emphasis in training their use slowly but steadily increased in 1945. The Sherman was designed and used as a weapon of maneuver and exploitation, not for armored slugfests or for trading frontal blows with a more powerful enemy.

The hull front of the PzKpfw. IV Ausf. H consisted of two basically vertical 80‑mm plates and a 25-mm plate (containing three countersunk hatches) sloped at 73 degrees from the vertical; the turret front was 50-mm, again almost vertical, with a small curved 50-mm gun mantlet. The M4's front hull armor included a one-piece lower hull front of 51-mm sloped at 0-56 degrees and a five-piece upper hull front of 51-mm sloped at 56 degrees; the turret front was 76-mm, sloped at 30 degrees and somewhat curved horizontally, with a two-piece rotor/gun shield of 51-mm and 89-mm respectively. (On models built prior to 1943, the lower hull front was three pieces bolted together, the gun shield was 76-mm, and the rotor shield was 51-mm but too small to make much difference.) Using calculations based on penetration tables and slope evaluation formulas, the effective armor thicknesses (i.e., the ballistic resistance based on the combined characteristics of the actual thickness plus the amount of slope) of the PzKpfw. IV Ausf. H is only a few mm more than those figures given above, but the M4 hull front becomes about 114-mm thick and the turret front almost 100-mm. This effective thickness is illusory, however, and the clue to why is the fact that whereas the front of the PzKpfw. IV Ausf. H essentially consisted of four sections, that of the M4 was made up of no less than nine (and as many as thirteen in the early M4A2), and these separate sections—no matter how well attached to each other—were still inherently weaker than if they had been fewer in number.

The M4's gun could only penetrate about 87-mm at 250 yd. and zero slope, leaving an unpenetrated 13-mm–23-mm on a somewhat annoyed Tiger I.

Size is perhaps the biggest liability to the M4's survival. It's usually easier to hit than its opponent. When compared to other workhorses of the war, the PzKpfw. IV and the T-34/76, the M4 was a much bulkier target. Both were at least a foot lower in height (exclusive of any vision cupola), which is an important factor since an AFV's height determines its vulnerability to a much greater extent than does its width or length. Moreover, both had their guns mounted almost a foot lower, enabling them to assume an effective hull-down position behind a lower obstacle; if the M4 were to be behind this same obstacle, it would be more exposed both above and below its gun and thus be easier to hit.

To summarize the PzKpfw. IV Ausf. H/Sherman M4 comparison, the former had a more powerful gun, better optics, a vision cupola, and a lower height.

M4A1 75 supporting the 30th Infantry Division near St. Lo, July 1944, during Operation Cobra. The knocked out tanks are German Panzerkampfwagen IV tanks.

American Medium Tank M4 Sherman passing destroyed German Panzer-kampfwagen IV tank alongside roadway into the city of Salerno.

Canadian M4A4 "Sherman" of the South Alberta Regiment and destroyed PzKpfw IV.

M4 medium tank passes a knocked out Panzerkampfwagen IV. Note the flat steel plate welded to the upper glacis plate.

A Sherman tank passes a wrecked German Mk IV near Cagny during Operation 'Goodwood', 18 July 1944. Imperial War Museum B 7760.

A knocked out M4A3 75W with concrete armor, in front of an M4A3 76W with similar armor, also knocked out. Arnoldsweiler, Germany, tank unit unknown, February 1945. Troops are from the 415th Regiment of the 104th Infantry Division.

The same tanks as in the above photo, with troops from the 415th Regiment of the 104th Infantry Division.

British soldiers and officers looking at the captured Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.G. Picture was taken in Cairo on December 29, 1942. The inscription “Christmas greetings to the chief of military intelligence from the 1st Armoured Division” is on the board. On the front left wing is a white rhinoceros – the emblem of the 1st Armoured Division

Captured Pz.Kpfw. IV being examined by Allied personnel.

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H and M4A3E2 "Jumbo" medium tank on display at the Royal Museum of the Army and Military History in Brussels.

The Sturmpanzer IV "Brummbär" or StuPz 43 was designed as a heavy armored assault gun. The main armament, a short 15 cm howitzer was ball mounted in the 100 mm thick frontal superstructure.

The Sturmpanzer (also known as Sturmpanzer 43 or Sd.Kfz. 166) is a German armored infantry support gun based on the Panzer IV chassis used in the Second World War. It was used at the Battles of Kursk, Anzio, Normandy, and was deployed in the Warsaw Uprising. It was known by the nickname Brummbär (German: "Grouch") by Allied intelligence, a name which was not used by the Germans. Brummbär does not mean "Grizzly Bear"; a literal translation would be "grumbling bear", but the term is generally used in a figurative sense. German soldiers nicknamed it the "Stupa", a contraction of the term Sturmpanzer. Just over 300 vehicles were built and they were assigned to four independent battalions.

Development

The Sturmpanzer was a development of the Panzer IV tank designed to provide a vehicle offering direct infantry fire support, especially in urban areas. It used a Panzer IV chassis with the upper hull and turret replaced by a new casemate-style armored superstructure housing a new gun, the 15 centimeters (5.9 in) Sturmhaubitze (StuH) 43 L/12 developed by Skoda. It fired the same shells as the 15 cm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun. Thirty-eight rounds, with separate propellant cartridges, could be carried. It used the Sfl.Zf. 1a sight. The combined weight of the shell and cartridge (38 kilograms (84 lb) for an HE shell and 8 kilograms (18 lb) for a propellant cartridge) made the work of the loader arduous, especially if the gun was elevated to a high angle.

An MG 34 machine gun was carried that could be fastened to the open gunner's hatch, much like the arrangement on the Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G. Early vehicles carried a MP 40 sub-machine gun inside, which could be fired through firing ports in the side of the superstructure.

The driver's station projected forward from the casemate's sloped frontal armor plate and used the Tiger I's Fahrersehklappe 80 driver's sight. The fighting compartment was, albeit poorly, ventilated by natural convection, exiting out the rear of the superstructure through two armored covers. Sideskirts were fitted on all vehicles.

Early vehicles were too heavy for the chassis, which led to frequent breakdowns of the suspension and transmission. Efforts were made to ameliorate this from the second series onwards, with some success.

In October 1943 it was decided that the StuH 43 gun needed to be redesigned to reduce its weight. A new version, some 800 kilograms (1,800 lb) lighter than the StuH 43, was built as the StuH 43/1. Some of the weight was saved by reducing the armor on the gun mount itself. This gun was used from the third production series onwards.

Zimmerit coating was applied to all vehicles until September 1944.

Production Series

First

Production of the first series of 60 vehicles began in April 1943. Fifty-two of these were built using new Panzer IV Ausf. G chassis and the remaining 8 from rebuilt Ausf. E and F chassis. Survivors, about half, were rebuilt beginning in December 1943; they were mostly rebuilt to 2nd series standards.

Second

Production restarted in December 1943 with another 60 vehicles, using only new Ausf. H chassis, and continued until March 1944. The Sturmpanzer's baptism in combat at the Battle of Kursk proved that the driver's compartment was too lightly armored and it was reinforced. The gunner's hatch was removed and a ventilator fan was fitted, much to the relief of the crew. Internally sprung, steel-rimmed road wheels replaced the front two rubber-rimmed road wheels in an effort to reduce the stress on the forward suspension that was only partially successful.

Third

Production of the third series ran from March to June 1944 with few changes from the second series. The Fahrersehklappe 80 was replaced by periscopes and the lighter StuH 43/1 was used.

Fourth

The superstructure was redesigned in early 1944 for the fourth series, which used the chassis and HL120 TRM112 engine of the Ausf. J, and was in production between June 1944 and March 1945. It featured a redesigned gun collar, as well as a general reduction in height of the superstructure. This redesign also introduced a ball mount in the front superstructure for a MG 34 machine gun with 600 rounds. The vehicle commander's position was modified to use the cupola of the Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G, which could mount a machine gun for anti-aircraft defense.

Combat History

Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216

The first unit to take the Sturmpanzer into battle was Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216. It was formed at the end of April 1943 and transferred in early May to Amiens to train on its new assault guns. It was organized into 3 line companies, each with 14 vehicles, and a battalion headquarters with 3 vehicles. It arrived in Central Russia on 10 June 1943 to prepare for Unternehmen Zitadelle (Operation Citadel), the German attack on the Kursk salient. For this action it was temporarily assigned as the third battalion of schweres Panzerjäger Regiment 656 ("Heavy Anti-tank Regiment 656") under the command of the 9th Army of Army Group Center.

It remained in the Orel-Bryansk area until its transfer to the Dnepropetrovsk-Zaporozhe area at the end of August. Its vehicles were refitted there and it remained there until the Zaporozhe Bridgehead was abandoned on 15 October. The battalion retreated to Nikopol where it helped to defend the German salient there until it was withdrawn back to the Reich at the end of December.

The Allied landing at Anzio on 22 January 1944 caused the battalion, fully independent once more, to be transferred there in early February with 28 vehicles to participate in the planned counterattack against the Allied beachhead, Unternehmen Fischfang. This failed in its objective, but the battalion remained in Italy for the rest of the war. The battalion still had 42 vehicles on hand when the Allies launched their Po Valley offensive in April 1945, but all were blown up to prevent capture or lost during the retreat before the war ended in May.

Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 217

Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 217 was formed on 20 April 1944 at the Grafenwöhr Training Area from cadres provided by Panzer-Kompanie 40 and Panzer-Ersatz Abteilung 18, although it did not have any armored fighting vehicles until 19 Sturmpanzers were delivered at the end of May It departed 1/2 July for the Normandy Front. Here it had to detrain in Condé sur Noireau, some 170 kilometers (110 mi) behind the front lines, because the Allies had heavily damaged the French rail network. Many of the battalion's vehicles broke down during the road march to the front lines. The first mention of Sturmpanzers in combat is on 7 August near Caen. On 19 August, the battalion had 17 Sturmpanzers operational and another 14 in maintenance. Most of the battalion was not trapped in the Falaise Pocket and managed to retreat to the northeast. It had only 22 vehicles in October, which were divided between the 1st and 2nd Companies; the surplus crews were sent to Panzer-Ersatz Abteilung 18. It participated in the Battle of the Bulge, only advancing as far as St. Vith. It was continually on the retreat for the rest of the war and was captured in the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945.

Sturmpanzer-Kompanie z.b.V. 218

Sturmpanzer-Kompanie z.b.V. 218 was raised in August 1944. It was sent to Warsaw where it was attached to Panzer Abteilung (Fkl) 302. It remained on the Eastern Front after the Warsaw Uprising was suppressed and was eventually wiped out in East Prussia in April 1945. It was supposed to have been the cadre for Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 218 in January 1945, but it was never pulled out of the front lines to do so.

Sturmpanzer-Kompanie z.b.V. 2./218 was raised simultaneously with Sturmpanzer-Kompanie z.b.V. 218, but was transferred to the Paris area on 20 August. Nothing is known of its service in France, but company personnel were sent to Panzer-Ersatz Abteilung 18 at the end of the year and were supposed to have been used in the formation of Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 218.

Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 218 was ordered formed on 6 January 1945 with three companies with a total of 45 Sturmpanzers, but it received Sturmgeschütz III assault guns during February instead.

Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 219

Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 219 was originally to be formed from Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 914, but this was changed to Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 237 in September 1944. In mid-September 1944 the brigade transferred to the Döllersheim Training Area to reorganize and re-equip. Only ten Sturmpanzers had been received when the battalion was alerted on 15 October to participate in 'Unternehmen Eisenfaust,' the German coup to forestall Hungary's attempt to surrender to the Allies. All the vehicles were given to the First Company and it departed for Budapest on the following day. Bomb damage to the rails delayed its arrival until 19 October, by which time it was no longer needed as a pro-German government had been installed. It was railed to St. Martin, Slovakia for more training. The battalion was transferred to the vicinity of Stuhlweißenburg to relieve trapped German forces in Budapest. It remained in the vicinity of Budapest until forced to retreat by advancing Soviet forces.

Details

Type: Heavy assault gun

Place of origin: Nazi Germany

Designer: Alkett

Designed: 1942–43

Manufacturer:

Vienna Arsenal (Series I–III)

Deutsche Eisenwerke (Series IV)

Produced: 1943–45

Number built: 306

Weight: 28.2 tons (62,170 lbs)

Length: 5.93 meters (19 ft 5 in)

Width: 2.88 meters (9 ft 5 in)

Height: 2.52 meters (8 ft 3 in)

Crew: 5 (driver, commander, gunner, 2 loaders)

Armor: Front: 100 mm (3.93 in)

Main armament: 15 cm StuH 43 L/12

Secondary armament: Series IV: 1 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 34

Engine: liquid-cooled V-12 Maybach HL 120 TRM; 300 PS (296 hp, 220 kW)

Power/weight: 10.64 PS/ton

Suspension: two-wheel leaf-spring bogies

Operational range: Road: 210 km (130 mi)

Speed:

Road 40 km/h (25 mph)

Off-road 24 km/h (15 mph)

Sturmpanzerkompanie Table of Organization and Equipment

Company troop

1 officer

6 non-commissioned officers

5 enlisted

Sturmpanzer (Company commander)

Sturmpanzer (Company troop commander)

Light motorcycle (3), Runner

Light car

1st platoon

1 officer

12 non-commissioned officers

7 enlisted

Sturmpanzer (Platoon commander)

Sturmpanzer (3)

Maultier (2), Ammunition carrier

2nd platoon (as 1st platoon)

3rd platoon (as 1st platoon)

Maintenance section

4 non-commissioned officers

21 enlisted

Light car

2 ton truck

3 ton truck (3)

SdKfz 10 or Maultier (2)

Combat train

7 non-commissioned officers

16 enlisted

Light car (3)

3 ton truck

4½ ton truck (5)

Baggage train

1 non-commissioned officer

3 enlisted

3 ton truck

Sources

Chamberlain, Peter, and Hilary L. Doyle. Thomas L. Jentz (Technical Editor). Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled Guns, and Semi-tracked Vehicles, 1933–1945. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1978 (revised edition 1993).

Jentz, Thomas L. Sturmgeschuetz: s.Pak to Sturmmoerser (Panzer Tracts 8). Darlington Productions, 1999.

Trojca, Waldemar and Jaugitz, Markus. Sturmtiger and Sturmpanzer in Combat. Katowice, Poland: Model Hobby, 2008.

Sd.Kfz. 166 Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär S.2 1944.

Sd.Kfz. 166 Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär.

The late production Sturmpanzer 43 "Brummbär" was built on the Panzer IV Ausf H or J chassis. To compensate for lack of raw material, especially rubber, all bogie wheels were steel-tired.

The brackets on the rear of the motor compartment are for the spare bogies. Immediately below, the typical Panzer IV exhaust muffler and track tensioning device.

The main armament of the "Brummbär" was a 15 cm Sturmhaubitze 43 L/12 (assault howitzer) which was developed from the sIG 33. Thirty eight rounds of ammunition could be stowed in the fighting compartment. Above the driver's position with periscope, is the machine gun ball-mount for the MG 34 adapted from the Tiger I.

The rear escape hatch protruded from the fighting compartment and was now located on the left side of the superstructure, compared to positioning of the double hatch on the right side of the early Sturmpanzer 43 version.

The gun collar of the late version was lengthened and the roof layout differed also. Note the whole vehicle is coated with an anti-magnetic component called Zimmerit. The worker on top is operating an air spray gun. applying a dark sand standard Wehrmacht vehicle coat of paint.

The German armament industry worked in three shifts during the last years of the war. Note the absence of the machine gun ball-mount on the left vehicle and the gun collar still to be installed.

The StuPz 43 was assembled by the Deutsche Eisenwerke in Duisburg in 1943-44, and over 360 units were built. The 28.2 ton machine had a crew of five.

Workmen are busily putting the finishing touch to three Sturmpanzer 43. The Zimmerit coat was not applied to the hull plate since spare links were placed in this position, giving additional protection.

Brummbär.

Captured Sturmpanzer IV.

A Sturmpanzer in the Anzio-Nettuno area of Italy, March 1944.

Sturmpanzer passing a Tiger I of Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 508 at Nettuno, March 1944 (only Tiger unit that was near Nettuno at this date).

Sturmpanzer IV of either the 217th or 219th Sturmpanzer Abteilung, Panzer V "Panther" and two Sturmgeschütz III, Italy.

Close-up of the Sturmpanzer IV in the above photo.

Sturmpanzer IV, Rome, 1944.

Sturmpanzer IV, Warsaw, August 1944.

British troops examine a destroyed Sturmpanzer IV assault gun near Ondefontaine, France, August 6, 1944.

An early production model Sturmpanzer IV.

Mid-production Sturmpanzer IV.

Late production Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär.

Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär.

15cm StuH 43 auf StuG IV "Sturmpanzer 43," aka "Brummbär (SdKfz 166) self-propelled gun, Aberdeen Proving Ground, circa early 1950s.

Sturmpanzer IV (SdKfz 166) (aka Brummbär, StuG IV mit 15-cm StuH 43) assault infantry gun on tank chassis (middle production model) on display at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, circa early 1970s.

Sturmpanzer, displayed at the Musée des Blindés, Saumur, France.

Sturmpanzer on display at the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany.

WORLD WAR 2 IN REVIEW

Viewing Photographs

Sherman versus Panzerkampfwagen IV

Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär Sd.Kfz. 166