The Sturmgeschütz or short StuG 40 Ausf. G was the final and most widely produced variant of the German Sturmgeschütz III assault gun, manufactured from 1942 to 1945. Armed with a powerful 75 mm gun and protected by up to 80 mm of armor, it was highly effective in both anti-tank warfare and infantry support. Its low profile, reliable engine, and combat versatility made it one of Germany’s most successful armored vehicles of World War Two, with over 7,000 units produced and deployed across all fronts.
Finnish Tank Destroyer
This German Sturmgeschütz 40, also known as Stug III, was used by the Finnish Army, who nicknamed them “Sturmi’s”. It was built on an adjusted Panzer III chassis and was fitted with a high-velocity 75mm Sturmkanone (StuK) 40/L48, a gun with a barrel length of approx. 3.6 meters.
Finland purchased a total of 30 Stu-40 assault guns from Germany in 1943 for the Assault Gun Battalion. The assault gun is different from a main battle tank in the detail that its gun is mounted on a tank chassis without a revolving gun turret.
After the start of the major Soviet offensive in the summer of 1944 Finland requested weapon assistance from Germany, which Germany mostly granted. Finland was thereafter able to purchase 29 more assault guns, model StuG III Ausf. G. These vehicles were from a later production batch and had some differences compared to earlier models, mostly some minor details and a different model marking.
The “Sturmi’s” of the Assault Gun Battalion participated in the pivotal battles of the summer of 1944 in the Karelian Isthmus where they destroyed 87 enemy tanks while losing 8 of their own vehicles.
Post war
After the war, the vehicles were the best available equipment until the late 1950’s. An effort was made to spare the Sturmi’s and only after new equipment purchases in the early 1960’s they were more widely taken into training use. The vehicles were phased out in the end of 1966 as obsolete but they continued to serve for a further twenty years as fixed gun placements.
Ps. 531-31 arrived in Finland on 29 June 1944 and it did not see any wartime action. The vehicle served as a fixed gun placement in Lappeenranta 1967-1987.
Technical details
- Chassis number: 105355
- Manufacturer: Alkett
- Vehicle weight: 23.9t
- Top speed: 40 km/h
- Engine: V-12 300 hp gasoline engine, Maybach HL 120 TRKM
- Crew: 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
- Armour: 10-80 mm
- Primary armament: 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 gun
- Secondary armament: Soviet 7.62 mm DT light machine gun¹ (Finnish modification, originally a German MG 34)
Restoration and display
Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G Ps. 531-31 was restored to its post-war configuration by the Finnish Army shortly after World War Two. In the 1950s, the Finnish tank fleet underwent major mechanical and appearance modifications, which included the permanent removal of the Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste and the emergency concrete on the front.
A Finnish StuG III Ausf. G Ps. 531-44 on display at the Tank Museum in Bovington is shown coated with Zimmerit paste and wooden tree logs on the side for extra protection.
Two plaques on the right side of the tank destroyer mention the restoration contributors, although they don’t mention the date. The translated text reads:
Restoration work made possible by Combitrans.
Contributors to the restoration of the vehicle; Rakuunakilta (Cavalry Guild), Erkki Mikkola, Kaakon Nostot, Teknos Paints, Talonpoika Jouko, Mekava Oy.
Ps. 531-31 was donated by the Finnish Army to the former officer and enlisted personnel training school in memory of the fierce fighting in the Karelia region in 1944. Unfortunately it is not clear when it was placed at this location in Lappeenranta. Multiple sources mention its placement at the current location together with the T-54 tank (Ps. 261-43) between 1993 and 1996.
Visit
The Sturmgeschütz 40 Ausf. G Tank Destroyer is located at Dragoon Hill (Finnish: Rakuunamäki) in Lappeenranta, Finland. At this same location you can also find other armor, like a Comet Mk. I B, a Charioteer Mk. VII B and the mentioned T-54 model 1951. Most of these belong to the post-war era.
Sources
- finna.fi
- andreaslarka.net
- tanks-encyclopedia.com
¹ Soviet 7.62 mm DT light machine gun not present at current display.
