Jowett, Philip Sturmartillerie Crewman. Sturmgeschütze, Panzerjäger, and Panzerartillerie

A volume in the Casemate Illustrated Special series. The German procurement process resulted in a wide range of armoured vehicles armed with guns assault guns, tank destroyers and self-propelled artillery that mounted both German and captured guns. Some were developed from existing German chassis; many used captured enemy vehicles or were built in the factories of the conquered countries. Originally conceived as infantry support vehicles, the assault gun's firepower was controlled by the artillery, but by the end of the war it had knocked out more enemy tanks than the tanks had. The StuGs were built primarily on the PzKpfw III chassis, especially after it became obsolete. They proved durable and effective in infantry support roles and, when upgraded and even without a turret, as tank destroyers. The Germans produced a range of vehicles to counter enemy armour. They mounted ever larger guns on any chassis they could get their hands on, often captured vehicles e.g. the Marder series on French or Czech chassis. There were also better protected anti-tank fighter series that had an armoured casemate with overhead armour based on tank chassis. As the war progressed, heavier tank destroyers were produced, such as the Hornisse/Nashorn (but without overhead protection), the Ferdinand/Elefant and the Jagdpanther with 8.8 cm weapons. Some of the massive Jagdtigers with 128mm guns appeared before the end of the war. The Blitzkrieg showed that the armoured divisions needed mobile artillery support, so the Germans mounted artillery pieces on tracked chassis: first the PzKpfw Is and IIs and then the PzKpfw IIIs and 38(t). The best known are the Wespe (Wasp) on the PzKpfw II, the Grille (Grasshopper) on the PzKpfw 38(t), the Hummel (Bumblebee) on the Geschützwagen III/IV and the Sturmpanzer (Assault Tank) on the PzKpfw IV. While some of the tasks of the crews in these vehicles resembled those of the armoured forces, these vehicles were completely different vehicles in which and with which they fought: strategically, operationally, tactically and logistically. This fully illustrated book tells the story of the soldiers who operated these vehicles.