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TL;DR: A StuG III G “disguised” as… something…
History:
During the Battle of the Bulge, Otto Skorzeny and Panzer Brigade 150 were tasked with the capture at least two of the bridges over the Meuse River before the Allies could destroy them. As the mission was part of Operation Greif, Skorzeny was to use captured Allied uniforms and equipment, however, to effectively execute the operation, he needed more of such equipment. Skorzeny requested 12 tanks, 20 armored cars, 20 self-propelled guns, 100 Jeeps, 40 motorcycles, and 120 trucks. All of these needed to be of Allied origin. The equipment that arrived severely fell short of the requirements. Only two Shermans arrived, both of which were in severe disrepair, alongside 6 M3 halftracks, 4 M8 armored cars, 21 motorcycles, 28 Jeeps, and 9 trucks. Pulling out of the operation was not an option, so Skorzeny just had to make do with what he was given and fill in the gaps with German equipment. The brigade had five Panthers and five StuG III Gs on hand. The Panthers were modified and turned into the Ersatz M10s we all know and love. What many don’t know, however, is that the StuG III Gs were also modified. These modifications included the addition of sheet-metal side-skirts, removal of the roof machine gun, and the addition of sheet-metal over the engine deck. It is unknown what the new Ersatz StuG III G was meant to mimic and many still debate over the subject to this day. One of the popular theories is that it’s meant to look like an M7 Priest, however, I believe it’s more likely that the modifications were done to simply make it look like anything that wasn’t a StuG. As many know, Operation Greif never really went anywhere and and the brigade was commanded to fight normally. Two Ersatz StuG III Gs were found in Géromont, Belgium. Both were abandoned and one was booby-trapped.
Place In War Thunder:
The Ersatz StuG III G is quite possibly the rarest StuG modification out there and with the Ersatz M10 already in-game, I don’t see a reason to exclude its brother-in-arms. It’s also just a really cool piece of history and would allow more players to commit war-crimes. Playstyle would be pretty much identical to the StuG III G in-game, but who knows? Maybe you can get away with something in Simulator Battles. Like the Ersatz M10, the best implementation of this vehicle would be through some event or battlepass.
Specifications:
Armament: 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48
Dimensions: 6.85m, 2.95m, 2.16m (L,W,H)
Weight: 23900kg
Armor: Same as StuG III G in-game with the exception of added sheet-metal and the “Pig’s Snout” mantlet.
Crew: 4 (driver, commander, gunner, loader)
Ammunition: Same as StuG III G in-game.
Speed: Same as StuG III G in-game.
Horsepower: 296hp
Pictures:
Side View (Abandoned in a field in Géromont , Belgium):Booby-trapped Ersatz StuG III G:Rear View (Notice the sheet-metal covering the engine deck):Drawings of the Ersatz tanks:
Sources:
Panzer Brigade 150 - Wikipedia
https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2020/07/03/i-ss-panzer-korps-on-the-elsenborn/