- Yes
- No
Welcome to the suggestion for the Stug III Ausf G 1944 July production. In War Thunder, this would become an addition to the Italian tree as part of the Hungarian sub-tree. This mid-1944 version of the Stug III Ausf G has many new modifications compared to the already present in-game Stug III G 1943 but it is not the most advanced Stug III G which would be the December 1944 version suggested for Germany.
The most notable differences when compared to the in-game 1943 Stug III G are the Saukopf mantlet, the homogenous (non-bolted) 80mm plates of the lower front plates, and the right side upper superstructure, the shot deflector in front of the commander’s cupola, external barrel support, Zimmerite, and lastly, standardized stowage frame around the engine.
Some of these modifications would increase the survivability of this assault gun by eliminating weak spots or by making them harder to penetrate depending on the opponent’s armament.
History
In August and September 1944 the Royal Hungarian 7th Honvéd Assault Gunner Battalion got 40 StuG III G from the Germans in total. These StuG III G assault guns were new, without any paintings. The assault guns’ main structure didn’t receive any markings, the Hungarian serial numbers - and in some cases the white cross - were painted only on the Schürzen of these vehicles. The serial numbers of the Hungarian 7th Assault Gunner Battalion were three digit numbers, always starting with 7 which was the Battalion’s number, the second number was either 0, 1, 2 or 3, depending on the number of the Battery with 0 being the Battalion’s HQ, the last number was the actual number of the vehicle with 0 being the commander’s.
The reason why I refer to this specific suggested Stug III Ausf G as “1944 July production” is that the latest modification that is present on all Hungarian-operated Stugs in the linked newsreel is the travel clamp that was introduced in July 1944. Furthermore, the presence of homogenous frontal armor plates also points towards a mid-1944 or July production as the bolted 50mm+30mm solution was phased out in June 1944. “The Hungarian military received an additional 40 StuG III Ausf. G assault guns, which were used to equip the 7th Assault Gun Battalion in August 1944.” Hungarian Arms and Armour of World War Two (Peter Mujzer)
Modifications:
Saukopf mantlet
Solid 80mm plates for lower frontal hull "nose" plates& right front superstructure
Travel clamp
Standardised stowage frame
Standardized steel shot deflector
Sturmgeschütz & Its Variants, Sturmgeschütz III and IV 1942–45 and the newsreel are the sources for the images and photographs above.
Sources
Filmhíradók Online / Harci bevetésen a magyar ifjúság from 1:20
Sturmgeschütz & Its Variants | Walter J. Spielberger | download on Z-Library Sturmgeschutz & Its Variants by Walter Spielberger
Sturmgeschutz & Its Variants: (Spielberger German Armor & Military Vehicles Series, Vol 2)
Hungarian Arms and Armour of World War Two | Peter Mujzer | download on Z-Library Arms and Armour of World War Two by Peter Mujzer
Sturmgeschütz III and IV 1942–45 (Amazon link) Sturmgeschütz III and IV 1942–45 | Tom Jentz, Hilary Doyle, Peter Sarson (Illustrator) , Mike Fuller (Illustrator) | download on Z-Library
