Broomberg assault tank. Assault gun IV "Brummber"
We discussed it, it would seem. However, it was actually created and fought on the fronts. The Germans generally managed to do a lot of experimental and interesting things. I still don’t understand how the Third Reich managed to do this in such quantities.
Here's a look at another creation of the "evil genius".
Photo 1.
Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär (Russified version - “Brummber” or “Brummbar”) (Sd.Kfz. 166) is a German medium assault self-propelled artillery unit from the second half of World War II. Translated from German, Brummbär means “grizzly bear” or “grumpy bear.” Officially in German military publications it was designated as Sturmpanzer IV (in Russian transcription - Sturmpanzer IV), and sometimes - Sturmpanzer 43). In German departmental rubricators the vehicle was designated as Sd.Kfz. 166. Its name - Brummbär was not popular among German soldiers, so they called it StuPa (“Shtupa”), which was short for Sturmpanzer. In some Soviet and Russian sources, this self-propelled gun is listed as “Bear”.
Photo 2.
Since in the first days of the Great Patriotic War Most German self-propelled guns were used as tank destroyers; the infantry sometimes lacked fire support from self-propelled artillery. This was most evident during Battle of Stalingrad, when the power of the Wehrmacht assault guns existing at that time was sometimes not enough to break through the walls of houses and other enemy fortifications. German self-propelled gun StuIG 33 B on the chassis of the Pz.Kpfw tank. III, armed with a 150 mm obsolete SIG 33 howitzer. StuG III, was unable to cope with the tasks of destroying enemy fortifications. Therefore, it was decided to create a new assault self-propelled artillery unit with more powerful modernized weapons on the Panzerkampfwagen IV chassis.
In February 1943, the Skoda company presented Hitler with a wooden model of such a self-propelled gun, and already in March of the same year, the first six copies of the self-propelled gun were assembled, which were first designated Sd.Kfz. 166, and then the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär. After acceptance by the government commission, the vehicle was put into production in the early summer of 1943.
Photo 3.
The Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär self-propelled gun was configured like medium tank Pz.Kpfw. IV, on the chassis of which it was developed. The layout was classic for German tank building of that time. The engine compartment was located in the rear of the self-propelled gun hull. In the front part of the body there was a control compartment, which was interfaced with the transmission compartment. Combat compartment extended to middle part hull and armored conning tower.
Photo 4.
The crew of the self-propelled gun "Brummber" consisted of four people, in some cases five. The driver's seat was located closer to the front of the hull, and to the right of him was the radio operator (if there were five people in the crew). The tank commander, gunner and loader were located in the armored wheelhouse and the central part of the hull.
To board and disembark the self-propelled gun, the crew used two rectangular hatches on the right side of the roof of the armored cabin (later it was replaced by one wide double-leaf rectangular hatch) and one round hatch in the roof of the commander's cupola. When a self-propelled gun was hit, it was very problematic for the driver to get out of the burning car; the bottom hatch, which was also difficult to reach, did not solve this problem.
Photo 5.
The armor protection of the German medium self-propelled gun Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär was developed according to a differentiated anti-ballistic principle and was very significant compared to previous Wehrmacht self-propelled guns. It was supposed to protect the main components of the self-propelled gun and its crew from damage by medium-caliber projectiles at medium and long distances in the main anti-shell directions.
Photo 6.
The hull of the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär self-propelled gun had a complex box-shaped shape and was assembled by welding armor plates together and the frame. The frontal part of the hull had a reservation thickness, depending on the periods of production of the self-propelled guns, from 50 to 100 millimeters with rational angles of inclination to the vertical normal from 20 to 40 degrees. The sides of the hull had a armor thickness from 30 millimeters in the lower part to 50 in the upper part without any inclination to the vertical. In cars there are more late period release, the armor of the sides, both the hull and the deckhouse, was strengthened by steel armor screens up to 20 millimeters thick. The rear of the hull was formed from armor plates 45 mm thick, and the roof and bottom were 10 mm thick.
Photo 7.
Armored cabin The Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär self-propelled gun had a complex trapezoidal shape and was assembled from rolled steel armor plates by welding them together. The thickness of the armor plate that formed the frontal part of the cabin was 100 millimeters, along the sides - 50, in the rear part - 30 and roof - 20 millimeters.
Photo 8.
The main armament of the German medium assault self-propelled gun Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär used a 150-mm howitzer StuH 43 with a barrel length of 380 millimeters. The howitzer's ammunition consisted of 38 separately loaded rounds, which were placed along the sides and stern of the armored cabin.
The Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär self-propelled gun initially did not have machine gun armament, which made it quite vulnerable in close combat contact with enemy infantry. On vehicles of later series, they began to install a 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun in the influx of the wheelhouse to the left of the gun. In combat conditions, both the tank commander, the loader, and sometimes the radio operator could fire from a machine gun. The ammunition for the machine gun consisted of 3000-3500 rounds of ammunition, which were loaded into belts.
The crew of the self-propelled guns also armed themselves with pistols and submachine guns for personal protection, from which they could also fire through embrasures in the side and rear parts of the armored cabin.
Photo 9.
As power plant For the self-propelled gun Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär, a Maybach HL 120TRM V-shaped carburetor twelve-cylinder engine with liquid cooling was used, developing power up to 265 horsepower. This allowed the self-propelled gun to reach a maximum speed when driving on the highway up to 30-35 kilometers per hour, depending on the modification and production series. The engine was installed in the engine compartment at the rear of the hull.
Photo 10.
The transmission of the Brummber medium assault self-propelled gun consisted of the following components and assemblies:
stepped propeller shaft;
main (main) three-disc clutch, operating on the principle of dry friction;
three-shaft manual six-speed gearbox model SSG77 (6+1 formula), equipped with disc spring synchronizers;
planetary rotary mechanism;
two final drives;
onboard band brakes.
Chassis German self-propelled guns Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär, like the Pz.KpfW medium tank. IV, for each side included eight rubberized dual support rollers with a diameter of 470 millimeters, three dual support rollers, which were rubberized with tires at the initial stages of production of the self-propelled guns (later the rollers were produced without tires), a idler and a front drive wheel. The road wheels were blocked in pairs on balancers with a suspension with quarter-elliptical steel leaf springs.
The track chains of the self-propelled gun "Brummber" of almost all production series of the vehicle were assembled from 99 single-ridge steel or cast or stamped tracks with lantern gearing, while the width of the track was 400 millimeters.
Photo 11.
In total, during the period of serial production from 1943 and almost until the surrender of Germany in World War II, 298 vehicles were produced various modifications medium assault self-propelled gun Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär. Beginning in the summer of 1943, the Brummers were widely used by the Wehrmacht in battles on almost all fronts. The actual debut of the "Brummber" took place during the fighting on Kursk Bulge, where they showed themselves not only as assault weapons supporting infantry, but also in some cases as tank destroyers. After the fighting in the Kharkov area they were lost latest cars first episodes of release. In 1944, the Brummers entered service as fire support for the heavy tank battalion Stu.Pz.Abt 219.
Photo 12.
As part of it, they entered into battles with units of the Red Army in the Budapest area, and then in the area of Lake Balaton. In these battles, several self-propelled guns of this type were destroyed due to the spontaneous explosion of dynamite in the shell casing when it was loaded into the breech of the gun. After investigations, it turned out that these incidents were the result of sabotage at ammunition manufacturing plants. According to reports from the Red Army, the last destroyed self-propelled gun "Brummber" was captured by fighters of the advancing units in mid-April 1945 in Austria (most likely, this is one of the two self-propelled guns of this type currently on display in the Kubinka Museum). "Brummbers" were used by the Wehrmacht on the Western Front, but there is practically no information about this in the sources. It is known that they took part in battles in Italy and Northern France.
Photo 13.
Currently, assault tanks "Sturmpanzer" IV "Brummbar" can be seen in the French tank museum in Saumur, in the German tank museum in Münster, in the American museum of the Aberdeen Proving Ground and in Kubinka near Moscow.
Photo 14.
Photo 15.
Photo 16.
Photo 17.
Photo 18.
Photo 19.
Photo 20.
sources
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Despite their excellent reputation, assault StuG guns III by 1943 were considered too light for this role; a new heavy assault gun was needed. The existing 150-mm slG 33 self-propelled guns had insufficient armor for close combat; therefore, with gradual replacement tank PzKpfw IV "Panthers" and "Tigers", a real opportunity has arisen to create such an installation based on latest models tank PzKpfw IV.
Prototypes appeared in 1943 under the name Assault Howitzer IV "Brümmbär" ("Grizzly Bear"). They represented a box-like structure formed by armor plates descending to the ground, covering the front part of the PzKpfw IV tank with the turret removed. In its place, a modified howitzer was installed in a ball joint on the front armor plate. It was a 150 mm slG 33 with a barrel shortened to 1.8 m. The armor plating was circular (frontal - 100 mm), which completely protected the crew of five people. Later, appliqué side armor was added; most of the installations also received a coating of Zimmerit plastic paste, which prevents the adhesion of magnetic charges, which in close combat managed to be installed on tank armor tank destroyer groups. A machine gun was mounted on the front plate of the hull as a weapon for self-defense of the installation in short-term fire contacts.
The spacious combat compartment of the Brummber could accommodate up to 38 150 mm caliber shells. The commander sat in the rear, using a periscope to select targets. Two soldiers served the gun and supplied shells; one served as a gunner. The driver usually remained in his regular place, in front on the left. Most targets required direct fire, but overhead fire could also be fired.
Before the end of the war, the industry managed to produce 313 Brummber installations, most of which provided direct fire support tank and infantry units. The installations moved forward along with the first waves of advancing troops, suppressing fortified points and destroying enemy bunkers. At the same time, the infantry had to stay close to the Brummber so that groups of tank destroyers could not secretly get close to one that was vulnerable to shooting at close range anti-tank weapons Self-propelled guns, the side armor of which was only 30 mm.
Typically, these self-propelled guns operated in pairs, dividing the offensive zone between themselves. They were not very effective as a defensive weapon: the short-barreled howitzer could not cope with tank armor when firing direct fire. Its main purpose was mounted shooting high-explosive shells. The biggest limitation to the Brummber's mobility was its relatively small mass, which reduced its grip on the ground. "Brummber" was highly valued in the army, as it provided excellent fire support infantry battalions. On the other hand, the Brummber was quite heavy and bulky, and early models were not sufficiently protected from close-range attacks.
Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär (Russified version - “Brummber” or “Brummbar”) (Sd.Kfz. 166) is a German medium assault self-propelled artillery unit from the second half of World War II. Translated from German, Brummbär means “grizzly bear” or “grumpy bear.” Officially in German military publications it was designated as Sturmpanzer IV (in Russian transcription - Sturmpanzer IV), and sometimes - Sturmpanzer 43). In German departmental rubricators the vehicle was designated as Sd.Kfz. 166. Its name, Brummbär, was not popular among German soldiers, so they called it StuPa (“Stupa”), which was short for Sturmpanzer. In some Soviet and Russian sources, this self-propelled gun is listed as “Bear”.
History and background of creation.
Since in the early days of the Soviet-German War most German self-propelled guns were used as tank destroyers, the infantry sometimes lacked the fire support of self-propelled artillery weapons. This was most evident during the Battle of Stalingrad, when the power of the Wehrmacht assault guns existing at that time was sometimes not enough to break through the walls of houses and other enemy fortifications. The German self-propelled gun StuIG 33 B on a tank chassis, armed with a 150-mm obsolete howitzer SIG 33.StuG III, was unable to cope with the tasks of destroying enemy fortifications. Therefore, it was decided to create a new assault self-propelled artillery unit with more powerful modernized weapons on the chassis. In February 1943, the Skoda company presented Hitler with a wooden model of such a self-propelled gun, and already in March of the same year, the first six copies of the self-propelled gun were assembled, which were first designated Sd.Kfz. 166, and then the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär. After acceptance by the government commission, the vehicle was put into production in the early summer of 1943.
German technicians are trying to transport a damaged self-propelled gun Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär, Kharkov area, 1943
Layout.
The Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär self-propelled gun was configured like the medium tank on whose chassis it was developed. The layout was classic for German tank building at that time. The engine compartment was located in the rear of the self-propelled gun hull. In the front part of the body there was a control compartment, which was interfaced with the transmission compartment. The fighting compartment extended to the middle part of the hull and the armored conning tower.
The crew of the self-propelled gun "Brummber" consisted of four people, in some cases five. The driver's seat was located closer to the front of the hull, and to the right of him was the radio operator (if there were five people in the crew). The tank commander, gunner and loader were located in the armored wheelhouse and the central part of the hull.
To board and disembark the self-propelled gun, the crew used two rectangular hatches on the right side of the roof of the armored cabin (later it was replaced by one wide double-leaf rectangular hatch) and one round hatch in the roof of the commander's cupola. When a self-propelled gun was hit, it was very problematic for the driver to get out of the burning car; the bottom hatch, which was also difficult to reach, did not solve this problem.
Armor protection of the hull and deckhouse.
The armor protection of the German medium self-propelled gun Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär was developed according to a differentiated anti-ballistic principle and was very significant compared to previous Wehrmacht self-propelled guns. It was supposed to protect the main components of the self-propelled gun and its crew from damage by medium-caliber projectiles at medium and long distances in the main anti-shell directions.
The hull of the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär self-propelled gun had a complex box-shaped shape and was assembled by welding armor plates together and the frame. The frontal part of the hull had a reservation thickness, depending on the periods of production of the self-propelled guns, from 50 to 100 millimeters with rational angles of inclination to the vertical normal from 20 to 40 degrees. The sides of the hull had a thickness of armor from 30 millimeters in the lower part to 50 in the upper part without any inclination to the vertical. In vehicles of a later production period, the armor of the sides, both the hull and the wheelhouse, was enhanced by steel armor screens up to 20 millimeters thick. The rear of the hull was formed from armor plates 45 mm thick, and the roof and bottom were 10 mm thick.
The armored cabin of the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär self-propelled gun had a complex trapezoidal shape and was assembled from rolled steel armor plates by welding them together. The thickness of the armor plate that formed the front part of the cabin was 100 millimeters, along the sides - 50, in the rear part - 30 and roof - 20 millimeters.
Armament.
The main armament of the German medium assault self-propelled gun Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär used a 150-mm howitzer StuH 43 with a barrel length of 380 millimeters. The howitzer's ammunition consisted of 38 separately loaded rounds, which were placed along the sides and stern of the armored cabin.
The Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär self-propelled gun initially did not have machine gun armament, which made it quite vulnerable in close combat contact with enemy infantry. On vehicles of later series, they began to install a 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun in the influx of the wheelhouse to the left of the gun. In combat conditions, both the tank commander, the loader, and sometimes the radio operator could fire from a machine gun. The ammunition for the machine gun consisted of 3000-3500 rounds of ammunition, which were loaded into belts.
The crew of the self-propelled guns also armed themselves with pistols and submachine guns for personal protection, from which they could also fire through embrasures in the side and rear parts of the armored cabin.
Chassis, engine and transmission.
The power plant for the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär self-propelled guns was a liquid-cooled Maybach HL 120TRM V-shaped carburetor twelve-cylinder engine, which developed power up to 265 horsepower. This allowed the self-propelled gun to reach a maximum speed when driving on the highway up to 30-35 kilometers per hour, depending on the modification and production series. The engine was installed in the engine compartment at the rear of the hull.
The transmission of the Brummber medium assault self-propelled gun consisted of the following components and assemblies:
stepped propeller shaft;
main (main) three-disc clutch, operating on the principle of dry friction;
three-shaft manual six-speed gearbox model SSG77 (6+1 formula), equipped with disc spring synchronizers;
planetary rotary mechanism;
two final drives;
onboard band brakes.
The chassis of the German self-propelled gun Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär, like that of a medium tank, on each side included eight rubberized dual support rollers with a diameter of 470 millimeters, three dual support rollers, which were rubberized with bandages at the initial stages of production of self-propelled guns (later the rollers were produced without tires), sloth and front drive wheel. The road wheels were blocked in pairs on balancers with a suspension with quarter-elliptical steel leaf springs.
The track chains of the self-propelled gun "Brummber" of almost all production series of the vehicle were assembled from 99 single-ridge steel or cast or stamped tracks with lantern gearing, while the width of the track was 400 millimeters.
Combat use.
In total, during the period of serial production from 1943 and almost until the surrender of Germany in World War II, 298 vehicles of various modifications of the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär medium assault self-propelled gun were produced. Beginning in the summer of 1943, the Brummers were widely used by the Wehrmacht in battles on almost all fronts. The actual debut of the "Brummber" took place during the fighting on the Kursk Bulge, where they showed themselves not only as an assault infantry support weapon, but also in a number of cases as tank destroyers. After the fighting in the Kharkov area, the last vehicles of the first production series were lost. In 1944, the Brummbers entered service as fire support for the heavy tank battalion Stu.Pz.Abt 219. As part of it, they entered into battles with units of the Red Army in the Budapest area, and then in the area of Lake Balaton. In these battles, several self-propelled guns of this type were destroyed due to the spontaneous explosion of dynamite in the shell casing when it was loaded into the breech of the gun. After investigations, it turned out that these incidents were the result of sabotage at ammunition manufacturing plants. According to reports from the Red Army, the last destroyed self-propelled gun "Brummber" was captured by fighters of the advancing units in mid-April 1945 in Austria (most likely, this is one of the two self-propelled guns of this type currently on display in the Kubinka Museum). "Brummbers" were used by the Wehrmacht on the Western Front, but there is practically no information about this in the sources. It is known that they took part in battles in Italy and Northern France.
So, it is proposed for consideration...
Sturmpanzer IV "Brummbär"
Sd. Kfz. 166, Sturmgeschutz IV mit 15cm StuH 43
To begin with, the usual statistics: Weight - 28.2 tons, Crew 5 people, range 210 km (on road) and 130 (off-road), maximum speed 40 km/h, armament 150mm StuH 43 L/12, plus 1 x 7.92mm MG34. Ammunition - 150mm - 38 rounds, 7.92mm - 600 rounds. Armor: frontal 100 mm, side 50 mm, rear 30 mm, top 20 mm.
You can immediately say that "Brummbär" is the child of Albert Speer, who took over the post of Reich Minister of Armaments and Munitions after the death of Dr. Todt in 1942. In connection with complaints from front-line soldiers about previous assault guns (insufficient weapon power and relatively weak armor), Speer instructs the Alkett company (together with Krupp) to prepare a project for a new Sturmpanzer on the well-proven Pz-IV chassis.
Reich Minister A. Speer on the left, in the center is Grossadmiral Karl Doenitz, on the right is Oberst General A. Jodl:
On October 2, 1942, Alkett engineers provided Speer with drawings of the machine, and already on October 14, the Brummbär project was approved by Hitler.
The fraternal Czech people took part in the implementation of the project to the best of their ability. He was armed with a 150mm Grizzly. gun StuH 43 L/12 (developed on the basis of the sIG 33 gun by the Skoda company), and the first samples were also assembled at the Skoda factories - 6 in March 1943, 40 in April, 14 in May. How we We see that only 5 months passed from the signing of the project to the launch of the series. Then serial production of the Grizzly was transferred to the Nibelungenwerken factories in St. Valentin and production in Kapfenberg. Some vehicles were assembled on the basis of "fours" damaged during hostilities. In the end, most of the cars built actually had a restored chassis, but some received completely new ones (no more than 10% of production).
Early Sturmpanzer IVs turned out to be, due to large mass guns, too heavy for the Panzer IV chassis, which caused problems with chassis. In addition, the car turned out to be insufficiently powered and consumed a monstrous amount of fuel - forty (!) percent more than a regular “four”. The first Sturmpanzer IVs were not equipped with a stationary machine gun, making them easy targets for fighter aircraft. infantry units. Instead, one machine gun was located inside the hull and was used by the crew as needed. Early "Brummbär" were served by a crew of 4 people (instead of 5), where the loader was also a radio operator.
Most of the early Grizzlies were lost in the battles of Kursk and, later, in the battle for Kharkov and Dneprostroy. In October 1943, it was decided to carry out some modernization of the hull and gun (in order to reduce weight). In December 1943, a new lightweight version of the gun was developed and entered production under the designation 150mm StuH 43/1 L/12. In January 1944, the Sturmpanzer IV officially received the name "Brummbär", but it did not take root well among the troops - the vehicle was usually called simply StuPa/Shtupa - short for "Sturmpanzer".
On later models, an MG34 machine gun (adapted from Tiger-I) was installed in the front armor plate, on a ball-shaped joint. The gun collar and upper front section of the superstructure were also modified (to reduce weight). Also, later models were equipped with armored skirts and treated with Zimmerit paste (which no one really knows anything about :). On the modernized commander's turret now it is possible to install anti-aircraft machine gun.
In the next two pictures - late version"Grizzly":
And now about some misconceptions about this machine. German sources claim: "Seinen ersten Einsatz hatte der Sturmpanzer in den Häuserschluchten von Stalingrad im Spätherbst 1942. Dort erwies er sich als ausgezeichneter Gebäudeknacker und konnte auch Erfolge im Kampf gegen leichte Bunker erzielen."
One thing is unclear: where “Brummbär” could have appeared in Stalingrad late autumn 1942, when the first car rolled off the Skoda assembly line only in March 1943? Apparently, the authors confused the Grizzly with the Stug-III, which were actually widely used in Stalingrad.
Addition from the respected dr_guillotin : In Stalingrad there were StuG33 (Sturminfanteriegeschütz 33, Sd.Kfz. 138/1) on a “troika” chassis with the same 150 mm gun. 24 of them were made at Alketta, of which 12 ended up in Stalingrad.
In fact, the Sturmpanzer IV received its baptism of fire as part of the 216th Sturmpanzerabteilung (battalion of the 656th Panzerjager Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Jungfeld on the Kursk Bulge. After the Battle of Kursk, Jungfeld was awarded the Knight's Cross, and after the Battle of Kharkov he was promoted to colonel. Later it was formed three more assault tank battalions- 217th, 218th and 219th, which fought on the Eastern and Western fronts. Each unit was armed with 46 Sturmpanzer IVs. They remained in service until the very end of the war. "Grizzlies" were also part of the assault tank company special purpose- Sturmpanzer-Kompanie z.b.V. 218, which took part in the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.
Moreover, despite the name " Assault tank", "Brummbär" was not a tank of any kind - at least due to the lack of a turret: the gun is placed in the superstructure. The main specificity of the vehicle is infantry support during urban battles, as well as during the capture of fortified positions. The Grizzlies also showed very high efficiency in defense (Western Front). "Grizzlies" together with "Sturmtigers" took part in the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising - they could completely demolish a building with 2-3 shots.
Main disadvantage this, generally reliable and good armored vehicle- very cramped conditions for the crew, and as a result, small ammunition. With normal supply, 38 shots for 150 mm. guns are quite enough, but in the conditions of the end of the war in 1944-1945, many vehicles were simply abandoned by the crews.
A total of 298 copies of this Sturmpanzer were produced; to date, three Grizzlies have survived (that I know of).
1. Museum in Kubinka. Early version:
2. Museum in Aberdeen (USA). Early version. The machine is stored in disgraceful conditions under open air(like many other rarities, alas):
3. Tank Museum in Munster (Germany). Late version. Storage conditions are ideal, the machine is running:
4. The same machine on a conveyor:
Details about the German "Grizzly" are here (many photos, text in German).
Official designation: Sturmpanzer IV (Sd.Kfz.166)
Alternative designation: “Brummbär”, StuG mit 15cm Stu43
Year of commencement of work: October 1942
Year of construction of the first prototype: 1943
Stage of completion: 308 units were built and were used on the Eastern and Western Front until May 1945.
As part of a broad program of using the Pz.Kpfw.IV tank chassis for the construction of self-propelled guns for various purposes in the second half of 1942, a proposal was considered to install on it large-caliber gun, which would be able to effectively combat field fortifications. A similar assault self-propelled gun was created to support infantry formations, but later the function of combat in urban conditions was added to it.
From several options, a 150-mm cannon with a barrel length of only 12 calibers was chosen, which was installed in a fully armored wheelhouse. According to the creators of the self-propelled gun long length the trunk was useless, because high explosive projectile was not required high speed. The project was demonstrated to A. Hitler on October 20, 1942, who approved the concept and ordered the construction of 40-50 vehicles at the earliest as soon as possible. The final decision was made at a meeting on February 7, 1943 - the Alkett company was given the task of assembling 40 self-propelled guns and delivering them to the customer no later than May 12, and then assembling a second batch of 20 vehicles. To the great satisfaction of the company of global alterations for serial production was not required, so the entire order was completed with minor delays. Self-propelled gun received official designation Sturmpanzer IV (Sd.Kfz.166), but in post-war period the name became more common “Brummbär”.
Completely borrowed from the Pz.Kpfw.IV tank chassis, which had four bogies on one side with two rubber-coated rollers each and a suspension on leaf springs, four support rollers, a front drive and rear guide wheel, as well as a fine-link caterpillar made of steel tracks.
The hull was assembled from sheets of rolled armor steel with a thickness of 10, 20, 30 and 80 mm. The conning tower had more powerful protection and was assembled from armor plates with a thickness of 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 mm, respectively. The main armament, consisting of a short-barreled 15cm StuH 43 L/12 gun, was installed in the front deckhouse. Horizontal guidance angles were 10° in each direction, vertical – from -5° to +20°; All “Brummbär” were equipped with an Sfl ZF telescopic sight. The ammunition consisted of 38 rounds of separate loading.
The self-propelled gun was equipped with a carburetor 12-cylinder HL120TRM 12-cylinder engine with a power of 300 hp. at 3000 rpm and a mechanical transmission, providing 6 forward gears and 1 reverse gear.
To assemble the first batches, a chassis from serial tanks various modifications: for 52 self-propelled guns the chassis from the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G was used, and the other 8 were built on the basis of the Ausf.E and Ausf.F. These vehicles were also equipped with additional 50 mm thick armor plates. The second series of self-propelled guns, produced from December 1943 to March 1944, were built on the chassis of the newer Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H tanks. These machines were distinguished by the installation of an exhaust fan and two front rollers with rubber tires. A total of 60 of these machines were assembled.
The third series, built in May-June 1944, received a periscope instead of the Fahrersehklappe 80 observation device, as well as a StuH 43/1 gun, which weighed almost 800 kg less than the original version. In the fourth series, the design of the wheelhouse was changed, the chassis from the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.J tank was used, and the HL120TRM112 engine was installed. Starting in April 1944, a ball mount for the MG-34 machine gun and a Kg ZF 2 sight (600 rounds of ammunition) appeared to the right of the gun, which had a horizontal firing sector of 30° and a vertical sector from -7° to +20°; According to reports, the production of self-propelled guns “Brummbär” was distributed over the years as follows: 1943 - 66, 1944 - 215, 1945 - 17.
The first production “Brummbär” was received by the 216th assault gun battalion (Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216), the formation of which was completed in April 1943. The material was received in Amiens, and in total it was possible to fully equip 3 companies with 14 vehicles each. The battalion was then sent to Eastern Front, where from June 10th he participated in Operation Zitadelle near Kursk. After the start of the Soviet counteroffensive, the remaining vehicles were transferred to the Dnepropetrovsk-Zaporozhye line, but already in October they again had to retreat to Nikopol. In December 1943, the remnants of the battalion returned to Germany and were sent to Western Front, where in February 1944 “Brummbär” took part in repelling the landing at Anzio. At that time, the battalion had 28 vehicles - later the number of “Brummbär” was increased to 42, and they remained in Italy until the end of the war.
At the end of April 1944, the 217th battalion (Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 217) was formed, receiving 19 “Brummbär” in May and soon departing for Normandy. The battalion suffered its first losses on the way, as the railway lines were constantly exposed to air strikes. For the first time, “Brummbär” was able to be brought into battle on August 7th near Kaen, and as of August 19th there were 17 vehicles in service and another 14 were under repair. After fierce fighting in the Falaise pocket, the number of self-propelled guns was reduced to 22 and in October part of the crew was sent to Panzer-Ersatz Abteilung 18. Subsequently, the battalion took part in the Battle of Bulge, and its combat career ended in the Ruhr “pocket” in April 1945.
It was also planned to equip the 218th battalion (Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 218) with self-propelled guns “Brummbär”, consisting of three companies of 15 vehicles each. The formation began in early January 1945, but they did not have time to complete this process and, as a result, this formation was equipped self-propelled guns StuG III.
Another formation on the “Brummbär” was to be the 219th battalion (Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 219), which was created on the basis of the 914th assault gun brigade (Sturmgeschutz-Brigade 914) in September 1944. In October, having received only 10 vehicles, the battalion was sent to Budapest, where it subsequently participated in battles with Soviet troops.
Only four “Brummbär” have survived to this day and are in museums. different countries: Musee des Blindes (Samur, France), Deutsches Panzermuseum (Munster, Germany), BTT Museum (Kubinka, Russia) and Fort Sill Field Artillery Museum (Fort Sill, USA).
Sources:
P. Chamberlain, H. Doyle “Encyclopedia German tanks 2nd World War". AST\Astrel. Moscow, 2004
Thomas L. Jentz “Sturmgeschuetz: s.Pak to Sturmmoerser” (“Panzer Tracts” No.8). Darlington Productions. ISBN 1-892848-04-X. 1999
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASSAULT SELF-PROPELLED UNIT
“Brummbär” model 1943
COMBAT WEIGHT | 28200 kg |
CREW, people | 5 |
OVERALL DIMENSIONS | |
Length, mm | 5930 |
Width, mm | 2880 |
Height, mm | 2520 |
Ground clearance, mm | 400 |
WEAPONS | one 150 mm 15cm Stuh 43 L/12 cannon and one 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun |
AMMUNITION | 38 shots and 1500 rounds |
AIMING DEVICES | telescopic sights Sfl ZF and Kg ZF 2 |
RESERVATION | hull forehead - 80 mm hull side - 30 mm hull rear - 20 mm body roof - 10 mm cutting edge - 100 mm deckhouse side - 50 mm cutting stern - 30 mm cabin roof - 20 mm bottom - 10 mm |
ENGINE | Maybach HL120TRМ, carburetor, 12-cylinder, 300 hp. at 3000 rpm. |
TRANSMISSION | mechanical type with 6-speed gearbox (6+1) |
CHASSIS | (on one side) 8 double road wheels blocked in pairs into 4 bogies with suspension on cast springs, 4 support rollers, front drive and rear idler wheels, fine-link caterpillar with steel tracks |
SPEED | 40 km/h on the highway 24 km/h on terrain |
HIGHWAY RANGE | 200 km by highway 130 km terrain |
OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME | |
Elevation angle, degrees. | 30° |
Wall height, m | 0,60 |
Fording depth, m | 1,00 |
Ditch width, m | 2,20 |
COMMUNICATIONS | FuG5 and FuG2 radios |
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