Germany
StuG III 10.5cm Stu.K. L/28.3 (Stug III)
Ordnance classification - SdKfz 142/2

Tweet The StuG III 10.5cm Stu.K. L/28.3 based on the existing fully tracked PzKpfw III and was in use from 1942 to 1945. General Details Specifications Operational Date(s) 1942 - 1945 Ordnance classification SdKfz 142/2 Quantity Produced 1211 Weight 24 tonne Crew 4 M.G's small 1 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 5.54 mtr Width 2.95 mtr Height 2.16 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 25 mph Max Cross Country Speed 13 mph Range Road 88 miles Range Cross Country 35 miles Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity unknown Horse Power 300 hp Power/Weight 12 hp/tonne General Information The StuG III 10.5cm Stu.K. L/28.3 based on the existing fully tracked PzKpfw III and was in use from 1942 to 1945. The vehicle was powered by Maybach 'HL120 TRM' petrol powerplant producing 300 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 25 mph with a range of about 88 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 13 mph and a range of about 35 miles. It was armed with 1 light machine gun. Its main armament consisted of a 10.5cm StuH 42 L/28 which could penetrate 79 mm of flat plate at 400 metres Designed as an infantry support vehicle in 1936, it was to utilise the PzKpfw III chassis in a vehicle with a very low profile. Armour Details Turret Front n/a Side n/a Rear n/a Top n/a Superstructure Front 80mm @ 10° (81mm) Side 30mm @ 11° (31mm) Rear 30mm @ 0° (30mm) Top 17mm @ 83° (17mm) Hull Front 80mm @ 21° (86mm) Side 30mm @ 0° (30mm) Rear 50mm @ 10° (51mm) Top 16mm @ 90° (16mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 86 mm - Minimum 16 mm Weapon Details 10.5cm StuH 42 L/28 10.5cm Sturmhaubitze 42 L/28 (translates as Assault Howitzer) Manufactured unknown - 1945 Calibre 105mm Length L/28   Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content AP (AP Armor Piercing) 105mm 14Kg 470M/Sec Quoted Penetration 59mm@500m Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.21 0.43 0.88 1.84 2.88 4.02 5.26 6.62 Penetration(mm@30°) 80 75 68 61 54 47 41 36 Penetration(mm@0°) 93 87 79 71 63 55 48 42 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 74 34 15 6 3 FH Gr 38 (HE High Explosive) 105mm 14.8Kg 470M/Sec 1.380Kg explosive Range(Mtr) 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 Flight Time(Secs) 1.12 2.35 3.72 5.26 6.98 8.94 11.17 13.75 Direct Fire Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.21 0.43 0.88 1.84 2.88 4.02 5.26 6.62 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 74 34 15 6 3 Blast/Fragmentation Effects Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill 3 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill 7 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill 18 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr 4 mm An explosion within 3 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal. An explosion within 7 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's. An explosion within 18 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties. The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will penetrate 4 mm of the tank armour including the roof.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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