German assault gun StuG III Ausf A

In June 15, 1936, an order was issued to create an armored vehicle to support infantry, equipped with a gun of no less than 7.5 cm caliber. The gun was required to be able to traverse at least 25° and be mounted in the hull, removing the need for a turret and keeping the vehicle’s height below that of an average man. The experimental series (0-serie) consisted of five Panzer Ausf B chassis (90216-90220), which had soft steel superstructures mounted with a fixed 7.5cm StuK gun. After successful testing, production of the 1 Serie Ausf A began in January 1940.
The StuG Ausf A shared the same suspension, drive-train components, and basic hull shape as the 5 ZW – Panzer Ausf F, but with several differences. The front and rear armor of the StuG was thicker, with no escape hatches on the hull sides and brake access hatches hinged at the sides instead of fore and aft. The 7.5cm StuK 37 was mounted off-center to the right in the low-profile superstructure. The driver’s vision was provided by a pivoting visor and a twin periscope device in the front of the superstructure, and a vision port on the left. The gunner’s periscope sight was an artillery-type with a direct vision port on the left upper superstructure, and the commander had a scissors periscope that could be raised by opening the front half of the access hatch. Additional armor protection for the crew was provided by attaching 9mm plates at an angle to the superstructure sides. The first StuG was issued to troops in February 1940, with an additional 24 produced by the end of May. These were used to equip Sturmartillerie Batteries 640, 659, 660, and 665, which were deployed in France.