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Anassault gun (fromGerman:Sturmgeschütz,lit. 'storm gun', meaning "attack gun")[1][2] is a type ofarmored infantry support vehicle andself-propelled artillery, mounting aninfantry support gun on a protected self-propelled chassis,[3] intended for providinginfantry with heavydirect fire support during engagement, especially against other infantry orfortified positions, secondarily also giving some armored protection and anti-armor capability.[1]
Assault guns were pioneered by theSoviet Union andNazi Germany during the 1930s, initially being self-propelled guns with direct fire in mind (such as the SovietSU-5-1), with Germany introducing the first purpose-built (and purpose-named) assault gun, theSturmgeschütz III, in 1940.[1]
The core concept of the assault gun is aprotectedself propelledinfantry gun. This means it is intended to be used byinfantry brigades in order to give infantry mobile heavydirect fire capability against protected enemy positions and threats, to be able move with infantry in assaults, and secondarily to give some armored protection against enemy fire.
Historically, the concept of assault guns was very similar to that of theinfantry tank, as both were combat vehicles intended to accompany infantry formations into battle, but where assault gun designs often skipped tank features and design elements deemed unnecessary for reasons of cost anddoctrine.[4] However, duringWorld War II assault guns were more mobile than tanks and could be utilized as both direct andindirect fire artillery.[4] Although they could approximate the firepower of a tank, assault guns mostly firedhigh explosive shells at relatively low velocities, which were well suited for their role of knocking out hard points such as fortified positions and buildings.[4] They were not intended to be deployed as tank substitutes or dedicatedtank destroyers.[4] Nevertheless, as the conflict progressed, the increasing proliferation of tanks on the battlefield forced many assault gun units to engage armor in defense of the infantry, and led to armies becoming more dependent on multipurpose designs which combined the traditionally separate roles of an assault gun and a tank destroyer.[5]
German and Soviet assault guns introduced during World War II usually carried their main armament in a fully enclosedcasemate rather than agun turret.[6] Although this limited thefield of fire and traverse of the armament, it also had the advantage of a reduced silhouette and simplified the manufacturing process.[6] The United States never developed a purpose-built assault gun during the war, although it did modify preexisting armored fighting vehicles for that role, including theM4 Sherman (as the M4(105)), theM5 Stuart (as theM8 Scott), and theM3 half-track (as theT19 Howitzer Motor Carriage).[7] The classic assault gun concept was largely abandoned during the postwar era in favor of tanks or multipurpose tank destroyers attached to infantry formations, which were also capable of providing direct fire support as needed. In the United States and most Western countries, the assault gun ceased to be recognized as a unique niche, with individual examples being classified either as a self-propelled howitzer or a tank,[8] one exception beingSweden, which continued to develop casemate assault guns post-war, such as theInfanterikanonvagn 72, all the way into the 1960s before settling on a turreted design in 1968, becoming theInfanterikanonvagn 91.[9] The Soviet Union continued funding development of new assault guns as late as 1967, although few of its postwar designs were adopted in large numbers.[10] In Soviet and Eastern European armies, the traditional assault gun was primarily superseded by tank destroyers, such as theSU-100, which is capable of supporting either infantry or armor.[8] Since the 1980s, the multi-purpose assault gun concept has seen a resurgence, mainly in the form of turreted wheeled designs, such as the South AfricanRooikat and ItalianB1 Centauro. Today, modern assault guns include the JapaneseType 16 maneuver combat vehicle and the AmericanM1128 Stryker andM10 Booker.
Assault guns were primarily developed duringWorld War II by the forces ofNazi Germany and theSoviet Union. Early in the war, the Germans began to create makeshift assault guns by mounting theirinfantry support weapons on the bed of atruck or on obsoletetanks with the turret removed. Later in the war, both the Germans and the Soviets introduced fullyarmoured purpose-built assault guns into their arsenals.
Early on, the Soviets built theKV-2, a variant of theKV-1 heavy tank with a short-barreled152 mm howitzer mounted in an oversized turret. This was not a success in battle, and was replaced with a very successful series of turretless assault guns: theSU-76,SU-122, and the heavySU-152, which were followed by theISU-122 andISU-152 on the newIS heavy tankchassis.
The primary German assault gun was theSturmgeschütz III (StuG III). At about the same time (March 1942) as the howitzer-like KwK 37 gun was dropped from the Panzer IV's use, itsSturmkanone equivalent in the StuG III up to that time, was likewise replaced with a longer-barreled, high-velocity dual-purpose75 mm gun that had also been derived from the successfulPaK 40 anti-tank towed artillery piece. The Germans also built a number of other fully armoured turretless assault guns, including theStuG IV,StuIG 33B,Brummbär andSturmtiger. This last one was a very heavy vehicle, and was built only in small quantities.
Battalions of assault guns, usually StuG IIIs, commonly replaced the intendedpanzer battalion in the Germanpanzergrenadierdivisions due to the chronic shortage of tanks, and were sometimes used as makeshifts even in thepanzer divisions.[11] Independent battalions were also deployed as "stiffeners" forinfantry divisions, and the StuG III'santi-tank capabilities bolstered dwindling tank numbers on the Eastern and Western fronts.
US and UK forces also deployed vehicles designed for a close support role, but these were conventional tanks whose only significant modification was the replacement of the main gun with a howitzer. Two versions of the AmericanSherman tank were armed with theM4 105 mm howitzer, the M4(105) and the M4A3(105); these were designated assault guns in US usage of the term. TheM8 Scott, based on the chassis of theM5 Stuart light tank, was also an assault cannon and carried a75 mm short howitzer. TheChurchill, Centaur andCromwell tanks were all produced in versions armed with95 mm howitzers: the Churchill Mark V and Mark VIII, the Centaur Mark IV and the Cromwell Mark VI. Earlier British tanks, such as theCrusader cruiser tank and theMatilda II Infantry tank were produced in versions armed with the3-inch howitzer; the first versions of the Churchill tank also had this gun in a hull mounting. Americantank destroyer units were often used in the assault gun role for infantry support.
TheAVRE version of the Churchill tank was armed with aspigot mortar that fired a 40 lb (18 kg)HE-filled projectile (nicknamed theFlying Dustbin) 150 yards (140 m). Its task was to attack fortified positions such asbunkers at close range (seeHobart's Funnies).
In the post-World War II era, most vehicles fitting into an "assault gun" category were developed as a light-weight, air-deployable, direct fire combat vehicles for use with airborne troops. Those weapons were either based onlight utility vehicles or smalltracked vehicles and the airborne troops thus always fought at a distinct disadvantage in terms of heavy weapons. The Soviet Union and the United States were the most attracted to the idea of providing this capability to traditionally light airborne forces. Their answers to the problem were similar, with the United States developing theM56 Scorpion and the Soviet Union developing theASU-57, both essentially airdroppable light anti-tank guns.
The Soviets went on to develop an improved airdroppable assault gun, theASU-85, which served through the 1980s, while theirSU-100 remained in service with Communist countries, including Vietnam and Cuba, years after World War II. The US M56 and another armoured vehicle, theM50 Ontos, were to be the last of the more traditional assault guns in US service. Improvised arrangements such asM113 personnel carriers with recoilless rifles were quickly replaced by missile carrier vehicles in the anti-tank role.
The only vehicle with the qualities of an assault gun to be fielded after the removal of the M50 and M56 from service within the US military was theM551 Sheridan. The Sheridan's gun was a low-velocity weapon suitable in the assault role, but with the addition of theShillelagh missile could double in the anti-tank role as well. The Sheridan, however, was not developed as an assault gun but as a light reconnaissance vehicle.
Currently, there appears to be a move toward wheeled vehicles fitting a "tank destroyer" or "assault gun" role, such as theM1128 mobile gun system of theUnited States Army, theB1 Centauro wheeled tank destroyer of theItalian andSpanish Armies, the Chinese anti-tank gunPTL-02 andZBL08 assault gun, and the FrenchAMX-10 RC heavy armoured car. While these vehicles might be useful in a direct fire role, none were developed with this specifically in mind, reminiscent of the use of tank destroyers by the US military in the assault gun role during World War II.
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