| Sturmgeschütz IV | |
|---|---|
 The StuG IV held by the Armoured Warfare Museum in Poznań, Poland | |
| Type | Assault gun |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943–1945 |
| Used by | Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Fried. Krupp Grusonwerk AG,Magdeburg-Buckau, Alkett |
| Produced | December 1943–1945 |
| No. built | 1,141 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 23 tonnes (50,705 lbs) |
| Length | 6.7 m (20 ft) |
| Width | 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) |
| Height | 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in) |
| Crew | 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver) |
| Armor | 10–80 mm (.39–3.14 in) |
Main armament | 1 ×7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 63 rounds |
Secondary armament | 1 ×7.92 mmMaschinengewehr 34 600 rounds |
| Engine | Maybach HL120 TRMV-12-cylinder gasoline 300 PS (296 hp, 220.6 kW) |
| Power/weight | 13 PS (9.6 kW) / tonne |
| Transmission | ZF SSG 76 Aphon, 6 forward gears, 1 reverse |
| Suspension | Leaf spring |
| Ground clearance | 40.0 cm (16 inches) |
| Fuel capacity | 430 liter |
Operational range | Road: 210 km (130 mi) Cross-country: 120 km (75 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 40 km/h (25 mph) |
TheSturmgeschütz IV (StuG IV) (Sd.Kfz. 167) was aGermanassault gun variant of thePanzer IV used in the latter part of theSecond World War. It was identical in role and concept to the highly successfulStuG III assault gun variant of thePanzer III. Both StuG models were given an exclusivelytank destroyer role in German formations and tactical planning in the last two years of the war, greatly augmenting the capability of the dwindling tank force available to the German army on the Eastern and Western fronts.
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TheSturmgeschütz IV resulted fromKrupp's effort to supply an assault gun. As Krupp did not buildPanzerkampfwagen IIIs, they used thePanzerkampfwagen IV chassis in combination with a slightly modifiedSturmgeschütz III superstructure.
The first known proposal for aSturmgeschütz on the Panzer IV chassis is in Krupp drawing number W1468 dated February 1943. This initial drawing utilised the outdatedSturmgeschütz Ausf. F superstructure on a Panzer IV chassis. This proposal had a sloped front superstructure with a combat weight of 28.26 tons. Krupp abandoned it in February 1943 because it was too heavy. Plans for the StuG IV were halted.
During the Führer Conference of 19 to 22 August 1943, after theBattle of Kursk, Hitler had seen reports of the StuG III outperforming the Panzer IV when used in an infantry support role and tactical defence. Convinced that a tank-hunter version would be superior to the tank version, Hitler planned to switch Panzer IV production to "Panzerjäger IV" production as soon as possible. It was to mount the same 7.5 cm L/70 used for the Panther. Another manufacturer, Vomag built a prototype Panzerjäger IV with 7.5 cm L/48 gun and demonstrated it on 20 October 1943. It was later re-designated asJagdpanzer IV Ausf. F. As theJagdpanzer IV was already being produced by Vomag, the StuG IV may not have materialized, had it not been for the major disruption of StuG III production, and the scarce supply of the 7.5 cm L/70 gun designated for theJagdpanzer IV.
In November 1943,Alkett, the manufacturer of the StuG III, suffered damage due to an Allied bombing raid. They produced 255 StuG III in October 1943, but in December production fell to just 24 vehicles. A conference held from 6 to 7 December 1943, addressed possible solutions to this problem. Hitler welcomed the suggestion of taking the StuG III superstructure and mounting it on a Panzer IV chassis. The StuG IV could be more quickly manufactured than the Jagdpanzer IV at the time. This restarted theSturmgeschütz IV project. This time, the superstructure of the StuG III Ausf. G was mounted on a Panzer IV chassis 7, with a box compartment for the driver added. Combat weight was 23000 kg, lighter than the 23900 kg for the StuG III Ausf. G. Between 16 and 17 December 1943, Hitler was shown the StuG IV and approved it. To make up for the large deficit in StuG III production StuG IV production was now given full support.
From December 1943 to May 1945, Krupp built 1,111 StuG IVs, in early 1944 Alkett built 30 Stug IVs using new Panzer IV chassis sent from Nibelungenwerk. While the number is smaller than the 10,000+ StuG III, the StuG IV supplemented and fought along with StuG III during 1944–45, when they were most needed.
The StuG IV became known as an effective tank killer, especially on theEastern Front.
It had a four-man crew, and was issued mainly to infantry divisions.
There are presently six surviving examples of the StuG IV.
| Tanks |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-propelled artillery | ||
| Assault guns | ||
| Tank destroyers (Panzerjäger, Jagdpanzer) | ||
| Half-tracks | ||
| Armored cars | ||
| Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns | ||
| Demolition vehicles | ||
| Experimental/prototype vehicles | ||
| Proposed designs | ||
| Designations | ||