SdKfz 166 Sturmpanzer IV (Brummbar)

History

The SdKfz 166 "Sturmpanzer IV", better known as the "Brummbar", was a heavy armored and armed tracked fighting vehicle of the early years of World War II (1939-1945), based on the chassis of the Panzerkampfwagen IV (Panzer 4). Medium tank series.

The main gun is a 15 cm (150 mm) field howitzer, the vehicle's primary role is to support ground forces, mainly in urban areas, and its weapons can be used to cause destructive effects on buildings. The Sturmpanzer IV is not a "real" tank, as it has no rotating turret - instead, its powerful howitzer weapon is built into a fixed superstructure, allowing the vehicle to be properly classified as an "assault gun" (plus, the weapon only fires Explosives (HE) - shells generally unsuitable for armored vehicles).

This modification of outgoing tank lines such as the Panzer 4 series proved to be common in the German Army throughout the war, especially at the end of the war, and proved to meet and try to change the balance of battlefield needs The battle for cost-effective measures.

The desire for a new self-propelled assault gun - powered in part by Adolf Hitler himself - was established in early 1942, when Germany was now fully committed to fighting the war on several major fronts. Existing self-propelled guns in service at the time functioned, but lacked armor to protect the crew and critical components.

With the arrival of the new medium and heavy tanks "Panther" and "Tiger One", the opportunity arose, and the number began to increase, forcing the outdated medium tanks of the third and fourth series into secondary roles or modified to continue in the lives of others Take the required role.

Details of the new assault gun were drawn up in late 1942 with Alkett as the main developer, and after a short evaluation phase, deliveries of the "Assault Gun IV" began in May 1943. However, wartime shortages and resource commitments elsewhere forced quantitative production to be delayed for several months, before it finally resumed in November of that year.

The Sturmpanzer IV was originally envisioned as a modified Ex-Panzer IV tank, but even the newly built chassis was eventually tweaked to meet demand. Contrary to the standard German wartime production practice for such modified vehicles, the Panzer IV was actually built at German Army facilities (first in Vienna and then in Duisburg after June 1944) rather than in a dedicated factory of.

The Sturmpanzer IV was rapidly deployed as more Panzer IV hulls became available and modified for the role. These early forms required four operators, but they lacked any of the self-protection of the 7.92mm machine gun form found in later production models.

The recoil of the series' short-barreled 15 cm (150 mm) StuH 43 L/12 gun justifies what the unit was designed for, and the sheer weight of such a system justifies the burden, reliability and operational impact of the chosen engine unit scope.

The armor of the superstructure is sloped on all sides, including the top frontal armor with a thickness of 100 mm (2.54 in). Early models had only 30 mm (1.18 in) of side armor, making them somewhat vulnerable to Allied anti-tank weapons, especially at close quarters where the Sturmpanzer IV was designed for combat.

The sturdy 15cm (150mm) gun is mounted on a ball head and is only 12 caliber long. Power is provided by a 300-horsepower Maybach HL 120 TRM series 12-cylinder engine. Later models reintroduced the 300-horsepower Maybach HL 120 TRM 112 Series 12-cylinder engine.

With a range of only 130 miles, they have somewhat limited strategic use.

The crew of the Sturmpanzer IV enjoyed the inherent protection of the superstructure design, although the fighting compartment was relatively spacious for the required crew of four (later increased to five). The commander sits in the rear of the superstructure behind the battery and uses a roof-mounted periscope to mark targets for the gunner and direct field fire if needed. Muzzles at the rear of the superstructure (added during initial production) allowed the crew to fire on enemy infantry from inside the vehicle. One or two operators handled the ammunition while a fourth crew member fired.

A fifth person is the driver and is located in the front left of the vehicle. The crew compartment holds 38 x 43.5kg high-explosive (HE) projectiles and 600 x 7.92mm self-defense machine gun ammunition (if equipped).

Machine guns can engage infantry and low-flying aircraft, but Sturmpanzer IV crews often rely on supporting infantry squads to repel enemy anti-tank attacks on vehicles, as the Sturmpanzer IV's movements are often slow, clumsy, and pass through carefully designed streets Carry on the street. The road is almost there.

Sturmpanzer IV missions are typically used to support infantry units, counter enemy fortifications, or eliminate small to medium concentrations of artillery. The first use of these vehicles was against the Red Army as part of Sturmpanzerabteilung 216 along the Eastern Front at Kursk, Kharkov and Dneprostroy. Although 50 were deployed in the ensuing operation, many lost their way under enemy fire as the Red Army picked up speed and speed.

Started the Wehrmacht in many areas.

Attacking a solid Sturmpanzer IV usually requires killing infantry squads with tanks using "magnetic" mines. These mines can attach to the metal side of a vehicle and detonate, rendering the vehicle unusable for at least an extended period of time, or at best completely destroying it.

In response to these mine attacks, the Germans coated armored vehicles with "zimmerit" slurry, designed to withstand contact with such magnetic mines. Side armor skirts (called "skirts") also added additional protection to protect the more vulnerable sides of the lower hull and tracking systems from enemy fire.

In late 1943, the design of the Sturmpanzer IV was modified, particularly along its superstructure, to reduce overall operating weight. A lighter 150mm gun was also installed - the StuH 43/1 L/12. The driver's position is resolved with a periscope vision block above the original Tiger I-type vision port. These redesigned vehicles entered production in December 1943 and were eventually sent to war. Another redesign of the series took place the following year, as dictated by the operating policy.

Around this time, Zimmerit's antimagnetic paste mentioned above was used, and a new Kugelblende 80, forward, ball bearing mounted 7.92mm MG34 machine gun was mounted to the front body panel as a self-defense measure. The main design feature of this new Sturmpanzer IV is that the Commander's cupola is located in a redesigned superstructure position, reducing the overall height of the already tall vehicle.

The Assault Tank IV fought to the end of the war, but casualties continued to mount. One of the last recorded operations involving these vehicles was near Budapest, Hungary, by Sturmpanzerabteilung 219 of the 23rd Armoured Division. Like other battlegroups before them, these Sturmpanzer IVs were useful for their intended role, but didn't perform well in combat.

Regardless, German authorities (including Hitler himself) were still impressed with the weapons simply because they provided devastating fire support for a variety of mission requirementsoften softening the target area before the main thrust.

The troops referred to the Sturmpanzer IV simply as "Sturmpanzer" or "Stupa", and the name "Brummbar", meaning "Grizzly", was associated with the machine after the war (the name was adopted by the Bundeswehr itself) . A real downside of this design is that, due to their operating weight (about 28 tons), they have limited off-road capability, making them extremely heavy and slow (top speed is only 25 mph in ideal conditions), and the vehicle turns horribly Trends are set on wet ground. Unfortunately for the Germans, terrain like the Eastern Front was plentiful. Steel tire wheels also replaced later tire tire types to counteract the Sturmpanzer IV's excess weight on stable ground, but with limited impact on handling.

It's a tall vehicle that's difficult to hide off-road, and the limited fighting compartment space means a limited supply of ammunition.

In total, at least 313 Brummbar prototypes were produced, including the command car version equipped with additional communication equipment and identified by its antenna unit. These are called "Conning Tower Paner IV" in German Army nomenclature.

In the years following the war, both the British and the Americans conducted assessments of the captured Brumba.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

38x150mm projectile.

600x7.92mm ammo.

Changes