StuG 40 Ausf. F – the German self-propelled assault gun

In 1935 General E. Manstein proposed the formation of assault artillery units, armed with self-propelled devices on tracked chassis. According to this proposal, on the tank Pz. Kpfw. III Ausf. B chassis 5 prototype machines were produced in 1937. The production of the Null-Serie was intended for the practical verification of the theoretical use of combat assault artillery. Machines of this series were not used in combat conditions. The first mass-produced vehicles were the StuG III Ausf. A. They are built on the tank Pz. Kpfw. III Aust. F chassis. Later modifications of the device (Ausf B-E) differed in small elements and were adapted to the changing combat situation on the fronts. Only during the invasion in the USSR did it become clear, that these guns could not compete as equals with the better armed and armored Soviet tanks T-34/76 and KV-1. German designers were tasked with quickly leveling the superiority of Soviet armored vehicles. Already at the end of 1941, new self-propelled assault units StuG 40 Ausf. F, armed with cannon 7.5 cm StuK 40L/43 or L/48 (version F/8), began to drive from German factory lines to the front. These units had the same body, as the E versions, the only change being the installation of an electric fan in the upper part of the turret. F version machines were produced in the frames of the sixth series from September 1942. In total the “Alket” plant produced 364 StuG 40 Ausf. F. The first unit, armed with these devices, was the Armored Grenadier Division "Grosdeutchland". 4 guns were used for the production of prototypes of the self-propelled howitzer StuG 42. The last modification of these devices was the StuG 40 Ausf. G, of which 7834 units were produced.

The model is quite complex, intended for intermediate and advanced modelers. Model without internal equipment, without engine and control compartment detailing. Perfectly detailed chassis and exterior elements, the model is painted with two-color camouflage and depict the appearance of a 191 StuGAbt. used machine the StuG 40 Ausf. F, that fought on the East