The mobile assault gun and tank destroyer were very much WWII designs that did not last all that much past that conflict. The Germans developed the assault gun (StuG) to be a vehicle that would be in direct support of the infantry. Unlike artillery, which provided indirect support, the StuG was designed to accompany infantry units and would be useful in taking out pillboxes, machine gun nests and other fixed fortifications. It might also be useful to destroy enemy tanks as it waited in ambush for the unsuspecting enemy. It was not designed to get into running battles with enemy tanks. This was because the field of fire for the StuG was quite limited and one had to generally aim the vehicle in the direction one wanted to shoot. However, its low profile made it easy to hide and that lack of a turret meant that it could be built much cheaper than a standard tank.

In common with dedicated Jagdpanzers (tank destroyers), the StuG was built on extant tank chassis. In this case it was primarily the Panzer III, though later the Panzer IV and the Panzer 38(t) were used for assault guns. It had to have a pretty robust chassis to handle the large guns these usually carried and to provide enough room for the crew and ammunition. The StuG was one of the Heer's success stories during WWII as they proved to be very effective tank killers due to their low profile and powerful gun. Similar vehicles were equipped with a howitzer as the StuH 42 and they were equally well suited to infantry support, but not that effective against tanks due to the design of the gun.

On the other side of the pond, the US army wanted a dedicated mobile tank destroyer. It would have the punch to knock out enemy tanks, but was not designed to fight it out as it had only enough turret armor to withstand small arms fire. It was also open topped so the crew was still at risk from falling shot. Several chassis were tested including half-tracks and trucks, but it was finally realized that the 3 inch gun it carried needed something more robust and the M4 Sherman chassis was chosen. Even then, there were issues with the turret as the 3 inch gun made it very heavy on the front so a 3,000 pound counterweight was tacked onto the back of the turret. This was later reduced to a bit over 2,000 pounds.

As a tank destroyer, it was not that effective. It was rather high so difficult to hide in ambush. It also had to be successful with one or two shots or it would be blown to pieces by return fire. Where it was effective was in infantry support. Like the StuG, it could handle infantry defensive positions and had the benefit of a moving turret. It could also be used if enemy armor showed up before it high-tailed it to keep from being destroyed thanks to the thin armor in the turret.

The M10 was so initially ineffective that after limited use in Tunisia, it was not chosen to be used in the Sicily campaign. Much of its lack of effectiveness is because commanders did not know how to use it. Some commanders in Italy figured out that it was quite welcome in infantry support where a tank of any sort was a major morale booster to the boots on the ground. This was also the case in northwestern Europe.

Eventually the US Army decided that the tank destroyer was a dead end and if you wanted a tank-like vehicle, then use a tank. They quickly disappeared. The assault gut did not go away so quickly and several nations used StuGs and similar vehicles for quite a few years after the war.

Steven Zaloga does his usual sterling work in telling the story of these vehicles. This includes the reason for them, the development of the type and a look at those versions that were used in combat. These vehicles rarely came upon each other in combat, but several instances have been chosen to show how well they did work when used in the front lines. Replete with good quality period photos as well as some excellent art work to help out, it makes for a great addition to Osprey's Duel line of books.

September 2013

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