The Sturmtiger (German: "Assault Tiger")[1] was an self-propelled gun/heavy assault gun that was used by Germany during World War II. It was based on the chassis of the Panzer VI Tiger. The official German designation was Sturmmörserwagen 606/4 mit 38 cm RW 61.[1]
It is designed to support infantry while engaging in an urban area. Indeed, it was first saw action during the Warsaw Uprising where it's main weapon had prove it's worth to destroy buildings. Thus, the city was reduced to rubble. It continued to see service in the Ardennes Forest and Germany until 1945.
Description[]
Its main armament was a 380 mm naval rocket launcher and it also had an MG 34 mounted in the hull. The main gun had an elevation ranging from 0 degrees to +85 degrees.[2] The Sturmtiger had a crew of five along with a FuG 5 type radio. It could carry up to fourteen naval rockets and up to 800 rounds of machine gun ammunition.
The frontal armor thickness was over 150 mm while the sides were a littler over 81 mm. It also had a gasoline-powered, Maybach HL 210 P45 Engine capable of propelling the Sturmtiger at speeds of up to 40 km/h.[2] The transmission type was eight speeds forward, four speeds reverse while the suspension system type was torsion bar.
The total weight of the Sturmtiger was approximately 61,688.5 kg while the total length was 6.3 meters. The height was also 3.4 meters and the width was 3.5 meters. The maximum range of the naval rocket was about 5,900 meters while the loading time of one was ten minutes.[2] To aid in the loading, most vehicles were equipped with a small, hand-operated crane.
The maximum range of the vehicle itself however was about 120 kilometers. The fuel capacity of the Sturmtiger was about 540 liters. Due to the volatile nature of the gases emitted from the naval rocket, the muzzle was fitted with extensive ventilation shafts in order to keep the crew safe.
History[]
The Sturmtiger was designed in 1943 and entered production in 1944. It was designed to become a heavier infantry support vehicle for urban environments than already existing models.[3] A method for quicker production that was used was the usage of damaged Panzer VI Tiger chassis rather than creating ones from scratch. Throughout the war, only about twenty were ever made and they saw combat in several battles/conflicts. These include the Battle of the Bulge and the Warsaw Uprising. A vehicle that was very similar to the Sturmtiger in purpose for development and design was the SdKfz 166 Brummbär.
References[]
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