Sturmtiger
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Sturmtiger_1.jpg
The Tiger-Mörser, 38cm RW61 auf Sturm(panzer)mörser Tiger, or Sturmmörser Tiger, more commonly known as the Sturmtiger or Sturmpanzer VI, was a World War II German assault gun built on the Panzer VI Tiger I chassis armed with a large naval mortar, the 38cm SturmMörser RW61 L/5.4. Its primary task was to provide heavy fire support for infantry units fighting in urban areas. Only 18 were built in total, from battle damaged Tiger tanks.
| Contents |
Development
| General Characteristics (Ausf A) | |
| Length: | 6.28 m |
| Width: | 3.57 m |
| Height: | 2.85 m |
| Weight: | 68 tons |
| Speed: | 40 km/h (road) 24 km/h (off-road) |
| Range: | 120 km |
| Primary armament: | 38 cm RW61 L/5,4 |
| Secondary armament: |
90 mm NbK 39 |
| Power plant: | 600 hp Maybach |
| Crew: | 5 (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator and loader) |
The idea for a heavy infantry support vehicle capable of demolishing heavily defended buildings or fortified areas with a single shot came out of the experiences of the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942. At the time, the Wehrmacht had only the Sturminfanteriegeschütz 33 available, a Sturmgeschütz III variant armed with a 150 mm heavy infantry gun. Twelve of them were lost in the fighting at Stalingrad.
Its succesor, the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär was in production from early 1943, but the Wehrmacht still saw a need for a similar, but heavier armoured and armed vehicle. Therefore a decision was made to create a new vehicle based on the Tiger tank and arm it with a 210 mm howitzer.
However, this weapon turned out not to be available at the time and was therefore replaced by a 380 mm mortar rocket launcher, which was adapted from a Kriegsmarine depth charge launcher.
The first prototype was ready and presented to Adolf Hitler in October 1943. Production was approved in April of 1944, after extensive testing. Between August and December, 18 Sturmtigers were completed. Production was slow partially because the Sturmtigers were built on battle damaged or retired Tiger 1 tanks rather than newly built vehicles.
Design
The sturmtiger was based on the late model Tiger I, keeping its hull and suspension. The front of the Tiger's superstructure was removed to make room for the new fighting compartment housing the rocket launcher/mortar. This was located directly at the front of the vehicle, giving it a boxy appearance.
Compared to the regular Tiger tank, the Sturmtiger was much shorter, only 6.28 metre compared to the Tiger's 8.45 metre, due largely to the fact that it hadn't the protruding main gun of the latter. It also was slightly less tall than the Tiger, 2.85 compared to 3.00 metres.
Armor
Since the Sturmtiger would be used in an urban environment, during close range street fighting operations, it needed to be heavily armoured to survive. Its frontal armour therefore was 150 mm thick, as well as sloped, while its side plates were still some 80 mm thick. This pushed the weight of the vehicle up from the 57 tons of the regular Tiger to some 68 tons.
Weapons
Sturmtiger_4.jpg
The main armament was the 380mm Raketenwerfer 61 L/5.4, a breech loading rocket launcher/mortar, which fired short ranged rocket propelled projectiles. These projectiles were roughly 1.5 metre in length and could either contain a high explosive charge of 125 kg or a shaped charge for use against fortifications, which could penetrate up to some 2.5 metres of (reinforced) concrete. The stated range of the former was 5650 meters. The weight of the complete rounds was 345-351 kilo. A normal charge first accelerated the projectile to 45 m/s, the 40 kg rocketcharge then boosted this to about 250 m/s.
The design of the rocket launcher caused some problems, as the hot rocket exhaust could not be vented into the fighting compartment but neither could the barrel withstand the pressure if the gasses were not vented. Therefore a ring of ventilation shafts were put around the barrel which channelled the exhaust and gave the weapon somewhat of a pepperbox appearance.
Because of the bulkiness of the ammunition, only 14 rounds could be carried, of which one was already loaded, with another in the loading tray. The rest were carried in two storage racks. To help with the loading of ammunition into the vehicle, a loading crane was fitted at the rear of the superstructure, next to the loading hatch. Even then, the entire five man crew had to help with the loading.
At the loading hatch's rear was located the 90 mm NbK 39 Nahverteidigungswaffe ("Near defence weapon"), which was used for close range defence against both armoured vehicles and infantry. This could be used in a 360 degree circle around the vehicle and was basically a short range grenade launcher.
For defence against infantry attacks, there was a mount in the front for a 7.92mm MG34 machine gun.
Combat service
The original role of the Sturmtiger was intended to be as a heavy infantry support vehicle, to help with attacks on heavily fortified or built-up areas. By the time the first Sturmtigers were available however, the situation for Germany had changed for the worse, with the Wehrmacht being almost exclusively on the defensive rather then the offensive.
Three new Panzer companies were raised to operate the Sturmtiger: Panzer Sturmmörser Kompanien (PzStuMrKp) 1000, 1001 and 1002. These originally were supposed to be equipped with fourteen vehicles, but this figure was later reduced to four each, divided into two platoons.
PzStuMrKp 1000 was raised on 13 August 1944 and fought during the Warsaw Uprising with two vehicles, as did the prototype in a separate action, which may have been the only time the Sturmtiger was used in its intended role. PzStuMrKp 1001 and 1002 followed in September and October. Both PzStuMrKp 1000 and 1001 served during the Ardennes Offensive, with a total of seven Sturmtigers.
After this offensive, the Sturmtigers were used in the defence of Germany proper, mainly if not exclusively at the Western front. They proved to be excellent defensive weapons, hard to destroy except by air attack or heavy artillery bombardment. Few Sturmtigers were therefore destroyed by enemy action, with most being destroyed or abandoned by their crews after either a mechanical breakdown or because of fuel shortage.
Two Sturmtigers survived World War II, one being on display at the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum in Germany, the other at the Russian Tank museum in Kubinka.
External links
- Information about the Panzersturmmörser (also known as Sturmtiger) at Panzerworld ()
- Achtung Panzer! - Sturmtiger (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/sttig.htm)
- OnWar (http://www.onwar.com/tanks/germany/tfsturmtiger.htm)
- WWII Vehicles (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/germany/sturmtiger.html)
- The 38cm RW61 auf Sturmmorser Tiger - An Overview and Description (http://members.aol.com/sturmpnzr/sturmi.html)
| German armored fighting vehicles of World War II | |
|---|---|
| Tanks | |
| Panzer I | Panzer II | Panzer III | Panzer IV | Panther | Tiger I, II | Panzer 35(t) | Panzer 38(t) | |
| Self-propelled artillery | |
| Wespe | Hummel | Grille | Panzerwerfer | |
| Assault guns | |
| StuG III | StuG IV | StuH 42 | Brummbär | Sturmtiger | |
| Tank destroyers | |
| Panzerjäger I | Marder I , II , III | Hetzer | Jagdpanzer IV | Jagdpanther | Nashorn | Jagdtiger | Elefant | |
| Armored half-tracks | Armored cars |
| SdKfz 4 | 250 | 251 | 252 | 253 | Sdkfz 221/22/23 | Sdkfz 231/32/34/63 |
| Self propelled anti-aircraft | |
| Flakpanzer IV: Möbelwagen, Wirbelwind, Ostwind, Kugelblitz | Gepard | |
| Prototypes | |
| Maus | P-1000 Ratte | E- series | Panther II | Waffentrager | Neubaufahrzeug | |
| Proposed designs | |
| P-1500 'Monster' | Panzer VII 'Löwe' | Panzer IX | |
| German armored fighting vehicle production during World War II | |