StuG III Ausf. G User's Guide

The Tank Destroyer

The Sturmgeschütz (or StuG for short) was originally conceived by General Erich von Manstein who wanted a tracked assault gun to knock out pill-boxes and other fortifications.  On June 15 1936, the order was given to Daimler-Benz AG to develop and produce an armored infantry support vehicle mounting 75mm gun.  The gun was to have a limited traverse of minimum 25 degrees in order to provide direct support up to 6 kilometers. The gun was to be mounted in a superstructure that provided full protection for the crew. The height of this vehicle was not to exceed the height of an average man.  Based on the Panzer III chassis already in production, the first StuG III's saw action in France, 1940.  

After the Battle of France and experiences in Russia versus heavy Soviet tanks it was decided that Germany need a cheap but effective tank destroyer.  The StuG III was a good choice since it was already in production and crews were familiar with the vehicle, so mid-war StuGs traded in their short barrel 75mm StuK 37 for the longer StuK 42.  The new gun was more than double the length of the one it replaced, producing a much higher muzzle velocity and therefore greater armor penetration.  It was also a very accurate weapon, able to strike targets at 2000 meters or greater.  Approximately 7720 StuG III Ausf. G's were produced from December 1942 until the end of the war.  Historically StuGs were fitted with a MG-34 machinegun and schurzen (side armor plates) but they are conspicuously absent in WWII Online.

For more information about the StuG III Ausf. G and other WWII equipment, please visit the main portion of my website and search for them under the appropriate heading.

Crew Positions

Position 1 is the Driver.

Position 2 is the Commander.

Position 3 is the Gunner.

Position 4 is the Loader & Radio Operator

 Armor Protection

Front View

Rear View

Position 1 - The Driver

The driver starts the StuG's engines by hitting the e key on the keyboard.  After they've been started the transmission is set in the forward gear position by default, but can be changed by hitting the r key.  To change gears the player must use the [ and ] keys.  To increase or decrease your engine's horsepower use your joystick's y-axis (forwards and backwards).  To steer left and right, use your joystick's x-axis (side-to-side).  Use your number pad on your keyboard to look around in a 300 degree arc.  Hitting the del key on your number pad will switch to the periscope view, but only if you've already his the o key to deploy the periscope and close the vision slit.  The Ins key on your keyboard's number pad will show you your instruments.

You'll find these same basic operations for all land vehicles in World War II Online.

Driver's View (Open Vision Slit)

Driver's View (Closed Vision Slit / Deployed Periscope)

Driver's Periscope View (1x Magnification)

Driver's Guages

Position 2 - The Commander

The StuG's commander is similar to those of other vehicles.  He begins "buttoned up" (all hatches closed) and with a view of the inside of the tank.  To see outside he can be deployed/un-deployed using the o key on your keyboard.  Once the commander is deployed he is vulnerable to enemy fire, but he can also hear and see things around the StuG much better.  To use his binoculars, press the del key to toggle between levels of magnification.  Unlike the commanders of most other vehicles, the StuG's commander has the ability to determine range - an extremely powerful and useful advantage.  To do this he must be in his binocular view and align the desired target with the crosshairs, then press the r key on the keyboard.  In eight seconds the targets estimated range will appear in the text box at the bottom of your screen.

Commander's View (Un-deployed)

Commander's View (Deployed)

Binocular View (With the crosshairs aligned on the target and range determined.)

Position 3 - The Gunner

The 75mm StuK 42 L / 48 main gun is at the front of the tank, slightly offset to the right.  To fire the StuG's main gun it must first be deployed by opening the top hatch and setting up the periscope, which is done by hitting the d key on your keyboard.  Aside from a small exterior graphics difference there is no difference from the internal perspective of the tank.  Unlike the StuG III Ausf. B the Ausf. G does not expose the gunner to danger when deployed since only the sighting periscope is raised.

You can fire the main gun by hitting your joystick's primary fire button or the f key on your keyboard.  This gun can be traversed 20° from the center of the tank in either direction .  The player can switch to the gun-sight view by hitting the del key on your keyboard's number pad, and there are 2 levels of magnification. The sight's range can be adjusted by using the page-up and page-down key.  The minimum range setting is 10 meters and the maximum is 3600 meters.  If you cannot see the range indicator, press the ~ to toggle it on or off.  To switch between armor piercing and high explosive ammunition use the backspace key.

To hit the target of who's range you've already determined using the commander, adjust the range on the gun-sight appropriately, then put the large triangle in the center of the sight on the target.  Due to shot dispersion, your first attempt my not result in a hit.  Also, the ballistics for HE and AP ammunition is different, and small adjustments to the sight maybe be needed to insure accuracy when switching between the two.

The StuGIII Ausf. G carries 40 armor-piercing, and 15 high-explosive rounds.  Penetration data in WWII Online is a closely guarded secret since a lot of research has been done at the expense of CRS.  However, the most common accepted information for gamers in recent history has been "WWII Ballistics - Armor and Gunnery" by Lorrin Rexford Bird and Robert D. Livingston.  They list the following data for the 7.5cm StuK 42 L / 48 gun firing against rolled homogenous armor plate:

Gunner's View (Un-deployed)

An external look at the periscope hatch closed (un-deployed) and open (deployed).

Gunner's Gun-sight View (Minimum Magnification)

Gunner's Gun-sight View (Maximum Magnification)

An AP rounds has been fired at the target and hit dead center at 1000 meters.

Position 4 - The Loader & Radio Operator

This position currently has no player function in this game.  He can be killed, although it does not affect the radio functions of the tank, nor does is prevent rounds from being re-loaded.

The Loaders & Radio Operator's View

The StuG III Ausf. G in WWII Online Combat

With the exception of the Tiger, the StuG III Ausf. G is the best tank killing Axis vehicle in the game.  It can engage almost any Allied vehicle at ranges beyond 1500 meters and still score kills on frontal armor.  Only the heavy British Churchill tanks can withstand their fire at long ranges.  To compliment this long range killing ability the StuG also has very thick front armor, more than enough to stop a British 6 Pounder (or French 57mm M1) shot at around 500 meters.  The 75mm guns found on the Churchill VII and M4A2 Sherman can only hope to penetrate at less than 600 meters from the front.  The M10 Wolverine, the StuG's Allied counterpart, can kill a StuG at about a 1000 meters, so be mindful of them.  Earlier weapons like the 37mm found on the M3A3 Stuart and the British 40mm 2 Pounder have no chance for a frontal penetration.

Unfortunately for the StuG its protection is only good up front and stops abruptly on the sides.  Almost any Allied AFV can kill a StuG from the side or rear, even at long range.  Also, for reasons unknown to the author, the StuG is missing its machinegun which makes it extremely vulnerable to enemy infantry.  Sappers and British rifle-grenadiers can kill a StuG very easily, so make sure you have friendly troops nearby at all times.  The last liability is its limited traverse of only 40° which means you'll have to move the entire vehicle in order to acquire some targets.  Because of these reasons you should always engage your enemies at very long ranges where its weaknesses are less of a liability.  Any StuG that moves for close action is trading away all its benefits and is putting itself in grave danger.

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