Very cool. This vehicle also shows upgrades done in 1941 before the invasion of Russia -- drive sprockets widened with a spacer ring and the corresponding 400mm tracks and roadwheels (replacing the earlier 380mm ones). Therefore it may appear, at a glance, to be an Ausfürung B, but you can tell the base vehicle is still an Ausfürung A due to the spacing of the return rollers and the configuration of the roof hatches forward of the commander. It also has the transmission hatches with external locks, which may have been an upgrade to the vehicle or simply the only part available during restoration.
JASON. Thank you. That is the first time I've heard anyone using the correct term ''casemate'' (and hull). So often many ''experts'' refer to AFV's as having a ''chassis'' and ''superstructure''. You're a real tankee! 🙂
Well for example, a standard WWII tank does have a superstructure. It's the extension of the hull above the mudguards and bow/transmission plate...onto which the turret sits. But for a turretless vehicle such as this assault gun, there is no turret so the superstructure is correctly called the casemate as it houses the gun now 😊
The Australian Armour museum has a really beautiful collection of well maintained vehicles! As a Canadian I'm jealous of how much you've guys have been able to acquire and keep in such splendid condition!
My colleague here in Germany said the StuG of all variants were the most mass produced vehicle made during ww2.. Imagine the rarity of this one knowing it is the only surviving first model..
Most of the StuGs produced were the long-barrelled F/F-8/G variants. IIRC, less than a 1000 of the Ausf. A-E variants were produced, and some of those got upgunned later.
As always Jason bloody awesome. You know your stuff and I love learning from you mate. You always tell a great yarn and seem to say the right stuff. I gotta get up to Cairns asap.
So happy to know you guys had Stg3 A in the collection. I really want to see the detail of gunner's sight opening. War time photos never tell me how they closed that opening !.🤔
I work in the (British) Army Flying Museum in Middle Wallop, Hampshire, UK and we have just installed the first UK Apache Mark 1 attack helicopter to enter a museum in Europe. One of my best friends is an Australian flying instructor who taught me on the Gazelle back in 1981-82. He went onto become the Director of Australian Army Aviation and retired as a general. I saw him in Sydney for dinner in Feb this year. We do not generally have to do as much restoration as Oz Armour for our exhibits but reckon you do as good a job or better than the Tank Museum at Bovington, UK. keep it up please. All the best.
fantastic exhibit - one of my first 1:35 scale German tanks was a Sturmgeschutz when i was a kid (still a big kid today) would love to see one up close and personal - to own one must be pretty epic!
Fantastic this Unit is Saved, Unbelievable that is here in Australia & I may get to see it, Sadly I referred to these as the Pig-Nosed Panther, but only in war games ..😀
When you first learn about WW2 Tanks you are impressed of all these TIgers, IS2 , Sturmtigers and what not....but it is quite interesting that buggers like these had the most bang for a buck by far.
@@janreznak881 lmao did you just say the Germans weren’t the baddies? I mean sure not everyone makes it their decision to fight for their country but damn they could’ve pulled a Russia and surrendered but they continued fighting
Thanks for another superb video. I am a great admirer of the excellent work done by all the team. I was in Cairnes a few years ago and regret I did not know about Oz Armour then or I would certainly have visited. Keep up the great work and thanks again.
Fantastic!!! Thanks for the details. You guys are top-notch. The thing that really astounds me is your capability to remanufacture parts for the collection. A definite place to visit. Regards, Bert
yeah 3D metal printing and 3D scanning has come a long way and there's little you cannot reproduce and in even better quality today. As long as you want to pay for it :-)
Outstanding restoration! I've been involved in this type of work. Where detail down to the style of welds where just as prominent as the fabrication in order to maintain authenticity of restoration. Very impressive.!!
In the old Continental halls in my birthtown Hannover, they built Jagdpanther until the end. The end, in this case, was an SS-detachment that was sent from the eastern front to scratch together what armored vehicles they could get their hands on and bumped into the US-Army west of the city. When they came through Hannover, which was at that point already in the process of being secured by the US-Army with little to no armed resistance, the SS went straight to the factory, grabbed every Jagdpanther that could already drive and shoot and tried to punch their way theough to the southeast. They got 100 km or so before they got destroyed. In the old assembly hall of Continental, there is now a bicycle shop, Stadler. And the big steel-beam columns still bear the scars of that battle. Pockmarked by machine gun fire. And in one or two places, there are golfball sized holes punched/molten right through the multi-layered steel-beams, where likely an AP-Tank round hit. This really caught me off guard, when i was looking for a bicycle.
I watched a guy in England on youtube restore a Stug III D captured in N Africa I can't remember his name but it was cool I think he used a FV engine for power cant remember which FV model it was. That got me into watch youtube restoration vids.
Given the fact all British tanks were riveted. You would think if the rivets sheared off inside a British tank the rivets killed the tank crew. So clearly Germany did research blowing up tanks before deciding welding was much stronger and there were less parts flying around inside when it got hit with a tank or artillery round. Or as they say - the British made their tanks the "Vickers" way, meaning the Vickers company did what they felt was right. And it looks like a lot of British tanks were never tested in the areas they were expected to operate in. And it seem the British made a lot useless tanks - and got away with naming them after Churchill, so they could just sell them. Interesting point, the British found when they took Tobruk, in Egypt. The Germans left behind a re-barreling system for re-doing their tank and artillery gun barrels in the field. Which the British never worked out until much later on what it was used for.
The STUG III (G version) has proven itself very well against T34s, but its production was started late It was much cheaper than producing a tank, thanks to its fast speed and 75mm gun, it was considered an effective tank hunter, although it could be fired from the side easily and its aiming was a bit difficult because it did not have a movable gun turret 10,000 units were manufactured by the Germans during the Second World War The Hungarian "43M Zrinyi" armored assault gun, modeled after the German Stug, with a 105 mm gun and 75 mm armor, which was perhaps even better than all the other German Stug versions, only started production late, only 61 of them were made
Not necessarily. Vehicles equipped with the early 380mm tracks (StuG A, Pz III A-G, Pz IV A-D) were generally refitted for the wider 400mm tracks and corresponding roadwheels before the invasion of Russia in 1941. This vehicle still has the early 380mm sprocket with round lightening holes, but has a spacer ring added to mount the wider tracks. It also has the wider roadwheels to run in these tracks Refitting all vehicles this way simplified logistics of course, and also increased floatation. Only a 400mm sprocket could be fitted with winterketten or tracks with ice cleats too.
I've seen videos of the Russians pulling WWII vehicles out of the Rivers and wetlands. It's amazing how good they are preserved. Not to mention how good they are at locating and recovery. Especially the Divers and heavy equipment operator's. It's a regular time capsule
Let’s face it the Germans lost the greater bulk of their Panzers in Russia. And the areas close to the vast Pripet marshes are notorious for their boggy terrain.
I wonder if THAT BUILDING IS THE REPRESENTATIVE ONE from 1937 , which you show there. Daimler- Benz is not any backyard- blacksmith as YOU want to foist with showing this building.
How does an eastern front combat vehicle end up clear the hell in Australia right past all the countries that actually fought there?Was there a deal struck?If its the only one you would think one of the combatant countries would have pursued owning it.