Was the Sturmtiger ever used in combat?

A Sturmtiger in the German town of Drolshagen. The Sturmtiger (‘Assault Tiger’) was an assault gun used by the Germans during World War II. It was built to support troops fighting in towns and cities. They were effective in close combat with armored vehicles and infantry, and provided heavy firepower.

How long did it take to load a Sturmtiger?

Once on the tray, four soldiers could then push it into the breech to load it. The whole process took 10 minutes per shot from loading, aiming, elevating to firing. The rounds were huge and only 12 rounds could be carried internally on the 6 racks provided, stacked three high and two deep on each side.

Is the Sturmtiger a tank?

The Sturmtiger’s Weapon The Army was impressed with its potential against fortifications, and after further development decided to fit it to a tank chassis to produce a Sturmgeschütz (‘Assault gun’, armoured vehicles with a primary role of providing fire support to the infantry).

How did they load the Sturmtiger?

As both rounds weighed 345kg, they were far too heavy to be handled manually. Loading them into the Sturmtiger was done with a small crane. Inside the vehicle the crew moved the rounds into the breech ready for firing using a loading tray fitted with rollers.

What was the purpose of the Sturmtiger?

The Sturmtiger was intended to serve as a heavy infantry support vehicle, rendering assistance with attacks on heavily fortified or built-up areas.

What is the difference between a tiger and a Sturmtiger?

This was located directly at the front of the vehicle, giving it a boxy appearance. Compared to the Tiger tank, the Sturmtiger was much shorter overall, only 6.28 m (20 ft 7 in) compared to the Tiger’s 8.45 m (27 ft 9 in), due largely to the fact that it did not have the long main gun of the latter which protruded far in front of the hull.

What happened to the turret on the Sturmtiger?

For the Sturmtiger, the turret was removed, as was the roof of the hull over the fighting compartment. Further, the driver’s plate was mostly gone, with the top half of it cut-off across the full width. Replacing all of this was a large flat-sided box containing all the crew and the main gun.

Why was the rtg38 used in the Sturmtiger?

It was the RTG38 which formed the basis of the weapon in the Sturmtiger. With a range of 3,000 m, it had originally been planned for use in coastal installations by the Kriegsmarine firing depth-charges against submarines. For use in a vehicle, it was to find use as a demolition gun and had to be modified for that role.