Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär

The Sturmpanzer IV, also known as the Sturmpanzer 43 or Sd.Kfz. 166, was a German heavy assault gun built on the Panzer IV chassis to give infantry direct fire support, especially in towns. Alkett designed it. The tank's upper hull and turret were replaced by a sloped armoured casemate carrying a 15 cm Sturmhaubitze 43 L/12 developed by Skoda, which fired the same shells as the heavy infantry gun sIG 33 and carried 38 rounds with separate propellant cartridges. Production began in April 1943 and just over 300 were built in four series, with the later series lightening the gun and reworking the superstructure because the early vehicles were too heavy for the chassis and often broke down. Allied intelligence called it Brummbär, meaning grouch, a name the Germans never used; their own nickname was Stupa. Four independent battalions fought with it at Kursk, Anzio, in Normandy and in the Warsaw Uprising, and four vehicles survive in museums.