StuG III Thread (and also other German vehicles I guess)

[Donward]

At least he doesn't call it a Schmeisser instead of a MP40 or a Spandau like the Brits called MG42s.

[EnsignExpendable]

Yeah, that's a weird tradition, in Russian literature anything from a C98 to a Kar98k would be called a "Mauser". You can usually figure out which one it was from context though, but not always.

[Collimatrix]

Has anyone read anything or seen any pictures showing how in the hell you're supposed to change a broken torsion bar on a panther?

 

Mike Green's book has nothing, and I've never seen anything else that might give a hint.

 

In a tank with normal torsion bars, the anchor point of the torsion bar penetrates the hull on the opposite side of the hull from that torsion bar's swing arm.  This means that if the bar breaks it can be pushed through from this side, sliding out the pieces of bar (hopefully they are shrouded in tubes inside the hull) out in the direction of the swing arm.  This picture of the restoration of the Bovington tiger gives some idea of what I'm talking about:

 

 

But the panther doesn't have normal torsion bars.  It has double torsion bars, two per swing arm.  One is attached to the swing arm, while the other is attached to the hull on the swing arm side.  The ends of both torsion bars opposite the swing arm are anchored in a block that does not penetrate the hull side:

 

 

 

So how on earth do you get a broken torsion bar out of a panther?  You can't push the bar through because the torsion bars only penetrate the hull on one side.  You could pull either bar from the swing arm side, but if you pull the bar out the fragment that broke off is going to stay inside the hull.

 

You can't really push the bars out from inside the hull easily because the turret is in the way.

 

Torsion bars wear out and break, just like any other spring.  So they had to have been replaced at some point.  But how?!

[EnsignExpendable]

My guess is a magnet on a stick.

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

Maybe pulling the turret and floor, then weld to broken bar a big plate to hammer it out with. Sorry on phone

[Tied]

They probably have to turn the fucker completely upside down, thankfully your local ISU-152 is more than willing to help in that regard 

[LeuCeaMia]

Considering how little of a priority spare parts were to them, throwaway the entire Panther

 

 

Carius calls T-34-85s "T43s", throughout his book, perhaps the Germans weren't all too well versed in Soviet nomenclature.

 

He might be referring T-34s with hexagonal turrets since he says the "T43" was armed with the same 76.2mm as the "T34".

[Walter_Sobchak]

Probably they just left it alone.  Considering that there are eight suspension stations per side, having one broken probably would not matter all that much?  Other than that, I can't see any alternative other than stripping down the whole freakin hull.  Maybe the answer is in one of those "repairing the panzers" books by  Lukas Friedli?  I don't have a copy since they are a bit pricey and they don't seem to exist in PDF format.  

[EnsignExpendable]

Pimpen mein ride

 

[Walter_Sobchak]

Pimpen mein ride

 

Is that long curvy thing the exhaust pipe or is that an optical illusion?

[Sturgeon]

 

Just for fun, here are the excerpts from "Inside the Third Reich" by Albert Speer regarding tanks.

 

My god... Hitler - was the original Wehraboo!

[Walter_Sobchak]

My god... Hitler - was the original Wehraboo!

Indeed.  The funny thing is that when the Panzer forces were actually winning wars for him he devoted very little resources to them, preferring to spend money on the airforce and navy.  It's not until after the Panzer forces were already spent as a strategic force that Hitler devotes serious resources to them. Hence we get the panzer production programs of 1944, pumping out a crap load of Panther tanks long after it mattered.  

 

Seriously, the Germans managed to produce more AFVs in 1945 than they did in 1941.  For God's sake man, you are invading Russia, build some damn tanks!

[EnsignExpendable]

Poor thing, the shell is flying out of it diagonally

 

[EnsignExpendable]

Good use for a Tiger.

 

[SuperComrade]

"This example was captured by the US Army in Tunisia in early 1943 and is pictured at a display in Washington, DC in February 1944 with two US soldiers dressed in Deutsches Afrikakorps uniforms"

They don't look very happy

[Tied]

"This example was captured by the US Army in Tunisia in early 1943 and is pictured at a display in Washington, DC in February 1944 with two US soldiers dressed in Deutsches Afrikakorps uniforms"

They don't look very happy

 

ofcourse their not happy to be dressed up in nazi attire, they dont let you in the army if your autistic 

[Walter_Sobchak]

ofcourse their not happy to be dressed up in nazi attire, they dont let you in the army if your autistic 

I hope they at least washed those German uniforms before making those poor saps wear them.  I'm figuring uniforms got pretty ripe during the desert campaign.

[SuperComrade]

"The Wehrmacht used several different designations and abbreviations for these vehicles during
the war; indeed the Muller/Zimmerman study has over a page devoted to the many changing
designations. For simplicity’s sake in this book, the abbreviation StuG III and StuH 42 are used
for these two vehicles, although other designations may have been used at the time."

Bloody hell

[SuperComrade]

[EnsignExpendable]

Seeing how well the Panzerwaffe did with wooden tanks, German cavalry tried a similar approach.

 

[EnsignExpendable]

[EnsignExpendable]

 

Edit: ahahaa, the announcer is dishing out some sick burns.

"These planes are so fast, sometimes they fall into our hands straight from the conveyor belt!"
"This plane can't fly up as high, but that's okay, it won't have as far to fall."

"They aimed for Moscow, and they reached their target! 100% accuracy, wheels and all."

"The Germans love to fight lightning fast, soon they will celebrate the five year anniversary of their lightning fast war."

[Donward]

Seeing how well the Panzerwaffe did with wooden tanks, German cavalry tried a similar approach.

 

Joes are the same throughout the world.

[ApplesauceBandit]

Tiger finally got some sloped armor

 

 

I was out antique shopping with a friend about a month back, and the place had a pencil sharpener that reminded me a lot of that.  However, I think it had a Panzer IV turret with the stowage bin and longer 7.5cm, mounted on a Duster hull.

 

That's my baby.  Made it a while back from all the shitposting on Warthunder so I could get mad upvotes.

[LoooSeR]