Sturmgeschütz III Assault Gun 1940-42 (New Vanguard) [Paperback]

Hilary Doyle (Author), Peter Sarson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: New Vanguard | Publication Date: April 15, 1996

The workhorse of the German Army that swept across Poland, France and Russia, the Sturmgeschütz III saw service in all theatres of World War II, both in an infantry support role and as a tank destroyer. Cheaper and quicker to produce than a tank, the assault gun proved a remarkably effective weapon. Its design and development, production, capabilities and operational history are all closely examined, as is its tactical employment and organisation into units. This book uses original German combat and experience reports to show how the Sturmgeschütz fared in action, whilst also providing information on both retrofitted and production modifications.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Hilary Louis Doyle, born 1943, has written numerous books on AFV's including the Encylopedia of German Tanks. Hilary lives in Dublin with his wife and three children. Tom Jentz, born in 1946, is one of the World's leading AFV researchers and is best known for the Encyclopaedia of German Tanks. Tom lives in Maryland with his German wife and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing; 1st Ed. (U.S.) edition (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855325373
• ISBN-13: 978-1855325371
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad if you get it on discount, February 8, 2006

By 

William A. Hensler (Holt, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sturmgeschütz III Assault Gun 1940-42 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

Personally I like the looks of the small, squat Sturmgeschütz III. I build models of it and decided to pick this book up.

This book covers the development, design modifications, and employment of the vehicle. Some of the color plates are quite nice. I used them as a painting guide. I highly recommend the book just for that.

Another nice touch in the book was an anti-tank gunners guide for use against tanks of other nations. Example, it gives areas of how a Sturmgeschütz III can knock out a T-34, KV-1, or a Matilda tank. The amazing thing is the Germany army did so well with this vehicle. It says more about their soldiers' training than the vehicle itself.

The book gives some problems with the vehicle. The driver's and gunner's vision ports look like gutters on the early models and act like bullet sumps. You have to wonder how many people were injured or killed until the Germans welded bullet deflectors in the vision gutters.

However, the book is like most Osprey books, it's small. I got the book on discount and it's a fair reference. It's not as detailed as other books on German armor. Well, I paid only $7 for the book and didn't expect that much.

Generally, the book is a fair deal. You get a break down of how the vehicle was developed, what the production run was, many 1/76 scale drawings, a few pages of pain schemes, and the final fate of these vehicle (most were wrecked in Russia).

The book deserves three stars. It's small, has good information, and no obvious errors. It loses stars because it could be bigger.