Sturmpanzer ii

It was created in 1940 on the chassis of a light tank Panzerkampfwagen II by Alkett . In 1940, Alkett created a prototype of the 15-cm self-propelled gun sIG 33 on the chassis of the PzKpfw II Ausf tank. B. Initially, a cannon with wheels was placed above the hull of the tank, but this decision was unsuccessful. In the following prototype, from the middle of the year, the cannon without wheels was placed inside the open case and had a shot angle of -1.5 ° to 70 ° vertically and 13 ° horizontally. Tests of the prototype showed that its chassis is overloaded, the engine overheats, and very little space remains inside the case. That is why the Sturpanzer II of the test series received a newly built chassis based on the components of the PzKpfw II, increased by 600 and expanded by 320 mm. The expansion of the chassis forced the addition of a sixth pair of road wheels. To increase the space, the engine was mounted transverse to the housing. Open flaps above the engine improved cooling, but it was not enough in hot climates. The armor was made of 15 mm thick armor plates, only 30 mm in front, and the upper part was open. The ammunition stock was 10 rounds for a 150 mm howitzer (30, according to an older source).

The modifications carried out meant that the chassis of the PzKpfw II tanks withdrawn from service could not be used to create new guns. Despite the expansion of the hull, the space inside it was still too small for a 150 mm gun. Therefore, in December 1941 and January 1942, only 12 copies of the trial series were produced at the Alkett factory. The first 7 self-propelled units were commissioned in December 1941, the remaining 5 - in January 1942. All released Sturmpanzer II distributed on the 707th and 708th batteries of heavy infantry guns, which were sent to the German African Corps. The first to go to the front was the 708th sIG motorized battery. It happened in February 1942. In North Africa, the battery was included in the 90th light division. In April 1942, the 707th motorized battery also entered the 90th light division. They proved to be an unsuccessful design due to the extreme overload of the base chassis. It is not surprising that in Africa 15 cm sIG 33 B Sfl became a source of ongoing headache for crews. Self-propelled guns began to fail even before they entered the battle. At the end of May, the command of the 90th light division reported that both batteries were virtually unworkable. Cars experienced problems with engines and overheated forever. If at least something could be done with the motor, then with low maneuverability, you just had to put up. In a word, this machine was completely unsuitable for North Africa.

By the end of October 1942, out of 12 vehicles, 8 remained in service. After the British launched a counterattack near El Alamein, the not-so-successful fighting career of 15 cm sIG 33 B Sfl completely rolled up quickly. By December 2, all these machines were lost, most of them due to technical reasons. 6 self-propelled guns went to the British at the assembly point of emergency vehicles. Later, several installations appeared in the Egyptian army. The last 15 cm sIG 33 B Sfl was destroyed in 1948 during the Israeli War of Independence.

• TL Jentz. Artillerie Selbstfahrlafetten. 15 cm sIG33 auf Pz.Kpfw.I (ohne Aufbau) to Karl-Geraet (54 cm). - Boyds, MD: Panzer Tracts, 2002 .-- 60 p. - (Panzer Tracts No. 10). - ISBN 0-97084-075-6 .

• Max Rudash. Sturmpanzer II Bison (heavy self-propelled gun) (inaccessible link - history , copy ) . Achtung Panzer !, 1999-2012.
• George Parada. Sturmpanzer II Bison Achtung Panzer !, 1996-2006.