ROOSEVELT ORDER FREEZES WAGES AND PRICES AND BARS SHIFTING OF JOBS FOR HIGHER PAY (4/9/43)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 4/9/43 | W.H. Lawrence, Frank L. Kluckhohn, Sidney Shalett

[henkster]

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a Hummel for several reasons:

1. The Hummel was armed with the 150mm sFH 18/1 L/30, and the Soviet report is pretty clear that the “storm artillery” had a 75mm. That would also rule out the Wespe, which had the 105mm piece.

2. The Hummel only carried 18 rounds, not the 56 which is listed in the article. The number listed in the article is exactly the same as the StuG III.

3. Only eight Hummels have entered service in March, followed by 46 in April, during a period when the panzer divisions are advancing in Ukraine. I doubt the Soviets had the opportunity to get their hands on one.

4. The Hummels were exclusively issued to panzer divisions as their mobile indirect fire artillery, and not intended for use as direct fire combat weapons. The article makes it appear that the fighting vehicle in question is attached to infantry units as mobile direct fire support, which is how the Germans used the StuG, even though it was administratively part of the artillery branch of the Wehrmacht.

You are right though in pointing out that the Germans certainly did use a lot of different types of fighting vehicles. Not until 1944 when Speer takes full control of the armaments industry will the Germans really settle on a few basic designs, and even then they will continue use of a plethora of chassis and weapons systems. Maintenance and supply of such a hodge-podge of weapons systems has to be a logistical nightmare.

Looking at the article again, I’m pretty sure we are dealing with a StuG III F, as the G version hasn’t been delivered in quantity yet. The Soviets are releasing this information after having analyzed the vehicle themselves for several months. The short-barrelled A and B versions have been around for a while, but the F version with the 75mm L48 gun is a problem for the T-34, and is a “new thing” on the Eastern Front which the Soviets will notice.

One other interesting thing about the article is the reassurance that the Soviet 45mm antitank gun can knock it out. If our ordinance officers take this at face value, they will conclude that the American 57mm antitank gun is still an effective battlefield weapon. Next year, it won’t be.

[henkster]

There are probably some old timers around here who know what the connection is between the Noblesville Wainwrights and the General.

[TiaS]

Thanks for sharing.