At first glance, the Sturmtiger looks like a bloated Tiger 1 tank with an equally comical
short barrel mounted on top.
However, the self-propelled assault gun was an overwhelming fortification destroyer and
a promising solution that would make the German Blitzkrieg even more terrifying.
With armor plates as thick as 150 millimeters and shooting shells weighing over 800 pounds,
the unstoppable behemoth was impervious to almost every conventional weapon on the battlefield.
But its development was actively racing against the might of the Allied offensive throughout
every front, and German engineers fought to deploy the motorized gun before it was too
late.
When it finally reached the battlefront, its capabilities proved astounding, taking three
US Sherman tanks out of action and even razing entire building blocks to the ground.
The Sturmtiger was ready to leave its mark on history…
Self-Propelled Juggernaut
Ever since their inception, tanks were concocted as a way to strike heavily reinforced positions
from a protected and mobile platform.
The first time tanks were used in a major conflict, the US showed the primitive Renault
FT could achieve just that when they became vital in storming the fortified German positions
across the Saint-Mihiel salient.
But soon, the war evolved, and tanks started encountering other tanks on the battlefield.
Their primary function then shifted from engaging fortified positions to dealing with the enemy
while providing cover to infantry fighters.
With time, however, the original purpose of the tank would resurface as a specialized
vehicle designed to obliterate even the most robust ramparts.
The idea was simple: take a large artillery gun and mount it into a heavy tank.
Thus, odd yet devastating machines such as the Sturmtiger were born.
As one of the prime examples of the self-propelled assault guns of World War 2, the 65-ton metal
beast was a unique contraption attained by placing a colossal 380-millimeter RW 61 rocket
launcher into the chassis of a Tiger I battle tank.
The result was a strange, almost comical-looking combat vehicle; however, its ability to deal
damage was anything but humorous.
Its main gun was initially designed as a naval depth charge launcher modified to serve as
a land artillery solution.
The payload was launched via a two-stage rocket propellent system; the first smaller charge
expelled the projectile a short distance, just enough to clear the barrel.
After this, a more powerful solid fuel charge would detonate, sending the enormous 800-pound
shell across distances of up to four miles away.
The result was a devastating solution that could penetrate even the most reinforced military
fortifications used by the enemy.
In fact, the projectile could pierce up to eight feet of reinforced concrete, making
it almost impossible for an enemy position to prevail after being struck by one of the
Sturmtiger’s devastating shells.
At a Price
The raw devastation caused by the Sturmtiger came at a considerable price, something that
had to be accounted for in tactical assessments.
For one, the motorized gun could only carry a maximum of 14 projectiles, which meant carrying
one of the shells inside the breech.
More often than not, the vehicles would go into battle equipped with only 13 rounds,
and every shot had to be carefully planned beforehand to guarantee an adequate performance.
The shells’ size and weight also made the reloading extraordinarily cumbersome and slow.
It required the concerted effort of all four crewmembers and a specialized crane mounted
on the rear deck.
The excruciating process took around ten minutes at the hands of an experienced crew.
As such, the gun had no way of firing one shot after another, and most of the time,
it would fire once and then change position and tactics before firing again.
The Sturmtiger also had to retreat after each shot because of the enormous risk of being
spotted.
The two-charge detonation left a significant trail of fire, smoke, and fumes easily detectable
from a long distance.
Nevertheless, the problem was compounded by the way the Sturmtiger dealt with the gasses
released during the first combustion.
As the first charge was triggered inside the barrel, the gasses could not be released into
the crew compartment as it would poison the vehicle’s operators.
Holding the fumes inside the barrel until it was clear was also not an option as the
pressure was massive, and it could risk blowing up the entire short barrel.
To solve the issue, the gun’s barrel was fitted with a series of small perforations
surrounding the central barrel opening.
The gasses expelled by the initial detonation were turned back inside the barrel and released
through those smaller openings ensuring the pressure inside the gun was never too great.
Nevertheless, the sudden release of fumes on top of the second charge detonation made
for a spectacular burst of light, fire, and smoke, making the firing Sturmtiger much more
accessible to locate than other artillery solutions.
Because of this, it became standard practice for the Sturmtigers’ operators to move to
a safer position after firing a shell.
Thick Protection
Despite its operating shortcomings, the Sturmtiger carried a tremendous firepower capability
inside an extremely fortified armored vehicle.
Like many tank hunter hull designs of the time, the Sturmtiger was manufactured with
a casemate-style exterior design with a sloping front glacis plate that would allow most enemy
projectiles to be deflected on impact instead of penetrating the armor.
But even if the projectile managed to pierce the inclined surface, it would be almost impossible
to penetrate the 150-millimeter-thick reinforced plates mounted on the front of the vehicle.
This configuration significantly upgraded Tiger 1’s 100-millimeter frontal armor plate.
In the rest of the vehicle, the armor thickness ranged from 60 to 100 millimeters depending
on the vulnerability of the vehicle’s components being protected and the likelihood of an enemy
attack striking that location.
All in all, the Sturmtiger was a fortified behemoth that was mainly invulnerable to most
enemy weapons from other artillery guns.
Even the mighty T-34 Soviet battle tank and its 76.2-millimeter gun could not pierce through
the frontal armor plates of the self-propelled German mortar.
And it would often take a lucky shot from the late-coming T-34-85 Soviet battle tank’s
upgraded 85-millimeter main gun to stand a chance against the unyielding defenses of
the Sturmtiger.
If any infantry troops dared get close to the self-propelled gun to plant explosives
or sabotage the tracks, the crew inside the vehicle could also defend themselves with
the help of the MG34 machine gun mounted at the front of the unit.
This crew consisted of the driver, the gunner, the loader, and the commander.
The loader, who would not be required to load shells at all times, was also entrusted with
the tasks of a radioman and the operator of the anti-infantry frontal machine gun.
Proving Its Worth
The Sturmtiger was designed as an offensive weapon capable of moving as fast as other
armored units while supporting infantry as they advanced into heavily built-up enemy
territories.
The gun was built to destroy enemy fortifications, forcing them to rout into the muzzles of the
assaulting infantry and panzer divisions.
Nevertheless, by the time the Sturmtiger blasted into the scene during the last months of the
war, Germany was not doing much attacking, instead fighting a defensive war on most fronts.
A couple of prototype units were hastily rushed into the battlefront during the Warsaw uprising
of 1944, where the vehicle was an ideal solution to deal with the heavy enemy resistance hiding
in dense urban areas and reinforced buildings.
Although their numbers hindered any battle-defining actions, the prototype Sturmtiger was reported
to perform more than adequately in supporting the German infantry as it fought off the Polish
resistance.
Numerous buildings in Warsaw had been razed to the ground thanks to the overpowering firepower
of the Sturmtiger, and the Polish fighter did not have the capacity to counter the heavily
armored vehicle.
After its crucial role in the Warsaw uprising, the Sturmtiger would go on to see action in
more significant numbers in the final Wehrmacht efforts to defend Germany.
The End of the War
After being put into a position for which it had not been intended, the self-propelled
gun was of little significance in the fight against the Allied rush to Berlin.
As a defensive weapon, its cumbersome nature and low accuracy made it nearly useless.
Even so, during the battle for the bridge at Remagen, German forces deployed seven Sturmtigers
to help in the defensive efforts.
However, when the time to blow up the bridge came, the Sturmtigers proved incapable of
accomplishing their task, as their lousy accuracy prevented their guns from hitting the structure.
Despite their failure, one of the units is credited with achieving an incredible feat
during the fierce battle.
According to German reports, a Sturmtiger operating near Düren allegedly hit a group
of Sherman tanks stationed at a village with a 380-millimeter round, destroying three of
them with a single shot.
The extraordinary feat is still highly debated, and it was never confirmed by the Allied authorities.
However, there’s no question the mighty Sturmtiger had the power and range needed
to accomplish such a formidable accomplishment.
Ultimately, the weapon was an impressive concept that showed remarkable promise as a devastating
mobile platform for offensive operations.
Its limited combat experience showed that it had the potential to be a game changer
for the Wehrmacht, but it arrived too late…
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