WAK EXTRA01-2008 Niemieckie Działo Szturmowe Sturmtiger

The Sturmtiger or Sturmpanzer VI was a German armored gun from the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were created in 1943, and serial production continued in the period 1944-1945, ending with the production of only 18 cars. The Sturmtiger was powered by a 700hp Maybach HL 230 P4 single engine. It was armed with a single 380mm STuM RW61 rocket mortar, 1 7.92mm MG34 machine gun and 1 90mm grenade launcher.

The Sturmtiger was created as a result of the Wehrmacht's experience in street fighting in Stalingrad in 1942-1943. The new vehicle was to be able to demolish buildings or fortified resistance points with one shot and be heavily armored. The design of the new armored gun was based on the chassis of the PzKpfw VI Tiger tank - interestingly enough, only the chassis of the PzKpfw VI vehicles damaged in combat were used to create all 18 Sturmtiger vehicles. The frontal armor was 150 mm thick, and the side armor was up to 80 mm. Sturmtiger took a very limited part in the fighting during World War II. Units equipped with them fought during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, in the offensive in the Ardennes at the turn of 1944-1945 and in the last battles of this war in Germany in 1945.