Originally intended for infantry support duties, Germany's Sturmgeschutz assault gun and abbreviated StuG III first appeared in combat during 1940. It had the durable Panzer III chassis with a completely new superstructure. To keep the vehicles profile as low as possible, the revolving turret was eliminated and the short barreled 75mm L-24 gun was mounted directly onto the hull. As it was mainly intended for close fire support for the Wehrmacht, it was used as self-propelled artillery against the opposing enemy's strategic points.
