Unique Welded Gun Mantle Of the many assault guns utilized by the Germans in WWII, the most numerous was the Sturmgesch?tz III. Based on the durable Pz.Kpfw. III chassis with a completely new superstructure, the revolving turret was eliminated and the short barreled 75mm L/24 gun was mounted directly onto the hull, giving the StuG III an extremely low vehicle profile. Originally intended for close infantry fire support, it was used as self-propelled artillery against enemy strong points. However, when the German forces encountered the Russian KV-I and T-34 tanks on the Eastern front, the situation abruptly changed. To cope with this Russian tank threat, the Germans were forced to upgrade their existing weapons systems. The resulting StuG III Ausf.G, built from late 1942 onwards, used a more powerful, long barreled 75mm L/48 gun.