Editing Assault gun (section)

{{Short description|Class of self-propelled artillery}}
{{distinguish|assault rifle|assault weapon}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2013}}
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| image1 = StuG III Ausf. G.jpg
| image2 = Sherman Tank WW2.jpg
| image3 = Ikv 90 rolling (cropped).jpg
| image4 = JGSDF Type 16.jpg
| footer = Top left: German [[WWII]] [[Stug III]] assault guns in Finnish service.<br />Top right: US WWII [[M4 Sherman|M4A3 (105)]] assault gun.<br />Lower left: Swedish [[Cold War]] [[Ikv 91]] assault gun.<br />Lower right: Japanese [[Type 16 maneuver combat vehicle]] {{nowrap|({{langx|ja|16式機動戦闘車}})}} modern assault gun.
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An '''assault gun''' (from {{langx|de|Sturmgeschütz}}, {{literally|storm gun}}, meaning "assault gun")<ref name=Wehrmacht1/><ref name="Bull">{{cite book |last=Bull |first=Stephen |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofmi0000bull |title=Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2004 |isbn=978-1573565578 |edition=2004 |page=229 |url-access=registration}}</ref> is a type of [[Armored fighting vehicle|armored infantry support vehicle]] and [[self-propelled artillery]], mounting an [[infantry support gun]] on a protected self-propelled chassis,<ref name="Bradford">{{cite book |last=Bradford |first=James |url=https://archive.org/details/internationalenc0000unse_m8i3 |title=International Encyclopedia of Military History |publisher=Routledge Books |year=2006 |isbn=978-0415936613 |edition=2006 |pages=123–124 |url-access=registration}}</ref> intended for providing [[infantry]] with heavy [[direct fire]] support during engagement, especially against other infantry or [[fortified]] positions, secondarily also giving some armored protection and anti-armor capability.<ref name=Wehrmacht1>{{cite book |last=Blennemann |first=Dirk |title=Hitler's Army: The Evolution And Structure Of German Forces 1933-1945 |date=2003 |pages=66–63 |publisher=Da Capo Press |location=Boston |isbn=978-0306812606 }}</ref> 

Assault guns were pioneered by the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Nazi Germany]] during the 1930s, initially being self-propelled guns with direct fire in mind (such as the Soviet [[SU-5-1]]), with Germany introducing the first purpose-built (and purpose-named) assault gun, the {{Lang|de|[[Sturmgeschütz III]]}}, in 1940.<ref name=Wehrmacht1/>