Editing Assault gun

{{Short description|Class of self-propelled artillery}}
{{distinguish|assault rifle|assault weapon}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2013}}
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| 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/>

== Concept, doctrine and design ==
The concept of the assault gun can be simplified into: a [[Armoured fighting vehicle|protected]] [[Self-propelled artillery|self propelled]] [[infantry gun]], intended for the [[infantry brigade]]s, in order to give infantry: mobile heavy [[direct fire]] capability against protected enemy positions and threats, which can move with infantry in assaults, and secondarily give some armored protection against enemy fire.

Historically, the concept of assault guns was very similar to that of the [[infantry tank]], as both were combat vehicles intended to accompany infantry formations into battle, but where assault gun designs often skipped tank features and design elements deemed unnecessary for reasons of cost and [[doctrine]].<ref name="Gudmundsson">{{cite book |last=Gudmundsson |first=Bruce |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rUs-hHd89xAC&pg=PA114 |title=On Armor |date=2004 |publisher=Prager Books |isbn=978-0812216202 |location=Westport, Connecticut |pages=114–126}}</ref> However, during [[World War II]] assault guns were more mobile than tanks and could be utilized as both direct and [[indirect fire]] artillery.<ref name=Gudmundsson/> Although they could approximate the firepower of a tank, assault guns mostly fired [[High explosive shell|high explosive shells]] at relatively low velocities, which were well suited for their role of knocking out hard points such as fortified positions and buildings.<ref name=Gudmundsson/> They were not intended to be deployed as tank substitutes or dedicated [[tank destroyer]]s.<ref name=Gudmundsson/> Nevertheless, as the conflict progressed, the increasing proliferation of tanks on the battlefield forced many assault gun units to engage armor in defense of the infantry, and led to armies becoming more dependent on multipurpose designs which combined the traditionally separate roles of an assault gun and a tank destroyer.<ref name=Wehrmacht2>{{cite book|last=Tucker-Jones|first=Anthony|title=German Assault Guns and Tank Destroyers 1940 - 1945: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives|date=2016|page=114|publisher=Pen & Sword Books, Ltd|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire|isbn=978-1473845992}}</ref>

German and Soviet assault guns introduced during World War II usually carried their main armament in a fully enclosed [[casemate]] rather than a [[gun turret]].<ref name="Levine">{{cite book |last=Levine |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=68hFznwxoNIC&pg=PA21 |title=D-Day to Berlin: The Northwest Europe Campaign, 1944-45 |date=2000 |publisher=Stackpole Books |isbn=978-0811733861 |location=Mechanicsburg |pages=21–22}}</ref> Although this limited the [[field of fire]] and traverse of the armament, it also had the advantage of a reduced silhouette and simplified the manufacturing process.<ref name=Levine/> The United States never developed a purpose-built assault gun during the war, although it did modify preexisting armored fighting vehicles for that role, including the [[M4 Sherman]] (as the M4(105)), the [[M5 Stuart]] (as the [[M8 Scott]]), and the [[M3 half-track]] (as the [[T19 Howitzer Motor Carriage]]).<ref name="Colt">{{cite book |last1=Gabel |first1=Christopher |url=https://archive.org/details/campcolttodesert0000unse |title=Camp Colt to Desert Storm: The History of U.S. Armored Forces |last2=Estes |first2=Kenneth |date=August 1999 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |isbn=978-0813121307 |editor1-last=Hoffman |editor1-first=George |location=Lexington, Kentucky |pages=149–156, 479–481 |editor2-last=Starry |editor2-first=Donn |url-access=registration}}</ref> The classic assault gun concept was largely abandoned during the postwar era in favor of tanks or multipurpose tank destroyers attached to infantry formations, which were also capable of providing direct fire support as needed. In the United States and most Western countries, the assault gun ceased to be recognized as a unique niche, with individual examples being classified either as a self-propelled howitzer or a tank,<ref name="Knox1">{{cite journal |last=Underhill |first=Garrett |date=November–December 1972 |title=The Story Of Soviet Armor: Assault Guns And Self-Propelled Artillery |journal=[[Armor magazine|Armor]] |location=Fort Knox, Kentucky |publisher=US Army Armor Center |pages=28–38}}</ref> one exception being [[Sweden]], which continued to develop casemate assault guns post-war, such as the [[Infanterikanonvagn 72]], all the way into the 1960s before settling on a turreted design in 1968, becoming the [[Infanterikanonvagn 91]].<ref name="fromtheswedisharchives ikv91">{{cite web |last=sp15 |date=Sep 29, 2018 |title=Swedish tanks: Ikv 91 revisited |url=https://fromtheswedisharchives.wordpress.com/2018/09/29/swedish-tanks-ikv-91-revisited/ |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=From the swedish archives |publisher=[[WordPress.com]]}}</ref> The Soviet Union continued funding development of new assault guns as late as 1967, although few of its postwar designs were adopted in large numbers.<ref name="Knox2">{{cite journal |last=Warford |first=James |date=July–September 2016 |title=Armored Vehicle Development Behind The Curtain: The Secret Life Of The Soviet SU-122-54 Assault Gun |journal=[[Armor magazine|Armor]] |location=Fort Knox, Kentucky |publisher=US Army Armor Center |pages=12–14}}</ref> In Soviet and Eastern European armies, the traditional assault gun was primarily superseded by tank destroyers, such as the [[SU-100]], which is capable of supporting either infantry or armor.<ref name="Knox1"/> Since the 1980s, the multi-purpose assault gun concept has seen a resurgence, mainly in the form of turreted wheeled designs, such as the South African [[Rooikat]] and Italian [[B1 Centauro]]. Today, modern assault guns include the Japanese [[Type 16 maneuver combat vehicle]] and the American [[M1128 mobile gun system|M1128 Stryker]] and [[M10 Booker]].

== History ==

=== World War II ===
[[File:Su76 nn.jpg|thumb|The Soviet [[SU-76]] was easily constructed in small factories incapable of producing proper tanks.]]

Assault guns were primarily developed during [[World War II]] by the forces of [[Nazi Germany]] and the [[Soviet Union]]. Early in the war, the Germans began to create makeshift assault guns by mounting their [[infantry support weapon]]s on the bed of a [[truck]] or on obsolete [[tank]]s with the turret removed. Later in the war, both the Germans and the Soviets introduced fully [[armoured warfare|armoured]] purpose-built assault guns into their arsenals.

Early on, the Soviets built the [[KV-2]], a variant of the [[KV-1 (tank)|KV-1]] heavy tank with a short-barreled [[152 mm howitzer M1938 (M-10)|152 mm howitzer]] mounted in an oversized turret. This was not a success in battle, and was replaced with a very successful series of turretless assault guns: the [[SU-76]], [[SU-122]], and the heavy [[SU-152]], which were followed by the [[ISU-122]] and [[ISU-152]] on the new [[Iosif Stalin tank|IS]] heavy tank [[chassis]].

[[File:StuG III Ausf C-D.jpg|thumb|left|The German [[Stug III]] assault gun, here in one of its early configurations, armed with a 75 mm [[StuK 37]] howitzer]]
The primary German assault gun was the {{Lang|de|[[Sturmgeschütz III]]}} (StuG III). At about the same time (March 1942) as the howitzer-like KwK 37 gun was dropped from the Panzer IV's use, its ''Sturmkanone'' equivalent in the StuG III up to that time, was likewise replaced with a longer-barreled, high-velocity dual-purpose [[7.5 cm KwK 40|75 mm gun]] that had also been derived from the successful [[PaK 40]] anti-tank towed artillery piece. The Germans also built a number of other fully armoured turretless assault guns, including the [[StuG IV]], [[Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B|StuIG 33B]], {{Lang|de|[[Brummbär]]}} and {{Lang|de|[[Sturmtiger]]}}. This last one was a very heavy vehicle, and was built only in small quantities.

[[Battalion]]s of assault guns, usually StuG IIIs, commonly replaced the intended [[panzer]] battalion in the German {{Lang|de|[[panzergrenadier]]}} [[division (military)|divisions]] due to the chronic shortage of tanks, and were sometimes used as makeshifts even in the [[panzer division]]s.<ref>Thomas L. Jentz (1996): Panzertruppen: The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force, vol.2, 1943-1945, p.68</ref> Independent battalions were also deployed as "stiffeners" for [[infantry]] divisions, and the StuG III's [[anti-tank]] capabilities bolstered dwindling tank numbers on the Eastern and Western fronts.

[[File:M8 HMC.JPG|thumb|US [[World War II]] assault gun [[M8 Scott]]]]
US and UK forces also deployed vehicles designed for a close support role, but these were conventional tanks whose only significant modification was the replacement of the main gun with a howitzer. Two versions of the American [[M4 Sherman|Sherman tank]] were armed with the [[M101 howitzer|M4 105 mm howitzer]], the M4(105) and the M4A3(105); these were designated assault guns in US usage of the term. The [[M8 Scott]], based on the chassis of the [[M5 Stuart]] light tank, was also an assault cannon and carried a [[M116 howitzer|75 mm short howitzer]]. The [[Churchill tank|Churchill]], Centaur and [[Cromwell tank|Cromwell]] tanks were all produced in versions armed with [[Ordnance QF 95 mm Howitzer|95&nbsp;mm howitzers]]: the Churchill Mark V and Mark VIII, the Centaur Mark IV and the Cromwell Mark VI. Earlier British tanks, such as the [[Crusader tank|Crusader cruiser tank]] and the [[Matilda II|Matilda II Infantry tank]] were produced in versions armed with the [[Ordnance QF 3-inch howitzer|3-inch howitzer]]; the first versions of the Churchill tank also had this gun in a hull mounting. American [[tank destroyer]] units were often used in the assault gun role for infantry support.

The [[Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers|AVRE]] version of the Churchill tank was armed with a [[Mortar (weapon)#Spigot mortar|spigot mortar]] that fired a {{convert|40|lb|kg|abbr=on}} [[High explosive|HE]]-filled projectile (nicknamed the ''Flying Dustbin'') {{convert|150|yd|m}}. Its task was to attack fortified positions such as [[bunker]]s at close range (see [[Hobart's Funnies]]).

=== Since World War II ===
In the post-World War II era, most vehicles fitting into an "assault gun" category were developed as a light-weight, air-deployable, direct fire combat vehicles for use with airborne troops. Those weapons were either based on [[Military light utility vehicle|light utility vehicles]] or small [[tracked vehicles]] and the airborne troops thus always fought at a distinct disadvantage in terms of heavy weapons. The Soviet Union and the United States were the most attracted to the idea of providing this capability to traditionally light airborne forces. Their answers to the problem were similar, with the United States developing the [[M56 Scorpion]] and the Soviet Union developing the [[ASU-57]], both essentially airdroppable light anti-tank guns.

[[File:ASU-85 6 Dywizji Powietrznodesantowej.jpg|thumb|left|Soviet [[ASU-85]] air-deployable assault gun]]
The Soviets went on to develop an improved airdroppable assault gun, the [[ASU-85]], which served through the 1980s, while their [[SU-100]] remained in service with Communist countries, including Vietnam and Cuba, years after World War II. The US M56 and another armoured vehicle, the [[M50 Ontos]], were to be the last of the more traditional assault guns in US service. Improvised arrangements such as [[M113 Armored Personnel Carrier#Armament|M113 personnel carriers]] with recoilless rifles were quickly replaced by missile carrier vehicles in the anti-tank role.

The only vehicle with the qualities of an assault gun to be fielded after the removal of the M50 and M56 from service within the US military was the [[M551 Sheridan]]. The Sheridan's gun was a low-velocity weapon suitable in the assault role, but with the addition of the [[Shillelagh missile]] could double in the anti-tank role as well. The Sheridan, however, was not developed as an assault gun but as a light reconnaissance vehicle.

[[File:US Army soldiers in a M1128 Stryker Mobile Gun System assigned to Apache Company, 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment in 2012.jpg|thumb|US [[M1128 mobile gun system]] assault gun]]

Currently, there appears to be a move toward wheeled vehicles fitting a "tank destroyer" or "assault gun" role, such as the [[M1128 mobile gun system]] of the [[United States Army]], the [[B1 Centauro]] wheeled tank destroyer of the [[Italian Army|Italian]] and [[Spanish Army|Spanish Armies]], the Chinese anti-tank gun [[PTL-02]] and [[Type 08|ZBL08 assault gun]], and the French [[AMX-10 RC]] heavy armoured car. While these vehicles might be useful in a direct fire role, none were developed with this specifically in mind, reminiscent of the use of tank destroyers by the US military in the assault gun role during World War II.

== Assault guns per nation ==
=== Germany ===
[[File:Elements of the Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 303.jpg|thumb|German [[Sturmgeschütz III]]]]
* 1940 – [[Sturmgeschütz III]]
* 1940 – [[15 cm sIG 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B|Sturmpanzer I Bison]]
* 1941 – [[15 cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf)|Sturmpanzer II]]
* 1942 – [[15 cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen III (Sf)|Sturmpanzer III]]
* 1942 – [[Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B]]
* 1943 – [[Sturmhaubitze 42]]
* 1943 – [[Sturmgeschütz IV]]
* 1943 – [[Brummbär|Sturmpanzer IV Stupa]]
* 1943 – [[Grille (artillery)|Sturmpanzer 38(t) Grille Ausf. H]]
* 1944 – [[Grille (artillery)|Sturmpanzer 38(t) Grille Ausf. K]]
* 1944 – [[Sturmtiger|Sturmpanzer VI Sturmtiger]]

=== Hungary ===
[[File:40-43M Zrínyi II - Hungarian Assault gun (23946901978).jpg|thumb|Hungarian [[43M Zrínyi II]]]]
* 1943 – [[43M Zrínyi II]]
* 1944 – [[44M Zrínyi I]]

=== Sweden ===
[[File:Ikv 103 övning.png|thumb|Swedish [[Infanterikanonvagn 103]]]]
* 1943 – [[Landsverk L-60|Stormpjäs fm/43]]
* 1944 – [[Stridsvagn m/41|Stormpjäs fm/43-44]]
* 1944 – [[Stormartillerivagn m/43]]
* 1953 – [[Infanterikanonvagn 72]]
* 1957 – [[Infanterikanonvagn 73]]
* 1957 – [[Infanterikanonvagn 102]]
* 1957 – [[Infanterikanonvagn 103]]
* 1976 – [[Infanterikanonvagn 91]]
* 1994 – [[Combat Vehicle 90|Stridsfordon 90105]]{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
* 1998 – [[Combat Vehicle 90|Stridsfordon 90120]]{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

=== USA ===
[[File:M10 Booker at its unveiling June 2023 - 7.jpg|thumb|US [[M10 Booker]]]]
* 1941 – [[T18 Howitzer Motor Carriage|T18 HMC]]<ref>{{cite web |title=75 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage T18 |url=https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/75-mm-howitzer-motor-carriage-t18/ |website=tanks-encyclopedia.com |access-date=2025-01-24}}</ref>
* 1942 – [[Howitzer motor carriage M8|M8 Scott]]
* 1944 – [[M4 Sherman|M4 Sherman 105]]
* 1953 – [[M56 Scorpion]]<ref name="Estes">{{cite book |last1=Estes |first1=Kenneth W. |title=M50 Ontos and M56 Scorpion 1956–70: US Tank Destroyers of the Vietnam War |pages=4, 33, 36}}</ref>
* 1956 – [[M50 Ontos]]<ref name="Estes"/>
* 1969 – [[M551 Sheridan]]<ref>{{cite web |title=M551 Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle |url=https://www.inetres.com/gp/military/cv/tank/M551.html |website=inetres.com |access-date=2025-01-24}}</ref>
* 1985 – [[CCVL]]<ref name="Freeman">{{cite thesis |last=Freeman |first=Major Marshall A. |date=5 April 1991 |title=The Army Needs a Strategic Armored Gun System—Now! |type=War College Individual Study Project |publisher=U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA236965.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512222853/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA236965.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |access-date=10 March 2022 |pages=12–14, 16}}</ref>
* 1992 – [[M8 armored gun system|M8 AGS]]<ref name="Freeman"/>
* 2002 – [[M1128 mobile gun system|M1128 Stryker]] (LAV-105)<ref name="Freeman"/>
* 2021 – [[XM1302 Mobile Protected Firepower|XM1302 MPF]]{{efn|By extension of the [[M8 armored gun system|M8 AGS]] program and the following [[Mobile Protected Firepower|MPF]] program.}}
* 2022 – [[M10 Booker]]<ref name="Moran 2023-01-08">{{cite web |author1=[[Nicholas Moran]]|title=Inside the Chieftain's Hatch Snapshot: XM10 Booker |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdPmpidUbWo |website=youtube.com |publisher=The Chieftain |access-date=2025-01-24 |date=2023-01-08 }}</ref><ref name="Moran 2023-01-19">{{cite web |author1=[[Nicholas Moran]] |title=Ten Responses to the MPF Discussion |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF_5jnVre90 |website=youtube.com |publisher=The Chieftain |access-date=2025-01-24 |date=2023-01-19 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* {{Lang|de|[[Jagdpanzer]]}}
* {{Lang|de|[[Panzerjäger]]}}
* {{Lang|de|[[Sturmgeschütz]]}}
* [[List of infantry support guns]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assault Gun}}
[[Category:Assault guns| ]]