Stug 412 - What's in a number?

Stransky · Post by **Stransky** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:27 pm

Hope someone can help me here.

I am no expert on vehicles but I have a private photo of a Stug with a turret number of 412. Can anyone tell me if its possible to determine anything interesting from the number? For example, is it possible to find a record for this individual vehicle based on this number??

The year should be 1944, unit should be Pz Lehr Regt.

Grateful for any help!

Christoph Awender · Post by **Christoph Awender** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:39 am

Hello

The numbers on vehicles have a certain meaning within the unit
In this case (three digit system) it would be
412
4 = Kompanie (Company)
1 = Zug or Batterie (PLatoon or battery)
2 = Vehicle number within the platoon

So the Stug you see is Vehicle number 2 in the 1st platoon of the 4th Company.

\Christoph

Martin Block · Post by **Martin Block** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 11:52 am

Hello Stransky,

if we're talking about the Pz.Lehr-Rgt. 130 of the Pz.Lehr-Div. I'm afraid it's hardly possible that your photo shows a StuG of that unit. Usually the 1. - 4. Kp. formed the I. Abteilung (battalion) of a Pz.Rgt. and in case of the Pz.Lehr-Division the attached I./Pz.Rgt. 6 (replacing the yet non-existing I./130 for most parts of 1944) was equipped with the Pz. V Panther.

It could also not have belonged for instance to Pz.Jg.Lehr-Abt. 130 because that unit had only 3 companies and was equipped with other types of AFVs anyway.

During the first half of 1944 the were StuG in the attached Pz.Kp.(Fkl.) 316 but they did not form part of the I. Abt./Pz.Rgt. and as far as can be established (see M. Jaugitz, Funklenkpanzer) carried no 'turret numbers' at all.

Martin Block

Jan-Hendrik · Post by **Jan-Hendrik** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:36 pm

Hi, Stewart, that's:

During the first half of 1944 the were StuG in the attached Pz.Kp.(Fkl.) 316 but they did not form part of the I. Abt./Pz.Rgt. and as far as can be established (see M. Jaugitz, Funklenkpanzer) carried no 'turret numbers' at all.

why I think your pic may belong to 4./PzAbt. 301 (Fkl)

Indeed, a nice pic

Jan-Hendrik

Stransky · Post by **Stransky** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:52 pm

Here is the photo. Hope to meet a crew member in a few weeks time...:-)

The veteran who is in the photo was Pz Lehr at some point. The photo is from Fallingbostel in 1944 when he was training on different vehicles (Pz III and Pz IV) so this might not necessarily be a StuG belonging to either Pz Lehr or the FKL.

Martin Block · Post by **Martin Block** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 2:34 pm

Thanks for showing the photo, Stransky! Well, that makes more sense now! The Panzer-Lehr-Rgt. was the demostration and training unit of the Pz.Truppenschule Bergen/Fallingbostel before being used to form Pz.Lehr-Rgt. 130 and other units of the Pz.Lehr-Div. in France in January 1944. After its departure only a Pz.Lehr-Abteilung der Pz.Tr.Schule Bergen was raised again instead of a regiment. Both the 'old' Lehr-Rgt. and the 'new' Lehr-Abt. had available a variety of Panzers and StuG. So what we see here is indeed most probably a StuG of the Pz.Tr.Schule in Bergen/Fallingbostel.

Martin Block

ratdog · Post by **ratdog** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:36 am

Stransky wrote:Hope someone can help me here.

I am no expert on vehicles but I have a private photo of a Stug with a turret number of 412. Can anyone tell me if its possible to determine anything interesting from the number? For example, is it possible to find a record for this individual vehicle based on this number??

The year should be 1944, unit should be Pz Lehr Regt.

Grateful for any help!

If you have a Stug pic, it doesn't have a turret number due to not having a turret!!!!! ..................Terminology Police

sniper1shot · Post by **sniper1shot** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:30 pm

That is a nice picture.
Nice looking AFV too. Thanks.

Stransky · Post by **Stransky** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:22 pm

Well, I met the verteran in the photo and I can confirm that the unit is 4. Kompanie Pz Lehr 130...

Very interesting guy with a lot of stories

Paulus II · Post by **Paulus II** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 5:53 pm

Stransky wrote:Very interesting guy with a lot of stories

I'd be very interested in those stories! Could you post some (parts) of them?

Cheers,

Paul

marcb · Post by **marcb** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 6:48 am

What's the exhaust looking thing on the engine deck?

C.GILLONO · Post by **C.GILLONO** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:53 am

marcb wrote:What's the exhaust looking thing on the engine deck?

Additional air filter?
HTH

phylo_roadking · Post by **phylo_roadking** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 12:22 pm

If it's a training StuG it COULD be part of a Holzgas setup!

Paulus II · Post by **Paulus II** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:43 pm

I'd say it is part of a gas installation to replace (or supplement) the regular fuel as is frequently seen later in the war. Not sure if it was Holzgas, seems rather small for that.
Haven't found any picture of this contraption in any of my books but will keep an eye out for this.

Cheers,

Paul

phylo_roadking · Post by **phylo_roadking** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 7:30 am

I've seem an artist's impression of the postulated holzgas-powered Panther that had two of these on each side of the side armour behind the turret line. In THAT case they were gastanks, but doesn't seem to be the case here. But very reminiscent

Feldgrau.net

Stug 412 - What's in a number?

Stug 412 - What's in a number?

Re: Stug 412 - What's in a number?