 StuG IV | |
|---|---|
 Sturmgeschütz IV | |
| Army | Wehrmacht |
| Role | Assault Gun |
| Unit Cost |
 340 50 4 |
| Upkeep per Minute |
−10.752 |
| Prereq. | None |
| Produced By | Sturm Armory |
| Primary armament | 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 |
| Secondary armament | 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 42 |
| Health |
 400 |
| Armor | Medium |
| Max. Speed | 5 m/s |
The Sturmgeschütz IV is a German Assault Gun built by the Wehrmacht in Company of Heroes.
History[]
Similarly to its replacement Reward Unit cousin, the Geschutzwagen, the StuG IV was a stopgap design built to carry out certain roles while other vehicles and weapons were being produced. Unlike the Geschutzwagen, however, the StuG IV was not (primarily) built in order to fill a needed niche, though it was considered as a direct precursor of the upcoming Jagdpanzer IV project. Instead, it was to be a clone of the StuG III on the Panzer IV's chassis.
The Sturmgeschütz III, known by its shorthand StuG III was originally created alongside the Panzers III, IV, and cancelled Panzer V/VI project now known as the Neubaufahrzeug. Originally conceived as cheaper alternatives to the early Panzer IVs, named in Company of Heroes as Infantry Support Tanks, the new Assault Gun was to be a well-armored vehicle able to accompany Infantry on offensives. The cost could be lowered compared to the Panzer IVs by using the cheaper Panzer III hull, the lower profile and higher armor would make it less vulnerable to Anti-Tank Guns, and, with a better vertical range on its cannon, the vehicle potentially be able to act in a short-range indirect fire capacity if needed.
However, experiences in France and North Africa showed flaws with this new Assault Gun concept. Though able to stand up to most Allied Anti-Tank Weapons with its front armor, without any Machine Guns (which were only introduced to the design at the end of 1941), it was unable to suppress Infantry at close-range and keep them from the vehicle's side and back armor, where it was vulnerable to man-portable AT weapons. The Howitzer was found to be completely unviable in an indirect fire capability, which gave the Panzer IV's higher profile and rotating turret a decisive edge. Finally, the vehicle was completely useless in actions against any enemy vehicles with more armor than a Bren Carrier, as its howitzer was rarely supplied with any kind of Anti-Tank round, leaving retreat as its only option in a one-on-one encounter. As a result, only just over 800 of these vehicles were produced, despite their low cost.
Despite this, like the Panzer IV the StuG sought to replace, the ability for the hull to carry a modified version of the strong 75mm PaK 40 Anti-Tank Gun gave the concept a second life. Despite nominally using a worse gun for Infantry Support, the addition of the Machine Guns, the reality of the inefficiency of the indirect fire role, and the relative compatibility of the existing High Explosive rounds with the new cannon meant the vehicle was actually no worse against bunkers, defenses, and enemy infantry in the open, while the ability to combat enemy armor gave it great utility. Over ten times as many of these vehicles were created, making it the most widely-produced German, or for that matter, Axis armored vehicle in the entire war.
By 1944, however, things were changing for Germany. For starters, it was determined that the Panzer IV was becoming obsolete- while the vehicle's gun was still quite decent against most Allied vehicles, it was struggling to handle new larger Soviet models, and its near decade-old design had been dramatically outpaced by Allied models, which were faster, cheaper, and better armored. The StuG III had shown itself to have better performance both against Vehicles and in support of Infantry than the Panzer IV did on the Eastern Front, and the decision was made to halt Panzer IV production in favor of a new Jagdpanzer design using the Panther's gun.
In the meantime, however, the Alkett factories, which had produced the supermajority of the StuG IIIs in German supply, had been bombed so heavily that production dropped to a mere trickle at the end of 1943, and combat and attrition were starting to have a notable effect on the existing supply. Krupp, whose factories had produced the Panzer IV but never the Panzer III, suggested that the StuG superstructure be used on the Panzer IV as a stopgap while StuG III facilities were being repaired and the Jagdpanzer IV project was still in design. Though their main weapons were similar, the lower-profile of a turretless design was now preferred. After a very brief development period, the StuG IV was created and immediately pressed into the same role as the StuG III.
The StuG IV served with some modest distinction, but was produced only for a short time and was fairly rare. By this point in the war, Infantry support on offensives was no longer needed, as Infantry-headed offensives became rarer and rarer, and most StuGs of both kinds began adopting the Tank Destroyer role instead, in which it was an acceptable model. However, they mostly served on the Eastern Front, and rarely encountered the Western Allies- it's very likely the choice of the StuG IV over the III for use in Company of Heroes was driven by technical efficiency, to allow the reuse of art and animation assets from the Panzer IV, rather than any particular notable distinction the vehicle had during the Western Front campaign.
Overview[]
In Company of Heroes, the StuG IV is a medium vehicle built by the Wehrmacht in the Sturm Armory. It is the earliest available heavily-armored vehicle usable by the Wehrmacht, meaning it is completely immune to small arms fire and takes reduced damage and penetration from light vehicles like the Greyhound. Its main gun is also designed for fighting Infantry and Armored Vehicles alike, making it unique to its tier and timing: The only other heavily-armored vehicles that may be out at the same time are kit for Infantry or Vehicles, and struggle against the opposite target.
This, combined with the StuG IV's low cost and quick production time, make the vehicle a common fixture in the midgame, often the first unit produced from the Sturm Armory. In most competitive games, it will also beat any heavily-armored Allied vehicles on the field, and will be only opposed by Greyhounds, T17 Armored Cars, Stuarts, and potentially Tetrarchs, all of which being very vulnerable to the StuG IV's main gun, often dying in just two hits. Typically, this means that when the StuG IV is first deployed, the only units on the field that will actually be able to kill it quickly and reliably are Allied AT guns, giving Axis players a large temporary advantage if they are able to field these units before the Tank Depot or Armor Command Truck are completed.
This major upside comes with a major weakness, however: The StuG IV lacks a turret, meaning the entire hull of the vehicle must be turned to face its target. There is a very small cone of fire for the main gun, but for the most part, this will only matter at the edge of the StuG IV's effective range. This makes the StuG IV vulnerable to flanking maneuvers, circle-strafing, and critical damage, especially in close combat, where the vehicle will often be in situations where its side and rear armor will be exposed in order to focus on a single target.
In practice, however, this downside is not as bad as it seems like it'd be on paper. The StuG IV's rotation speed is very good, even when the engine is damaged, and its front armor is superb, only matched by the Panther's and the doctrinal heavy tanks. Though a 17 Pounder will make short work of the vehicle, 57mm AT Guns will struggle to penetrate without either a close range shot, side/rear shot, or use of the Armor Piercing Round ability, so until more threatening Allied responses like the M10 or M18 Tank Destroyers hit the field, the StuG IV can comfortably operate independently. It is likely to need frequent repairs to keep moving, but as long as repairs are made, the offensive can continue.
This makes the StuG IV's most obvious use to be a mid-game shock weapon for the Wehrmacht, quickly responding to any stubborn Allied defenses or units that had not previously been viable to attack in any other way, especially setups involving team weapons or emplacements (aside from the aforementioned 17 Pounder). Besides chokepoints, special attention should also be devoted to using the StuG IV to map control, particularly securing High Fuel points, as they will allow both the production of more assault guns and accelerate the Wehrmacht towards the Panzer Command at the allies' expense. Victory Points are also a high priority, and the time during which a StuG IV can protect them with minimal support can force the Allies into a deficit of points later in the game.
As more threatening Allied responses to the StuG IV emerge later in the game, most notably the US Tank Destroyers and British Firefly, the StuG IV can comfortably assume its originally intended historical role of being a beefy Infantry Support vehicle, supplementing troops like Knight's Cross Holders and allowing more expensive and valuable vehicles like Panthers or Tigers to operate independently. While the lack of a turret makes them somewhat unwieldy for late-game tank battling, the decent armor at least allows the vehicle to hold a line until backup arrives, and still presents a deadly threat to defenses lacking in Anti-Tank capability.
At this point, however, it may be well advised to retire building new StuG IVs to replace those lost and focus future production on Panzer IVs. Though the Panzers are more expensive and have somewhat weaker armor, they have considerably higher HP, a turret, more Machine Guns, and a main gun which has very similar performance against all but the highest tier vehicles, yet a much faster reload. This is not to say that StuG IVs have no place in the late game- in fact, with veterancy, they will often trade favorably against individual Allied medium tanks- but unless a desperate defense is required or the Axis is experiencing a significant resource shortage, Panzers will typically do the same job but considerably better.
Overall, the StuG IV is a very strong weapon in the Axis's mid-game arsenal which can comfortably transition into a more supportive role when its time has passed. During its peak time, it is a very difficult nut to crack, with the Allies often forced to rely on physically stopping the vehicle rather than destroying it entirely, and should be produced as early and often as possible. While later on its star fades and it takes on a far more supporting role, its presence can be a boon for Infantry attempting to advance the line, and it can still pull off some upsets against seemingly stronger targets from time to time, especially if properly microed.
Weapons[]
75mm StuK 40 L/48[]
The 75mm StuK 40 L/48, a derivative of the PaK 40 Anti-Tank gun for vehicle usage, is the StuG IV's main weapon. It fires armor piercing rounds with high explosive filler which do 87.5 damage per hit at a range of 40m. While it does have a somewhat narrow traverse range, for the most part it is aimed only by turning the hull. The gun takes 7 seconds to reload. Overall accuracy is high against most targets, and neither it nor penetration values change significantly except at the very maximum extent of the gun, even at which point they are still higher than average for the range.
The gun's penetration is solid, and will be able to reliably penetrate anything short of the Pershing and Churchill variants, though on the rare occasion its round does bounce it will only do a measly 13.13 damage. For its class, its damage per shot is fairly low, though against some targets (most notably Shermans and M10s), it is boosted slightly. Overall, most heavily armored targets will die between 5 and 7 shots.
Against infantry, the StuK 40 will one-shot any Infantry target on a direct hit, though very rarely will the round land, especially on those with Heroic Armor. However, unlike the main guns of most of the Panzers, the StuK 40 has a small amount of suppressive ability, even within its modest AoE, and especially in Negative cover. This, especially once the MG42 is unlocked at Veterancy 2, means that the StuG IV is able to comfortably fight infantry, especially when it has infantry of its own nearby.
Like many medium-caliber guns used by the Axis, the StuK 40 does heavy damage to buildings and reasonable damage to infantry inside of them, making it a very good weapon to take on most infantry-based defensive setups, though it does suffer quite heavily against units in Slit Trenches.
7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 42[]
The StuG IV's MG42 is statistically very similar to those used on top of the turrets or hulls of other Wehrmacht vehicles. Manned only once the vehicle reaches Veterancy 2, It fires bullets that do 5 damage against unarmored targets (though this number is reduced by most Infantry armor in most situations), in bursts of 15 to 30, followed by a 6 to 6.5 second reload. Its range of 35m is just shy of the main gun's range, and like it, it is also locked to a cone in front of the vehicle, though substantially less narrow, with about a 90 degree clearance on each side.
For a rapid fire weapon, the StuG IV's MG42 is actually rather accurate, with a base 45% accuracy outside of its absolute maximum range. Most British Infantry and a few American units, most notably Airborne, do have innate reductions against this, however. As with its statistically near-identical contemporaries, the StuG IV's MG42 is almost useless against infantry in any real degree of cover, with fairly substantial maluses to both accuracy and damage to units therein. However, units in negative cover, water, or even simply the open are more directly effected, and likely to be suppressed.
In general, the StuG IV is disproportionately well suited to suppress Infantry once Veterancy 2 is reached, as the combination of the StuK 40 main gun and the MG42's suppression values mean that lower level Allied infantry like Riflemen or weapon teams will quickly hit the dirt when in close contact with the vehicle, especially when in the open or negative cover, which combines well with short-range infantry like Volksgrenadiers with MP40s.
Veterancy[]
The StuG IV receive veterancy through researching Tank Veterancy Upgrades in Kampfkraft Center. These bonuses are cumulative, and apply both to every vehicle currently on the field as well as all those produced in the future. Its upgrades are as follows:
|
|
No Veterancy:
|
 |
Level 1 Veterancy:
|
 |
Level 2 Veterancy:
|
 |
Level 3 Veterancy:
|
Due to the StuG IV's smaller HP pool, some of the defensive upgrades are less immediately useful compared to the similar benefits on most other Wehrmacht vehicles with Tank Veterancy. The Armored Skirts in particular should be treated not as an excuse to sic the StuG IV on Anti-Tank Infantry alone, but as a small survivability boost against them. Conversely, the MG42 at Tier 2 is a dramatic increase in effectiveness, and should be prioritized if StuG IVs are a major part of your strategy, though it still may be advisable to save Tank Veterancy upgrades until a Panzer Command is constructed.
Tips[]
- A Stormtrooper unit with both the StG and Panzerschrek upgrades is the best Infantry compliment to the StuG IV. Their short-range firepower will dissuade enemy AT Infantry from getting too close and enable easy capitalization on the StuG's suppressive abilities, and their Panzerschreck will dissuade agile vehicles from circle-strafe attempts.
- Try to keep your StuG IVs fighting from as long range as possible. Their main guns lose very little over distance, and a long-range firefight makes the vehicle much harder to avoid, If you must commit at close range, make sure you are not giving Allied commanders easy access to your side/back armor!
- Micro, micro, micro! The StuG IV's AI will often get distracted at awkward times and turn the vehicle in an unideal direction, and a StuG facing the wrong direction when an enemy attacks is a sitting duck.
- While not to be used haphazardly, the StuG IV's relatively low production cost and time as well as its ability to at least somewhat deal with almost every unit mean that it is often worth using as a sacrifice. It is not ideal to lose a StuG IV, but it's worth it if it means a Pershing is dead or King Tiger saved.
- The StuG IV's good penetration value means that often attempting to go for rear armor is overkill, and quite risky for the vehicle to boot. Send Panzerschreks, Panzerfausts, or Panzer IVs instead.
Weaknesses[]
The StuG IV's biggest weakness is by far its most obvious: Its lack of a turret means that any unit that can close the gap with it and outpace its rotation speed (which is to say, most units in the game with some kind of anti-tank capability) can freely fire upon the vehicle with no fear of retaliation. This fact gets even worse when critical damage is considered, as any engine damage amplifies this issue even further and becoming immobilized essentially makes the vehicle a static, short-ranged Anti-Tank gun with an optional MG42 accessory.
While it is unlikely most Allied armor will be on the battlefield before the first StuGs arrive, it is by no means unlikely that Mines and Sticky Bombs are already in use. Both of these potential responses are very cheap munitions-wise and are tuned to do critical damage far more frequently, which can leave a StuG IV stranded and, at best, unable to operate for a few minutes while awaiting repairs.
While StuG IVs are quite capable of handling Allied armor in a fair fight, oftentimes fairness is a luxury. Even enemy medium tanks can easily flank a StuG IV and destroy it without a sweat if the StuG is neither microed properly nor accompanied, and in particular, the American M10 and M18 tank destroyers see StuG IVs as appealing targets, as they can stay out of the StuK's line of fire and do large damage to the vehicle, making them a good source of veterancy for a pair of vehicles with quite strong veterancy bonuses.
The StuG IV also has very low HP among its contemporaries, meaning that while its solid armor will protect it from most hits, any sustained penetrating damage can kill the vehicle quite quickly. This means that its weakness against Anti-Tank Guns, though common for its contemporaries, is even worse, as just a few shots from even an AP Round-using 57mm AT Gun can leave the StuG IV nothing more than a burning wreck.
Compared to the Geschutzwagen[]
Advantages[]
- Defensively superior in every regard: The StuG IV's armor is fully bulletproof in addition to being far superior against anti-tank weapons, and its higher HP and rotation speed allow it to operate somewhat independently
- Generally superior against Infantry in every regard
- The StuG IV is technically slower than the Geschutzwagen, however its better turn speed means it's usually faster in practice
- Veterancy allows the StuG IV some chance of survival against AT infantry like Rangers, which the Geschutzwagen lacks
- Able to fire on the move, which the Geschutzwagen cannot do
- Considerably shorter build time allows the StuG IV to operate earlier against Allied vehicles
- Interacts properly with Blitzkrieg
- Substantially lower population cap
Differences[]
- Different cost profile: Geschützwagen costs more Fuel, the StuG IV costs more Manpower
Disadvantages[]
- Main gun inferior to the Geschutzwagen in every regard except accuracy against Infantry: Longer range, more accurate, more damage dealt
- "Deflection Damage" stat allows the Geschützwagen to do damage even when rounds fail to penetrate, which the StuG IV lacks
- Slightly worse Max Speed and Acceleration
- Far less late-game potential, with the Geschutzwagen being a superior late-game vehicle and having generally better veterancy
- Cannot make use of Fog of War as the Geschutzwagen can
- Worse chemistry with most Wehrmacht units due to shorter range and different use case
- Inferior anti-Building potential when Geschutzwagen is at higher veterancy or with ability use
- Shorter range makes AT gun-related deaths far more common and less preventable
Overall, the Geschützwagen is a very different beast than the StuG IV with very different playstyles. While both are primarily designed to help a Wehrmacht player reach Tier 4, the StuG IV does this by aggressively destroying Allied units during its short time as the only fully armored vehicle on the field and gaining temporary superiority, while the Geschützwagen does so by foiling any Allied attempts to rush and end the game early. The StuG IV is better oriented for mid-game, where its ability to seize map control after its first build will allow more resources and likely earlier vehicles, while the Geschützwagen is better at operating later, though slightly less helpful at getting to that point.
However, in larger games where a Panzer Elite player is present, especially one who is liable to use Tank Destroyer Tactics, the StuG IV becomes the generally stronger choice, as the Panzer Elite fields many vehicles that fulfill the same role as the Geschützwagen without sacrificing the mid-game capabilities the StuG IV uniquely gives the Axis side.
Note that the Geschützwagen does not replace the StuH 42.
Variants[]
A StuG IV next to a StuH 42
The StuH 42 is a variant of the StuG IV available to Wehrmacht commanders via the Blitzkrieg Doctrine. The StuH 42 only differs from the StuG IV in its main armament, a 105mm FH18 howitzer that fires exclusively High-Explosive Rounds. The StuH 42 is significantly stronger against buildings and infantry than the StuG IV is, though lacks the ability to damage or kill most vehicles given the howitzer's low penetration.
Notably, the StuH 42 is somewhat ahistorical in Company of Heroes, as no records of the howitzer being used on the StuG IV exist.
Quotes[]
After destroying enemy unit:
When damaged, in battle:
Gallery[]
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| Defensive Structures | |||||||
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| Doctrines | |||||||
| Doctrine-specific Units |
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| Doctrine-specific Structures |
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