Though it had initially been conceived as an infantry support vehicle, the StuG III evolved into a hugely successful tank destroyer when armed with a 7.5cm StuK antitank gun. However, Sturmgeschutz units were quick to recognize the need of a heavier weapon. Thus, an order was placed in 1941 for the leFH18 gun to be mounted on the StuG chassis, with delivery of the first production vehicle occurring in March 1943. This new vehicle was known as the StuH42 (Sturmhaubitze). The key difference was the new gun, altered gun mount and rearranged internal layout for the larger 105mm rounds.

The StuH.42 featured an electrically fired 10.5cm leFH 18 howitzer fitted in the superstructure instead of the more usual anti-tank cannon. A total of 1,211 StuH.42 vehicles were produced from October 1942 till the end of the war. These vehicles were issued to Sturmgeschtz brigades to support regular StuG.IIIs. One unit to operate the StuH.42 on the Eastern Front was the 8th Cavalry Division "Florian Geyer". It fought on the Eastern Front before being eventually destroyed in Budapest in 1945. One vehicle from this unit fighting in the winter of 1944 has been superbly recreated in miniature by Dragon Armor. It wears a neat coat of whitewash over its sand-colored basecoat. The only visible tactical markings are Balkankreuz on the superstructure sides. The 1/72 scale model has been masterfully finished, and the StuH.42 Ausf.G self-propelled howitzer will blend in well with a snowy environmentor alternatively stand out in a model collection! Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 3-1/2-inches
Width 1-1/2-inches

Release Date: June 2012

Historical Account: "Florian Geyer" - The 8.Kavallerie Division "Florian Geyer" was a Waffen-SS cavalry Division during World War II. It was formed in 1942 from a cadre of the SS Cavalry Brigade which was involved in anti partisan operations behind the front line and was responsible for the extermination of tens of thousands of the civilian population.

About 40% of the division were Volksdeutsche from Siebenbrgen (Transylvania) and Banat (Serbia). The Training and Replacement Battalion of the 8.Kavallerie Division was involved in suppressing the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. In March 1944, it was named after Florian Geyer (1490-1525), the Franconian nobleman who led the Black Company during the Peasants War. The Division was destroyed during the fighting in Budapest in early 1945.