Painting the StuG G - Part 1

I recently started collecting a 15mm German Army. Apart from a few test stands of infantry, the first models I tackled in a serious way were the German StuG G Assault Guns from the Open Fire! box produced by Battlefront for its Flames of War game.

The StuG G in history

The StuG G, or the Sturmgeschütz III Ausführung G as it is more properly known, was the most widely produced variant of the Assault Gun class of German Armoured vehicles during World War II. Over 8,400 StuG G's were produced between 1940 and 1945 (out of a total of ~11,000 StuG III and StuH models), and they served extensively in all theatres except North Africa; 90th Light Division had a mere 2 StuG D assault guns in its 288 zbV Regiment at the Battle of Gazala in June 1942, an although more StuGs were sent to Tunisia in the closing days of the fighting in North Africa, they were never present in large numbers.

Initially designed to operate as infantry support weapons, the early variants of the StuG III were fitted with a low-velocity 75mm main gun, to provide mobile direct-fire artillery support to German infantry units, targeting fortifications and soft-skinned vehicles. The StuG III was developed from the very successful Panzer III tank, but removed the turret in favour of a 'fixed' gun. This made it significantly cheaper and quicker to produce, and gave the vehicle a very low profile, which StuG crews very quickly realised gave them a massive advantage in dealing with enemy armoured vehicles.

By March 1942, the German High Command recognised their effectiveness against enemy tanks, particularly in a defensive role, and had commissioned a new variant, the Ausf. F, with a longer 75mm gun firing armour piercing rounds. This marked the definitive turning point in tactical employment of the StuG, as it became a specialist tank destroyer. By December of 1942, the design had been improved and the StuG III Ausf. G (StuG G) was introduced, upgunned and uparmoured with side skirts (schurzen) for additional protection from anti-tank rifles.

Although the Tiger and Panther tanks got more 'star' attention, and the Panzer IV was as numerous (~9,000 produced), it was the humble StuG that was the real 'tank killer' for the German Army, with an estimated 20,000 Allied tanks knocked-out by 1944 alone.

StuGs continued to see operational service after the war, with some even surviving until the early 1960s in the Syrian Army.

Camouflaging the StuG G

There are many different historically accurate paint schemes that can be chosen for German Armoured vehicles, as unlike the Allies, who tended to stick to a fairly mundane Olive Green colour, the German experimented extensively with camouflage patterns.

After much consideration, I ended up choosing the fairly standard Dunkelgelb (Dark Yellow) pattern, used extensively in Normandy and subsequent Western Front battles, as shown in the photo below.

Wonderful photo of a King Tiger at the Bovington Tank Museum, showing off the camouflage pattern I will be using

The camouflage is a 3-colour scheme, with Dark yellow as the base, overlaid with uneven 'stripes' of red-brown and olive green. We'll basically be using the same techniques used by the Battlefront guys for their tutorial videos on their youtube feed, with a few variations thrown in here and there. I'll go through the stages step by step, and then post a list of all the paints used at the very end.

Painting in practice

The first thing to do, naturally, was to build and prime the vehicles. Here they are in all their glory! The StuGs contained in the Open Fire! set are extremely easy to put together, with minimum fuss and trimming/gap-filling/mould line removal (unlike the Shermans, I might add.... more on that in a later blog!).

Next was to basecoat them, and for this I used the Vallejo Model Colour paint 882 'Middlestone'. This was the first time I'd ventured into using Vallejo paints, and I did so due to them working directly with the Flames of War people to produce additional colours to their range to match World War II paint schemes. I was very impressed with the way the paint went on, and it goes without saying that the dropper bottles are much more user-friendly than, say, a Games Workshop paint pot.

Once basecoated with 'Middlestone', it was time to start adding some of the other base colours. First the running wheel tyres and machine gun were painted black, followed by the tracks, which got a coat of Vallejo Model colour 984 'Flat Brown'. I didn't worry too much at this stage about sloppiness, as there will be time to touch up the base colour later on.

Following that step, I got down to applying the camouflage colours. First off is a 50/50 mix of Vallejo 872 'Chocolate Brown and 882 'Middlestone'. this is applied in a sort of stippling fashion, with a half loaded brush. The technique gives a 'feathered' edge to the paint, simulating the effect you get from an airbrush, which I don't own! Using an old brush is a good idea as it will destroy the bristles. 

That's enough for Part 1. In Part 2 we will finish off the camouflage and do some detail work. See you soon!