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15 cm sIG 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B
Encyclopedia
The 15 cm sIG 33 auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B (sometimes referred to as the Sturmpanzer I Bison
) was a German self-propelled heavy infantry gun used during World War II
. The Invasion of Poland
had shown that the towed sIG 33
guns assigned to the infantry gun companies of the motorized infantry regiments had difficulties keeping up with the tanks during combat. The easiest solution was to modify a spare tank chassis to carry it into battle. A sIG 33 was mounted on the chassis
of the Panzer I Ausf. B
, complete with carriage and wheels, in place of the turret and superstructure. Plates 13 millimetre (0.511811023622047 in) thick were used to form a tall, open-topped fighting compartment on the forward part of the hull. This protected little more than the gun and the gunner himself from small arms fire and shell fragments, the loaders were completely exposed. The rearmost section of armor was hinged to ease reloading. There was no room to stow any ammunition so it had to be carried by a separate vehicle. When mounted the sIG 33 had a total 25° of traverse and could elevate from -4° to +75°. It used a Rblf36 sight.
The chassis was overloaded and breakdowns were frequent. The vehicle's extreme height and lack of on-board ammunition were severe tactical drawbacks.
Thirty-eight were produced in February 1940 by Alkett. Thirty-six of these were organized into independent schwere Infanteriegeschütz-Kompanie ("Self-propelled Heavy Infantry Gun Companies"); mot.S. Numbers 701-706 and these were assigned to the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 10th Panzer Division
s in the Battle of France
as well as Operation Barbarossa
. The 705th and 706th were destroyed during Operation Barbarossa
, belonging to the 7th and 10th Panzer Divisions respectively. Of the remaining companies only the 701st participated in the opening stages of the subsequent Case Blue in 1942, although it, and its parent 9th Panzer Division were transferred to Army Group Center by the end of the summer of 1942. The last reference to them is with the 704th Company of the 5th Panzer Division during the middle of 1943.
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
) was a German self-propelled heavy infantry gun used during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
had shown that the towed sIG 33
SIG 33
The 15 cm sIG 33 was the standard German heavy infantry gun used in the Second World War. It was the largest weapon ever classified as an infantry gun by any nation. Sources differ on the development history, but the gun itself was of conventional design. Early production models were...
guns assigned to the infantry gun companies of the motorized infantry regiments had difficulties keeping up with the tanks during combat. The easiest solution was to modify a spare tank chassis to carry it into battle. A sIG 33 was mounted on the chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
of the Panzer I Ausf. B
Panzer I
The Panzer I was a light tank produced in Germany in the 1930s. The name is short for the German ' , abbreviated . The tank's official German ordnance inventory designation was SdKfz 101 .Design of the Panzer I began in 1932 and mass production in 1934...
, complete with carriage and wheels, in place of the turret and superstructure. Plates 13 millimetre (0.511811023622047 in) thick were used to form a tall, open-topped fighting compartment on the forward part of the hull. This protected little more than the gun and the gunner himself from small arms fire and shell fragments, the loaders were completely exposed. The rearmost section of armor was hinged to ease reloading. There was no room to stow any ammunition so it had to be carried by a separate vehicle. When mounted the sIG 33 had a total 25° of traverse and could elevate from -4° to +75°. It used a Rblf36 sight.
Thirty-eight were produced in February 1940 by Alkett. Thirty-six of these were organized into independent schwere Infanteriegeschütz-Kompanie ("Self-propelled Heavy Infantry Gun Companies"); mot.S. Numbers 701-706 and these were assigned to the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 10th Panzer Division
Panzer Division
A panzer division was an armored division in the army and air force branches of the Wehrmacht as well as the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II....
s in the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
as well as Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
. The 705th and 706th were destroyed during Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, belonging to the 7th and 10th Panzer Divisions respectively. Of the remaining companies only the 701st participated in the opening stages of the subsequent Case Blue in 1942, although it, and its parent 9th Panzer Division were transferred to Army Group Center by the end of the summer of 1942. The last reference to them is with the 704th Company of the 5th Panzer Division during the middle of 1943.