38 cm Sturmmörser

38 cm Sturmmörser

38 cm Sturmmörser

Germany

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.0	5.7	6.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Tank destroyer

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Description

The infamous 38 cm Sturmmörser, better known as the Sturmtiger, had its genesis in from the Battle of Stalingrad where a heavy support vehicle with a large armament capable of demolishing building was desired. While the similar Brummbär was also produced to fulfill this role, the improving trend of infantry-portable anti-tank firepower gave concern that the Brummbär's armour would not be sufficient, and so a vehicle with more armour was desired. As a result, several Tiger I hulls were assigned to be converted by Alkett into an assault gun holding the impressive 380 mm rocket launcher. The vehicle would begin limited production in February 1944 before entering full production in April, leading to 18 vehicles being converted into the Sturmtiger. The Sturmtiger was used most famously in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, but also saw use against the Western Front in the Ardennes Offensive as well as the Battle of Remagen.

Introduced in the "Dreams come true" 10th Anniversary event during Update "Fire and Ice", the 38 cm Sturmmörser was arguably the one of the most anticipated vehicle in the game, as hinted by the title of the event it became available to unlock in. The Sturmtiger fits all the preconception of a vehicle of its kind, a large armament with an exorbitantly long reload time, and inaccurate enough to make precise hits improbable. However, the large calibre and blast radius ensures that anything caught in the rocket's reach will be crippled or destroyed. The Sturmtiger brings considerable armour into the battle as well, allowing for some semblance of survivability while lining up the armament onto the target. Due to its specialized construction and armament as an assault gun, finding the optimal way to use it in a dynamic battlefield could be difficult and frustrating, but players would have a literal blast being able to pelt that pesky tank with a 380 mm rocket to the hull.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull100 / 80 / 80

Turret150 / 80 / 80

Crew5 people

Visibility111 %

The survivability and armour of this vehicle can vary quite a lot depending on what type of vehicle you are facing. When engaging in combat with a vehicle which is in front of you, your frontal armour may at times actually be able to withstand hits. The issue is you have a big profile so hiding isn't exactly an option. Your armour is effective against low caliber rounds, and can protect you against some autocannon fire. The problem is that whenever an enemy with a high-performing round is on the battlefield, which is able to penetrate your frontal armour, you wont' be able to survive much. The reasoning is due to how ammo is stored, which really hinders you. This is especially highlighted whenever an enemy, even if it's a light tank, manages to flank you and shoot you from the side. Your armour is at its weakest there and the only thing on the other side is the rest of your very explosive munitions. In conclusion, to fully make the most out of your armour do not push into the frontlines, stay well hidden from danger.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	100 mm (27°) Lower glacis	80 mm Top 60 mm Bottom	80 mm	40 mm
Casemate	150 mm (45°) 100 mm Gun mantlet	80 mm	80 mm	25 mm 10 mm Radiators

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB44 / 10 km/h

RB and SB41 / 9 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight65.0 t

Engine power

AB1 336 hp

RB and SB700 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB20.6 hp/t

RB and SB10.8 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	44	10	65	994	1,336	15.29	20.55
Realistic	41	9		619	700	9.52	10.77

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB2 606

RB2 936

SB3 323

Crew training10 000

Experts340 000

Aces890

Research Aces1 180 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 130 / 210 / 250 %

2 × 184 / 184 / 184 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive Adjustment of Fire Elevation Mechanism Rangefinder Smoke grenade

Armaments

Rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Main armament

380 mm RW61 mortar

Ammunition14 rounds

First-order1 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

52.0 → 40.0 s

Vertical guidance0° / 72°

Horizontal guidance-11° / 11°

380 mm RW61 mortar					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	14	0°/+72°	±11°	N/A	8.8	12.2	14.8	16.4	17.4	52.00	46.00	42.40	40.00
Realistic					6.0	7.0	8.5	9.4	10.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
38 cm R Spgr.4581	Rocket	82	82	82	82	82	82

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
38 cm R Spgr.4581	Rocket	250	345	0	0.1	125	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
14	13 (+1)	9 (+5)	7 (+7)	3 (+11)	1 (+13)	No

Notes:

• Racks 2 and 3 have a shell set in common, as do 4 and 5

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity150 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate900 shots/min

7.92 mm MG34
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Hull	3,000 (150)	900	-5°/+10°	-10°/+5°

Usage in battles

This vehicle can be used in a wide variety of ways, from short range urban combat to long range artillery fire from behind cover.

Right after spawning, it's usually a good idea to set the gun sight's elevation to 100 or 200 m, to avoid having to aim upwards too much when shooting at a relatively distant target and to know easily if your shell will fly over a close obstacle or not.

Due to the extremely long reload, staying close to your teammates is strongly recommended if playing near the contact line, as you will need backup in short range engagements; after you've reloaded, bear in mind that there is a live rocket in your barrel that is vulnerable to pretty much any gun the enemy has, so try to shoot as soon as you've reloaded if you're being targeted or angle your gun away from the enemy if you don't intend to fire yet.

When shooting from a distance, try to get the tank on flat terrain, as inclines tend to somewhat throw off your sight's range indicators and, due to the very steep impact angles of your rockets, getting the aiming distance wrong by just a dozen meters could mean that your shell will fly over your target or hit the ground too far to damage it.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Massive 380 mm rocket ammunition, able to knock out any vehicle in a direct hit, or multiple vehicles within the explosion radius
• Adequate frontal armour can negate common tanks like T-34-85, M4A3 (76), Comet I
• Due to its curvy trajectory, it can lob the rocket past sloped terrain or cover
• Decent mobility (~30 km/h on average) for its size, can keep up with even some medium tanks
• The smoke grenade mortar has 30 charges

Cons:

• Hard to aim due to curved trajectory, narrow gun traverse arc, and slow rocket velocity
• No gun depression, impossible to use in mountainous terrains
• Huge ammo racks essentially act as a gigantic fatal weakspot
• Very long reload time at 40 seconds (ace crew)
• Rockets can be destroyed mid-flight by MG fire
• If the launcher is loaded, the rocket inside of it can be shot, resulting in an ammo detonation
• No impact indicator in Arcade, you'll have to rely entirely on the elevation notches in your scope

History

The 38 cm Sturmmorser, also known as the Sturmtiger, was a heavy siege weapon intended to destroy fortifications with a single shot.

The idea for such a heavy infantry support vehicle came out of the experiences of the heavy urban fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942. At the time, the Wehrmacht had only the Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B available for destroying buildings, a Sturmgeschütz III variant armed with a 15 cm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun. Its successor, the Sturmpanzer IV, also known by Allies as the Brummbär, was in production from early 1943. This was essentially an improved version of the earlier design, mounting the same gun on the Panzer IV chassis with greatly improved armour protection.

While the Brummbär had far more armour than its predecessors, by late 1943, infantry anti-tank weapons had improved dramatically, and the Wehrmacht still saw a need for a heavily armoured and armed vehicle. Thus, the Sturmtiger project was born.

Initially, the Sturmtiger would have used a 210 mm howitzer. However, due to manufacturing delays, this weapon turned out not to be available at the time and was replaced by a 380 mm rocket launcher adapted from a Kriegsmarine depth charge launcher. Loaded through a sliding breech, the vehicle carried 14 rounds of ammunition. The rocket launcher fired short-range, rocket-propelled projectiles with either a high explosive charge or a shaped charge, which was primarily used against buildings and and could penetrate up to 2.5 meters (8ft 2 in) of reinforced concrete.

In September of 1943, plans were made for Krupp to fabricate new Tiger I armoured hulls for the Sturmtiger. However, further delays in production and shortages of materials meant that only existing damaged Tiger I hulls were rebuilt and converted into Sturmtigers. The first three were complete on 20th February 1944, and full production did not occur until August 1944. Ultimately, only 18 Sturmtigers were manufactured by the Alkett company in Berlin.

The Sturmtiger was used most famously in the Warsaw Uprising of August 1944, but also saw action in the defence of Germany against Allied forces.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the 38 cm Sturmmörser from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #336 - Pages of History section at 04:09 discusses the 38 cm Sturmmörser.

The Shooting Range #330 - Metal Beasts section at 00:27 discusses the 38 cm Sturmmörser.

Sturmtiger / Sturmmorser: Better Than Expected! - Tims Variety

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] 38 cm Sturmmörser ("Sturmtiger") SPG