Fallschirm Stug Abt. Italy 1944

Wounded Badge in Black citation to Gefreiter Heinrich Romberg for a first wounding on 24 April 1944.

At that time he served with 1. Fallschirm Sturmgeschutz Abteilung XI Fliegerkorps fighting in Italy.
Handed out on 11 May 1944 at Kriegslazarett 994.

The unit was equipped with so called “beute” panzer from the Italian army. This unit had the Stug M42 and M43.

The Semovente

Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 75/34 851(i)

The Italian Semovente M41 da 75/18 is a self-propelled gun.
But, by the time that the Allies invade the Italian mainland in 1943/44 and the capitulation of the Italian armed forces, the design of the Semovente had moved on.

The Semovente da 75/34 armed with an L/34 gun mounted on an M15/42 tank chassis and saw action during the defence of Rome in 1943 and later served with the Germans in Northern Italy and the Balkans. 141 were produced during the war: 60 before the Armistice of Cassibile in September 1943, 81 later under German control.

The Semovente 75/34 took inspiration from the German StuG III and like the long-barrelled StuG become more of a de facto tank hunter rather than an infantry support weapon. It sported heavier armour that then original the 75/18 model, what could probably be considered average for the Mid War period, and the 75/34 gun gave it decent firepower.

Sturmgeschütz M43 mit 105/25 853(i)

The Semovente da 105/25 was the final stage of Italian design of their assault gun series. Initially the intent was to mount a 105mm gun on the new P40 hull.  However, this was dropped, due to production issues, in favour of the M15/42 hull. To accommodate the large 105mm gun the hull had to be widened and this new chassis became the M43. As well as a wider hull the M43 had 75mm of front armour and combined with its powerful 105mm gun the Bassotto (“Dachshund”) was a popular addition to the German arsenal in Italy.

info taken from: https://www.breakthroughassault.co.uk/italian-beute/

Hard to find unit!

Used condition, punchholes, stapleholes, wear.

Code: B23215