Vehicle Profile: The German sIG Ib

I was playing an ASL scenario some time ago with a  friend of mine and we had a German Mobelwagen Flak vehicle in the countermix. He didn’t know what that was.  Now, he is a long-time ASL player and a history reader, but it occurred to me that there may be many people who play the games who don’t know what all the counters represent, especially some of the more esoteric vehicles. So in an effort to help remedy this situation, I would like to do a periodic Vehicle Profile of some vehicle I have recently played.  The first one up is the German sIG Ib, which I used in ESG#109, Backs to the Wall. 

Here’s the ASL counter:

Here’s a photo or two:

History and Development:

The Invasion of Poland had shown that the towed sIG 33 guns (sIG is German for heavy infantry gun) 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.

Basically, the standard sIG 33 150 mm field Howitzer, was mounted, via ramps, on two receiving rails with fixations, and two "baskets" for each wheel, which held the entire gun, on the top of the chassis, with its upper hull and turret removed. This configuration allowed the gun to be put in place and also retired quickly, but it was also a radical solution, imposing an all-around, very tall protection made of 13mm bolted armoured plates, which formed the open-top fighting compartment. It was also open to the rear, to allow the loaders to move around, but protection was henceforth limited to the gun and the pointer only.

There was no room onboard for the ammunition, which has to be towed separately by another vehicle. Thirty-eight in all, were produced in February 1940 by Alkett, officially denominated 15 cm sIG 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B. "Bison" was a nicknamed quickly gained because its bully appearance.

Use in Combat:

Thirty-six vehicles were organized into independent schwere Infanteriegeschütz-Kompanie ("Self-propelled Heavy Infantry Gun Companies") numbers 701-706, assigned to Panzer Divisions in the Battle of France.  They all survived this campaign, and saw action later during the Balkans campaign, in Yugoslavia, and then in Greece. In June, they were all redeployed to Rumania to prepare for Operation Barbarossa. But only two groups survived, 705th and 706th belonging to the 7th and 10th Panzer Divisions. Few of these vehicles survived Operation Barbarossa, and the remaining unit, 701st, participated in operation Case Blue in early 1942. These vehicles fought until 1943, the last of which were seen in a single, depleted unit 704, assigned to the 5th Panzer Division.

Combat Effectiveness:

Mounting an infantry gun on a mobile chassis was a great idea, especially in the age of Blitzkrieg, where infantry units had to keep up with the penetrating armor forces.  However, just looking at this vehicle, one can identify some of its shortcomings.  For starters, the small Panzer I chassis was severely overloaded, and mechanical breakdowns occurred frequently.  Secondly, the very tall silhouette presented a very large target to enemy gunners.  This large target combined with relatively thin armor and very little crew protection proved a nasty combination.  Finally, with no room to stow ammunition, the vehicle and crew were dependent on a separate ammunition vehicle.  This disadvantage was particularly evident during the Russian campaign, where the roads were often poor, making it difficult for the ammunition to keep up with the gun. 

However, this experiment made it possible for the Germans and other countries to design new and more efficient mobile howitzers and infantry guns, which played very important roles in the course of World War II. 

References:

• http://www.creativecrash.com/3d-model/sd-kfz-101-sturmpanzer-1-bison
• http://www.creativecrash.com/3d-model/sd-kfz-101-pzkpfw-1-sturmpanzer-bison-3d-model
• http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/SiG-33_Bison.php
• Chamberlain, Peter, and Hilary L. Doyle. Thomas L. Jentz (Technical Editor). Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled Guns, and Semi-tracked Vehicles, 1933–1945. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1978 (revised edition 1993).
• Franco Lucas. Panzer 1: Beginning of a Dynasty (AFV Collection).  AFV Editions, 2006. 
• Jentz, Thomas. Panzerkampfwagen 1 ( Kleintraktor to Ausf.B ) (Panzer Tracts, # 1-1).  Panzer Tracts, 2002.
• Niehorster, Leo. German World War II Organizational Series; Volume 3/I: Mechanized Army Divisions (22 June 1941) Hannover, Germany: Niehorster, 1990.
• Niehorster, Leo. German World War II Organizational Series; Volume 4/I: Mechanized Army Divisions (28 June 1942) Hannover, Germany: Niehorster, 1994.
• Spielberger, Walter J. Panzers I and II and Their Variants: From Reichswehr to Wehrmacht (Spielberger German Army and Military Vehicle).  Schiffer Publishing, 2007.
• Trojca, Waldemar and Jaugitz, Markus. Sturmtiger and Sturmpanzer in Combat. Katowice, Poland: Model Hobby, 2008.