| Sturmpanzer IV "Brummbär" | |
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| General Historical Information | |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Designer | Alkett |
| Manufacturer | Vienna Arsenal Deutsche Eisenwerke |
| Produced In | 1943 - 1945 |
| Category | Assault gun |
| Debut in FHSW | Debut in FH 0.62:Klw HEAT |
| Speed | 40 km/h |
| Armour | 
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| Main armament | 150mm StuH 43 L/12 (38 rounds) |
| General Ingame Information | |
| Used by | Germany |
| Crew in‑game | 2 |
| Ammunition |  
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| Seat 2 | 7.92 mm MG 34 (250 rounds) |
| Seat 3 | Passenger Seat |
| Seat 4 | Passenger Seat |
| Historical Picture | |
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The Sd.Kfz.166 Sturmpanzer IV Brummbar (Grizzly Bear) was an adaptation of the Panzer IV chassis to support a 150mm assault mortar on a self-propelled chassis that also provided the crew with a fully enclosed fighting compartment. The main gun was the StuH 43 L/12 gun on earlier production vehicles, but the sheer weight of the weapon caused problems using the Panzer IV chassis. The redesigned StuH 43/1 L/12 gun was fitted to a later mark Panzer IV chassis with greater success in the field.
With a crew of five, plus the size of the weapon itself, there was not much room left inside the vehicle for ammunition. The Brummbar could only carry 38 rounds of 150mm ammo before having to withdraw to reload.
The desire for a new self-propelled assault gun - in part driven by Adolph Hitler himself - was determined in early 1942 with Germany now fully committed to war along several major fronts. The existing self-propelled assault guns then in service were doing their part - they just lacked armor to protect both crew and critical components.
First use of these vehicles came along the East Front versus the Red Army at Kursk, Kharkov and Dnepstroy as part of the Sturmpanzerabteilung 216. Despite the 50 fielded in the ensuing actions, many were lost to enemy fire as the Red Army picked up steam and began to put the German Army on their heels in many areas. One of the last recorded actions involving these vehicles was near Budapest, Hungary of the Sturmpanzerabteilung 219 as part of the 23rd Panzer Division.
Attacking the stout Sturmpanzer IVs usually involved tank-killing infantry squads utilizing "magnetic" mines.
Troops called the Sturmpanzer IV the "Sturmpanzer" or "Stupa" for short and the name "Brummbar", meaning "Grizzly Bear", became tied to the machine in the post-war years (the name never formally used by the German Army itself). One true negative of the design was her limited off road capabilities due to her operating weight (approximately 28 tons), making her extremely heavy and slow (with a top listed speed of just 25 miles per hour in ideal conditions) and giving the vehicle a terrible tendency to get bogged down on wet terrain.
At least 313 Brummbar examples were produced in all including a command vehicle version fitting additional communications equipment and identified by their antenna installations. These were designated in German Army nomenclature as the "Befehlsturmpaner IV". The British and Americans both evaluated captured Brummbar's in the years following the end of the war.
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