http://www.stugiii.com/schurzen.html [font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][color=#000000]n December 1943, the U.S. War Department issued a report on the German practice of mounting armor skirts (Schürzen) on panzers in WWII (Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 40, December 16, 1943).
[/color] "[/font][i][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][color=#000000]From both Allied and German sources, reports have come in of additional armored skirting applied to the sides of German tanks and self-moving guns to protect the tracks, bogies and turret. Photographs show such plating on the PzKw 3 and 4, where the plates are hung from a bar resembling a , l running above the upper track guard and from rather light brackets extending outward about 18 inches from the turret. What appeared to be a 75-mm self-moving gun was partially protected by similar side plates over the bogies. This armor is reported to be light -- 4 to 6 millimeters (.16 to .24 in) -- and is said to give protection against hollow-charge shells, 7.92-mm tungsten carbide core AT ammunition, and 20-mm tungsten carbide core ammunition. This armor might cause a high-velocity AP shot or shell to deflect and strike the main armor sideways or at an angle, but covering the bogies or Christie wheels would make the identification of a tank more difficult, except at short ranges."
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(Source - [/font][/i][url=http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt/german-panzer-armor-skirting-ww2.html]http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt/german-panzer-armor-skirting-ww2.htm, 7q1r4ss]http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt/german-panzer-armor-skirting-ww2.html[font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"])
Schürzen Side Skirts
Schürzen were conceived and designed to provide protection primarily against Russian anti-tank rifles and low velocity high explosive rounds. Test firings on Schürzen (both wire mesh & steel plates) were performed prior to 20 Feb 1943. The tests were conducted using the Russian 14.5mm anti-tank rifle from 100m (90°) and a 7.5cm high explosive charge fried from a field gun. In all cases (mesh & steel plates) there was no damage or penetration to the test vehicle's side armor. The Schürzen were penetrated or torn off by the impacts, but remainde serviceable.
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[color=gray][font="Arial"](See also [url=http://www.panzerworld.net/facts.html#schurzen][color=#0000ff]http://www.panzerworld.net/facts.html#schurzen[/color][/url])[/font][/color]
[b][i][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"]Wire Mesh or Steel Plates?
[/font][/i][/b][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"]Both the wire mesh schürzen (Drahtgeflecht Schürzen) and the steel plates were equally effective in protecting the test vehicles side armor. The mesh offered some advantages over the steel plates, most notably in weight. The disadvantage lay in the difficulty in procuring the wire mesh and the mounting system. The mounting system designed for the steel plate schürzen would not work with the wire mesh sections. A new mounting system would have to be designed and developed for it. This would take time, so the steel plate schürzen were produced while the mounting system for the wire mesh sections was developed.
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Schedule
[/i][/b]In Mar-1943 Hitler issued a directive to outfit all new Sturmgeschütz, Panzer III, IV and Panthers with side skirts. Additionally all of these types currently deployed or undergoing maintenance were to be retrofitted with them. In early June, 1943 the first front-line units on the Russian Front retrofitted their Sturmgeschütz in time for the Kursk[/font][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"] offensive
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[font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"]Problems
[/font][/i][/b][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"]Complaints by field units about the original mountings prompted some changes to be made. The original mounting system was poorly designed and resulted in frequent loss of the Schürzen plates. Heavy mud, brush and other foliage could force the plate off the mounting and damage both the plate and the rails. A change in mounting systems helped but never eliminated the problem completely.
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[font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"]Mounting
[/font][/i][/b][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"]There are four types of Schürzen mounting used on Sturmgeschütz that I am aware of:[/font][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"]
The original Schürzen mounting system (introduced in Summer 1943) consisted of two rows of 'L' brackets ─┘ [/font][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"]One row mounted to the hull at fender level and the second to a rail just below the top of the superstructure. The brackets fit through small holes in the Schürzen plates. The normal movement of the StuG could dislodge the plates; not to mention brush or trees.[/font]
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