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STUG

StuG Abteilung 242 was originally formed in November 1942 and was intended for deployment in North Africa, where Generaloberst Erwin Rommel was eager to add its firepower to Panzerarmee Afrika. However, the Desert Fox only partially got his wish: only the 1. Batterie was sent to Africa, where it was attached to the 10. Panzer-Division and fought until the German surrender in Tunisia.

The other two StuG batteries were diverted at the last minute to the Eastern Front following the collapse at Stalingrad, where they suffered heavy casualties fighting brutal delaying actions. Pulled from Russia in early 1943, the 2nd and 3rd Batteries were reorganized, re-equipped, and then sent to Sardinia, Italy.

In Sardinia, StuG Abteilung 242 was attached to the 90. leichte "Afrika" Division and formed a German rearguard until the island was abandoned in September 1943. The battalion was then sent to Corsica, where it again covered the German retreat to mainland Italy.

At the beginning of 1944, StuG Abteilung 242 was deployed to the southern Italian sector, where the unit saw action in all the major engagements of the four battles for Monte Cassino, which raged from 17 January to 18 May 1944. The unit served as a mobile "fire brigade" for the sector, with its assault gun batteries dispatched to the fiercest points of combat, helping to keep the vitally important Monte Cassino in German hands, which served as a linchpin for Field Marshal Kesselring's defense of the Gustav Line. 

During this period, StuG Abteilung 242 was subsequently attached to the 94. Infanterie-Division, 44. Infanterie-Division "Hoch und Deutschmeister", the "Hermann Göring" Division, and the 1. Fallschirmjäger Division. Additionally, on 14 February 1944 the unit was officially redesignated as StuG Brigade 242.

StuG Brigade 242's most famous action occurred while attached to the 1. Fallschirmjäger Division. Its StuG III assault guns directly supported the German paratroopers as they fought amidst the rubble of Cassino and the ruins of the historic Monte Cassino Abbey, which had been destroyed by Allied bombers in one of the most controversial decisions of the war.

One particular StuG III from the brigade proved especially troublesome for the Allies. It was positioned in the main hall of the destroyed Excelsior Hotel, where it sheltered from Allied bombing and artillery strikes, only to emerge when needed to repel Allied tanks. Famous video footage of the fighting involving StuG Brigade 242 can be found in German Wochenschau newsreel episodes.