Captured German StuG III Ausf. B assault gun used by Soviet troops near Kharkov in May 1942 after being seized during fighting on the Southwestern Front.
This photograph shows Soviet soldiers inspecting and preparing to use a captured German StuG III Ausf. B assault gun during the fighting near Kharkov in the spring of 1942. Unlike later versions, this early StuG III was equipped with a short-barreled 75 mm gun designed primarily to provide close infantry support rather than fight enemy tanks.
According to available sources, the vehicle belonged to the 214th Assault Gun Battalion of the Wehrmacht. It was captured on May 14, 1942 by troops of the 5th Guards Tank Brigade. Like many serviceable enemy vehicles captured during the war, it was quickly evaluated and put into use by the Red Army whenever possible, reflecting the practical approach adopted under combat conditions.
The battles around Kharkov in May 1942 became one of the most significant and costly operations on the Eastern Front. Although the Soviet offensive ultimately ended in defeat, both sides suffered heavy losses in men and equipment. Captured German armored vehicles occasionally supplemented Soviet units, especially when shortages of operational combat vehicles made every usable machine valuable.
Photographs such as this illustrate not only the intensity of the fighting but also the willingness of both armies to reuse captured equipment whenever circumstances allowed.
Technical photo data
📝 Source of information: Andrey Galushko & Maksim Kolomiets, Battles for Kharkov, May 1942
📍 Location: Eastern Ukraine, USSR
📅 Date of photo: May 1942
📷 Photographer: Unknown
Recommended literature
- Andrey Galushko & Maksim Kolomiets — Battles for Kharkov, May 1942
- Steven J. Zaloga — Sturmgeschütz III Assault Gun 1940–42
- Karl-Heinz Frieser — The Eastern Front 1942
- Captured StuG III Soviet 1942
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- Red Army uses captured armor
- StuG III Ausf. B Eastern Front
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- German assault gun photo WWII
- Eastern Ukraine battle 1942