Stats Breakdown

Let’s break the stats down and do a direct comparison:

Available: They both were available in 1943.

Type: Both are Medium AFVs and are Tank Destroyers

Move: The StuG is Average (6+1D); the M18 is Fast (6+1Dx2). As the M18 moves faster than the StuG it can advance quickly. Which is useful when attacking or entering on a Reserve move, or moving from one side of the table to another.

Reliability: With Good Reliability the M18 only risks a breakdown on triple move. The StuG has Average Reliability and may breakdown when making a Double Move.

• So far, the M18 performs better than the StuG III. It moves faster and is more reliable.
• However, the StuG’s low profile and thicker armour gives it more Reaction Dice than the M18.

Reaction: The StuG III has 6D Reaction against Anti-Tank fire and 5D against Artillery. The M18 has only 4D against Anti-Tank fire and is also open-topped which reduces its Reaction Dice to 3D against artillery. In terms of battlefield survivability, the M18 is more vulnerable than the StuG III.

Weapon: Both vehicles have similar weapons: the M18 has a slightly greater range than the StuG III, but they both have FP: 3D and AT: 7D. While the M18 can out-range the StuG, the 4” difference is marginal.

Notes: The StuG III and M18, although both are Tank Destroyers, have different special abilities.

The StuG is restricted to a180° fire arc which means it has to move before it can fire to its flanks and rear. As this may trigger opportunity fire, the StuG is best used to support other units rather than being in the front line of an attack.

The StuG III also has a low profile which increases its Reaction Dice from 5D to 6D.

The M18 is open-topped which makes it vulnerable to enemy artillery, mortars and small arms fire. This is potentially a huge weakness.

However, the M18 can shoot and scoot. It can fire and immediately move backwards giving it a +2D bonus to its Reaction Dice. It can also break-off when fired also giving it a +2D bonus to Reaction. When shooting and scooting or breaking-off, the M18 has 6D Reaction which is the same as the StuG III.

The M18’s fast speed and good reliability allows it to move rapidly across the battlefield. It can break-off when targetted by enemy artillery, mortars and small arms increasing its Reaction Dice to 5D.

The StuG III has 5D reaction against artillery – the same as an M18 shooting and scooting or breaking-off. When targetted by artillery, the StuG has to take the fire while the M18 can break-off.

Shoot and Scoot

So, if Shoot and Scoot is such a good special ability, why doesn’t the StuG III have it?

The StuG III was originally designed to provide close support to infantry units. The StuG III was later up-gunned to make it capable of dealing with enemy tanks. Its battlefield role changed from close support to tank destroyer, but it was still intended that the StuG III as an assault gun should be used in an aggressive role.

Later German tank destroyers were designated as Jagdpanzers (hunting tanks) and gain the shoot and scoot special ability. However, the Jagdtiger is too heavy and slow to shoot and scoot.

Next Post: The Conclusion

How important are speed, reliability and shoot and scoot?

Anthony F Wengraitis posted a comment on the M18 after I shared a video on Facebook: “Which really isn’t saying much when you compare it to a StugIII.”

Which had me looking at the Combat HQ statistics for the StuG III Ausf G and the M18 “Hellcat” Gun Motor Carriage to see how they rated using the Army Builder Points System.

Points Cost

• StuG III Ausf G = 99 points
• M18 GMC = 106 points

The M18 costs 7 more points than the StuG III; an increase of 6.8%. It’s not a great difference, but it’s still a difference. So if the StuG is superior to the M18, why does an M18 cost more points?

Next Post: Stats Breakdown

Artillery is a key part of World War Two combat. The rules for it are simple and don’t require any templates. While potentially devastating, artillery causes more suppression results than direct fire. As it costs a Command Dice to remove a suppression marker, units hit by artillery can quickly drain away precious Command Dice and Staff Orders. As the battle progresses and suppressions mount up, you are forced to prioritise your use of Command Dice.

Unless you actively restock your Staff Orders, your ability to call artillery and smoke missions and issue additional orders – as well as keeping your troops moving rapidly – drops off. You need to find a balance between spending Command Dice and saving them as Staff Orders. As a Command Failure cancels your artillery missions, unless you use Staff Orders to keep them going, keeping a few Staff Orders is advisable, but not always possible.