Plate01: An ausf F/8 model of the battalion photographed in the streets of Lappeenranta, a town in south-east Finland about 30 kilometers from the Russian border, at the end of June 1944. Note the additional concrete armor applied to the superstructure.
Plate02: One of the battalion’s Sturmhaubitze 42 photographed near Ihantala in the summer of 1944. Of note is the cover over the driver’s visor and the three-digit number on the hull Schürzen.
In June 1944, after a direct appeal from the Finnish government, a number
German Army and Luftwaffe formations were dispatched to Finland. The Army units equipped with assault guns were Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 303 and 122.Infanterie-Division - the latter having ten Sturmgeschütz IV on hand with its Panzerjäger-Abteilung. Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 303 - which included
Sturmgeschütz-Batterie 742, a unit which had previously been stationed in Finland - operated in the Karelian Isthmus and was equipped with Sturmgeschütz III assault guns which were for the most part ausf G models with some ausf F/8 versions. The battalion aslo had nine Sturmhaubitze 42 on hand. Many vehicles had Schürzen and almost all carried at least one sturdy log.
Plate03:At left: A Sturmgeschutz III of 3.Batterie, Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 303 photographed near the Klipeejoki road during the Battle of Ihantala at the end of June 1944.
Why the battalion used two distinct styles of numbering, with that shown here having no obvious connection to the battery number, is not known. It may be possible however that Sturmgeschütz-Batterie 742 retained its own system when it was absorbed by the battalion. That is however, pure conjecture. The numbers appear to be yellow or a very dirty white and the Balkenkreuz national insignia has been very roughly applied. As with most photographs of the battalion’s assault guns were the suspension is visible, sections of track have been attached to the hull as added armor protection. The ubiquitous logs would have offered some protection against armor-piercing rounds but were also carried by vehicles which had a full set of Schürzen and would have been extremely useful in the swampy terrain encountered in much of Finland.