Forgotten Hope 2 is an award-winning World War II modification for Battlefield 2TM and is based on the original Forgotten Hope, a modification for Battlefield 1942TM, one of the most popular multiplayer games ever. Battlefield 1942TM featured land, sea and air combat in a way never before seen. It was the goal of the development team to maximize the game experience by adding both a realistic and enjoyable gameplay to FH and now to FH2.
The Sturmpanzer was designed to meet a requirement for an armoured self propelled heavy howitzer that could provide fire support to the infantry. Based on the hull of the Panzer IV Ausf.G with a large armoured superstructure fitted to the top, it housed a newly designed Skoda StuH 43 L/12 howitzer, that used the same ammunition as the existing sIG 33 infantry gun.
The first series of 60 vehicles were produced starting in April 1943, and several saw action at Kursk that summer. This trial by combat resulted in a second series of vehicles, now based on the Ausf.H chassis. Changes consisted primarily of the fitting of a ventilator fan and sprung steel roadwheels on the front pair to cope with the extra weight. 60 series 2 were produced from December 1943, with production switching to the series 3 in March 1944. The driver's sight was replaced with periscopes and the gun replaced with the 800 kg lighter StuH 43/1.
The fourth series took over production in June, and featured a redesigned superstructure that included a frontal ball mount for an MG34, as well as the commander's cupola from the StuG. This series was also based on the Ausf.J hull.
The Sturmpanzer was known to the Germans affectionately as Stupa, while Allied Intelligence knew it as the Brummbär. In total 306 across all series were produced, and ours were made by Mike, Stubbfan and Matt Baker.