Figures for a Stug. III ausf.b?

Hi there, I have recently purchased Tamiyas 1:35 Stug III ausf.b kit, and a few aftermarket items. I am planning a small diorama, and in a perfect world that would include a couple of figures perhaps loading some ammunition? One chap passing a shell up and another receiver from the loaders hatch?

Can anyone suggest some figures? Preferably resin? and perhaps in a wintery setting? I have had a bit of a hunt around without any immediate success.

Any help greatly appreciated!!! p.s. first post in the new forum!

Maybe these could work?

Edit: Missed the part about wintery, sigh …

I can’t think of a resin crew in winter kit off the top of my head but Dragon did make a set in plastic that may work.

Admittedly they aren’t the best quality as they are a little old and not so sharply detailed but with some work they may fit the bill?

That Dragon kit is probably not appropriate for a Stug Ausf B given they stopped production in May 1941, a month before Operation Barbarossa started, and we all know how unequipped the Germans were for the first Winter there. This set would be more appropriate to an Ausf F F/8 or later. Most available figures with winter uniforms are for 1943 period onward.

For an Ausf B in Winter, usually, the standard uniform was used, stuffed with paper and straw - especially the boots - and then gloves and a Balaclava - if you were lucky you might have a fur lined felt hat liberated from a Russian. This is typically what the Stug crew had at best:

Or a coat over the uniform:

This kit is more period Stug III Ausf B related:


It is not too bad really, but it is not really suitable for Winter.

Aren’t the marking options for the kit only for April-September in 1941?

Tim, the marking dates are not relevant to the only operating period. They denote a period in time that Tamiya recognises as when the unit was active with the Stug Ausf B. It does not suggest the vehicle’s markings are relevant only to that single month. For example :
Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 243

Wehrkreis responsible for formation: Wehrkreis XIII.
Date of Formation: 10 May 1941:
----- At the Old Camp at the Jüterbog Truppenübungsplatz, Wehrkreis III.
First Commanding Officer: Oberstleutnant Hesselbarth.
Replacement Units or Replacement & Training Units:
----- Sturmgeschütz-Ersatz [und Ausbildungs]-Abteilung 200.

UNIT HISTORY:
22 Jun.1941… Attached to IV. Armeekorps, 17. Armee, Heeresgruppe Sud.
15 Jul.1941… Attached to XXXXIX. Gebirgs-Armeekorps, 17. Armee, Heeresgruppe Sud.
15 Sep.1941… Attached to LI. Armeekorps, 6. Armee, Heeresgruppe Sud.
22 Sep.1941… Attached to XXXXIII. Armeekorps, 2. Armee, Heeresgruppe Mitte.
2 Oct.1941… Attached to LIII. Armeekorps, 2. Armee, Heeresgruppe Mitte.
24 Dec.1941… Assigned to 2. Armee, Heeresgruppe Mitte.
4 Jun.1942… Attached to LV. Armeekorps, Armeegruppe “von Weichs”.
10 Aug.1942… Attached to XXXXVIII. Panzerkorps, 4. Panzerarmee, Heeresgruppe B.
24 Aug.1942… Attached to 24. Panzer-Division, XXXXVIII. Panzerkorps, 4. Panzerarmee, Heeresgruppe B.
17 Sep.1942… Assigned to 4. Panzerarmee, Heeresgruppe B.
1 Nov.1942… Attached to IV. Armeekorps, 4. Panzerarmee, Heeresgruppe B.
17 Nov.1942… Attached to IV. Armeekorps, 4. Panzerarmee, Heeresgruppe B.
Jan.1943… Unit shattered in the fighting around Stalingrad. The remnants of Stu.Gesch.Abt.243 were withdrawn from the front and reformed as a new unit.
2 Feb.1943… Unit attached to LVII. Panzerkorps.
16 Feb.1943… Unit attached to XXIX. Armeekorps.
4 Jul.1943… Assigned to the reformed 6. Armee, Heeresgruppe Sud.
*14 Feb.1944… Redesignated Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 243.

Taken from:
https://www.axishistory.com/various/153-germany-heer/heer-other-units/3404-sturmgeschuetz-abteilungen-226-to-244

Tamiya’s date is Sept 1941, but the vehicle may have been delivered in May 1941 when the unit was formed. Unless the order of battle for the unit confirms that all Ausf B’s were destroyed or replaced By Oct 1941, it is not unreasonable to expect that some were still around for a while longer, especially considering an actual Ausf B was at least 4 months old in Sept 1941…

Then again, a ‘generic’ white wash finish with no other markings could be David’s intention.