Written by a noted authority, this fully illustrated book pits the
StuG III assault gun in Finnish hands against the Soviet T-34-85 tank in
the bitter armored clashes in Finland at the height of World War II.
Featuring specially commissioned artwork and an array of archive
photographs, T-34 vs StuG III is the absorbing story of the parts
played by Soviet and Finnish armor in the epic battles in Finland during
June and July 1944.
In the summer of 1944, the Red Army staged a massive armored assault up
the Karelian Isthmus with the intent of eliminating any remaining German
and Finnish forces facing the Leningrad region.
Most of the Soviet units sent into Finland were new to the region,
moving mainly from the fighting in the Leningrad area. As a result, they
had the latest types of Soviet equipment including the new T-34-85 tank.
Germany refused to sell the Finns new tanks without a reinforced
military alliance, but in 1943 began selling them a few dozen StuG III
assault guns. This made the StuG III battalion the most modern and
powerful element of the Finnish armored division, and it saw very
extensive combat in the June-July summer battles.