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Panzerkampfwagen III medium |
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It was envisaged in the mid-1930s thateach German tank battalion wouldhave three companies of relativelylight medium tanks and one companyof better armed and armouredmedium tanks. The former eventuallybecame the Panzerkampfwagen III(PzkPfw III) or SdKfz 141, while thelatter became the PanzerkampfwagenIV (PzKpfw IV) which was to remain inproduction throughout World War II.In 1935 the Weapons Departmentissued contracts for the construction ofprototype vehicles against the lighterconcept to Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MANand Rheinmetall-Borsig. At an earlystage it was decided to arm the tankwith a 37-mm gun which would fire thesame ammunition as that used by theinfantry anti-tank gun, but provisionwas made that the turret ring diameterbe large enough to permit the upgunningof the vehicle to 50 mm if thisshould be required. Following trialswith the prototype vehicles the Daimler-Benz model was selected, althoughthe first three production models, thePzKpfw III Ausf A, PzKpfw III Ausf Band PzKpfw III Ausf C were built onlyin small numbers, differing from eachother mainly in suspension details, InSeptember 1939 the vehicle was formallyadopted for service, and massproduction was soon under way, TheContinued on page 508A Panzer III with accompanyinginfantry during 1942. By this time theGerman tanks had come up againstthe excellent Soviet T-34, and armourand armament were beingincreased. PzKpfw III was first used in combatduring the invasion of Poland, The nextproduction models were the PzKpfwIII Ausf D and PzKpfw III Ausf F, theformer with thicker armour and a revisedcupola, and the latter with anuprated engine and only six roadwheels. In 1939 it was decided to pushahead with the 50-mm model and thisentered production in 1940 under thedesignation PzKpfw III Ausf F. Thiswas followed by the PzKpfw III Ausf Gversion with similar armament butmore powerful engine. For operationsin North Africa the vehicles were fittedwith a tropical kit, while for the proposedinvasion of England a specialversion for deep wading was developed.The latter were never usedfor their intended role but some weresuccessfully used during the invasionof the USSR in 1941. The PzKpfw Aus Hintroduced wider tracks and a numberof important improvements,The 50-mm L/42 gun was inadequateto cope with the Soviet T-34 tank, so thelonger-barrelled KwK 39 L/60 weaponwas installed. This had a higher muzzlevelocity, and vehicles fitted with theweapon were designated PzKpfw IIIAusf J. Many vehicles were retrofittedwith the 50-mm gun, and by early 1942the 37-mm version had almost disappearedfrom front-line service. Thenext model was the PzKpfw III Ausf L,which had greater armour protection,pushing its weight up to just over 22tonnes, almost 50 per cent more thanthe weight of the original prototype.The PzKpfw III Ausf M and PzKpfw IIIAusf N were fitted with the 75-mm L/24gun which had been installed in thePzKpfw IV; a total of 64 rounds ofammunition were carried for this gun.Production of the PzKpfw III was finallycompleted in August 1943. The chassiswas also used as the basis for the 75-mm assault gun (Gepanzerte Selbstahrlafettefür Sturmgeschütz 7.5 cmKanone or SdKfz 142), of which a fewwere used in the invasion of France in1941; production of improved SP gunson PzKpfw III chassis continued untilthe end of World War II. Other variantsincluded an armoured recovery vehicle,an armoured observation vehicle(Panzerbeobachtungswagen) and acommand vehicle (PanzerbefehlswagenIII), A total of 15,000chassis was produced for both the tankand assault gun applications.The layout of the PzKpfw III wasbasically the same in all vehicles, withthe driver at the front of the hull on theleft and the machine-gunner/radiooperator to his right. The three-manturret was in the centre of the hull, thecommander having a cupola in thecentre of the roof at the rear. The enginewas at the rear of the hull, and thesuspension, which was of the torsionbartype from the PzKpfw III Ausf E,consisted on each side of six small roadwheels, with the drive sprocket at thefront and the idler at the rear; therewere three track-return rollers.SpecificationPzKpfw III Ausf MCrew: 5Weight: 22300 kg (49,160 lb)PzKpfw AusfG, as used by the AfrikaKorps. Tropicalized, and with a 50-mm gun, the German tank provedeffective against the lighter Britishtanks, and was much moremobilethan the heavy infantry tanks.Dimensions: length (includingarmament) 6.41 m (21 ft 0 in);length(hull) 5.52 m (18 ft 1.5 in); width2.95 m(9 ft 8 in); height 2.50 m (8 ft 2.5 in)Powerplant: one Maybach HL 120TRM 12-cylmder petrol enginedeveloping 300 hp (224 kW)Performance: maximum road speed40 km/h (25 mph); maximum roadrange 175 km (110 miles); fording 0.8 m(2 ft 8 in); gradient 60 per cent; verticalobstacle 0.6 m (2 f tO in); trench2.59 m(8 ft 6 in)
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