Panzer III
Panzerkampfwagen III Sd.Kfz. 141 | |
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Torsion-bar suspension | |
Fuel capacity | 300–320 L (66–70 imp gal; 79–85 US gal) |
Operational range | Road: 165 km (103 mi) Cross-country: 85 km (53 mi)[1] |
Maximum speed | Road: 40 km/h (25 mph) Off-road: 20 km/h (12 mph) |
The Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a
Initially the Panzer III had the same 3.7 cm gun as the infantry used for anti-tank work but later models were given 5 cm gun. However, this was the largest gun that could be fitted within the limitations of the turret ring and it was insufficient against Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks. Instead the Panzer IV which had a larger turret ring, was redesigned to mount the long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun and became the main German tank. The Panzer III effectively swapped roles with the Panzer IV; from 1942 the last version of the Panzer III (Panzer III N) mounted the short barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 that the first Panzer IVs had been fitted with.
Production of the Panzer III ceased in 1943 but the Sturmgeschütz III assault gun which had been developed from the Panzer III chassis continued in production until the end of the war.
Development history
Background
At the time, German (non-light) tanks were expected to carry out one of two primary tasks when assisting infantry in breakthroughs, exploiting gaps in the enemy lines where opposition had been removed, moving through and attacking the enemy's unprotected
On January 11, 1934, following specifications laid down by
The direct infantry-support role was to be provided by the turret-less Sturmgeschütz assault gun, which mounted a short-barrelled gun on a Panzer III chassis.[4]
Development
Much of the early development work on the Panzer III was a quest for a suitable suspension. Several varieties of
A distinct feature of the Panzer III, influenced by the British
The Panzer III was intended as the primary battle tank of the German forces. However, when it initially met the
In 1942, the final version of the Panzer III, the Ausf. N, was created with a 75-millimetre (2.95 in) KwK 37 L/24 cannon, the same short-barreled low-velocity gun used for
Armour
The Panzer III Ausf. A through C had 15 mm (0.59 in) of rolled homogeneous armour on all sides with 10 mm (0.39 in) on the top and 5 mm (0.20 in) on the bottom. This was quickly determined to be insufficient, and was upgraded to 30 mm (1.18 in) on the front, sides and rear in the Ausf. D, E, F, and G models, with the H model having a second 30 mm (1.18 in) layer of face-hardened steel applied to the front and rear hull. The Ausf. J model had a solid 50 mm (1.97 in) plate on the front and rear, while the Ausf. J¹, L, and M models had an additional layer of offset 20 mm (0.79 in) homogeneous steel plate on the front hull and turret, with the M model having an additional 5 mm (0.20 in) Schürzen spaced armour on the hull sides, and 8 mm (0.31 in) on the turret sides and rear.[10] This additional frontal armor gave the Panzer III frontal protection from many light and medium Allied and Soviet anti-tank guns at all but close ranges. However, the sides were still vulnerable to many enemy weapons, including anti-tank rifles at close ranges.
Armament
The Panzer III was intended to fight other tanks; in the initial design stage a 50-millimetre (1.97 in) gun was specified. However, the infantry at the time were being equipped with the 37-millimetre (1.46 in)
The Ausf. A to early Ausf. G were equipped with a 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/45, which proved adequate during the campaigns of 1939 and 1940.[11] In response to increasingly better armed and armored opponents, the later Ausf. F to Ausf. J were upgraded with the 5 cm KwK 38 L/42,[12] and the Ausf. J¹ to M with the longer 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 gun.[13]
By 1942, the Panzer IV was becoming Germany's main medium tank because of its better upgrade potential. The Panzer III remained in production as a close support vehicle. The Ausf. N model mounted a low-velocity 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 gun - these guns had originally been fitted to older Panzer IV Ausf A to F1 models and had been placed in storage when those tanks had also been up armed to longer versions of the 75 mm gun.[9]
All early models up to and including the Ausf. G had two
A single experimental Ausf. L was fitted with a 75/55mm tapered bore Waffe 0725 cannon. The vehicle was designated Panzer III Ausf L mit Waffe 0725.[15]
Mobility
The Panzer III Ausf. A through D were powered by a 250
The fuel capacity was 300 L (79 US gal) in Ausf A-D, 310 L (82 US gal) in Ausf. E-G and 320 L (85 US gal) in all later models. Road range on the main tank was 165 km (103 mi) in Ausf. A-J; the heavier later models had a reduced range of 155 km (96 mi). Cross-country range was 95 km (59 mi) in all versions.[17] [18] [19]
Combat history
The Panzer III was used in the German campaigns
In both the Polish and French campaigns, the Panzer III formed a small part of the German armoured forces. Only a few hundred Panzer III Ausf. As to Fs were available in these two campaigns, with most being armed with the 37 mm (1.46 in) main gun. They were the best medium tank available to the German military at the period of time.
Aside from use in Europe, the Panzer III also saw service in North Africa with Erwin Rommel's renowned Afrika Korps from early 1941. Most of the Panzer IIIs with the Afrika Korps were equipped with the (short-barrelled) KwK 38 L/42 50mm tank gun, with a small number possessing the older 37mm main gun of earlier variants. The Panzer IIIs of Rommel's troops were capable of fighting against British Crusader cruiser and US-supplied M3 Stuart light tanks with positive outcomes, although they did less effectively against heavily armoured Matilda II infantry tanks and the American M3 Lee/Grant medium tanks (fielded by the British starting from early 1942). In particular, the 75mm hull-mounted gun of the Lee/Grant tank could easily destroy a Panzer III far beyond the latter's own effective firing range, as did the similarly equipped M4 Sherman, which first saw combat with British forces in North Africa in October 1942. [citation needed]
Around the time of the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in the summer of 1941, the Panzer III was, numerically, the most important German tank on the frontline. At this time period, the majority of the available tanks (including re-armed Ausf. Es and Fs, plus new Ausf. G and H models) for the invading German military had the 50 mm (1.97 in) KwK 38 L/42 50mm cannon.[23][additional citation(s) needed] Initially, the most numerous Soviet tanks the Germans encountered at the start of the invasion were older T-26 light infantry and BT class of cruiser tanks. This fact, together with superior German tactical and strategic skills in armoured clashes,[23] sufficient quality crew training, and the generally-good ergonomics of the Panzer III, all contributed to a favourable kill-loss ratio of approximately 6:1 for German tanks of all types in 1941.[citation needed] However, the Panzer IIIs were significantly outclassed by the more advanced Soviet T-34 medium and KV series of heavy tanks, the former of which was gradually encountered in greater numbers by the German forces as the invasion progressed.
With the appearance of the T-34 and KV-1/-2 tanks, rearming the Panzer III with a longer-barrelled and more powerful 50-millimetre (1.97 in) gun was prioritised. The T-34 was generally invulnerable in frontal combat engagements with the Panzer III until the 50 mm KwK 39 L/60 tank gun was introduced on the Panzer III Ausf. J beginning in the spring of 1942 (this tank gun was based on the infantry's 5 cm Pak 38 L/60 towed anti-tank gun). This could penetrate the T-34's heavy sloped armour frontally at ranges under 500 metres (1,600 ft).[24] Against the KV class of heavy breakthrough tanks, the Panzer III was a significant threat if it was armed with special high-velocity tungsten-tipped armour-piercing (AP) rounds. In addition, to counter enemy anti-tank rifles, starting from 1943, the Ausf. L version began the use of spaced armour sideskirts and screens (known as Schürzen in German) around the turret and on the vulnerable hull-sides. However, due to the introduction of the upgunned and better armoured Panzer IV, the Panzer III was, after the German defeat at the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, relegated to secondary/minor combat roles, such as tank-training, and it was finally replaced as the main German medium tank by the Panzer IV and the Panzer V Panther.
The Panzer III's strong, reliable and durable chassis was the basis for the turretless Sturmgeschütz III assault gun/tank destroyer, one of the most successful self-propelled guns of the war, as well as being the single most-produced German armoured fighting vehicle design of World War II.[4]
By the end of the war in 1945, the Panzer III saw almost no frontline use, and many of them had been returned to the few remaining armaments/tank factories for conversion into ammunition carriers or recovery vehicles. A few other variants of the Panzer III were also experimented on and produced by German industries towards the last phases of the war, but few were mass-produced or even saw action against the encroaching enemy forces of the Americans, British and Soviets.
Foreign users
In 1943,
received a number of Panzer III Ausf. Ns for its 1st Armored Division in 1943. They were called T-3 in the Romanian army. At least 2 of them were still operational in 1945.Norway used leftover stocks of ex-German Panzer IIIs (along with similar Sturmgeschütz III assault guns/tank destroyers) abandoned by departing Nazi occupation forces at the end of WWII up until the 1950s. In the Soviet Union, the Panzer III was one of the more common captured Nazi tanks they operated, as with the Panzer IV. At least 200, together with some StuG IIIs, fell into Soviet hands following the German defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad. The Soviets decided to upgun these captured German vehicles and two resulting designs were produced: the SG-122 self-propelled howitzer and the SU-76i assault gun. The former was not well-designed and was only built in very small numbers, with most not seeing combat action at all, while the latter was regarded as a better option of a Panzer III-based assault vehicle with a larger 75mm main gun. Aside from these locally designed variants of the Panzer III, the Soviets primarily tended to use them as their basic tank version, mainly used as second-line tanks, for reconnaissance and as mobile command posts.[citation needed]
The Japanese government bought two Panzer IIIs from their German allies during the war (one 50 mm and one 75 mm). Purportedly this was for reverse engineering purposes, since Japan put more emphasis on the development of new military aircraft and naval technology and had been dependent on European influence in designing new tanks. By the time the vehicles were delivered, the Panzer III's technology was obsolete.[27]
Variants and production
Ausführung | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | J | L | M | N |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | 1937 | 1937 | 1937/38 | 1938,1940 | 1939 | 1939-41 | 1940/41 | 1940/41 | 1941/42 | 1941/42 | 1942/43 | 1942/43 |
Produced | 10 | 10 | 15 | 25 + 5 | 96 | 450 | 594 | 286 | 1521 | 1470 | 517 | 614 |
Command tanks | Flame tank | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ausführung | D | E | H | J | K | Flamm |
Year | 1938/39 | 1939/40 | 1940/41 | 1941/42 | 1942/43 | 1943 |
Produced | 30 | 45 | 175 | 81 | 50 | 100 |
- Panzer III Ausf. A - Prototype 15 ton vehicle; only 8 armed and saw service in Poland. Armed with 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/46.5 main gun and two coaxial 7.92 mm MG34 machine guns, and had a 250 PS HL 108 engine. Entered service in 1937 and taken out of service in 1940. It had a FuG 5 radio and a 360° hand-cranked turret.[5]
- Panzer III Ausf. B - Prototype 15 ton vehicle; some saw service in Poland. Entered service in 1937 and put out of service in 1940. They were reused as a training vehicle after 1940. They had slightly thicker armour, and an eight-wheel suspension rather than the five-wheel suspension with coil springs.[29]
- Panzer III Ausf. C - Prototype 16-ton vehicle; some saw service in Poland, but were put out of service soon after. Slightly different suspension, which used leaf springs, than previous models.[30]
- Panzer III Ausf. D - Prototype; some saw service in Poland and Norway, but withdrawn from service soon after. Turret upgraded to 30 mm front, side and back. Hull armour remained the same. Hull rear was redesigned, and five vision slits added to the hull. Suspension slightly changed.[30]
- Panzer III Ausf. E - Fifth version of the Panzer III with 30 mm (1.2 in) armour all-round, other than the rear of the vehicle, which increased the weight to 20 t (22 short tons). Suspension redesigned, switching from leaf-springs to torsion-bars, now using six larger roadwheels per side. Had a 300 PS HL 120 engine.[16]
- Panzer III Ausf. F - improved Ausf. E, first mass-production version, late production armed with 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 main gun.[14]
- Panzer III Ausf. G - Ausf F. with extra armour on the gun mantlet, late production armed with 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 main gun.[14]
- Panzer III Ausf. H - 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 as standard gun. Bolt-on armour added to front and rear hull (30 mm base + 30 mm plates).[9]
- Panzer III Ausf. I - A variant that was mentioned by Allied intelligence, but never existed. Possibly confused with the Ausf. J.[9]
- Panzer III Ausf. J - The most common variant of the Panzer III, which served in North Africa and the Eastern Front. Hull and turret front armour increased to solid 50 mm plate. Spaced armour was placed around the gun mantlet. Some were produced with 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 gun and later redesignated Ausf. L.[31]
- Panzer III Ausf. K - Panzerbefehlswagen command tank variant based on the Ausf. M with a modified turret. Carried actual main armament rather than a dummy gun as found on other Panzer III command versions.[32]
- Panzer III Ausf. L - Redesignated Ausf. J equipped with long 5 cm gun, 20 mm stand-off armour plates on hull and turret front.[9] It was also equipped with a new system for transferring heated engine coolant to another vehicle.[33]
- Panzer III Ausf. M - Minor modifications of the ausf. L such as deep-wading exhaust and Schürzen side-armour panels.[9]
- Panzer III Ausf. N - Infantry support tank, armed with a short-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 gun. 700 were produced or re-equipped from 1942 and 1943.[9]
-
Panzer III Ausf. A on parade (1938)
-
Ausf. D, Poland (1939)
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Ausf.G, captured by the British in North Africa (1941).
-
Ausf. H in the Musée des Blindés, Saumur.
-
Ausf. J, USSR (1942).
-
Ausf. L, The Tank Museum (2023)
-
Ausf. M, Deutsches Panzermuseum (2005)
-
Ausf. M with side skirts in southern USSR (1943)
Designs based on chassis
- Panzerbeobachtungswagen III - Forward artillery observer tank. 262 converted from older Panzer III Ausf. E to H variants.[34]
- Bergepanzer III - In 1944, 176 Panzer IIIs were converted to armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs). Mostly issued to formations with Tiger I heavy tanks.[35]
- Flammpanzer III Ausf. M / Panzer III (Fl) - Flamethrower tank. 100 built on new Ausf. M chassis.[36]
- Panzerbefehlswagen III - Command tank with long-range radios. Ausf. D, E and H: variants with dummy main guns;[4] Ausf. J and K: types armed with actual 5 cm gun.[37]
- Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B' - An infantry close-support heavy assault gun. Armed with a 15 cm sIG 33 infantry gun, total of 24 built. 12 used and lost in Stalingrad.[35]
- Sturmgeschütz III - Assault gun/tank destroyer armed with a 75 mm (2.95 in) gun. Was the most produced German armored fighting vehicle during World War II.[38]
- Sturmhaubitze 42 - Was an assault howitzer with thicker frontal armor and Schürzen that was armed with a modified variant of the 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer, that was electrically fired and fitted with a muzzle brake. Alkett produced 1,299 StuH 42 from March 1943 to 1945.[39]
- The Soviet SU-76i assault gun was based on the chassis of captured German Panzer IIIs and StuG IIIs after the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943. About 201 of these vehicles, many taken from Stalingrad itself, were converted at Factory No. 37 in Sverdlovsk that same year for Red Army service by removing the turret and constructing a fixed casemate in its place, installing a 76.2-millimetre (3.00 in) S-1 tank gun (a cheaper version of the F-34 on the T-34 tank) in a limited-traverse gun mount. The armour was 35 millimetres (1.38 in) thick on the casemate front, 50 millimetres (1.97 in) in the hull front, and 30 millimetres (1.18 in) on the hull sides. It was issued to tank and self-propelled gun units starting in the fall of 1943,[40] and finally withdrawn to training and testing uses in early 1944. Two SU-76is survive: one on a monument in the Ukrainian town of Sarny and a second on display in a military museum on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. It should not be confused with the similarly-named Soviet SU-76 assault gun series.
- Tauchpanzer III - (Dive-tank III) Some tanks were converted to amphibious tanks for Operation Sea Lion. Unusually, they were designed to be able to stay underwater rather than to float like most other similar kinds of tanks. The idea was that they would be launched near to the invasion shoreline and then drive to dry land on the sea-bottom. The tank was totally waterproofed, the exhaust was fitted with a one-way valve and air intake for the engine and the crew compartment was through a hose.[4]
- Munitionspanzer III - Some Panzer IIIs were converted into munitions carriers/tractors from obsolete Mk III hulls, simply by removing the turret. Several examples have been photoed supplying Tiger tank units.
- Flakpanzer III[41]
-
A Tauchpanzer III undergoing testing at sea.
-
An early-variant Panzerbefehlswagen somewhere in the Balkans in 1941.
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A Flammpanzer III, possibly during testing.
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StuIG 33B at the Kubinka tank museum.
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Sturmhaubitze 42 in the Auto und Technik Museum Sinsheim.
-
An SU-76i displayed at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park in Moscow, Russia.
See also
- Tanks of comparable role, performance and era
- Valentine tank : British equivalent
- M3 Lee : American equivalent
- T-34 : Soviet equivalent medium tank
Notes
- ^ Whether a basket was added in Ausf. H is disputed:[8]
- Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring [citation needed]
- 9th Panzer Division[citation needed]
- ^ Some tanks used for training by the Hermann Göring Training and Replacement Regiment were pressed into service to oppose the British advance in Operation Market Garden.[citation needed]
References
Citations
- ^ Jentz, T. (1996). Panzertruppen: The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1933–1942. Schiffer. page 279.
- ^ a b Perrett (1999), p. 4.
- ^ Tucker-Jones (2017), p. 11.
- ^ a b c d Tucker-Jones (2017), p. 67.
- ^ a b c eTucker-Jones (2017), p. 12.
- ^ Strv_m_38-39
- ^ Ralph Zuljan (July 1, 2003). "AFV Development During World War II". onwar.com (revised ed.). Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
Originally published in "World War II" at Suite101.com on October 1, 1998.
- ^ Mike Kendall. "German Panzerkampwagen III, Ausf.J, Part 1". kithobbyist.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2000. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Caruther (2017), p. 93.
- ^ Caruthers (2013), pp. 58–59
- ^ Perrett (1999), p. 6.
- ^ Perrett (1999), p. 7.
- ^ Perrett (1999), p. 8.
- ^ a b c Caruthers (2013), p. 92.
- ISBN 1781581053, pg. 62
- ^ a b Tucker-Jones (2017), p. 15.
- ISBN 0-9771643-4-9.
- ISBN 978-0-9771643-9-4.
- ISBN 978-0-9815382-4-2.
- ^ Panzer Abteilung 100
- ^ Panzer tanks found in Norway Armchair General
- ^ Kari Kuusala. Panzers in Finland. 6 Ausf. N were deployed with Panzer Abteilung 211.
- ^ a b Zaloga & Grandsen 1984, p. 223
- ^ Zaloga 1994, p. 36
- ISSN 1765-0828.
- ISSN 1765-0828.
- ^ Zaloga (2007), p.17
- ^ Thomas L. Jentz, Hilary Louis Doyle: Panzer Tracts No.23 - Panzer Production from 1933 to 1945
- ^ Tucker-Jones (2017), p. 13.
- ^ a b Tucker-Jones (2017), p. 14.
- ^ Tucker-Jones (2017), p. 33.
- ^ Tucker-Jones (2017), p. 35.
- ISBN 1781581053, pg. 62
- ^ Perrett (1999), p. 12.
- ^ a b Perrett (1999), p. 13.
- ^ Tucker-Jones (2017), p. 66.
- ^ Tucker-Jones (2017), p. 68.
- ^ Green, Anderson, & Schultz (2017), p. 48.
- OCLC 29322323.
- ^ Zaloga & Grandsen 1984, p. 180
- ^ "3.7 cm Flak 43 in Keksdose-Turm auf Pz.KPFW.III Fahrgestell". 22 February 2021.
Bibliography
- "Germany's Panzerkampfwagen III, SdKfz 141". World War II Vehicles. Retrieved June 10, 2004.
- "PzKpfw III". Achtung Panzer!. Archived from the original on May 10, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- "Pz. Kpfw.III". Panzerworld. Retrieved April 19, 2005.
- Caruthers, Bob (2013). The Panzer III. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781781592069.
- Doyle, Hilary Louis & Jentz, Thomas L. (2023). Flakpanzer IV and Other Flakpanzer Projects. Panzer Tracts. Vol. 12–1 (revised ed.). Old Heathfield, UK: Panzerwrecks. ISBN 978-1-915969-18-7.
- Gander, Terry J. Tanks in Detail; PzKpfw III Ausf A to N ISBN 0-7110-3015-4.
- Green, Michael; Anderson, Thomas; Schultz, Frank. German Tanks of World War II. London, UK: Zenith Imprints. ISBN 9781610607209.
- Perrett, Bryan (1999). Panzerkampfwagen III: Medium Tank 1936–44. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-845-3.
- Tucker-Jones, Anthony (2017). Panzer III: Hitler's Beast of Burden. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473891081.
- Zaloga, Steven J. (2007). Japanese Tanks 1939–45. Oxford: Osprey. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-84603-091-8.
- Zaloga, Steven J. (1994). T-34/76 Medium Tank 1941–1945. Oxford: Osprey. p. 48. ISBN 1-85532-382-6.
- Zaloga, Steven J.; Grandsen, James (1984). Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-606-8.
External links
- AFV Database
- Surviving Panzer III tanks - A PDF file presenting the Panzer III tanks (PzKpfw. III, Flammpanzer III, StuIG33B, SU-76i, Panzerbeobachtungswagen III tanks) still existing in the world
- Panzer III in Kubinka tank museum