Panzer III

Panzerkampfwagen III
Panzerkampfwagen III PzKpfw III Ausf J
Specifications
Mass	22
Length	5.52
Width	2.9
Height	2.5
Crew	5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver and radio operator)

The Panzerkampfwagen III (PzKpfw III), more commonly referred to as the Panzer III, was a German medium tank used in World War II.

History

On January 11, 1934, following specifications laid down by Heinz Guderian, the Army Weapons Department drew up plans for a medium tank with a maximum weight of 24,000 kg and a top speed of 35 km/h. It was intended as the main tank of the German Panzer divisions, capable of engaging and destroying opposing tank forces.

The Panzer III was a good, but not outstanding, tank in terms of armor, armament and mobility. However, it was influential in having a three-man turret crew (gunner, loader and commander), leaving the commander free to concentrate on commanding the tank and maintaining situational awareness. Other tanks of the time, which may look more impressive on paper, lacked this key element of "fightability".

Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall all produced prototypes. Testing of the prototypes took place in 1936 and 1937, leading to the Daimler-Benz design being chosen for production. The first Panzer III A came off the assembly line in May of 1937, and a total of ten, two of which were unarmed, were produced in 1937. Mass production of the tank, then in model III F, began in 1939.

Between 1937 and 1940, attempts were made to standardize parts between Krupp's Panzer IV and Daimler-Benz's Panzer III.

The Panzer III was intended as the main battle tank of the German forces. However, its 50mm gun proved unable to penetrate the heavy armor of the Soviet T-34 tank, and it was replaced by an upgunned version of the Panzer IV, which could carry a high-velocity 75mm gun.

Late in the war, a model of the Panzer III was created with a 75mm gun, but this was a low-velocity gun designed for anti-infantry and close-support work.

The Panzer III was used in the campaigns against Poland, France, the Soviet Union and in North Africa. Some were still in use in Normandy in 1944.

Armor

The Panzer III A through C had 15mm of slightly sloped homogenous steel armor on all sides, with 10mm on the top and 5mm on the bottom. This was quickly determined to be insufficient, and was upgraded to 30mm in the D, E, F, and G models, with the H model having a second 30mm layer applied to the front and rear hull. The J model had a solid 50mm plate on the front and rear, while the L, M, and N models had an additional layer of 20mm of armor on the front hull.

The unusually heavy rear armor of the Panzer III meant that it could engage enemy tanks while either advancing or retreating, whereas most tanks had to be careful while maneuvering to keep their thin rear armor away from the enemy.

Armament

The Panzer III was intended to fight other tanks. Since the standard German anti-tank gun as of 1935 was the high-velocity 37mm KwK36 L/45 gun, the early models (Ausf A through Ausf F) were equipped with that gun. However, since the design included a stronger turret ring than necessary to mount the gun, it was possible to upgrade the later versions (Ausf G through Ausf M) with the heavier 50mm KwK38 L/42 and 50mm KwK39 L/60 guns.

The Ausf N model mounted a low-velocity 75mm KwK37 L/24 gun - the same gun used by the early models of the Panzer IV. This tank was used for infantry support as a replacement for the StuG III assault gun, which was by then mainly used as tank destroyer.

All models through the Ausf F had two 7.92mm machine guns mounted coaxially with the main gun, and a 7.92mm machine gun in the hull. Later models only had one coaxial gun.

Mobility

The Panzer III models A through C were powered by a 230hp, 12-cylinder Maybach HL 108 TR engine, giving a top speed of 32km/h (20mph) and a range of 150km (95mi). All later models were powered by the 320hp, 12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM engine. Top speed varied among models, depending on the transmission, armor, and gun, but was around 40km/h (25mph). The range was generally around 150km (95mi).

Like all of Germany's World War II tanks, the Panzer III was fueled by gasoline.

Crew

The Panzer III had a crew of five: the commander, gunner, and loader in the turret, and the driver and hull gunner/radio operator in the front of the hull.

Variants

• Panzer III Ausf A,B,C,D - pre-production models in 1937-38. 75 produced.
• Panzer III Ausf E,F - Production models 1939-1940. Armed with 37mm (later 50mm) guns. 531 produced.
• Panzer III Ausf G - More armour on gun mantlet. Armed with 50mm L/42 gun. 600 produced in 1940-41.
• Panzer III Ausf H - Minor modifications. Bolt-on armor added to front hull (30mm+30mm plates). 308 produced in 1940-41.
• Panzer III Ausf J - The hull was lenghtened. Front armor modified again (50mm single plate). 482 produced in 1941
• Panzer III Ausf J/1 - longer/more effective 50mm L/60 gun. 1067 produced in late 1941 to mid 1942.
• Panzer III Ausf L - Uparmored to 50mm+20mm plates. 653 produced in 1942.
• Panzer III Ausf M - Minor modifications, 250 produced in 1942-43.
• Panzer III Ausf N - Armed with a 75mm L/24 gun. 700 re-equipped J/L/M models in 1942-43.

Designs based on chassis

• Tauchpanzer III - Some tanks were converted to "diving tanks" for Operation Sealion.
• Panzerbefehlswagen III - Command tank. Heavier armor, dummy gun, and long-range radios.
• Artillerie-Panzerbeobachtungswagen III - Forward artillery observer tank. 262 produced.
• Flammpanzer III Ausf M - Flamethrower tank. 100 converted from existing Panzer III M.
• Bergepanzer III - In 1944 all Panzer IIIs were converted to armoured recovery vehicles.
• Sturmgeschütz III - Assault gun with 75mm StuK.

See also:

• Comparison of early World War II tanks

External links

• AFV Database