Flame tank III
| Flame tank III | |
|---|---|
|
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 3 men |
| length | 6.40 m |
| width | 2.97 m |
| height | 2.50 m |
| Dimensions | 23 t |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 30 to 80 mm |
| Main armament | flamethrower |
| Secondary armament | MG 34 |
| agility | |
| drive | Maybach 12-cylinder petrol engine 300 hp |
| Top speed | 40 km / h |
| Power / weight | 13 hp / t |
| Range | approx. 175 km |
The Flammpanzer III (Sd.Kfz. 141/3) was a flame tank of the German Wehrmacht in World War II .
history
In 1942 the German Wehrmacht needed a vehicle that was able to intervene effectively in urban warfare and in combat against bunkers and fortified positions. Instead of designing a completely new tank, it was decided to use the proven chassis of the Panzerkampfwagen III .
The tanks were supposed to be used in the Battle of Stalingrad , but were not used until 1943 for the Battle of Kursk . The Flammpanzer III, however, did not meet the expectations placed on it. The vehicles that still existed in autumn 1943 were often upgraded to the normal 5 cm cannon.
technology
One hundred Panzerkampfwagen III version M without main armament were delivered by MIAG in Braunschweig to the Wegmann company in Kassel at the beginning of 1943 for the purpose of converting to flame tanks. Instead of the 5 cm cannon, a flame tube with a 14 mm diameter was used. For camouflage, the flame tube was sheathed to look like a normal chariot cannon. At the front, the armor has been reinforced for additional protection in close combat. The flamethrower was fed by two containers with a total of 1020 liters of flame oil and thus enabled 70 to 80 bursts of fire with a range of about 35 m. The elevation range ranged from −10 ° to + 20 °. The flame oil was pumped to the flame tube by a pump and ignited by high voltage. This process was initiated by the commander by pressing the pedal. After bursts of fire, finding a target was made difficult by the smoke development.
Flammpanzer III 1943 in Italy
Flammpanzer III, used in the Soviet Union in 1943
literature
- Main battle tank. Data - facts - technology. Verlagsunion Pabel Möwig KG, Rastatt 2000, ISBN 3-8118-1662-4 ( Armed Forces of World War II ).
