Panzer III

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 lines of communication and the rear areas. The first task was direct combat against other tanks and other armoured vehicles, requiring the tank to fire armour piercing (AP) shells. It was intended as the main tank of the German Panzer divisions, capable of engaging and destroying opposing tank forces, and was to be paired with the Panzer IV, which was to fulfill the second use: dealing with anti-tank guns and infantry strong points, such as machine-gun nests, firing high-explosive shells at such soft targets. Such supportive tanks designed to operate with friendly infantry against the enemy generally were heavier and carried more armour. 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. A distinct feature of the Panzer III, influenced by the British Vickers Medium Mark I tank (1924), was the three-man turret. This meant that the commander was not distracted with another role in the tank (e.g. as gunner or loader) and could fully concentrate on maintaining awareness of the situation and directing the tank. Most tanks of the time did not have this capability, providing the Panzer III with a combat advantage versus such tanks. For example, the French Somua S-35's turret was manned only by the commander, and the Soviet T-34 originally had a two-man turret crew. Unlike the Panzer IV, the Panzer III had no turret basket, merely a foot rest platform for the gunner. The Panzer III was intended as the primary battle tank of the German forces. However, on the Eastern front, the Panzer III proved to be inferior in both armour and firepower to the Soviet KV-1 heavy tanks and T-34 medium tanks. In response, the Panzer III was up-gunned to the 5 cm KwK 39, a longer, more powerful gun, and received more armour but still was at disadvantage compared with the Soviet tank designs. As a result, production of self-propelled anti-tank guns (Panzerjäger), as well as the up-gunning of the Panzer IV was initiated. In 1942, the final version of the Panzer III, the Ausf. N, was created with a KwK 37 L/24 cannon, the same short-barreled low-velocity gun used for the initial models of the Panzer IV and designed for anti-infantry and close-support work. For defensive purposes, the Ausf. N was equipped with rounds of HEAT ammunition that could penetrate of armour depending on the round's variant, but these were strictly used for self-defence. Armour The Panzer III Ausf. A through C had of rolled homogeneous armour on all sides with on the top and on the bottom. This was quickly determined to be insufficient, and was upgraded to on the front, sides and rear in the Ausf. D, E, F, and G models, with the H model having a second layer of face-hardened steel applied to the front and rear hull. The Ausf. J model had a solid plate on the front and rear, while the Ausf. J¹, L, and M models had an additional layer of offset homogeneous steel plate on the front hull and turret, with the M model having an additional Schürzen spaced armour on the hull sides, and on the turret sides and rear. 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 (standing left in the cupola) in a Panzerbefehlswagen III Ausf. H command tank in Greece in April 1941. This vehicle is fitted with a dummy 37mm main gun and a dummy MG 34 co-axial machine gun but has an actual ball-mounted MG 34 machine gun on the right side of the turret's mantlet. The Panzer III was intended to fight other tanks; in the initial design stage a gun was specified. However, the infantry at the time were being equipped with the PaK 36, and it was thought that, in the interest of standardization, the tanks should carry the same armament. As a compromise, the turret ring was made large enough to accommodate a gun should a future upgrade be required. This single decision later assured the Panzer III a prolonged life in the German Army. of an Ausf. F 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. 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, and the Ausf. J¹ to M with the longer 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 gun. 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. Mobility The Panzer III Ausf. A to D were powered by a , 12-cylinder Maybach HL108 TR engine, giving a top speed of . == Combat history ==

The Panzer III was used in the German campaigns in Poland, in France, in the Soviet Union, and in North Africa. Many were still in combat service against Western Allied forces in 1944-1945: at Anzio in Italy, in Normandy, in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands and in East Prussia against the Red Army. A sizeable number of Panzer IIIs also remained as armoured reserves in German-occupied Norway and some saw action, alongside Panzer IVs, in the Lapland War against Finland in the fall of 1944. lies in the background around August 1941. This photo was presumably taken during the early stages of Operation Barbarossa. 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 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. 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 KwK 38 L/42 50mm cannon. 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, 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. 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, Turkey received 22 Panzer III Ausf. Ms, with Hitler hoping the country, militarily strengthened by Nazi Germany, could possibly threaten the Soviet Union from its southern border (in any case, neutral Turkey did not participate in any form of aggression towards the USSR or the Western Allies, and eventually declared war on Nazi Germany nearing the end of WWII instead, perhaps from Allied pressure). The Army of the Independent State of Croatia received 4 Ausf. N variants in the spring of 1944 and the Ustashe Militia received 20 other Ausf. Ns in the autumn of 1944. Romania 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 76 mm 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. 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. ==Variants and production==

• 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. • 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. • 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. • 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. • Panzer III Ausf. F - improved Ausf. E, first mass-production version, late production armed with 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 main gun. • 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. • 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. • 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. • Panzer III Ausf. L - Redesignated Ausf. J equipped with long 5 cm gun, 20 mm stand-off armour plates on hull and turret front. • Panzer III Ausf. M - Minor modifications of the ausf. L such as deep-wading exhaust and Schürzen side-armour panels. • 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. Image:Panzer III Ausf A in Berlin c1938.jpg|Panzer III Ausf. A on parade (1938) Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-318-0083-30, Polen, Panzer III mit Panzersoldaten.jpg|Ausf. D, Poland (1939) File:Panzer III Ausf. F U.S. Army Armor & Cavalry Collection.jpg|Ausf. F, U.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection Image:The British Army in North Africa 1941 E2687.jpg|Ausf.G, captured by the British in North Africa (1941). Image:PzKpfwIIIF.Saumur.000a1y8q.jpg|Ausf. H in the Musée des Blindés, Saumur. Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-748-0089-10, Russland, Soldat auf Panzer III J.jpg|Ausf. J, USSR (1942). File:Panzer III tankfest 2023B.JPG|Ausf. L, The Tank Museum (2023) Image:SdKz141-1-1.jpg|Ausf. M, Deutsches Panzermuseum (2005) Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-219-0595-23, Russland-Mitte-Süd, Panzer III.jpg|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. • Bergepanzer III - In 1944, 176 Panzer IIIs were converted to armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs). Mostly issued to formations with Tiger I heavy tanks. • Panzerbefehlswagen III - Command tank with long-range radios. Ausf. D, E and H: variants with dummy main guns; • 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. • Sturmgeschütz III - Assault gun/tank destroyer armed with a gun. Was the most produced German armored fighting vehicle during World War II. • 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. • 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 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 thick on the casemate front, in the hull front, and on the hull sides. It was issued to tank and self-propelled gun units starting in the fall of 1943, 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. • 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 - Made using Ostwind turrets and a single 3.7 cm Flak 43. 18 production vehicles plus 2 prototypes built by Deutsche-Röhrenwerke as requested by Inspectorate 4 - Artillery Division. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-5674-45, Übungen mit Panzer III für Unternehmen Seelöwe.jpg|A Tauchpanzer III undergoing testing at sea. The crane ship , which was to support Tauchpanzer operations, is in the distance. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-185-0137-14A, Jugoslawien, Panzer III in Fahrt.jpg|An early-variant Panzerbefehlswagen somewhere in the Balkans in 1941. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-732-0114-16, Russland - Mitte, Flammenwerfer-Panzer.jpg|A Flammpanzer III, possibly during testing. File:Sturminfanteriegeschütz 33B ‘G-2’ - Patriot Museum, Kubinka (38346467286).jpg|StuIG 33B at the Kubinka tank museum. File:Sturmhaubitze-42.jpg|Sturmhaubitze 42 in the Auto und Technik Museum Sinsheim. File:SU76i Moscow, Poklonnaya Hill 3.JPG|An SU-76i displayed at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park in Moscow, Russia. == See also ==