SdKfz 141 Panzer III

History of SdKfz 141 Panzer III

The development of Hitler's tanks was the key to his early landslide victories in East and West. The Panzer I light tank became Germany's first tank development after World War I, and while limited in combat as a "true" tank, laid the foundation for future development. The Panzer II light tank was developed as a stopgap to link the existence of the Panzer Is to the upcoming Panzer III and Panzer IV. The Panzer III was designed to engage any known enemy tank head-on, while the Panzer IV was originally designed as an infantry support vehicle.

While the Panzer III (like the Panzers I and II before it) dominated the field, it was under-equipped and armored and was eventually replaced by more modern and powerful systems in the German arsenal - the IV The improved version of the tank, the Panther series and the Tiger series. The Panzer III was in service in Poland, the Czech Republic, France and the Netherlands, as well as on the Eastern Front in Russia.

With its inherent usefulness on the battlefield, the Panzer III chassis was in service in a few modifications, most notably the Type III assault gun.

NOTE: To help readers, it is important to follow the naming conventions for German military vehicles. Abbreviation Pz. Kpf. W. stands for "Panzerkampfwagen", which means "armored fighting vehicle". Same abbreviation Sd. Vehicle covers "special motor vehicle" which means "special motor vehicle". Ausf is a generic term used to cover "model" or "manufacture" to present significant variation.

With all of this in mind, the Panzer III might also be called the Pz. KpfW. III and Sd. Vehicle 141, while all model variants conform to the conventions of Ausf. A, Ausf. B, ausf. C and so on. "Export." is an abbreviated form of the word "execute," which simply means "model" or "design."

Background

In early 1934, the German Army Weapons Office agreed on the future of its armored forces. It was envisaged that the army would consist of three companies consisting of light medium tanks and a fourth company consisting of special medium tanks with better armor and firepower. The idea at the time was to develop two of these medium tanks, taking on two different roles on the battlefield, but still complementing the entire German approach to mobile land warfare. Two tanks became Pz.

Kpf. W. III (Sd. Kfz. 141) and the heavier Pz. Kpf. W. IV medium tank or Der Panzer III should play the role of tank killer - i. H. Fights enemy tanks at long distances - while the Panzer IV is primarily an infantry support tank.

German general Heinz Guderian formulated the specifications for the required light medium tank.

In 1935, contracts for prototype development in the arms division were awarded to Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MAN and Rheinmetall-Borsig. The new "light" medium tank will be armed with a more powerful 37mm high-velocity main gun armament than its predecessor, complemented by machine guns - two mounted coaxially in the turret and the third in a flexible bow. The choice of the 37mm weapon was a logistical option at this point, as the German infantry had already made heavy use of the 37mm anti-tank gun (as the 3.7cm anti-tank gun).

However, the decision to adopt the 37mm gun was met with some resistance from senior German officers (including Guderian), who believed that the new tank should have a 50mm/5cm gun. So a temporary compromise was to equip the 37mm gun with a special turret ring designed to accommodate the 50mm gun in the future.

The prototype was judged in 1936, and the 15-ton entry from Daimler-Benz was declared the winner.

First weapon

The initial weapon of the Panzer III is centered on a high-speed 3.7 cm Kw. K. L/45 main gun. Capable of firing both armor-piercing (AP) and high-explosive (HE) rounds, the weapon has proven to be most effective at close range, penetrating armor up to 70mm thick. However, the value drops sharply in the higher range.

Torque of the projectile is achieved through the internal draft of the barrel - standard practice on all WWII German tanks.

Panzer III Ausf. A, Ausf. B, Ausf. C and Ausf. D

Daimler-Benz further develops its design and produces the Pz. Head W.III Ausf. A. Power is provided by a 250 hp Maybach liquid-cooled gasoline engine. The system features five large diameter wheels with coil spring suspension on each side of the track.

This suspension system was considered insufficient by the German army, so at Ausf. B, ausf. C and Ausf. D, each adapted a different suspension solution (Ausf.

D also came with an improved cupola and thicker armor) . These three advancements resulted in the use of eight small wheels with leaf springs. The search for the perfect suspension delayed the entire series production of the Panzer III. Nonetheless, the German invasion of Poland began on Hitler's schedule, 1 September 1939, with a limited number of all armors I, II and III. 75 Pz.Kpf in total. osf.

A, Ausf. B., Ausf. C and Ausf. D tanks are manufactured in one piece.

Combat operations in Poland soon showed that Panzer III Ausf. B, ausf. C and Ausf. D might not have enough armor for the task at hand. Polish anti-tank guns could penetrate the 15mm thick steel armor of these early tanks with relative ease.

Combined with suspension issues, these Panzer IIIs faced early retirement and were eventually retired before the invasion of France in May 1940. By then, about 349 new Panzer IIIs will be supplied to the Wehrmacht.

Panzer III Ausf. E

Pz.Kpf. W.III Ausf. The E is designed around a new torsion-bar suspension system for its new six-wheel layout (doubling up on each side of the track, for a total of 24 wheels in fact).

A retrospective assessment of combat during the Polish campaign resulted in an increase in the thickness of armor protection to 30 mm for all major structural panels. While this works nicely to increase crew and system protection, the extra weight costs up to 21 tonnes. The addition resulted in the option of a newer, more powerful Maybach powerplant, now producing 300 horsepower.

The gun of choice is the 3.7 cm Kw. KV 36 liters/46. Series 5 gun (although later converted to 5 cm series Kw. K. 38 L/42). The Army Weapons Office liked what it had and officially cleared Pz. Head Osf. E mass production. From 1938 to 1939, 96 of these vehicles were produced.

Panzer III Ausf. F

Pz.Kpf. W.III Ausf. The F is a slightly modified (albeit similar) version of the Ausf. E, with six wheels on one track side. The Ausf. F features cast steel brake vent ducts and repositioned final drives along the forward hull panels. The main gun was 3.7 cm Kw. KV 36 L/46. 5 and (later) 5 cm Kw. Series K. 38 L/42. Pz.Kpf. W.III Ausf. F produced 435 examples from late 1939 to mid-1940. E and Ausf. F were the Panzer IIIs of choice for the invasion of France.

5cm Kw. K.L/42 (50mm) main gun

The original 37mm main gun armament proved to be of poor quality from the start, much to the chagrin of high-ranking officers of the German army, who were convinced that the type would not have enough punch on the modern battlefield. So the move to the more powerful 50mm gun ended with the selection and installation of the 5cm Kw. KV 39 liters/42.

The 50mm gun immediately became a more powerful component and could fire a wider range of projectiles than the 37mm system it replaced.

Although it was an upgrade over the original 37mm gun, this 50mm system was not Hitler's first choice as the primary weapon of the new model Pz. Kpf. W. IIIs (As the war progressed, Hitler took a larger role in weapons development, often to the detriment of the project). In February 1941 he made it clear that the Pz.

Kpf. W. III was equipped with 5 cm Kw. K. 39 L/60, higher speed and longer barrel length. The main problem with this request is that Kw. K. 39 L/60 is in short supply. Additionally, the regulatory office believes that the shorter 50mm barrel was the right (and better) choice.

After the first round of the invasion of the Soviet Union (via Operation Barbarossa), Hitler was indeed proven right. 1,440 Panzer IIIs were deployed on the offensive end, and the 50mm armor system - while excellent against the Red Army's light, fast tanks - proved ineffective against the heavily armored Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks , there are reports of apparent 50mm shells ejected from the Soviet turret and hull. Shortly thereafter, the longer, faster 50mm barrel originally recommended by Hitler became standard on the Pz. Kpf. W.III Ausf.

Model J. All other earlier Pz. Kpf. In the case of the W. III in circulation, the main gun was also modified. From late 1941 to 1943, modifications to this more lethal weapon resulted in approximately 2,000 more powerful Pz.Kpfs. W.IIIs.

By 1942, the aging 37mm guns were all but non-existent on the ever-expanding war front.

Panzer III Ausf. G

Ausf. G emerges from Ausf. Development of E and Ausf. F. Pz. W.III Ausf. The G features an all-new Commander cupola and an improved driver sight module.

The addition of 30mm thick steel plate to the existing 30mm structure greatly increased the protection of the frontal armor and introduced a more powerful engine to compensate for the extra weight. The new steel plate additions proved so effective that they were retrofitted to previous versions. E and Ausf. F models.

The main gun is 5 cm Kw. K. 38 L/42 series, while a second 7.92mm coaxial machine gun was removed from the turret design. The Ausf. G was produced in 600 units between early 1940 and 1941. Ausf. G were in limited numbers when they invaded France.

Panzer III Ausf. H

Pz.Kpf. W.III Ausf. 5 cm Kw of H was produced in 308 samples. Main gun K 38 L/42. Production began in October 1940 and continued until April 1941. Bolt armor increases overall frontal armor thickness to 60mm (30mm inherent + 30mm bolt), and wider tracks help with ground control.

Panzer III Ausf. J

Ausf. J entered service in March 1942, from various factories, with a base armor thickness of 50 mm. For this purpose, the Germans used additional armor with an additional thickness of 20 mm on the main front, including the hood.

Power comes from a Maybach HL 120 TRM V-12 gasoline engine with water cooling and 300 horsepower. Top road speed is 25 mph, although this is significantly reduced to 12 mph off-road. The range is listed as 85 miles on-road and reduced to 55 miles off-road. The fuselage was further lengthened, and 482 were produced in 1941. Second batch of Pz.

Kpf. W.III Ausf. Model J later appeared in 1,067 examples from late 1941 to mid 1942 and now features a longer, more powerful 5 cm Kw. Main gun K. 39 L/60. Likewise, the Ausf. G, Ausf. E and Ausf. F models have been retrofitted with updated 50mm guns where possible.

Panzer III Ausf. K

Ausf. K is an armored command vehicle command tank. This version has a new modified turret, but retains the full combat weapons.

Panzer III Ausf. L

Ausf. L and Ausf. J production models are similar. The Ausf. L featured a long-barreled 50mm main gun, with 653 produced in mid and second half of 1942. On top of the existing 50mm armor, the additional armor comes in the form of 20mm bolt-on armor.

The operating weight is about 24.2 tons, almost twice that of the original Panzer III. Production was again spread out among various German companies to reduce the number needed to start Hitler's war. The Ausf. L models were also the first Panzer IIIs to use spaced armored skirts to improve hull and turret side protection.

Rommel used the Ausf. L model for his campaign in North Africa. These Africa III tanks proved extremely effective against early British armor.

They were modified with tropical kits to improve their capabilities in hot, dry desert climates, outperform light Allied tanks in sheer firepower, and outperform larger (and heavier) Allied infantry in speed tank.