| Panzerkampfwagen III | |
|---|---|
| Type | Medium tank |
| Place of origin |  Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1939–1945 |
| Used by | Nazi Germany Kingdom of Romania Slovak Republic Kingdom of Hungary Independent State of Croatia Turkey Norway |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Daimler-Benz |
| Designed | 1935-1937 |
| Manufacturer | Daimler-Benz |
| Produced | 1939–1943 |
| Number built | 5,774 (excluding StuG III) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 23.0 tonnes (25.4 short tons) |
| Length | 6.41 m (20 ft) |
| Width | 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) |
| Crew | 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator/bow machine-gunner) |
| | |
| Armor | 5–70 mm (0.20–2.8 in) |
| Main armament | 1 × 3.7 cm KwK 36 Ausf. A-F 1 × 5 cm KwK 38 Ausf. F-J 1 × 5 cm KwK 39 Ausf. J¹-M 1 × 7.5 cm KwK 37 Ausf. N |
| Secondary armament | 2-3 × 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 |
| Engine | 12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM 300 PS (296 hp, 220 kW) |
| Power/weight | 12 hp/t |
| Suspension | Torsion-bar suspension |
| Operational range | 155 km (96 mi) |
| Speed | Road: 40 km/h (25 mph) Off-road: 20 km/h (12 mph) |
A distinct feature of Panzer III, influenced by British Vickers tanks, was a three-man turret. This meant that commander was not distracted with either loader's or gunner's tasks and could fully concentrate on maintaining situational awareness. Other tanks of the time did not have this capability, providing the Panzer III with a potential combat advantage. For example the French Somua S-35, had only one-man turret crew, and the Soviet T-34 (originally) had two-men. The practical importance of this feature is signified by the fact that not only all the further German tank designs inherited it, but also later into the war, most of the Allied tanks' designs either quickly switched to the three-man turret, or were abandoned as obsolete.
The Panzer III, as opposed to Panzer IV, 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, when it initially met the KV and T-34 tanks it proved to be inferior in both armor and gun power. To meet the growing need to counter these tanks, the Panzer III was up-gunned with a longer, more powerful 50-millimetre (1.97 in) cannon and received more armour although this failed to effectively address the problem caused by the KV tank designs. As a result, production of self-propelled guns, 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 75-millimetre (2.95 in) KwK 37 L/24 cannon, a low-velocity gun designed for anti-infantry and close-support work. For defensive purposes, the Ausf. N was equipped with rounds of hollow charge ammunition which could penetrate 70 to 100 millimetres (2.76 to 3.94 in) of armour depending on the round's variant but these were strictly used for self-defense.
The Japanese government allegedly bought two Panzer III's from their German allies during the war. Purportedly this was for reverse engineering purposes, since Japan put more emphasis on the development of new military aircraft and naval technology and relatively little on the development of new tanks. The vehicles apparently weren't delivered until 1943 however, by which time much of the Panzer III's technology had arguably already become obsolete.
Armour
The Panzer III Ausf. A through C had 15 millimetres (0.59 in) of homogeneous steel armor on all sides with 10 millimetres (0.39 in) on the top and 5 millimetres (0.20 in) on the bottom. This was quickly determined to be insufficient, and was upgraded to 30 millimetres (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-millimetre (1.18 in) layer of face-hardened steel applied to the front and rear hull. The Ausf. J model had a solid 50-millimetre (1.97 in) plate on the front and rear, while the Ausf. J¹, L, and the M models had an additional layer of 20 millimetres (0.79 in) of armor on the front hull and turret. This additional frontal armor gave the Panzer III frontal protection from most British and Soviet anti-tank guns at all but close ranges. 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) cannon was specified. However, the infantry at the time were being equipped with the 37-millimetre (1.46 in) 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 50-millimetre (1.97 in) cannon should a future upgrade be required. This single decision would later assure the Panzer III a prolonged life in the German army.
The Ausf. A to early Ausf. F were equipped with a 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/46.5 which proved adequate during the campaigns of 1939 and 1940 but 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 cannon in response to increasingly better armed and armoured opponents.
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 cannon - the same used by the early Panzer IV Ausf. A to Ausf. F models. These guns had originally been fitted to older Panzer IV Ausf A to F1 models and had been placed into storage when those tanks had also been up armed to longer versions of the 75mm gun.
All early models up to and including the Ausf. F had two 7.92-millimetre (0.31 in) Maschinengewehr 34 machine guns mounted coaxially with the main gun, and a similar weapon in a hull mount. Models from the Ausf. G and later had a single coaxial MG34 and the hull MG34.
Mobility
The Panzer III Ausf. A through C were powered by a 250 metric horsepower (183.87 kW), 12-cylinder Maybach HL 108 TR engine, giving a top speed of 32 kilometres per hour (19.88 mph) and a range of 150 kilometres (93.21 mi). All later models were powered by the 300 metric horsepower (220.65 kW), 12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM engine. Top speed varied, depending on the transmission and weight, but was around 40 kilometres per hour (24.85 mph). The range was generally around 155 kilometres (96.31 mi).
