The munitionpanzer III was a far simpler conversion. In this meeting, the representatives of Waffen Prüfwesen 6 (Wa Prw 6 – the automotive design office of the German Army), Krupp and Daimler-Benz, met to discuss who would be involved in the design of the new vehicle’s turret, but not in the overall chassis design. A vehicle. A new driver’s visor, square MG port and double turret doors were fitted. E chassis). Walter J. Spielberger (2007). The signal ports were used to fire signal flares for communication if needed. The very first models (prior October 1939) did not have a vision flap for the radio operator on the right side of the hull. The radio operator was also tasked with using the hull mounted 7.92 mm M.G. Despite its flaws and small production run, the Panzer III Ausf. Being an experimental vehicle that was only built in small numbers, it should come as no surprise that the Panzer III Ausf. In this variant the engine deck was substantially extended to the rear, the frontal armor was increased to 50mm (necessitating a new driver’s visor), Despite attempts to complete at least two tanks by November 1936, this was not achieved due to problems with the availability of necessary parts. Behind this visor was a 12 mm thick glass block, though this was too weak to provide protection from enemy fire. were assigned to 23rd Panzer Division. Krupp was awarded a contract to produce two turrets and Rheinmetall one turret. A Panzer IV Ausf. Some (at least one) were especially modified for this role with the removal of the turret. The 10 Panzer III Ausf. G had a new driver’s visor, larger headlights and no fake periscope housing. Krupp even made several different turret designs with two crew members instead of three, as In 6 and Wa Prw 6 were for a time considering a two-man turret for this vehicle. While not immediately apparent, the armor thickness would also be deemed insufficient. A was the first step towards the development of what would become Germany’s main combat tank until it was superseded by the long-barrelled Panzer IV from 1942 on. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The elevation of this gun went from –10° to +20°. Its suspension proved to be most problematic and had to be redesigned in later versions. Doyle (2006) Panzer Tracts No.3-1 Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. The hull of the Panzer III was designed to carry the tank chassis. If needed, the two machine gun mounts could be disengaged from the main gun mount and used independently (similar to the hull-mounted machine gun). This is probably the origin of the simpler and abbreviated form of Panzer. The main armament of the Panzer III Ausf. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. In March 1940 a splash guard for the turret and a Notek light were fitted. were returned to Ausf. Dec 28, 2020 - From the 1942 fighting in Libya and Egypt until the final Axis surrender in Tunisia North Africa on 13 May 1943, the DAK of Panzerarmee Afrika was equipped with the Pz.Kpf.wgn III Ausf J, L and N. Likewise for 5.Panzeramee being equipped with Pz.Kpf.wgn III Ausf L, M and Ausf N as fire support AFVs for the Tiger I heavy tanks. Sturmgeschutz III Ausf B and Ausf. Basically a large wire frame "cap" that fitted over the turret ring that was in turn covered by a canvas tarp. These four companies were tasked with building a vehicle based on technical requirements laid down by Wa Prw 6. Panzer III Ausf A. B, and the Z.W.4, which was the basis for the Panzer III Ausf. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. On account of the previously mentioned reasons, both sides agreed on a compromise of using the 3.7 cm caliber as the main weapon. The thin armor of this tank provided only limited protection, mostly against rifle caliber armor-piercing rounds. present for the brakes, and lateral escape hatches were fitted. Air intakes were located on both sides of the rear engine compartment. Panzer I Ausf. Converted from obsolescent Panzers III Ausf. The development of the tank that would later be known as the Panzer III was officially approved in a meeting of the German General Staff on 11th January 1934. The term Panzerkampfwagen was first officially used in an In 6 bulletin dated from late December 1934. The Panzer III Ausf.A’s maximum speed was 35 km/h (or 10-12 km/h cross country), with an operational range of 165 km and 95 km cross country. C 1943.Photo Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J08365 CC-BY-SA 3.0 . These vehicles were known as Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B. This sight had a magnification of 2.5 and a field view of 25° which was 444 m wide at 1 km range. A ball mount actually consisted of two parts that could be split for either mounting the machine gun or to open it completely for the radio operator to have a good view. And its standard ammo was APCNR-T. GIIIIIIIIIIIIIB NAOOOOOOOOOOO :lol2: Here is the tank itself: Luchs hull, Pz II G turret, new gun. production machines had the new 400mm tracks and assorted sprocket and idler. The tracks used on the initial production Panzer IIIs were 360 mm wide and were connected using pins. While the Panzer III would become the backbone of the German Panzer Divisions, its first version was far from a success. One of the first steps undertaken in the development of this vehicle was a secret meeting held at the end of 1933. 24 vehicles were produced prior to the campaign of France. The engine used on this vehicle was the water-cooled Maybach HL 108 TR which produced 250 [email protected] 2800 rpm. The front turret armor was 16 mm (at a 15° angle), while the sides and rear were 14.5 mm (at a 25° angle) and the top was 10 mm (at an 81-91° angle). After the firms had presented their designs, Wa Prw 6 issued its first production contracts. This variant was also up-armored to 50mm on the turret and hull. The Panzer III Ausf.A turret had a frontal hexagonal-shaped armor plate with a larger rectangle opening in the center. on Pinterest. The Panzer III had a crew of five, which included the commander, gunner and loader, who were positioned in the turret, and the driver and radio operator in the hull. The Ausf A ohne Aufbau was merely a Panzer I hull without superstructure or turret. On the left side of the gun, there were two mechanical handwheels for elevation and traverse of the main gun. G - More armour on gun mantlet. The whole project was simply named Z.W., which stands for ‘Zugführerwagen’ (platoon commander’s vehicle). Kagero. Gerat 585 - with 20 mm Flak 38, based on Bergehetzer … 34 machine gun. During its development history, several tactical names were also used which include: Gefechtskampfwagen 3.7 cm in June 1934, 3.7 cm Geschütz-Kampfwagen in October 1934, 3.7 cm Geschütz-Panzerwagen in May 1935, 3.7 cm Geschütz Pz.Kpf.Wg. – The webmaster, Your email address will not be published. Of the 1. For protection against any possible infantry attack, two square-shaped machine gun ports were added to the rear of the turret. III Ausf. The main armament of the Panzer III Ausf. After two years, these were returned to Germany for major overhaul, after which they would be used to test future equipment and evaluate different tactics for proper use of tanks. These battalions were then divided into four companies each equipped with 32 tanks. Germany was banned from developing and producing tanks by the Treaty of Versailles signed by the German government at the end of World War I. In October of 1939, next variant Ausf D was produced by Krupp-Gruson and it was produced until May of 1941 with total of 229 produced. A. Lüdeke (2007) Waffentechnik im Zweiten Weltkrieg, Parragon Books. While few were built, the Panzer III Ausf. Ausf is the general term used to cover "model" or "mark" in showcasing a variant of note. Some Panzer II Ausf. Some were used prior to the war on military parades. This model introduced the escape hatches in each side, visible between the two leading return rollers. 4 modified versions served in Russia with the 3rd Panzer Division, and 20 more with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 10th Panzer Divisions in … These hatch doors also had a small vision slit. The hull front armor ranged from 10 to 14.5 mm thick. M - Model built Chris Wauchop. In May 1940 wider rubber tyres started to be fitted to the roadwheels. The Panzer III Ausf.A’s suspension consisted of five large road wheels placed on each side. The Panzer III gun was actually a slightly modified version of the German standard infantry 3.7 cm PaK 36 anti-tank gun. While the turret designed by Rheinmetall would be built and even tested on one Panzer III chassis, it would not be adopted for service. T.L. Sturmgeschutz III Ausf A - (A2 Series) - (No Pictures) 141 (which stands for Sonderkraftfahrzeug – special purpose vehicle) designation. The transmission was connected to the engine by a drive shaft that ran through the bottom of the fighting compartment. The front superstructure armor was 14.5 mm thick, placed at a 9° angle. The Panzer III’s main gun was equipped with a TZF5 ‘Turmzielfernrohr’ monocular telescopic gun-sight. . Many of the features of the Ausf. Two round observation hatches were located to the right and the left (above the two machine guns). These chassis were all gib in 1.53 This somewhat strange name was a deliberate attempt to fool the Western Allies about its original purpose by obscuring its true nature as a medium tank. This gun had a semi-automatic breech with a horizontal sliding block, which enabled it to increase the rate of fire to 20 rounds per minute. P. Chamberlain and H. Doyle (1978) Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two – Revised Edition, Arms and Armor press. The firms were given a deadline of June 1934 for the submission of the first drawings and proposals. L/46.5 (Kw.K. The commander’s cupola had a simple drum shape and eight small vision slits that could be closed with sliding cover plates. For more precise aiming, the handwheel speed could be reduced to 2.75° per turn. Panzer III Ausf. the gun mantlet (often only the mounting frame was present), the vision ports in front of the turret hatches were dropped and the right frontal . While having little influence on later designs, the Leichttraktor was important, as it allowed German weapons manufacturers to gain valuable experience in tank design. L/46.5 (Kw.K. On the right side of the turret was a second handwheel for the turret traverse that could be controlled by the loader. 34 machine guns for defense against infantry. The Panzer III Ausf.A was equipped with the SFG 75 five-speed (and one reverse) transmission. The main gun and its recoil cylinders that stood outside of the turret were covered by a steel jacket and a deflector guard. Panzer IV Ausf. These could also be used by the driver and radio operator to enter or exit the vehicle. After the completion of the turret design for the first series of the Panzer III, Krupp engineers would go on to develop and test different ideas and designs up to 1939. sloping roof next to the gun (over the driver’s head and on the other side) was raised. 141). A was composed of several components, the largest of which included the hull, the front and rear parts of the superstructure and the turret. At the start of the war, there were some 60 Panzer IIIs (from Ausf. From its first mass production in 1939 to the last in 1943, about 5,775 Panzer III Ausf. The front hull was where the transmission and steering systems were placed and was protected with an angled armor plate. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In August 1942 the The commander was also provided with a direction indicator placed on the front visor slit, and a numbered ring with markings from 1 to 12 to help him identify the direction in which the vehicle was going. These slits were protected with 12 mm thick glass which offered the commander only limited protection from bullet splash. A (Sd.Kfz. – later known as the Panzer I) tanks, and later the 2 cm-armed Panzer II, into service, a tank design that was better protected and armed with a more powerful main gun was deemed desirable. The front gun mantlet was a 16 mm thick rounded armor plate. The Panzer III’s engine cooling system consisted of two radiators and fans, which were placed on the engine sides. tow eyes weer incorporated in the hull’s lateral armor plates, the headlights were moved to the bow and a spherical hull MG mount was introduced. The engine was held in place by three rubber bushings. Panzer IV Ausf D was truly the first production model and remained in service until 1944. In March 1940 a The Ausf. One of the first German tank designs developed in the late 1920s was the Leichttraktor (light tractor) armed with a 37 mm main gun. Taking all this into account, the Panzer III can also be known by the designation of Pz.KpfW. This vehicle served mostly as a testbed for the new concept of a medium tank designed to engage enemy armor. A would be removed from front line service in February 1940. sides, a splash guard was installed for the driver, no cooling vents were present for the brakes, and no lateral escape hatches were fitted. Walter J. Spielberger, AFV Panzerkampfwagen III, Profile Publications G standard at depot level by 1944. During the production a rainguard was fitted for the driver (spring 1939) and the fake periscope housing on the turret was dropped (summer 1939). For this reason they intentionally left the turret ring diameter a bit larger so that, if necessary, a larger caliber gun could be used. The fuel load of 300 liters (or 250 l in some sources) was stored in two fuel tanks placed below the radiators in the engine compartment. Since we are talking about many Ausf models and variants especially the StuGs, the GB will go on for a full year from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. A,B,C, und D. The Panzer III Ausf. I - Variant mentioned in Allied intelligence reports but not an actual existing vehicle. A. Lüdeke (2007) Waffentechnik im Zweiten Weltkrieg, Parragon Books. With overwhelming interest in doing the Panzer III and its variants GB, we are going for it and this is the official group build posting. Please note that Panzer Variants 1 has been amended . These protective caps were not hermetically sealed but had a 3 mm gap to allow them to act as a ventilation port. A,B,C, und D. P. Chamberlain and H. Doyle (1978) Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two – Revised Edition, Arms and Armor press. A, the initial ball mount was replaced with a more modern type used on later versions of the Panzer III. the fake periscope housing on the turret roof was dropped (1939), a vision port on the right side of the hull for the radio operator was added The M.G. On top of the Panzer III hull was the fully enclosed superstructure, which provided protection for the crew. The early versions of the Panzer III were equipped mostly with armor-piercing ammunition, as they were primarily intended to engage other tanks. 141. A, there were some differences between these two, mostly regarding their construction and internal layout. The remaining 12 vehicles It was powered by a Maybach HL108 TR, producing 250 PS (183.87 kW), and used the SGR 75 transmission with five forward gears and one reverse, achieving a maximum road speed of 31 kilometres per hour (19.26 mph). Panzer III Ausf. Panzer III and its Variants, Schiffer Publishing Ltd. B. Perret (1980), The Panzerkampfwagen III, Osprey Publishing. German military Vehicles, Krause Publications. In late 1941 the StuG III chassis was selected to carry the 15 cm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun. Once in combat, in order to get the stored ammunition, he would simply fold the seat to the side and then stand on the hull floor. Once again, delays in production meant that the small Panzer III Ausf. The German tank crews referred to them simply as Panzer III or as Panzer drei (three). During the production a rainguard was fitted for the driver (spring 1939) and the fake periscope housing on the turret was dropped (summer 1939). You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. While some sources claim that 15 were built, this is incorrect. Armed with 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/46.5 (later 5 cm KwK 38 L/42) guns. From August 1938 on, nearly all German Panzers were equipped with a Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung (smoke grenade rack system). vision port on the turret was dropped. In December 1940 most vehicles began to be upgraded with the new, wider tracks and running gear and 30mm bolt on armor. . F models. 531 produced. As were produced, with 14 variants labeled A through N. 1 prototype converted in May 1944 and 86 converted by Ostbau from July to November 1944. While Daimler-Benz was responsible for its assembly and even produced some components, the majority of the Panzer III’s parts were actually provided by over 100 smaller subcontractors. While it had no vision slit, when folded down, the driver would use the KFF binocular periscope to see through two small round ports located just above the visor. His main job was to operate the Fu 5 radio set (in the case of a company or platoon leader’s vehicle), which consisted of the transmitter and a receiver. Its purpose was to allow the commander to enter his position, but also to provide a good all-around view when not engaged in combat. Each of these components was built using welded armor plates and then connected with each other using bolts. According to some sources, eight vehicles were actually armed while the remaining two (without the main armament) were used for training and testing. There are no reports to indicate any of these were used in combat and all The Panzer III gun was actually a slightly modified version of the German standard infantry 3.7 cm PaK 36 anti-tank gun. Two handles were located on the insite to facilitate lifting the "cap". stands for ‘Kampfwagenkanone’, which could be translated as combat vehicle cannon or, more simply, as tank gun). A version. 34s were fed using drum magazines, with a total load of 4500 spare rounds.
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