PLAY

Development History of the Panzer III and StuG III

The Panzerkampfwagen III (PzKpfw. III for short), commonly known as the Panzer III, was a German medium tank in service from 1937. It played an important role in the Second World War as the Panzer III and its chassis was used on all fronts. From 1936 to 1942, 5,700 Panzer IIIs were built. In addition, more than 10,000 StuG IIIs (Sdkfz.142) based on the same chassis were built from 1940 to 1945.

Panzer III Ausf. H in the French Museum de Blindés tank museum in Saumur (Source)

Development 

The development of the Panzer III began in 1935 when the "Heereswaffenamt" (an authority which deals with the development and procurement of weapons in Germany) started a project for a new medium tank under the code name "Zugführerwagen" (command vehicle), which the "Herreswaffenamt" secretly passed this order on to Krupp, MAN, Rheinmetall and Daimler Benz. Due to the Versailles Treaty, Germany was prohibited from owning heavy weapons, so the project was given a fake name which did not directly reveal its exact purpose. This is also why the companies Ford and Opel were not involved.

Panzer III A - D

In 1936, Daimler Benz delivered the first ten prototypes of the Panzer III Ausf. A or under the code name 1/ZW to the Wehrmacht, which tested them and then the "Heereswaffenamt" commissioned the further development and production of the Panzer III. The A variant had an average all-round armour of 15 mm. In addition, the A variant was equipped with a 3.7 cm KwK 36L /45 and three MG 34s and a twelve-cylinder Maybach petrol engine which produced 250 hp. In total, the Panzer III weighed 15.4 tons and had a crew of five.

The Panzer III B, C and D hardly differed from each other, only the suspension of the chassis was different for test purposes. In addition, the code name of the "Z.W.2", "Z.W.3" and "Z.W.4" (Zugführerwagen / command vehicle) was still necessary to get around the Versailles treaty.

Panzer III A during tests on a test track (Source)
Picture of a Panzer III B (Source)
A Panzer III D in Polen (Source)
An overview of the different chassis' suspension (Source)

Panzer III E

The Panzer III E was equipped with thicker armour from 10 mm to 30 mm, a stronger 3.7 cm KwK L/46.5, while the three MG 34s remained. In addition, the E variant was equipped with a more powerful Maybach HL 120TR which produced 320 hp and brought the Panzer III's top speed up to 40 km/h on the road and up to 15 km/h on unpaved terrain. The chassis suspension was also revised again, which had a permanent place in the development of the subsequent variants. and the E variant was the impetus for series production with 96 models.

Panzer III E (Source

Panzer III F

In addition to the option of the 3.7 cm KwK, the Panzer III F had the more powerful 5 cm KwK 38 L/42, which Generaloberst Heinz Guderian had planned to install in the Panzer III from the very beginning, but the Army Ordnance Office had a different opinion and therefore installed the 3.7 cm KwK in the previous models up to the E variant. In addition, the F version had the iconic luggage box at the rear of the turret, which was then installed in series on the Panzer III and the later Panzer IV.

Generaloberst Heinz Guderian (source)

Panzer III G

Version G consisted of 594 examples where the commander's hatch had five-sided covers instead of sliders.

Panzer III H

The H version was twice as heavily armoured as before and therefore received an additional 30 mm of armour in some areas, which increased the weight from 15.8 tonnes to 21.6 tonnes. The running gear and chassis had to be reinforced and the tracks were widened from 36 cm to 40 cm.

Panzer III H (source)

Panzer III J / J1 

1521 examples of the J version were built. These all contained the short 5 cm KwK 39, two MG 34s and armour of up to 50 mm. The last 40 units of the J series had the long 5 cm KwK 39 L/60. However, the cartridges of the L/60 were longer than their predecessors, which is why the ammunition capacity shrank from 99 rounds to 84. The J1 version had additional armour on the gun mantlet and other advanced chassis armour in addition to the normal armour.

two Panzer III J with the long 5cm KwK (source)

Panzer III L

The L variant, like the J variant, had the 5 cm 39 L/60 and the gun mantlets additional armor of 20 mm in addition to the conventionally increased normal armor of 57 mm, which is why the armor now realistically reached 80 mm. In addition, the ammunition of the machine guns was increased from 2000 to 3750 rounds. On some models, the side escape hatches were removed or on some other models a new prototype variant of the 5 cm KwK with a crown barrel was used, which, however, had higher wear than the normal one, which meant that this variant of the 5 cm KwK was no longer used in newer models.

On this model of the L variant, you can clearly see the additional armour on the gun mantlet and on the front chassis. (Source)

Panzer III M

The M variant had a mass of 517 examples which had fewer viewing slits on the turret than the other variants. In addition, the emergency exit hatches on the M model were completely removed because they would have made little sense since the M variant had sides and turret skirts.

Panzer III M (Source)

Panzer III N 

The PZ.III series was completed by the PZ.III N, of which 617 vehicles were built. The PZ.III N received the 7.5 KwK 37, also better known as the "Stummel", which carried 64 rounds and 3450 rounds for the two MG 34s. There were considerations to install a long version of the 7.5 cm in a PZ.III, which would then have been called the Panzer III K, but this was never implemented because the recoil of the cannon would have been too great to be of any use.

Panzer III N (Source)

StuG III A

The StuG (Sturmgeschüt) III A is based, like all other versions of the StuG series, on the Panzer III E chassis. The StuG III A was armed with a 7.5 cm Stuk 37 L/27. The StuG III A was equipped with a Maybach HL 120 V12 petrol engine.

StuG III A (Source)

StuG III B 

The B version of the StuG III, which comprised 300 vehicles, received a new HL 120 TRM engine and the tracks were widened from 360mm/380mm to 400mm. In addition, a new six-speed SSG 77 gearbox was installed and the shock absorbers of the chassis were additionally armored.

StuG III B (Source)

StuG III C / D

There were hardly any changes to the C and D variants, except that the C variant was fitted with an angled telescopic sight, while the D variant was equipped with a new electrical on-board intercom system. In addition, the StuG III D versions that were in the Afrika Corps were given a dust filter system for the engine, which was intended to protect the engine from sand in order to prevent damage.

StuG III C (Source)

StuG III E

In the E version of the StuG III, which comprises 150 examples, only an additional radio was installed because the StuG III E served as a platoon command vehicle or as a battery command vehicle. The E variant was easily recognizable by the double antenna at the rear of the vehicle.

StuG III E (Source)

StuG III F

The StuG III F, of which 364 were built, was equipped with a 7.5 cm StucK 40 L/43. In addition, a fan was installed in the StuG III F to clear the interior of the StuG III of any leaks. The armour of the StuG III F was reinforced to up to 80mm, which is why the weight of the StuG III F now increased to 23.2 tonnes. From the 120th StuG III onwards, the longer 7.5 cm Stuck 40 L48 was installed instead of the 7.5 cm StucK 40 L/43.

StuG III F (Source)

StuG III F/8

250 StuG III F/8s were built, which also had the 7.5 cm StucK 40 L/48. In addition, the side turret armour was extended and the front tow hooks were moved to the side turret armour. In addition, the engine block received its own fan and the rifle scope was fitted with a cage.

StuG III F/8 (Source)

StuG III G

142 StuG III Gs were built. The armament remained the same except for an additional MG 34 and the turret structure was changed where the structure had more edges and a turret hatch for the loader was added. Some models of the G variant also had an anti-stick mine-killing coating made of ceramic. Depending on the use, the StuG III G was given the eastern tracks on the eastern front, which had a wider profile, while the normal tracks were mostly used on the western front.

Side view of a StuG III G (source)
My own photograph of a StuG III G without side skirts from the Oorlogsmuseum Overloon.

StuH III 42 G

The StuH 42 G is based on the chassis and turret structure of the StuG III G and was equipped with a 10.5 cm StuH 42 instead of a 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 and was intended solely for infantry support and combat, since the StuG III G with its 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 was more inclined towards anti-tank rather than combating infantry, which is what the StuG III was originally intended for.

StuH III 42G from the Auto- und Technikmuseum Sinsheim / Germany.  (Source)

Flammpanzer III

The Flammpanzer III or Panzerkampfwagen III (Fl) (Sd.Kfz. 141/3) has a one-and-a-half long flamethrower tube with a 14 mm nozzle that could fire a jet of fire over a range of up to 60 meters, which could fire 80 bursts continuously within two to three seconds. The Flammpanzer III also has a 1023-liter incendiary tank for the incendiary agent, which consisted of oil. The two machine guns on the chassis and turret were also retained. Its combat weight was 23 tons and its crew was three men, protected by armor up to 50 mm thick. It also has two radios.

Flammpanzer III in russia 1943  (Source

Beobachtungswagen III

The Beobachtungswagen III (Armored Observation Vehicle III), of which 262 were produced, is armed with a single MG 34 on the turret, with a dummy cannon right next to it so that it is not discovered as an observation vehicle, as it is used to spot the artillery and makes itself a preferred target. To communicate with the artillery, the observation vehicle III had a FuG 4 and a FuG 8, both medium wave radios.

Beobachtungswagen III (Source)
overview of the radio system of the PZ III (Source)

Tauchpanzer III 

The German Wehrmacht had made 168 models of the Panzer III type submersible with the help of rubber seals, which were all sealed at the cuts and openings of the tank so that it was hermetically sealed. The air supply, the exhaust gas discharge and the radio connection were carried out via several hoses which were connected to a buoy with an antenna and which could float on the water surface. The Tauchpanzer III was also fitted with diving rescue devices and a bilge pump. The latter was used to pump out any seepage water that had penetrated, as the maximum diving depth was 15 meters.

The model was actually intended for Operation Sea Lion during the invasion of England to support the infantry. However, Operation Sea Lion did not take place. Nevertheless, the Tauchpanzer III was used in Operation Barbarossa to cross the river Bug. Initially there were concerns about the sealing, but all 80 Tauchpanzers deployed were able to cross the river safely without suffering any damage or losses. This diving technique was also used on the heavy German tanks Tiger I and Tiger II because they were usually too heavy for bridges over rivers and therefore needed an alternative route and therefore had to dive through the river next to the respective bridges.

A Tauchpanzer III at a Training for Operation sea Lion (source)
Tauchpanzer VI Tiger I (source)

Preserved vehicles

There are still a few preserved examples that have been preserved. A few are even still able to drive independently, for example the Panzer III M in the German Panzer Museum and the StuG III G from the Oorlogsmuseum Overloon.

Wehrtechnischen Studiensammlung Koblenz

A StuG III G with side skirts and zimmerit coating which is exhibited in the Wehrtechnischen Studiensammlung Koblenz (Source)
A rare example of the Flammpanzer III, barely recognizable by its above-average large flame tube. Exhibited in the Wehrtechnischen Studiensammlung Koblenz (Source)

Militärhistorischen Museum der Bundeswehr Dresden

A StuG III G without side skirts in the Militärhistorischen Museum der Bundeswehr Dresden (Source)

Deutsches Panzer Museum Munster 

A Panzer III M in the Deutsches Panzer Museum Munster (Source)

Museum de Blindés Saumur 

A Panzer III H in the French Museum de Blindés tank museum in Saumur (Source)

Oorlogsmuseum Overloon

My own photography from the StuG III G in the Oorloogsmuseum overloon 

Bovington Tank Museum

A StuG III G without side skirts in the Bovington Tank Museum (Source)
A StuG III G with side skirts in the Bovington Tank Museum (Source)
2 comments
No comments yet
Be the first to write one!
Recommendation feed
We have nothing to recommend you at the moment :(
Go to Main
No more content