Difference between revisions of "Marder III H"

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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
+
<!--''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''-->
 +
[[File:GarageImage_MarderIIIH.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 +
{{break}}
 +
The '''PaK40/3 auf Sfl.38 Ausf. H''' (or '''Marder III H''') is a Rank III German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.47 "Big Guns".
 +
 
 +
The Marder III H is a step above the basic [[Marder III]]. As it is in Germany's open - top tank destroyer line, it's calling card is it's superb firepower; in fact, it has the most powerful gun for the battle rating 2.0 - 3.0 - 4.0 range - APCBC is almost always enough to '''penetrate and one shot kill any tank on the battlefield''', and with APCR, it has '''the highest penetration of any tank for it's battle rating range''' - even at '''battle rating 5.0 your gun will remain competitive'''.
 +
 
 +
The Marder III Ausf. H mounts a 75 mm gun surpassing those on the late [[Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H|Panzer IV's]], thus its only disadvantages are its weak armour and its open encasement.
 +
 
 +
Being a modified Pz.38(t) tank, it is one of the more mobile of the German tanks - nearly matching some Russian tanks. It has a better gun close-range wise and has better armour coverage, being curved to the sides, unlike the earlier Marder III.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
−
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
+
<!--''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
  
−
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
+
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''-->
 +
'''Armour type:'''
 +
*Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides (Slope angle) !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 50 mm (19°) ''Front plate'' <br> 12 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 50 mm (13°) ''Lower glacis'' || 16 mm ''Upper'' <br> 15 mm ''Lower'' || 15 mm || 12 mm
 +
|-
 +
| Turret || 11 + 8 mm (31°) || 11 mm (8-9°) || N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
'''Note:'''<br>
 +
* Belly armour is 15 mm thick.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
−
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
+
<!--''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''-->
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
 +
|-
 +
! Weight (tons)
 +
!colspan="1" | Add-on Armor<br>weight (tons)
 +
!colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
 +
|-
 +
|rowspan="2" | 11.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 46 (AB)
 +
|-
 +
|42 (RB/SB)
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="1" | Mode
 +
!Stock
 +
!Upgraded
 +
|-
 +
|''Arcade''
 +
|227
 +
|280
 +
|-
 +
|''Realistic/Simulator''
 +
|142
 +
|160
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="1" | Mode
 +
!Stock
 +
!Upgraded
 +
|-
 +
|''Arcade''
 +
|20.09
 +
|24.78
 +
|-
 +
|''Realistic/Simulator''
 +
|12.57
 +
|14.16
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
−
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
<!--''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''-->
 +
{{main|PaK 40/3 (75 mm)}}
  
−
=== Additional armament ===
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
−
''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
+
|-
 +
! colspan="6" | [[PaK 40/3 (75 mm)|75 mm PaK 40/3 L46]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="3" | 38 || -2°/+22° || ±30° || N/A
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
 +
|-
 +
! style="width:4em" |Mode
 +
! style="width:4em" |Stock
 +
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 +
|-
 +
| ''Arcade'' || 7.1 || 9.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
 +
|-
 +
| ''Realistic'' || 7.1 || 8.4 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 +
|-
 +
| 7.6 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
===== Ammunition =====
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 +
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
 +
|-
 +
! 10m
 +
! 100m
 +
! 500m
 +
! 1000m
 +
! 1500m
 +
! 2000m
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 147 || 146 || 133 || 118 || 105 || 93
 +
|-
 +
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 197 || 195 || 170 || 144 || 121 || 102
 +
|-
 +
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="11" | Shell details
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 +
! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s
 +
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
 +
''in m:''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
 +
''in mm:''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:''
 +
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
 +
|-
 +
! 0%
 +
! 50%
 +
! 100%
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 792 || 6.8 || 1.3 || 15.0 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
 +
|-
 +
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 990 || 4.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
 +
|-
 +
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 550 || 5.7 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
 +
[[File:Ammoracks_MarderIIIH.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo Racks|Ammo racks]] of the Marder III H.]]
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full<br /> ammo
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual<br /> discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
|| '''38''' || 37&nbsp;''(+1)'' || 33&nbsp;''(+5)'' || 29&nbsp;''(+9)'' || 25&nbsp;''(+13)'' || 17&nbsp;''(+21)'' || 9&nbsp;''(+29)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+37)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
Gun shield empty: 33&nbsp;''(+5)''
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
−
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
+
<!--''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''-->
 +
{{main|Vz.37 (7.92 mm)}}
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | [[Vz.37 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm Vz.37]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | ''Hull mount''
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="4" | 1,200 (200) || 769 || ±10° || ±10°
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
== Usage in the battles ==
 
== Usage in the battles ==
−
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
<!--''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''-->
 +
Since you are an unprotected tank from behind, try to be as far from the action as possible. If getting close to enemy tanks cannot be prevented (Urban maps, Allied retreat etc), then try to hide at least a part of your hull against a wall or rock.
 +
 
 +
Use the horizontal range of the Marder III H as much as possible - as a turret-less SPG, it has excellent - if not the best - gun traverse for any turret-less SPG. This tank destroyer dies easily; it has next to no armour at it's battle rating. keep close to other tanks to prevent this in urban maps, and stay close to cover in other maps. Also, be careful when being targeted by Artillery; one close hit on your rear and you can be one-hit killed by shrapnel. Another important thing to take into account is the fact that ammunition is stored in the nearly unarmoured gun shield - nearly any vehicle in the game - with the notable exception of the 4M - GAZ - AAA - can kill this tank with ease. To get Ammunition out of the turret, bring only 32 shells, leaving the "turret" basically empty - 32 shells is more than enough for a 1 shot killer. Another fact to take into account is that nearly all shells will over penetrate the "turret", with no damage, a crewman killed or 2.
 +
 
 +
===Modules===
 +
First off, research ''Parts'' to fix and vehicle damages, especially the gun barrel because it is very easy to get damaged in the midst of combat. Get the ''Horizontal Drive'' to move on to the next tier for the ''FPE''. Any over penetrations will critically damage, or set alight, the engine, immobilizing you and killing you if the fire is not put out. Lastly, go for ''Adjustment of fire'' - as one may find the gun of the Marder III H as inaccurate at times.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
+
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''-->
−
 
 
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
+
* Outstanding gun for its rank.
−
 
+
* Armour that protects crew from MG fire, but thin enough to allow normal AP rounds to over-penetrate.
 +
* Fairly small tank destroyer, can hide behind most obstacles.
 +
* Good gun elevation.
 +
* Excellent horizontal arc of 30°, that allows to hide easily the tank.
 +
* Amazing penetration with APCR ammunition.
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
+
* Vulnerable to HE rounds.
 +
* Not fully enclosed (Exposed crew).
 +
* Bad gun depression.
 +
* Extremely high penetration that it often over penetrates most light tanks that it faces.
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
+
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''-->
 +
===Development===
 +
After the start of ''Operation Barbarossa'', the Wehrmacht found a very dire problem of the lack of a mobile anti-tank system and adequate anti-tank weapons, especially after the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 1941|T-34]] and [[KV-1 L-11|KV-1]] tanks. The only mass-issued anti-tank was the 37 mm Pak 36 and the only mobile anti-tank system widely used was the ''Panzerjäger I'' with the Czech 47 mm anti-tank gun. Modifications to current vehicles in service was done to put more self-propelled anti-tank weapons into service, which created the ''Marder I'' from the French Lorraine, the ''Marder II'' from the [[Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F|Panzer IIs]], and the '''Marder III''' from the Czech [[Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) Ausf. F|Panzer 38(t)]].
 +
 
 +
===Specifications===
 +
The Marder III, with the rest of the ''Marder'' series, gave the Germany forces a self-propelled gun mounting a better gun than what was available on German tanks, such as the 75 mm Pak 40 or captured Soviet 76.2 mm guns chambered for the Pak 40 ammo. All of the ''Marders'' share a lack of armour for the crew, the top and rear of the vehicle is left exposed to mortar, shrapnel, or infantry weapons. This weakness is mitigated with the fact that the ''Marders'' are suppose to be anti-tank motor carriages that are to ambush incoming enemy tanks.
 +
 
 +
The '''Marder III Ausf. H''' uses the Panzer 38(t) as it was a design going obsolete, and new large German anti-tank weapons were being produced, so they mounted these guns onto the Panzer 38(t) first. The finished self-propelled mount had a higher silhouette than the Panzer 38(t), which left it more vulnerable, but had a 75 mm Pak 40 gun and with hold 38 rounds in the vehicle. A machine gun on the hull was retained for anti-infantry purposes.
 +
 
 +
The Marder III Ausf. H predecessor, simply named as the '''[[Marder III]]''' mounted a rechambered 76.2 gun instead of a Pak 40. Another variant created, the '''Ausf. M''', featured a lower silhouette and a better sloped armour and fighting compartment, despite only holding 27 rounds for the mounted Pak 40. A total of 3,472 Marder IIIs and its version was created or converted from Panzer 38(t) during its production life.
 +
 
 +
===Combat usage===
 +
The Marder III Ausf. H fought on all front of the war, being produced from 1942 to 1945, with 450 Marder III Ausf. H with the Pak 40 converted and produced. Using the tested design of the Panzer 38(t), the Marder III experienced a reliable mechanical history, and has a gun that could take out most allied tanks in the war. The vulnerability to the crew due to lack of armour was its most pressing issue, with only a front shield plate at most 15 mm thick and side plates that can't enclose the crew. This makes it as very poor assault vehicles or tank substitutes as the open top could allow infantry to easily kill the crew from hidden areas, despite that, it is sometimes repurposed to this role to the chagrin of the crew.
 +
 
 +
As its production was underway, Germany already had a few self-propelled assault weapons being produced such as the [[Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. F|StuG III]] that could have the same anti-tank capabilities, yet was fully armoured, enclosing the crew in adequate armour. This obvious advantage over the open ''Marder'' series encouraged the development of a new kind of tank destroyer from the Panzer 38(t) with better armour, which will eventually create the [[Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer|Jagdpanzer 38(t)]]. Despite that, the ''Marders'' continued to serve to the end of the war.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
Line 51: Line 262:
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
 +
 +
{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Revision as of 19:33, 18 November 2018

Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
Marder III H
germ_pzkpfw_38t_marder_iii_ausf_h.png
Marder III H
Germany flag.png Germany
II Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
3.0 3.0 3.0
Class:
Research:7 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:10 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage Marder III H.jpg


The PaK40/3 auf Sfl.38 Ausf. H (or Marder III H) is a Rank III German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.47 "Big Guns".

The Marder III H is a step above the basic Marder III. As it is in Germany's open - top tank destroyer line, it's calling card is it's superb firepower; in fact, it has the most powerful gun for the battle rating 2.0 - 3.0 - 4.0 range - APCBC is almost always enough to penetrate and one shot kill any tank on the battlefield, and with APCR, it has the highest penetration of any tank for it's battle rating range - even at battle rating 5.0 your gun will remain competitive.

The Marder III Ausf. H mounts a 75 mm gun surpassing those on the late Panzer IV's, thus its only disadvantages are its weak armour and its open encasement.

Being a modified Pz.38(t) tank, it is one of the more mobile of the German tanks - nearly matching some Russian tanks. It has a better gun close-range wise and has better armour coverage, being curved to the sides, unlike the earlier Marder III.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides (Slope angle) Rear Roof
Hull 50 mm (19°) Front plate
12 mm (74°) Front glacis
50 mm (13°) Lower glacis 		16 mm Upper
15 mm Lower 		15 mm 12 mm
Turret 11 + 8 mm (31°) 11 mm (8-9°) N/A N/A

Note:

  • Belly armour is 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons) Add-on Armor
weight (tons) 		Max speed (km/h)
11.3 N/A 46 (AB)
42 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 227 280
Realistic/Simulator 142 160
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 20.09 24.78
Realistic/Simulator 12.57 14.16

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: PaK 40/3 (75 mm)
75 mm PaK 40/3 L46
Capacity Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance 		Stabilizer
38 -2°/+22° ±30° N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 7.1 9.9 __.__ __.__ __.__
Realistic 7.1 8.4 __.__ __.__ __.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
7.6 __.__ __.__ __.__
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration in mm @ 90°
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
PzGr 39 APCBC 147 146 133 118 105 93
Hl.Gr 38B HEAT 80 80 80 80 80 80
PzGr 40 APCR 197 195 170 144 121 102
Sprgr. 34 HE 10 10 10 10 10 10
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
in m/s 		Projectile
Mass in kg 		Fuse delay

in m:

Fuse sensitivity

in mm:

Explosive Mass in g
(TNT equivalent): 		Normalization At 30°
from horizontal: 		Ricochet:
0% 50% 100%
PzGr 39 APCBC 792 6.8 1.3 15.0 28.9 +4° 48° 63° 71°
Hl.Gr 38B HEAT 450 4.4 0.0 0.1 872.1 +0° 62° 69° 73°
PzGr 40 APCR 990 4.2 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 66° 70° 72°
Sprgr. 34 HE 550 5.7 0.1 0.1 686 +0° 79° 80° 81°
Ammo racks
File:Ammoracks MarderIIIH.png
Ammo racks of the Marder III H.
Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		6th
rack empty 		7th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
38 37 (+1) 33 (+5) 29 (+9) 25 (+13) 17 (+21) 9 (+29) 1 (+37) No

Gun shield empty: 33 (+5)

Machine guns

Main article: Vz.37 (7.92 mm)
7.92 mm Vz.37
Hull mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
1,200 (200) 769 ±10° ±10°

Usage in the battles

Since you are an unprotected tank from behind, try to be as far from the action as possible. If getting close to enemy tanks cannot be prevented (Urban maps, Allied retreat etc), then try to hide at least a part of your hull against a wall or rock.

Use the horizontal range of the Marder III H as much as possible - as a turret-less SPG, it has excellent - if not the best - gun traverse for any turret-less SPG. This tank destroyer dies easily; it has next to no armour at it's battle rating. keep close to other tanks to prevent this in urban maps, and stay close to cover in other maps. Also, be careful when being targeted by Artillery; one close hit on your rear and you can be one-hit killed by shrapnel. Another important thing to take into account is the fact that ammunition is stored in the nearly unarmoured gun shield - nearly any vehicle in the game - with the notable exception of the 4M - GAZ - AAA - can kill this tank with ease. To get Ammunition out of the turret, bring only 32 shells, leaving the "turret" basically empty - 32 shells is more than enough for a 1 shot killer. Another fact to take into account is that nearly all shells will over penetrate the "turret", with no damage, a crewman killed or 2.

Modules

First off, research Parts to fix and vehicle damages, especially the gun barrel because it is very easy to get damaged in the midst of combat. Get the Horizontal Drive to move on to the next tier for the FPE. Any over penetrations will critically damage, or set alight, the engine, immobilizing you and killing you if the fire is not put out. Lastly, go for Adjustment of fire - as one may find the gun of the Marder III H as inaccurate at times.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Outstanding gun for its rank.
  • Armour that protects crew from MG fire, but thin enough to allow normal AP rounds to over-penetrate.
  • Fairly small tank destroyer, can hide behind most obstacles.
  • Good gun elevation.
  • Excellent horizontal arc of 30°, that allows to hide easily the tank.
  • Amazing penetration with APCR ammunition.

Cons:

  • Vulnerable to HE rounds.
  • Not fully enclosed (Exposed crew).
  • Bad gun depression.
  • Extremely high penetration that it often over penetrates most light tanks that it faces.

History

Development

After the start of Operation Barbarossa, the Wehrmacht found a very dire problem of the lack of a mobile anti-tank system and adequate anti-tank weapons, especially after the appearance of the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks. The only mass-issued anti-tank was the 37 mm Pak 36 and the only mobile anti-tank system widely used was the Panzerjäger I with the Czech 47 mm anti-tank gun. Modifications to current vehicles in service was done to put more self-propelled anti-tank weapons into service, which created the Marder I from the French Lorraine, the Marder II from the Panzer IIs, and the Marder III from the Czech Panzer 38(t).

Specifications

The Marder III, with the rest of the Marder series, gave the Germany forces a self-propelled gun mounting a better gun than what was available on German tanks, such as the 75 mm Pak 40 or captured Soviet 76.2 mm guns chambered for the Pak 40 ammo. All of the Marders share a lack of armour for the crew, the top and rear of the vehicle is left exposed to mortar, shrapnel, or infantry weapons. This weakness is mitigated with the fact that the Marders are suppose to be anti-tank motor carriages that are to ambush incoming enemy tanks.

The Marder III Ausf. H uses the Panzer 38(t) as it was a design going obsolete, and new large German anti-tank weapons were being produced, so they mounted these guns onto the Panzer 38(t) first. The finished self-propelled mount had a higher silhouette than the Panzer 38(t), which left it more vulnerable, but had a 75 mm Pak 40 gun and with hold 38 rounds in the vehicle. A machine gun on the hull was retained for anti-infantry purposes.

The Marder III Ausf. H predecessor, simply named as the Marder III mounted a rechambered 76.2 gun instead of a Pak 40. Another variant created, the Ausf. M, featured a lower silhouette and a better sloped armour and fighting compartment, despite only holding 27 rounds for the mounted Pak 40. A total of 3,472 Marder IIIs and its version was created or converted from Panzer 38(t) during its production life.

Combat usage

The Marder III Ausf. H fought on all front of the war, being produced from 1942 to 1945, with 450 Marder III Ausf. H with the Pak 40 converted and produced. Using the tested design of the Panzer 38(t), the Marder III experienced a reliable mechanical history, and has a gun that could take out most allied tanks in the war. The vulnerability to the crew due to lack of armour was its most pressing issue, with only a front shield plate at most 15 mm thick and side plates that can't enclose the crew. This makes it as very poor assault vehicles or tank substitutes as the open top could allow infantry to easily kill the crew from hidden areas, despite that, it is sometimes repurposed to this role to the chagrin of the crew.

As its production was underway, Germany already had a few self-propelled assault weapons being produced such as the StuG III that could have the same anti-tank capabilities, yet was fully armoured, enclosing the crew in adequate armour. This obvious advantage over the open Marder series encouraged the development of a new kind of tank destroyer from the Panzer 38(t) with better armour, which will eventually create the Jagdpanzer 38(t). Despite that, the Marders continued to serve to the end of the war.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

ETC.

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Germany tank destroyers
Pz. I Derivatives  Panzerjäger I
Pz. II Derivatives  15cm sIG 33 B Sfl
Pz. 38(t) Derivatives  Marder III · Marder III H · Jagdpanzer 38(t)
Pz. III Derivatives  StuG III A · StuG III F · StuG III G · StuH 42 G
Pz. IV Derivatives  Jagdpanzer IV · Panzer IV/70(A) · Panzer IV/70(V) · Dicker Max · Nashorn · Brummbär · VFW
Pz. V Derivatives  Jagdpanther G1 · Bfw. Jagdpanther G1
Pz. VI Derivatives  Sturer Emil · Elefant · Ferdinand · 38 cm Sturmmörser · Jagdtiger
Wheeled/Half-track  8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl. · Sd.Kfz.251/9 · Sd.Kfz.251/10 · Sd.Kfz.251/22 · Sd.Kfz.234/3 · Sd.Kfz.234/4 · 15 cm Pz.W.42
ATGM Carrier  RakJPz 2 · RakJPz 2 (HOT) · Wiesel 1A2
Other  Waffenträger · M109G · JPz 4-5 · Raketenautomat · VT1-2

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