Pz.III E

This page is about the German medium tank Pz.III E. For other versions, see Panzer III (Family).

Pz.III E

Pz.III B

Pz.III E

Pz.III B

Germany

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:Free

Purchase:Free

Show in game

Description

The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausführung E (Panzer III E) (Sd.Kfz. Index: Sd.Kfz. 141) is the fifth variant of the Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank family. After the first four Panzer III variants were completed, it was discovered there was still a lot of potential for development and adjustment. The Panzer III E was the next variant in line, and it included a number of improvements, including a necessary increase in armour protection. More notably, it finally addressed the fundamental problems with the previous variants' troublesome suspensions by introducing a basic torsion bar suspension design. The most notable legacy of this vehicle was that it established the production standard for all subsequent Panzer III variants. The Germans concentrated on the French 25 mm fast-firing tank gun when determining the necessary armour thickness for the new Panzer III E. They eventually decided that 30 mm of armour was sufficient. At ranges of over 500 mm at 30°, the frontal armour plate proved powerful enough to withstand the 25 mm armour-piercing rounds.

Introduced in the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41, the Panzer III E variant is a basic medium tank that looks a lot like the Panzer III B variant. It was mounted with the same 37 mm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 36 L/46.5 tank gun. However, by increasing the overall armour plate thickness to 20 to 30 mm, this tank's protection is significantly boosted. Despite this, it is nevertheless vulnerable to almost all vehicles in its rank from any angle, with the exception of a few very low-calibre tank guns. Playstyles are comparable to those of the Panzer III B variant.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull30 / 30 / 20

Turret35 / 30 / 30

Crew5 people

Visibility88 %

The Pz.III E, distinguished from the B by the more traditional cupola, and the square MG mounting.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	30 mm	30 mm	20 mm	15 mm
Turret	35 mm Turret front 30 mm Gun mantlet	30 mm	30 mm	10 mm
Cupola	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm	8 mm

The Panzer III E has improved protection over the Ausf. B. The armour values on the hull sides and front are similar, so the Panzer III E is an excellent tank to use the tactic of angling in. With angling, the hull has a chance to bounce some enemy fire. The turret face protection is rather thin, but in some areas the turret armour overlaps which may help to stop some shells. Overall, the Panzer III E is not very survivable, being reliably protected only against .50 calibre ammunition. Additionally, the thin roof armour means that enemy planes may penetrate the top of the tank if they are using .50 calibre guns or cannons.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB79 / 14 km/h

RB and SB71 / 12 km/h

Number of gears10 forward

4 back

Weight19.5 t

Engine power

AB572 hp

RB and SB300 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB29.3 hp/t

RB and SB15.4 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	79	14	19.5	465	572	23.85	29.33
Realistic	71	12		265	300	13.59	15.38

The Pz.III E does have improved mobility over the B model, with the top speed being listed as 71 km/h in RB mode, and 79 km/h in AB mode. While for RB this vehicle rarely cruises off-road faster than 45 km/h, it has very impressive mobility in AB, able to sustain speeds from 65 up to 80 km/h even on slightly hilly ground, making this tank hard to pin down in the hands of a skilled driver. In AB, this is a substantial upgrade in mobility over the B model, allowing for a more aggressive flanking play style that can be very rewarding with good map knowledge. Another big positive in both AB and RB is that the Pz.III E can reverse a lot faster, meaning that if it gets into trouble it can quickly retreat and reposition.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

ABfree

RBfree

SBfree

Total cost of modifications4 150

190

Talisman cost190

Crew trainingfree

Experts1 000

Aces10

Research Aces80 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

10 / 10 / 10 %

100 / 100 / 100 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 330 Cost: 15 40 Winterketten Research: 330 Cost: 15 40 Suspension Brake System Research: 300 Cost: 13 35 Filters Transmission Engine Research: 720 Cost: 35 90	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive Research: 330 Cost: 15 40 Adjustment of Fire Research: 300 Cost: 13 35 37mm_kwk_36_APCR_ammo_pack Research: 300 Cost: 13 35 Elevation Mechanism Research: 410 Cost: 18 50 Smoke grenade Research: 410 Cost: 18 50 Artillery Support Research: 720 Cost: 35 90

Armaments

Main armament

37 mm KwK36 cannon

Ammunition131 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

3.7 → 2.9 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

The Pz.III E is equipped with the 37 mm KwK36, which is a fairly underwhelming weapon performance-wise. It can penetrate most lower rank vehicles at close range, but at further ranges the gun really does start to struggle. It's also fairly inaccurate, which makes aiming for certain weak spots quite difficult. It comes with two available rounds-

• APHE- Max 47 mm penetration- Low penetration but higher damage potential.
• APCR- Max 86 mm penetration- High penetration but lower damage potential.

It's best to consider taking a mix of both types of ammunition, the APHE has the potential to knock out some enemy tanks, but will be completely ineffective against the more heavily armoured vehicle you'll likely meet when uptiered, for these tanks it's best to use APCR and aim for flat surfaces. The APCR does very little damage internally, so try to aim for crew members if possible.

37 mm KwK36					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	131	-10°/+20°	±180°	-	11.4	15.8	19.2	21.2	22.6	3.77	3.33	3.07	2.90
Realistic					7.1	8.4	10.2	11.3	12.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
PzGr	APHE	47	44	31	21	14	9
PzGr 40	APCR	86	77	47	26	14	8

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
PzGr	APHE	745	0.69	1.2	9	22.1	47°	60°	65°
PzGr 40	APCR	1,020	0.37	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Pz.III E

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
131	113 (+18)	75 (+56)	57 (+74)	19 (+112)	0 (+131)	Yes

Notes:

• Racks only disappear after all shells in the rack have been fired.
• Visual discrepancy concerns rack n°5: it is modeled to contain 8 shells but you have to fire 18 shells in order to empty it.

Machine guns

2 x 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 600 rounds

Belt capacity150 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate900 shots/min

Like its predecessor, the Pz. III E is equipped with two coaxial 7.92 mm MG34 machine guns, as there are two of them these machine guns are quite potent against enemy anti-air trucks, and even against the slower biplane aircraft commonly encountered in lower ranked battles; although their viability against aircraft is questionable due to the slow turret traverse. These guns have no functional viability against armoured vehicles however, and only serve as a last ditch effort to kick up dust, or blind an enemy vehicle by firing at their optics.

7.92 mm MG34
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,800 (150)	900	N/A	N/A
Coaxial	1,800 (150)	900	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The Pz.III E, despite its upgrades, functions almost exactly the same as the previous B model, the armour and mobility are improved, but not to the point where these aspects are reliable, or warrant a change in playstyle to take advantage of them. Because of the slow turret traverse and unimpressive firepower, consider playing the E in a more passive role. You can't comfortably rush around the map using your extra mobility as if you push to the point where enemies could get on your sides, you'll likely be knocked out very quickly. The largest drawbacks the E model has are its armour, turret traverse and firepower. The firepower can't be buffed in any way, but the negative effects of the armour and traverse can be somewhat negated by playing hull down and covering a narrow sight line. The turret armour can't be completely relied on, but it is the most consistent. Additionally, if you take fire into the turret, you'll likely only lose a couple of crew members. In order to increase the effectiveness of the hull armour, you can sharply angle the tank at about 45 degrees, since the side armour is equally as thick as the front armour. That means there is no risk of exposing a weaker flank, and a steeply angled hull can even deflect the 37 mm. cannon shells fired by most tanks of its tier (it will not always deflect them, but your odds increase at longer ranges). The E model has a fairly effective reverse rate, so you can easily retreat from combat, repair and reengage. You also have access to five rear drop smoke grenades to aid this purpose. Another advantage of covering a narrow sight line is that you don't really need to traverse your gun much to be able to fire on enemy vehicles.

If possible, try to remain somewhat sedentary, because the Pz.III E lacks a short stop stabiliser, if you run into an enemy allied tank on the move, they will likely be able to level off their gun and fire at you first, and as the armour of the E is very inconsistent, you will likely be knocked out. If you stay somewhat still and wait in ambush, you should be able to avoid this drawback. The E model works best at mid ranges, at long range the armour is effective but the gun isn't, whereas at close range the gun is effective but the armour isn't - at mid range you have the potential to maximise both. Aim to angle or hide your hull and take a decent mix of APHE and APCR depending on the battle rating you're playing at. The E model isn't the most effective Panzer III, but if played in the right spot it can do a decent job.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very fast reload
• Access to APCR
• Decent overall mobility
• Immune to heavy machine gun fire
• Tougher than other reserve tanks if angled

Cons:

• Very slow turret traverse
• Lacklustre firepower
• Unimpressive armour protection if not angled
• No short stabiliser

History

Archive of the in-game description

The Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E was the first large-scale variant of this tank. The machine had a new torsion suspension design, and its wheels had a much larger diameter. This greatly simplified its manufacture and servicing. The construction of the hull was modified, slightly shortening the front and rear sections. Some design improvements were made to facilitate the crew's ability to evacuate when needed and to improve their field of view. The construction of the Kugelblende 30 machine gun's mantlet saw improvements, as well, and a small container of smoke bombs was affixed to the aft of the tank's hull. The more powerful Maibach HL120TR engine, with 300 horsepower, was installed, along with a mechanical Variorex SRG 328-145 transmission with ten forward gears and four reverse gears. These changes increased the tank's maximum speed and cross-country ability. During the tank's single year of production, beginning in October 1938, the companies MAN, Daimler-Benz, Henschel, MIAG, Alket, Krupp, FAMO, Wegmann, and MNH produced about 100 specimens. The Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E tank variant participated in every military operation which took place during the first stage of World War II. This variant became the basis for all subsequent ones. The tank's first combat experience was successful, and from 1940 to 1941 some of the tanks were outfitted with a 5cm KwK L/42 gun in a new cannon mantlet. Afterwards, the remaining Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E tanks were withdrawn from the front lines and converted into Pz.Beo.Wg. artillery spotters or repair and rescue vehicles. On the whole, the Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E tank was reliable and easy to operate and provided a high level of crew comfort. This tank's main disadvantage was that its armament was relatively weak for a medium tank.

Media

Images

• 

  DESCRIPTION

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Pz.III E from live.warthunder.com.

See 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.

External links

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