T-III (USSR)

▂T-III

▂T-III

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.3	2.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:700

Show in game

Description

The ▂T-III, or the captured German Pz.Kpfw.III, is a premium rank I Soviet medium tank with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.43.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Barrel shroud, Cupola)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	50 mm (12°) Front plate 25 mm (86°), 50 mm (52°) Front glacis 50 mm (23-69°) Lower glacis	30 mm	50 mm (14-46°) Top 50 mm (10-66°) Bottom	15 mm
Turret	50 mm (10-25°) Turret front 50 mm (12-62°) Gun mantlet	30 mm (20-25°)	30 mm (12-15°)	10 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	50 mm	10 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.

With only an unangled 50 mm armour plate at the front, even some rank I guns can penetrate the T-III's armour. Angling will not really help, as you will expose your even thinner side armour. However, the lower glacis is quite angled, and most small-calibre rounds will bounce off harmlessly. The ammunition is stored in the back of the tank, minimizing the threat of being ammo-racked.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	60	12	21.8	465	572	21.33	26.24
Realistic	54	10		265	300	12.16	13.76

Armaments

Main armament

50 mm KwK L/42					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	99	-10°/+20°	±180°	N/A	5.24	7.25	8.80	9.73	10.35	5.20	4.60	4.24	4.00
Realistic					3.27	3.85	4.67	5.17	5.50

Ammunition

• PzGr 39 - APC - This is your main ammo type, use it whenever you think it has enough penetration to penetrate your target. It deals the most damage because of its explosive filler.
• PzGr 40 - APCR - this variation of APCR is lighter, slightly faster and offers the best penetration (up to 132 mm). Use it against heavily armoured beasts. However, don't expect it to cause any real damage upon penetration. It only deals damage to modules/crew straight in its path, due to the fact that it has no explosive filler.

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 39	APC	80	76	62	48	38	29
PzGr 40	APCR	116	107	74	47	30	19

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 39	APC	685	2.05	1.2	9.0	28.9	48°	63°	71°
PzGr 40	APCR	1,050	0.9	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	70°	72°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
99	75 (+24)	50 (+49)	25 (+74)	1 (+98)	Yes

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34
Mount	Capacity (Belt capacity)	Rate of fire (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
Coaxial	4,350 (150)	900	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Use of this tank is similar to the Pz. III F. While it does have significantly better armour on the front than its predecessor, the higher BR of 2.3 means it faces tougher, more well-armoured opposition in up-tiers to 3.3. The T-34 (1940) is almost impenetrable, except for some weakspots around the turret and flat-on below the tracks. M4A1s are similar in speed to you, have better sloped frontal armour that you cannot penetrate, more powerful guns, and stabilizers. APCR post-penetration damage is not sufficient enough to be counted upon when you need it the most, plus neither PzGr.40/1 or PzGr.40 can frontally penetrate a Sherman or T-34. The best way to attack these tanks is to flank them with your good mobility, or wait for them to overextend, then shoot at their weaker side armour. Furthermore, the high fuse sensitivity makes many lightly-armoured things with strong guns your worst nightmare, since you'll over-penetrate repeatedly in most cases, allowing easy return fire from the enemy. Enemy SPAAG, in particular, is very dangerous because of your 15 mm turret ring weak pot, enabling them to spray all over you to incapacitate your gunner and loader.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive	PzGr 40
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Accurate and decently powerful gun
• Great gun depression
• Decent mobility
• APCR ammo has very high speed and good penetration, making shooting at long range easier
• Armour is fairly decent, can protect reliably against lower-ranked tanks

Cons:

• Penetration is lacking, as is post-penetration damage against enemies in up-tiers
• Awful turret traverse speed
• Flat armour with little slope, weak side armour
• Large and weakly armour commander's cupola, often sticks out above the terrain, drawing the enemies' attention
• Has no HE shell

History

The T-III (USSR) is the Russian designation for a captured Panzer III, which saw extensive service during the early phases of Operation Barbarossa. After the battle of Moscow, the Russian army got a hold of lots of German equipment and it was subsequently evaluated. The T-III was mostly issued as a command vehicle due to its increased comfort and reliable radio. Often times captured vehicles would be refitted with Soviet parts for logistical reasons.

It saw combat in the battles of Kursk, Leningrad and Stalingrad, earning themselves a great reputation.

The T-III was operated by the Red Army until late 1943 after which they were dropped out of service in favour of newer Soviet vehicles or newly captured Panther tanks.

In-game description

The designation used for the captured Pz.Kpfw.lll German medium tank in the Red Army arsenal. The tank was an early modification of the Pz.Kpfw.lll Ausf.J that was armed with a short-barrel 50mm KwK.38 L/42. The Ausf.J differed from previous modifications by its enlarged frontal body armor (50 mm) and certain mechanical changes. These tanks were popular with Soviet tank crews due to their excellent scopes, their loadout, and the convenience of the crew.

Media

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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;
• encyclopedia page on the tank;
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