Difference between revisions of "Pz.III J"

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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 Pz.IIIJ.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 +
{{break}}
 +
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or '''Panzer III J''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]].
  
 
== 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?''
+
'''Armour type:'''
  
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
+
* Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
* Cast homogeneous armour (Barrel shroud, Cupola)
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 50 mm (12°) ''Front plate'' <br> 25 mm (86°), 50 mm (52°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 50 mm (23-69°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 50 mm (14-46°) ''Top'' <br> 50 mm (10-66°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm
 +
|-
 +
| Turret || 50 mm (10-25°) ''Turret front'' <br> 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.
  
 
=== 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 manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
 +
 
 +
{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 465|rbMinHp= 265|<!--AoAweight=(optional) -->}}
  
 
== 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 flexibility 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|KwK 38 (50 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" | [[KwK 38 (50 mm)|50 mm KwK 38]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br>guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="3" | 99 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || 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'' || 5.24 || 7.25 || 8.80 || 9.73 || 10.35
 +
|-
 +
| ''Realistic'' || 3.27 || 3.85 || 4.67 || 5.17 || 5.5
 +
|-
 +
! 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.
 +
|-
 +
| 5.20 || 4.60 || 4.24 || 4.00
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
===== 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 || APC ||71||69||56||44|| 34 || 26
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 118 || 117 || 84 || 56 || 37 || 25
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 132 || 130 || 94 || 63 || 42 || 28
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| 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 || APC || 685 || 2.1 || 1.2 || 25 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 1005 || 1.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 1050 || 0.92 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
 +
{| 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" |Visual<br /> discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
|| '''99''' || 75&nbsp;''(+24)'' || 50&nbsp;''(+49)'' || 25&nbsp;''(+74)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+98)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
Left side empty: 50&nbsp;''(+49)''
  
 
=== 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|MG 34 (7.92 mm)}}
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial 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" | 4,350 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
== 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).''-->
 +
Use of this tank is similar to the Pz. III F, and while it does have significantly better armour on the front than its predecessor, the higher BR of 2.3 means it faces nastier opposition in semi-frequent up-tiers to 3.3. T-34 (1940)s are almost unpenetrable from any side except flat-on below the tracks. M4A1s are similar in speed to you, have thinner sides, are spacious, have powerful guns, and stabilizers. Cromwells are much faster than you with stronger guns. You can only hope for them to get overconfident, overextend, and shoot them in the side or rear. APCR post-penetration damage is not reliable 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 anyway. The gap between 2.3 and 3.3 is tremendous, and is just as crippling as that between 6.7 and 7.7, for an accurate relative comparison.
 +
 
 +
Furthermore, even in the best circumstances, 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 person you failed to knock out, which more often than not cripples you. Enemy SPAAG, in particular, is frustrating to knock out because of your 15 mm turret ring weak spot enabling them to spray all over you to incapacitate your gunner and loader.
 +
 
 +
=== Modules ===
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
!Tier
 +
! colspan="2" |Mobility
 +
!Protection
 +
! colspan="2" |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
 +
|
 +
|}
  
 
=== 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".''
+
'''Pros:'''
  
'''Pros:'''
+
* Accurate and decently powerful gun
*
+
* Great gun depression
 +
* Good 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:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
*
+
 
 +
* Penetration is a bit lacking, as is post-penetration against things in up-tiers
 +
* Awful turret traverse speed
 +
* Flat armour with little slope, weak side armour
 +
* Large commander's cupola, often sticking out above the terrain, drawing enemy attention
 +
* Rather high fuse sensitivity for such a lacklustre cannon
  
 
== 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.''
+
===Development===
 +
The '''Panzerkampfwagen III''' medium tank or the '''Panzer III''' was developed in the 1930s. Starting in early 1934, Heinz Guderian set down some specifications for a new tank, which Army Weapons Department took up to design the tank to weigh no more than 24,000 kilograms with a top speed of 35 km per hour. This tank's role was to be the main tank of the German army and was expected to destroy opposing tanks, as opposed as a tank made to destroy anti-tank guns and opposing infantrymen, which the [[Pz.IV C|Panzer IV]] took up in.
 +
 
 +
Damlier-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall produced prototypes meeting the specifications and the Damlier-Benz model was chosen after testing in 1936-1937. The Panzer III model used a leaf-spring suspension in its early models (Ausf. A - Ausf. D) before utilizing a six-wheeled torsion-bar suspension in the [[Pz.III E|Ausf. E]] and beyond. The Panzer III had a crew of five people, the commander, gunner, loader, driver, and assistant driver. The best feature of the Panzer III during its introduction that is the most overlooked was the three-man turret, which was not as common at the time. This frees the commander to be able to effectively command the tank while maintaining situational awareness rather than be burdened by the role of a loader or gunner, improving the combat effectiveness of the tank. Despite this rather advanced design, the turret did not have a turret basket for the crew. It was a proven design and production began in May 1937. The total number of Panzer IIIs tanks constructed in its production life was 5,774 units (excluding [[StuG III F|StuG III]] variant).
 +
 
 +
===Specifications===
 +
The Panzer III started with only 15 mm of armour on all sides, this was quickly upgraded to 30 mm on the front, side, and rear on the Ausf. D, E, F, and G models. Then the Ausf. H placed an additional 30 mm of armour onto the front hull as an interim solution before the '''Panzer III Ausf. J''' gave the Panzer III a 50 mm armour thickness on the front and rear. The Panzer III Ausf. J still retained the 50 mm KwK 38 cannon from the [[Pz.III F|Ausf. F]], which provided much-needed firepower over the 37 mm KwK 36. The Panzer Ausf. J had a 300 PS Maybach HL 120 TRM engine that gave it a top speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph) with an operational range of 155 km (96 mi.).
 +
 
 +
===Combat usage===
 +
The Panzer III Ausf. J gave the German army better armour for their Panzer III and with a better gun. However, it was still considered under-gunned to the Soviet contemporary [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks as the 50 mm KwK 38 was not powerful enough to penetrate these tanks frontally with normal ammo. This requires the use of APCR, which was in low supply. The Soviet [[T-26|T-26]] and [[BT-5|BT series]] light tanks were still easily taken care of and there were still in larger quantities than the T-34s and KVs, but T-34 production was kicking off and it won't be long before the T-34 becomes the main tank of the Red Army.
 +
 
 +
The Panzer III still needed improvements if it ever was to go up against the more modern tanks and Germany needed it to stay in service as long as possible as their new tanks are being developed. The next variant featured additional armour and a better 50 mm cannon, the 50 mm KwK 39, on the [[Pz.III J1|Panzer III Ausf. J1]]. The armour had an additional 20 mm offset armour in the front hull and turret, plus the 50 mm KwK 39 featured a longer barrel than the 50 mm KwK 38, increasing its penetration values.
 +
 
 +
=== In-game description ===
 +
Then next modification to the Pz.Kpfw.III medium tank after Ausf. J, featuring an enhanced armament.
 +
 
 +
These tanks, which were armed with KwK38 L/42 cannons, were unable to fight successfully against Soviet T-34 and KB tanks, whose armor could withstand the impact of projectiles fired by the short-barreled cannon. The tank’s armament had to be enhanced. The new weapon selected was the long-barreled KwK39 L/60, which featured high ballistic characteristics. However, despite these enhanced characteristics, fighting Soviet tanks remained extremely difficult. Tanks with the new armament began to be released in December, 1941. A total of 1,067 tanks with the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J modification and KwK39 L/60 cannon were produced.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
'''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the ''Panzer III Ausf.J'' from live.warthunder.com. There are plenty of category terms flying around. So looking through every one of them will be necessary.
 +
 
 +
*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pz_iii_j #pz_iii_j]
 +
*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pziii_j #pziii_j]
 +
 
 +
===Sights===
 +
 
 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/post/675135/en/ RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI]
  
 
== Read also ==
 
== Read also ==
 
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
 
''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;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 +
 
''ETC.''
 
''ETC.''
  
 
== Sources ==
 
== Sources ==
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 +
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
 +
 +
{{Germany medium tanks}}

Revision as of 13:24, 8 May 2020

Rank IV USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Tu-1 Pack
Pz.III J
germ_pzkpfw_iii_ausf_j_l42.png
Pz.III J
AB RB SB
2.3 2.3 2.3
Class:
Research:5 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:6 300 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage Pz.III J.jpg


The Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. J (or Panzer III J) is a rank I German medium tank with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals".

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.

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

Main article: KwK 38 (50 mm)
50 mm KwK 38
Capacity Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
Stabilizer
99 -10°/+20° ±180° N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 5.24 7.25 8.80 9.73 10.35
Realistic 3.27 3.85 4.67 5.17 5.5
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
5.20 4.60 4.24 4.00
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration in mm @ 90°
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
PzGr 39 APC 71 69 56 44 34 26
PzGr 40/1 APCR 118 117 84 56 37 25
PzGr 40 APCR 132 130 94 63 42 28
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 APC 685 2.1 1.2 25 28.9 +4° 48° 63° 71°
PzGr 40/1 APCR 1005 1.1 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 66° 70° 72°
PzGr 40 APCR 1050 0.92 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 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) (+98) Yes

Left side empty: 50 (+49)

Machine guns

Main article: MG 34 (7.92 mm)
7.92 mm MG 34
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
4,350 (150) 900 N/A N/A

Usage in the battles

Use of this tank is similar to the Pz. III F, and while it does have significantly better armour on the front than its predecessor, the higher BR of 2.3 means it faces nastier opposition in semi-frequent up-tiers to 3.3. T-34 (1940)s are almost unpenetrable from any side except flat-on below the tracks. M4A1s are similar in speed to you, have thinner sides, are spacious, have powerful guns, and stabilizers. Cromwells are much faster than you with stronger guns. You can only hope for them to get overconfident, overextend, and shoot them in the side or rear. APCR post-penetration damage is not reliable 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 anyway. The gap between 2.3 and 3.3 is tremendous, and is just as crippling as that between 6.7 and 7.7, for an accurate relative comparison.

Furthermore, even in the best circumstances, 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 person you failed to knock out, which more often than not cripples you. Enemy SPAAG, in particular, is frustrating to knock out because of your 15 mm turret ring weak spot 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

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Accurate and decently powerful gun
  • Great gun depression
  • Good 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 a bit lacking, as is post-penetration against things in up-tiers
  • Awful turret traverse speed
  • Flat armour with little slope, weak side armour
  • Large commander's cupola, often sticking out above the terrain, drawing enemy attention
  • Rather high fuse sensitivity for such a lacklustre cannon

History

Development

The Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank or the Panzer III was developed in the 1930s. Starting in early 1934, Heinz Guderian set down some specifications for a new tank, which Army Weapons Department took up to design the tank to weigh no more than 24,000 kilograms with a top speed of 35 km per hour. This tank's role was to be the main tank of the German army and was expected to destroy opposing tanks, as opposed as a tank made to destroy anti-tank guns and opposing infantrymen, which the Panzer IV took up in.

Damlier-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall produced prototypes meeting the specifications and the Damlier-Benz model was chosen after testing in 1936-1937. The Panzer III model used a leaf-spring suspension in its early models (Ausf. A - Ausf. D) before utilizing a six-wheeled torsion-bar suspension in the Ausf. E and beyond. The Panzer III had a crew of five people, the commander, gunner, loader, driver, and assistant driver. The best feature of the Panzer III during its introduction that is the most overlooked was the three-man turret, which was not as common at the time. This frees the commander to be able to effectively command the tank while maintaining situational awareness rather than be burdened by the role of a loader or gunner, improving the combat effectiveness of the tank. Despite this rather advanced design, the turret did not have a turret basket for the crew. It was a proven design and production began in May 1937. The total number of Panzer IIIs tanks constructed in its production life was 5,774 units (excluding StuG III variant).

Specifications

The Panzer III started with only 15 mm of armour on all sides, this was quickly upgraded to 30 mm on the front, side, and rear on the Ausf. D, E, F, and G models. Then the Ausf. H placed an additional 30 mm of armour onto the front hull as an interim solution before the Panzer III Ausf. J gave the Panzer III a 50 mm armour thickness on the front and rear. The Panzer III Ausf. J still retained the 50 mm KwK 38 cannon from the Ausf. F, which provided much-needed firepower over the 37 mm KwK 36. The Panzer Ausf. J had a 300 PS Maybach HL 120 TRM engine that gave it a top speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph) with an operational range of 155 km (96 mi.).

Combat usage

The Panzer III Ausf. J gave the German army better armour for their Panzer III and with a better gun. However, it was still considered under-gunned to the Soviet contemporary T-34 and KV-1 tanks as the 50 mm KwK 38 was not powerful enough to penetrate these tanks frontally with normal ammo. This requires the use of APCR, which was in low supply. The Soviet T-26 and BT series light tanks were still easily taken care of and there were still in larger quantities than the T-34s and KVs, but T-34 production was kicking off and it won't be long before the T-34 becomes the main tank of the Red Army.

The Panzer III still needed improvements if it ever was to go up against the more modern tanks and Germany needed it to stay in service as long as possible as their new tanks are being developed. The next variant featured additional armour and a better 50 mm cannon, the 50 mm KwK 39, on the Panzer III Ausf. J1. The armour had an additional 20 mm offset armour in the front hull and turret, plus the 50 mm KwK 39 featured a longer barrel than the 50 mm KwK 38, increasing its penetration values.

In-game description

Then next modification to the Pz.Kpfw.III medium tank after Ausf. J, featuring an enhanced armament.

These tanks, which were armed with KwK38 L/42 cannons, were unable to fight successfully against Soviet T-34 and KB tanks, whose armor could withstand the impact of projectiles fired by the short-barreled cannon. The tank’s armament had to be enhanced. The new weapon selected was the long-barreled KwK39 L/60, which featured high ballistic characteristics. However, despite these enhanced characteristics, fighting Soviet tanks remained extremely difficult. Tanks with the new armament began to be released in December, 1941. A total of 1,067 tanks with the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J modification and KwK39 L/60 cannon were produced.

Media

Skins and camouflages for the Panzer III Ausf.J from live.warthunder.com. There are plenty of category terms flying around. So looking through every one of them will be necessary.

Sights

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Germany medium tanks
Pz.III  Pz.III B · Pz.III E · Pz.III F · Pz.III J · Pz.III J1 · Pz.III J1 TD · Pz.III L · Pz.III M · Pz.III N
Pz.IV  Pz.IV C · Pz.IV E · Pz.IV F1 · Pz.IV F2 · Pz.IV G · Pz.IV H · Pz.IV J · Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J
Pz.V  VK 3002 (M) · Panther A · Panther D · Panther F · Panther G · Ersatz M10 · Panther II
M48 upgrades  M48A2 G A2 · M48 Super
Leopard 1  Leopard I · Leopard A1A1 · Leopard A1A1 (L/44) · Leopard 1A5 · C2A1 · Turm III
Leopard 2  PT-16/T14 mod. · Leopard 2K · Leopard 2AV
  Leopard 2A4 · Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) · Leopard 2 PL · Leopard 2A5 · Leopard 2 PSO · Leopard 2A6 · Leopard 2A7V
Trophies  ▀M4 748 (a) · ▀T 34 747 (r)
Other  Nb.Fz. · KPz-70
USA  mKPz M47 G · M48A2 C
USSR  ◊T-72M1