The Pz.III J1 TD is a gift German medium tank. It was introduced during Update "New Power" as a reward for watching War Thunder streams on Twitch.tv along with a unique skin for the vehicle.
The Pz.III J1, compared to its predecessor - Pz.III J, features only few, but very important upgrades.
Most importantly, the J1 variant is the first Panzer III to have the long barreled KwK 39 L/60 50 mm tank gun. This gun offers 102 mm of armour penetration at a range of 100 m and 85 mm at 500 m. In a practical sense, it is just enough to deal with most tanks at this BR, although targeting weak spots or side/rear armour is often necessary, especially against well-armoured heavy tanks like the KV-1 but that is why you have APCR ammunition. APCR comes in two sets, PzGr 40 and PzGr 40/1. PzGr 40 has the highest penetration - 137 mm at close range, but it loses penetration quite rapidly when shooting far targets and is also a higher tier modification. (->More info can be found below in the "Ammunition" section.)
The second important upgrade is the electric turret drive - greatly improving the turret traverse speed, and removing the long present weakness of all older Panzer III variants.
Optimal combat distance for this vehicle is somewhere between medium to close range. But don't be mistaken, the Panzer III J1 is not an frontline tank. You should be always on the move and harass the enemy without rest as any return fire will be lethal. Don't trust your armour and instead rely on your mobility. Flanking is the best option for J1 as you can use the high rate of fire for good effect and hopefully avoid the incoming retribution. You don't have the best mobility for a medium tank, but you definitely remain competitive against most enemy tanks you may encounter. Always try to find some good firing positions, with available cover, and if necessary, pull back and relocate. Always avoid direct close range confrontations with main enemy force; never try to fight more than 1 enemy at the time. However - playing purely as support/sniper tank isn't optimal either, because of your lower armour penetration.
Ammunition | Type | Armor penetration (mm) at a distance: | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m | ||
APC | 106 | 101 | 83 | 65 | 50 | 39 | |
HE | 12 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | |
APCR | 130 | 121 | 90 | 62 | 42 | 29 | |
APCR | 137 | 126 | 88 | 56 | 36 | 23 |
Belt | Belt filling | Armor penetration (mm) at a distance: | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m | ||
AP/AP/AP-T | 13 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Mobility | |
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Protection |
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Firepower | ||
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