World War 2 In Review No. 16: German Fighting Vehicles

By Merriam Press

Merriam Press World War 2 In Review Series

2023 eBook Edition

This issue contains articles on these German fighting vehicles:

(1) Panzerkampfwagen III

(2) German Combat Vehicles of World War II

(3) German Remote-Controlled Demolition Vehicle Schwerer Ladungsträger Borgward B IV

(4) Panzerkampfwagen 35(t): German Light Tank

615 B&W and color photographs and illustrations

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781387200474

Book preview

World War 2 In Review No. 16: German Fighting Vehicles

F:\Data\_Templates\logo.jpg

Hoosick Falls, New York

2023 eBook Edition

ISBN 9781387200474

Copyright © 2017 by Merriam Press

All rights reserved.

Additional material copyright of named contributors.

The views expressed are solely those of the author(s).

This work was designed, produced, and published in

the United States of America by

Merriam Press, 489 South Street, Hoosick Falls NY 12090

•

For details on all the issues of World War 2 In Review, go to the World War 2 In Review Facebook page here.

•

Merriam Press has published numerous titles on historical subjects, especially military history, with an emphasis on World War II, in print and eBook formats.

Also available are previously published works, including out-of-print and hard to find manuals, unit histories, journals, magazines, reports, campaign and battle histories and other materials on historical topics, some in printed form with many as PDF files.

For details on all the titles that are available visit:

Merriam Press

( https://www.merriam-press.com/ )

E-mail: [e-mail]

Panzerkampfwagen III

The Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was Sd.Kfz. 141. It was intended to fight other armored fighting vehicles and serve alongside and support the Panzer IV; however, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, more powerful anti-tank guns were needed, and since the Panzer IV had more development potential, it was redesigned to mount the long-barreled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun. The Panzer III effectively became obsolete in the anti-tank role and was supplanted by the Panzer IV. From 1942, the last version of Panzer III mounted the 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24, better suited for infantry support. Production of the Panzer III ended in 1943. However, the Panzer III's capable chassis provided hulls for the Sturmgeschütz III assault gun until the end of the war.

At the time, German (non-light) tanks were expected to carry out one of two primary tasks when assisting infantry in breakthroughs, and exploit gaps in the enemy lines where opposition had been removed, moving through and attacking the enemy's unprotected lines of communication and the rear areas. The first task was direct combat against other tanks and other armored vehicles, requiring the tank to fire armor piercing (AP) shells.

On January 11, 1934, following specifications laid down by Heinz Guderian, the Army Weapons Department drew up plans for a medium tank with a maximum weight of 24,000 kg (53,000 lb) and a top speed of 35 km/h (22 mph). It was intended as the main tank of the German Panzer divisions, capable of engaging and destroying opposing tank forces, and was to be paired with the Panzer IV, which was to fulfill the second use: dealing with anti-tank guns and infantry strong points, such as machine-gun nests, firing high-explosive shells at such soft targets. Such supportive tanks designed to operate with friendly infantry against the enemy generally were heavier and carried more armor.

The direct infantry-support role was to be provided by the turret-less Sturmgeschütz assault gun, which mounted a short-barreled gun on a Panzer III chassis.

Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall all produced prototypes. Testing of these took place in 1936 and 1937, leading to the Daimler-Benz design being chosen for production. The first model of the Panzer III, the Ausführung A (Ausf. A), came off the assembly line in May 1937; ten, two of which were unarmed, were produced in that year. Mass production of the Ausf. F version began in 1939. Between 1937 and 1940, attempts were made to standardize parts between Krupp's Panzer IV and Daimler-Benz's Panzer III.

Much of the early development work on the Panzer III was a quest for a suitable suspension. Several varieties of leaf-spring suspensions were tried on Ausf. A through Ausf. D, usually using eight relatively small-diameter road wheels before the torsion-bar suspension of the Ausf. E was standardized, using the six road wheel design that became standard. The Panzer III, along with the Soviet KV heavy tank, was one of the early tanks to use this suspension design first seen on the Stridsvagn L-60 a few years earlier.

A distinct feature of the Panzer III, influenced by British Vickers tanks (1924), was the three-man turret. This meant that the commander was not distracted with another role in the tank (e.g. as gunner or loader) and could fully concentrate on maintaining awareness of the situation and directing the tank. Most tanks of the time did not have this capability, providing the Panzer III with a combat advantage versus such tanks. For example, the French Somua S-35's turret was manned only by the commander, and the Soviet T-34 originally had a two-man turret crew. The Panzer III, as opposed to the Panzer IV, had no turret basket, merely a foot rest platform for the gunner.

The Panzer III was intended as the primary battle tank of the German forces. However, when it initially met the KV-1 and T-34 tanks it proved to be inferior in both armor and gun power. To meet the growing need to counter these tanks, the Panzer III was up-gunned with a longer, more powerful 50-millimeter (1.97 in) gun and received more armor but still was at disadvantage compared with the Soviet tank designs. As a result, production of self-propelled guns, as well as the up-gunning of the Panzer IV was initiated.

In 1942, the final version of the Panzer III, the Ausf. N, was created with a 75-millimeter (2.95 in) KwK 37 L/24 cannon, the same short-barreled howitzer-like gun used for the initial models of the Panzer IV, a low-velocity gun designed for anti-infantry and close-support work. For defensive purposes, the Ausf. N was equipped with rounds of HEAT ammunition that could penetrate 70 to 100 millimeters (2.76 to 3.94 in) of armor depending on the round's variant, but these were strictly used for self-defense.

The Japanese government bought two Panzer IIIs from their German allies during the war (one 50 mm and one 75 mm). Purportedly this was for reverse engineering purposes, since Japan put more emphasis on the development of new military aircraft and naval technology and had been dependent on European influence in designing new tanks. By the time the vehicles were delivered, the Panzer III's technology was obsolete.

The Panzer III Ausf. A through C had 15 mm (0.59 in) of rolled homogeneous armor on all sides with 10 mm (0.39 in) on the top and 5 mm (0.20 in) on the bottom. This was quickly determined to be insufficient, and was upgraded to 30 mm (1.18 in) on the front, sides and rear in the Ausf. D, E, F, and G models, with the H model having a second 30 mm (1.18 in) layer of face-hardened steel applied to the front and rear hull. The Ausf. J model had a solid 50 mm (1.97 in) plate on the front and rear, while the Ausf. J¹, L, and M models had an additional layer of offset 20 mm (0.79 in) homogeneous steel plate on the front hull