Pzkpfw III (Kleinerpanzer befehlswagen)
By the mid-1930s, the Wehrmacht command came to the final conclusion that the Third Reich needed two basic types of tanks - light and medium. At the same time, the base of the armored forces was to be made up of light maneuverable tanks armed with a 20-mm gun. More heavy and slow machines, protected by thickened armor, were assigned the role of the main melee force. It was assumed that light tanks would fight the enemy's combat equipment and be used for reconnaissance purposes, while medium-sized vehicles would concentrate on the task of destroying the enemy's deep-seated anti-tank weapons.
However, the first experience of military operations required significant adjustments to these calculations. First, the German light tanks that existed at that time did not justify the hopes placed on them. Weak armor and poor armament made these machines absolutely unsuitable for the role of the Wehrmacht strike force. Secondly, none of the German tanks that existed at that time could claim the role of a full-fledged medium tank.
On the agenda was the question of the immediate creation of a fundamentally new combat vehicle that would combine the maneuverability of a light tank with enhanced armor protection and medium combat power. The new tank needed a weapon capable of hitting the majority of enemy combat vehicles and anti-tank guns. According to the plan of Heinz Guderian, chief of staff of the inspection of armored forces, a 50 mm long cannon could have been such an instrument, but the Land Forces Armament Department, referring to the accepted standards of infantry anti-tank guns, insisted on maintaining a 37 mm caliber.
All attempts by Guderian to convince the command that the defeat of the thick armor of enemy vehicles requires much more powerful weapons, were futile - the "father of German tanks" had to yield. The only thing he managed to insist on, so this is on the increase in the radius of the of the turret. Thus, the base for the future equipping of the tank with more powerful weapons was preserved.
In 1935, after the development of the basic project, the military-industrial concerns Friedrich Krupp AG, Reinmetall-Borzig, MAN, Daimler-Benz received an order for the production of a prototype of the future medium tank. A year later, according to the results of tests, a special commission selected the project of the firm Daimler-Beits AG / In 1936 the first modification of the new tank appeared - SdKfz 141 (PzKpfw III Ausf A) or 1 / ZW (Zugfuhrerswagen - platoon commander's car). In the period between 1936 - 1937 gg. "Daimler-Benz AG" produces 10 experimental tanks of this modification.
Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III Sd Kfz. 141 (abbreviated PzKpfw III) translating as "armoured fighting vehicle". It was intended to fight other armored fighting vehicles and serve alongside the infantry-supporting Panzer IV. Pz-III tanks were the main armament of tank divisions. The tank had a classic German layout, distinguished by high quality of execution PzKpfw III, however, due to the weakness of weapons, since 1943 they were used only as special machines.
In total, the German industry produced 5,700 Pz-III tanks [others say as many as 15,350 ] of various modifications. PzKpfw III Ausf. B is the second pre-series batch of 15 machines that represented the development of the prototype ZW3 and received the designation Ausf. B. They were distinguished first of all by the running gear, which had 8 small diameter support rollers on each side, interlocked in pairs in carriages suspended on two groups of sheet springs and equipped with hydraulic shock absorbers. Besides, a number of less significant changes were made to the design of the tank. Five chassis Ausf. B were redirected to the production of the zero series of SAU Sturmgeschütz III. Production of tanks of this modification began after the completion of work on machines from the Ausf. A, and the last tanks are Ausf. B were delivered to the troops by the end of November - beginning of December 1937.
The Panzer III used a 50-millimeter KwK L.42 maingun that could fire both antitank and high-explosive shells for antipersonnel, and at by 1941 the Panzer III was the backbone of German panzer divisions. The main gun fired a 4.5 pound projectile that could penetrate 56-millimeter of armor at 500 meters and was effective against the thin armor of the Allied tanks out to 2,000 yards. The tank weighed 19.5 tons, had frontal armor 30-millimeter thick plus an additional 30-millimeter of add-on armor making it nearly impossible for 1941 Allied tanks to knock it out at normal engagement ranges
However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, stronger anti-tank guns were needed. Since the Panzer IV had a bigger turret ring, the role was reversed. The Panzer IV mounted the long barreled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun and engaged in tank-to-tank battles. The Panzer III became obsolete in this role and for most purposes 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 until the end of the war.
Modification PzKpfw III Ausf.E went to the series in 1938. Until October 1939, 96 tanks of this type were built at the factories of Daimler-Benz, Henschel and MAN. PzKpfw III Ausf.E was the first modification, which went into a large series. A special feature of the tank was a new torsion suspension designed by Ferdinand Porsche. It consisted of six support rollers, three supporting rollers, a drive and a steering wheel. All support rollers were independently suspended on torsion bars. The armament of the tank remained the same - a 37-mm gun KwK35 / 36 L / 46.5 and three MG-34 machine guns. The thickness of the reservation was increased to 12 mm-30 mm.
From April 1940 to May 1941, 600 PzKpfw III Ausf.G were built. About 50 vehicles were armed with a 37-mm cannon, but all the rest were armed with 50-mm cannons. To protect against enemy infantry tanks carried two MG-34 machine guns. The thickness of the armor is 21 mm-30 mm. On cars of this modification for the first time a new inspection device of the driver-mechanic "Fahrersehklappe 30" was used. Modified the turret by installing a fan on the roof and a hatch for the rocket launcher.
The last modification of Pz.III, armed with a 50-mm gun, was the modification of the Pz III Ausf M. The initial order was 1,000 units, but the low efficiency of the 50-mm guns in the fight against Soviet tanks forced the Army Arms Service to reduce the order to 250 vehicles. On version M, a wider "eastern" caterpillar appeared. With it the width of the tank increased to 3266 mm. Evacuation hatches in the sides of the hull were eliminated, which allowed increasing the ammunition of the gun from 84 to 98 shots.
The exhaust equipment was adapted for overcoming without the preparation of fords up to 1.3 m deep (previous versions of the "troika" could overcome the ford with a depth of up to 0.8 m). The headlights were transferred from the front sheet of the hull to the wings. Tanks Pz III Ausf M received brackets for fastening anti-cumulative screens, installation of an anti-aircraft machine gun on the commander's turret and some other less significant improvements. On the sides of the turret, three mortars were mounted to launch smoke grenades caliber 90 mm.
The deficit of tungsten in Germany reduced the effectiveness of the long-barreled 50-mm cannon (its subcaliber projectile with a tungsten core, having an initial speed of 1190 m / s, penetrated 94 mm armor at a distance of 500 m); so it was decided to re-equip some tanks with a "short" 75-mm KwK 37 gun with a barrel length of 24 calibers - for use as assault guns. 450 machines of the L series were later rearmed, and later 215 tanks of the M series. The frontal armor of the turrets on these machines was brought to 57 mm, the mass of the turret was 2.45 tons.
