The Panzer III was a German medium tank used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. It was produced between 1939 and 1943, under the official name Panzerkampfwagen (PzKpfw) III, inventory denomination SdKfz 141. By the Spring of 1940, it had been built in large numbers as it had become the backbone of the German armored divisions that invaded France in May 1940 in Operation Fall Gelb (Case Yellow). The first variants of this tank, Ausf A and B, had an underpowered gun, as it was equipped with a short-barrel, 37-mm gun, while later versions, such as Ausf L and N, were fitted with a long-barrel, 50-mm and 75-mm gun respectively.
The Panzer III was first used in combat during the German invasion of Poland in September 1939. However, it had not been built in enough number, so the Germans had to rely on the Panzer II for their Blitzkrieg combat operations. Between October and December 1939, Ausf D, E and F were introduced. These variants had thicker armor and an updated turret. Ausf F also had a new more powerful engine; a Maybach HL-120, 12-cylinder, gasoline engine, which put out 300 horsepower. Ausf J and L were the most massively produced versions as they were employed during Operation Fall Blau (Case Blue) in 1942. The last version was Ausf N, which entered service in 1942; it featured a 75-mm (7.5-cm) gun instead of the 50-mm (5 cm) one on the Ausf G, J, and L variant. This medium tank, which had been designed and developed by Daimler-Benz, would be partially replaced by the Panzerkampfwagen IV.
Technical Description
The layout of the Panzerkampfwagen III was basically the same as the rest of German tanks, with the driver at the front of the hull, on the left side, and the machine gunner and radio operator to his right. The three-men turret was located at the center of hull. The engine was set up at the rear of the hull, and the suspension system, which was of the torsion bar type, consisted of six small road wheels, with the drive sprocket at the front, and the idler at the rear; the tank had three track-return rollers above the road wheels. Armor was made of rolled homogeneous steel, 30-mm thick all around on all sides on Ausf G, and 50-mm thick on Ausf J, L, M, and N variants.
Specifications (Ausf L)
Type: medium tank
Armament: one 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 gun; two 2.92-mm MG-34 machine guns.
Weight: 22.3 metric tones (22,300 kg)
Hull Length: 5.52 m (18 feet, 1 inch)
Full Length: 6.41 m (21 feet)
Width: 2.95 m (9 feet, 8 inches)
Height: 2.50 m (8 feet, 2 inches)
Power Plant: one 300-HP, Maybach HL-120, TRM, 12-cylinder, gasoline engine.
Maximum Speed: 40 km/h (25 mph) on road
Range: 175 km (110 miles)
Fording: 0.8 m
Gradient: 60 degrees
Crew: 5
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| Above, the Panzerkampfwagen III, Ausf. L, featuring a 50-mm gun, L/60. Notice the reinforced armor on the turret front. |
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| Panzer III, Ausf G, in a British tank museum. It is painted in the colors of the Afrika Korps. |
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| Above, Ausf. A, the first version, armed with a 37-mm gun. Notice that this variant had five road wheels instead of the six ones on later models. |