PANZER KAMPFWAGON III WITH A 37-mm GUN

Gaining valuable experience from the earlier Pz Kpfw I and II's, the Germans took a major step forward in their tank development program with the introduction of the Pz Kpfw III. Heavily influenced by the brilliant pioneer of armour warfare, Heinz Guderian, who placed the following in order of priority:

• Mobility

• firepower

• armour protection

• communications

• Gunner

• Loader

• Driver

• Radio operator

• Commander

Each man was to be well trained for his task to make the Panzer perform at it's peak. This was evident in the three man turret concept which from the Pz III on, the Germans never designed anything requiring less. The three man turret was actually a British concept that the Germans quickly saw the value of and put to great use. Many other countries were slow to realize the true value in this and were slow to adopt it in their tank designs.

The smoke-stack looking structure at the top of the turret is the cupola. These were made not so high in later German tank designs. Dispite it's some-what peculiar appearance, this gave the commander great vision all around. This is something that the Germans fully understood the value of. Details as this helped to over-come many types of disadvantages, such as fire-power.

The Pz III series produced many versions. A through D were produced in very limited numbers. Each model offering improvements until the Pz Kpfw III. Ausf. E was accepted for mass production. This tank could have been even better than it was if not a critical error was made in it's early development, that being the choice of the main armament. The Mechanized Troop Inspectorate wanted a 50-mm while the Ordinance Department felt the 37-mm anti-tank gun was adequate. Plus this would standardize the two they reasoned. Choosing the 37-mm was costly but the planners made the turret large enough to allow for a larger gun if needed. This proved to be wise because, in the Battle of France, the 37-mm quickly proved inferior when they were faced up against allied armour. Also the 30mm thick armour tended to be thinner than the allies as well which became another concern.

This picture offers a good look at the extra armour fitted to the Pz III's that left the factories with 30mm of thickness. Note the front plate at the upper hull and at the front of the turret. Later models were much stronger with the welded 50mm thick armour at the hull and turret.

With the lessons learned in France, Hitler ordered all new Pz Kpfw III's up-gunned to the L/60 50-mm anti-tank gun. Unknown to him at the time they were fitted with the L/42 50-mm instead. This was a significant difference in hitting power. When the 37-mm and new L/42 50-mm gun had to face up to the newest Russian tanks, their lack of killing ability was all to obvious. Hitler was furious to find out that his orders were ignored. When finally up-gunning to the much better L/60 50-mm anti-tank gun, they also found this gun to weak against the latest Russian tanks.

Earlier models produced with 30mm of armour protection were better protected by simply adding 20mm thick armour plates with a gap between it and the actual tank. The last version, the Ausf. N, had 50mm thick armour on a welded superstructure. This was stronger than bolting extra plates on. Also a short but potent 75-mm gun was now it's main weapon which fired an effective high-explosive round and an excellent shaped-charge round that had better armour penetration than the long barrelled KwK39 L/60 50-mm that it replaced. Some of these were still in service in 1943 and saw action at Kursk.
These changes were good and made the Pz III a better opponent but by the early 1940's it had reached it's end on the Eastern Front, though at this same time, the latter model Pz Kpfw III's were able to stand up to most of what the British had to offer in the desert war.

• The Pz Kpfw III was highly reliable.

• The Pz Kpfw III was well liked by it's crews.

• The chassi was well designed and versatile.

• The best user of the chassi was the very effective STRUMGESCHÜTZ.

• The short comings of the Pz III's firepower was alleviated some buy it's well trained and well commanded crews.

• The cupola had 6 ports with bulletproof glass. These cupolas offered excellent all-around vision.

Heinrici planned and executed a brilliant defensive battle against a Soviet force whose numbers so dominated the opposing German forces, it stands as another example of how competent leadership gives those under their command hope and determination.

With the outcome unchangeable, though greatly delayed, under the massive Soviet tide crashing down on the outskirts of Berlin, the Seelow Heights were finally overrun.

Willing to continue the fight, but in desperate need of men and material to do so, we pick up the account shortly after the last obstacle in the East was lost to the Soviets. With chaos and delusion choking commonsense within the German leadership, some men knew the reality of the situation and fewer yet were willingly to do something about it knowing it could mean their life:

…another top Nazi arrived, the thirty-two-year-old, one armed head of the Hitler Youth, Artur Axmann. To Weilding’s anger and disgust, Axmann offered the services of the twelve-fifteen-year-old boys of the Hitler Youth, who were ready to fight to the death. At that moment, he announced, they were already manning the roads to the rear of the corps. Weilding was at first speechless with fury, then ‘using extremely course language’, he told Axmann what he thought of his offer. ‘You cannot sacrifice these children for a cause that is already lost,’ he raged. ‘I will not use them and I demand that the order sending these children into battle be rescinded.’ Axmann left in some confusion, promising to withdraw the order-but hurried back to Berlin to find another ways of sacrificing the boys under his command.