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Panzer III Ausf. M (SdKfz 141/1) |
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By the mid-1930s, Germany's philosophy toward armored vehicle design had settled on two basic types: the light and medium tank. For the medium tank role, the Panzerkampfwagen III was developed, and went into production in 1937. The Panzer III was the early-war workhorse of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS armored units, and the vehicle saw fourteen major upgrades during its production lifetime.
The Panzer III had a conventional layout: the driver and radio operator/hull gunner were in the front; the fighting compartment and turret with the commander, gunner, and loader was centered in the hull; and the engine compartment was in the hull rear. The suspension comprised six small road wheels and three return rollers per side, with a rear idler and a front sprocket driven by a 300hp HL 120 TRM gasoline engine. The tank was originally armed with a 37mm main gun, but this was upgraded in later marks to a 50mm high-velocity gun, and then finally the same 75mm short-barreled gun originally mounted in the Panzer IV. The Panzer III also mounted a 7.92mm machine gun coaxial with the main gun, and a second machine gun in the right front hull operated by the radio operator/hull gunner.Production of the basic Panzer III totaled 6,260 vehicles, plus variants such as: - Sturmgeschütz III
- Panzer III Command Tank
- Flame thrower tank
- Artillery observation vehicle
- Armored recovery vehicle
The vehicle on display was built in late 1942 and saw service in North Africa, where it was destroyed by its crew to avoid capture.
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