Panzer III

By Thomas Anderson

This highly illustrated title details the history of the Panzer III throughout World War II, from its early development in the pre-war years, through its pivotal role in the Blitzkrieg campaigns in Poland and Western Europe, to its eventual obsolescence on the Eastern Front.

The Panzer III was the mainstay of the German armoured forces in the early years of World War II and spearheaded the victories in Poland, Western Europe and the Balkans. Designed and developed in the mid-1930s, it was originally equipped with a 3.7cm gun and with 30mm-thick armour. Early combat in Poland and France saw the need for this to be upgraded, and later models were armed with a 5cm KwK L/42 gun and had the frontal armour reinforced to 60mm by adding extra plating. This later version proved to be particularly effective during the campaigns in the Balkans and against British armour in the North African desert campaign. However, in the first months of Operation Barbarossa – the German invasion of the Soviet Union – it became obvious to battlefield commanders that the Panzer III had become obsolete as a main battle tank and it began to be replaced by the Panzer IV as the main front-line battle tank. The Panzer III was relegated to a secondary role, but its chassis proved the basis for the Sturmgeschutz III, which became the most widespread German armoured vehicle of World War II.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Feb 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781472845887

Thomas Anderson

Thomas Anderson is a specialist on German armoured fighting vehicles of World War II. He regularly contributes to popular modelling and historical magazines, including Military Modelcraft International (UK), Steel Art (Italy), Historia Militar (Spain) and Batailles & Blindes (France). He lives in Germany.

Book preview

PANZER III

CONTENTS

German tanks during a parade in pre-war Germany. The lead vehicle is a PzKpfw III Ausf A, one of only ten built, and is followed by a similar vehicle with a PzKpfw IV Ausf D at the rear.

Blitzkrieg Panzer

In the early stages of World War II, the German Wehrmacht (armed forces), spearheaded by the Panzerkampfwagen (PzKpfw – tank), was to transform warfare. In a new way of fighting, strong armoured forces – the Panzer divisions – rapidly advanced, breaking through enemy lines in concentrated action. While following units secured the newly gained terrain, the tanks swarmed out to attack more targets by surprise. Tanks were intrinsic to this strategy and the PzKpfw III played a vital role.

The PzKpfw III was created in 1935 as a brother-in-arms to the PzKpfw IV. Both developments were purposeful new designs with roughly comparable performance: their design, weight and power train were almost identical. The PzKpfw IV (also known as the Begleitwagen [BW – escort vehicle]), was designed to take the fight to enemy gun positions and machine-gun nests with a 7.5cm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK – tank gun) Kurzrohr (kurz – short barrel) L/24 weapon. For this task it did not need particularly thick armour. Two 7.92mm Machinengewehr (MG – machine gun) 34 were mounted as defensive weapons.

In contrast, the PzKpfw III was intended for combat against enemy tanks. Fitted with stronger armour, this tank was to execute the breakthrough itself. A 3.7cm KwK L/45, firing effective Panzergranate (PzGr – armour-piercing [AP]) ammunition was mounted as the main weapon, with three MG 34s for defensive purposes. This tank was to have a special role; it was to become the tank of the Blitzkrieg (lightning war).

Inter-war Years

The tank had proven to be an effective weapon during World War I, despite significant mechanical shortcomings. The German Army quickly realized that a means to break the stalemate of trench warfare was finally available. Tanks like the French-built Renault FT pointed the way to the mass-produced tank, which could be used autonomously in concentrated formations. However, despite some successes, the capabilities of the tanks were not recognized or acknowledged by everyone.

One of the two Leichttraktoren (LTr – light tractors) built by Krupp, which were extensively trialled at Panzerschule (tank school) Kama, the secret test facility established by Germany and the Soviet Union in 1927. The site closed in late 1933 due to political developments in Nazi Germany.

Understandably after the traumatic experience of a world war with 20,000,000 dead, the fighting powers disarmed. As a result, there was little incentive to develop the new weapon further.

However, in the mid-1920s, the major nations began to re-arm again, and tanks became a focus of attention. The further development of the tank was not without complications and disruptions. In all armies, the interests of the infantryman who preferred a heavily armoured slow-moving escort tank, competed with those of the cavalry, who favoured more modern concepts with better mobility.

Great Britain

In the 1920s, the British government decided to invest heavily in tank development. One innovative company, Vickers Limited, emerged as a pioneer in this field; even at this early stage of development, the Vickers Medium Mk I and Mk II tanks showed many of the features seen in modern tanks. Their main armament, a 47mm Ordnance Quick Firing 3-Pounder (OQF 3-Pdr) was mounted in a rotatable turret and the engine and transmission was positioned in the front of the hull.

In 1927 the company, now known as Vickers-Armstrong Limited, designed the Vickers 6-Ton Tank (Vickers Mark E), a simple and economical light tank. The model was available in two variants: Type A was a machine-gun carrier with two small turrets, while the Type B mounted an OQF 3-Pdr in a two-man turret. Although the British Army did not introduce the model because of reservations about the mechanics of the running gear, the model proved to be an export success. Subsequently, Vickers sold the 6-Ton Tank to many nations, along with agreements for the type to be built under license. The Red Army improved the design further and introduced the tank in large quantities as the T-26.

In the early 1930s, the British pre-war armaments programme crystallized:

Light or cavalry tanks were used primarily for reconnaissance and for policing the colonies.

Infantry Tanks, heavily armoured and slow moving, supported infantry in the attack.

Fast and lighter armoured Cruiser Tanks would eventually replace Medium Tanks (Vickers Medium Mk I and II) in the fast cavalry units.

The first preproduction model of the Zugführerwagen was fitted with five-roller Christie-type running gear. German tank technology did not begin to change significantly until 1942.

A PzKpfw III Ausf A, in service with 3.PzDiv, climbs an obstacle on a tank-training ground. The large running wheels allowed the tank to be driven at high speed, but ineffective shock absorbers allowed it to pitch.

France

Like the British, the French had also used tanks on a large scale during World War I. Their FT light tank subsequently found great favour internationally and many nations introduced this light tank, some also building it under licence. After the war, France invested heavily in the development of an astoundingly large number of different tank designs. Although the light, infantry, and cavalry tanks introduced in the 1920s were similar to British types, there was an infinitely greater variety of types.

According to French Army policy, only the infantry units were to be equipped with the Char (tank). The variants in use were:

Chars Léger (cavalry tank) – (Renault R 35), which, unlike in the British Army, were actually used as infantry tanks,

Char de Bataille (battle tank) deployed as breakthrough weapons – Char D1, Char D2 and Char B 1.

Char Lourd (heavy tank) – although only the Char 2C was built in small numbers.

When cavalry units were also to be equipped with tanks in 1935, they were designated Automitrailleuses (self-propelled guns) to comply with army policy. Lighter and more mobile machines, these were intended to fight enemy tanks.

Automitrailleuses de Combat (AMC – battle tanks): AMC 34, AMC 35 and Somua S35.

Automitrailleuses de Reconnaissance (AMR – light reconnaissance tanks): AMR 33 and AMR 35.

Soviet Union

Russia also invested in the development of armoured vehicles after World War I. Initial concepts were based on the licence-built French FT. In the 1920s, a number of further developments emerged but they did not make it into mass production.

In the early 1930s, the Soviets acquired licences to produce both the Vickers 6-Ton Tank and the US-built Christie M 1930 tank. These two types were to form the basis for Soviet tank developments. The Vickers gave rise to the T-26, which was introduced as an infantry tank in huge numbers (over 10,000). The Christie tank served as the basis of the BT-5 and later BT-7, which was also to be introduced in large numbers for the fast-moving cavalry units. Furthermore, from the mid-1930s onward, heavy multi-turreted tanks were produced in quantity (T-28 and T-35) as well as a number of light tanks.

The first pre-production PzKpfw III tanks were delivered directly to front-line units where they were extensively tested. This shortened the time required for further development before the type entered series production.

Germany

Germany did not begin developing armoured fighting vehicles until late in World War I. Initial suggestions before the war had not been followed up by a conservative general staff. After the first use of British tanks in September 1916, the German high command quickly demanded equivalent weapons. However, development was protracted, and the first German tank, the A7V, was not ready for action until 1918.

After the war, severe restrictions were imposed on Germany. The provisions of the Treaty of Versailles required, among other things:

The Große Generalstab (senior general staff) of the German Empire, established in 1871, was to be disbanded.

National conscription was suspended. The army, a professional force, was allowed a maximum strength of 100,000 men, including 4,000 officers.

The navy was limited to 15,000 men, six armoured ships, six cruisers, 12 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats.

The possession of chemical warfare agents and the build-up of air forces was prohibited.

Heavy weapons such as submarines, tanks and battleships were not allowed.

Because of the high reparation demands, a majority of Germans felt that the provisions was too harsh, so it is not surprising that the German leadership soon ignored them. Since development and production of armoured vehicles or tanks was subject to heavy penalties, all such work had to be kept secret. Under the direction of staff officer Generaloberst Hans von Seeckt, the ‘Großer Plan’ (grand plan) was drawn up in 1925. In this plan, the structure and equipment of a future German Army were outlined in secret. This was the nucleus of the later German Wehrmacht.

The Heereswaffenamt (HWa – army weapons office) was founded In 1922 as the successor to the corresponding office of the Kaiserreich (Empire). The HWa was responsible for overseeing all planning and development of new weapons, including new tanks. It operated a number of test facilities, which included those at Peenemünde on the Baltic coast and Kummersdorf near Berlin. For understandable reasons, work on new weapons technology could only take place on a very limited scale within the Reich territory.

Although Germany no longer had military attachés after 1918, military developments in other countries were closely monitored. Foreign countries were an important source of information in the planning of new weapons. Visits to troop exercises, careful study of the daily and specialized press, as well as material from intelligence gathering, was undoubtedly included the research by German armament companies.

The armament of an early PzKpfw III: A 3.7cm KwK L/45 was mounted centrally with the Turmzielfernrohr (turret sighting telescope) on the left-hand side of the breech block. On the right side are two coaxial 7.92mm MG 34.

One department of the HWa was responsible for motorized troops. When the department was established in 1922, the post of general staff officer was filled by an enthusiastic serviceman, Hauptmann Heinz Guderian. His immediate superior was Major Oswald Lutz. Under the direction of these two officers, the theoretical principles for the motorization of the army were established.

Guderian was initially tasked with questions of ‘motor vehicle workshops, tank facilities and road construction’, although he had no prior mechanical training. In 1924, he organized a small-scale exercise in the Harz Mountains that simulated the use of motorized troops in a mobile campaign. Guderian quickly realized that in the event of an attack, a weakened Germany could not establish and hold firm defensive positions and he saw that there was an urgent need for a highly mobile defence force. To fulfil this role, the combat units had to be highly motorized, which in turn generated a requirement for large numbers of suitable motor vehicles.

Guderian was convinced that armoured fighting vehicles were needed to protect the troop transport vehicles. Thus, he argued that the next logical step was the incorporation of armoured combat and reconnaissance vehicles into a new German Army. However, the Inspekteur der Kraftfahrtruppen (inspector of the motorized troops), General Otto von Stülpnagel, was to thwart Guderian repeatedly, for, in his opinion motor vehicles should serve only to transport supplies, not as combat vehicles. Furthermore, in addition to the obvious questions of actual realization, progress was limited by financial constraints.

Undeterred, Guderian organized and supervised a number of different exercises during which he closely examined the capabilities of motorized vehicles. Evidence from these exercises reinforced his convictions. Since his experience in this field was limited, Guderian also studied the writings of foreign military theorists such as Lidell-Hart, Fuller, and Martel. At that time, their visionary views were controversial even in their home countries.

From 1925 onwards, further planning exercises trialled the use of armoured cars. In his book Erinnerungen eines Soldaten (Memoirs of a Soldier), Guderian described how the only armoured vehicles that Germany was allowed under the Treaty of Versailles were ‘riesige gepanzerterte Mannschaftwagen’ (huge armoured personnel carriers). The Gepanzerte Kraftwagen (armoured car) – later designated Sonderkraftfahrzeug (SdKfz – special purposes motor vehicle) 3 – had long since become obsolete, since, despite having four-wheel drive, these heavy wheeled armoured cars were restricted to operating on paved roads.

Different types of suspension and running gear were trialled during the development phase. A complex system of eight small roadwheels was used on the PzKpfw III Ausf B.

The installation of the leaf-sprung bogie-type running gear on the PzKpfw III Ausführung (Ausf – mark or model) B was changed for the Ausf C and again for the Ausf D.

Meanwhile, Guderian attended manoeuvres conducted by the armed forces of other nations. In 1929, during a visit to the Stridsvagen Bataljon (tank battalion) of the Göta Livregimentets Hussarer (life regiment hussars) in Sweden, he was able to ride in a tank for the first time. Ironically, this was a Stridsvagen (tank) m/21, which was the successor to the German LK II, a German development from 1918. It seems likely that the ideas expounded by Guderian were further solidified at this time. He was sure that armoured vehicles working closely with infantry units, or even subordinated to them, would never reach their full potential. In addition, this potential seemed to be limited only by the mechanical inadequacies of the time.

When Generalleutnant Otto von Stülpnagel left his posting as Inspekteur der Kraftfahrtruppen in 1931, he was succeeded by the now-promoted General Oswald Lutz. Now nothing more stood in the way of the development of the Schnelltruppen (rapid [fast] troops) which later became the Panzertruppe.

Many of the components on pre-production vehicles were of a simple design, such as the cover on the driver’s visor and the front ball-mounted MG. The vulnerable maintenance hatches on the front panel were deleted on series production vehicles.

Realization

The previously mentioned LK II had been developed as a light tank in the Kaiserreich as late as 1918. The engine and drive components were mounted at the front and a revolving turret was mounted above the rear fighting compartment, in which a 7.92mm machine gun was installed. The use of a 3.7cm gun had already been considered. After the Armistice, a small number of these vehicles were exported to Sweden and also reportedly to Hungary.

In the mid-1920s, several German companies resumed work on armoured vehicles in great secrecy. Initially, Krupp, Rheinmetall-Borsig and Daimler-Benz each received orders to design a prototype for a 15-ton class tank. The tenders were very precise, so the three vehicles were virtually indistinguishable from the outside. Engine and propulsion were located in the rear of the hull, a 7.5cm gun and a MG were mounted in a large revolving turret. Another two MG were available in the front of the hull and in an auxiliary turret at the rear. This development was to be called the Großtraktor (GTr – large tractor), a cover name designed to hide its real purpose.

In parallel, Inspektion 6 (In 6) asked the Waffenamt (weapons office) to press ahead simultaneously with the development of a light tank weighing up to 12,000kg. Once again Krupp, Rheinmetall-Borsig and Daimler-Benz were tasked with this project, but the latter withdrew for