Vehicles · Germany · 1939-1945
Panzer III
medium tank
The Wehrmacht's main battle tank at the start of Barbarossa, the Panzer III proved dangerously under-gunned against the T-34 and KV-1 it met in 1941, prompting a rushed up-gunning to a long-barrelled 50mm and later a 75mm howitzer for close support. By 1943 it was obsolete as a gun tank and its well-proven chassis was redirected to StuG III production instead.
| crew | 5 |
|---|---|
| armour | up to 70mm (late) |
| armament | 37mm, then 50mm L/60 gun |
| produced | ~5,700 |
Eastern Front, Mediterranean and North Africa, Western Europe