War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

P.7.T AA

2023-03-03T10:08:06Z

U141969647: /* Pros and cons */ Add a missing line break to bring out the last bullet point in "Cons".

{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_citroen_kegresse_p4t
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. With its four 13.2 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1930 machine guns, it poses a certain threat to enemy aircraft while featuring poor mobility (off-road) and armour.

The P.7.T AA is a very classic interwar anti-air defence system with its guns mounted on a mobile but vulnerable chassis.

With only 3 exposed crew members, anything can damage, disable or destroy this vehicle. Its armour does not provide enough cover to the crew from any angle. Even .30 cals guns can easily destroy this vehicle, so be sure to stay out of sight from enemies.

The half-track configuration usually provides increased off-road mobility to wheeled vehicles while enabling to carry more weight over the tracked section, a rule to which the P.7.T AA is no exception: It ''can'' reliably move itself across any rough terrain. The only downside to this vehicle is its low HP, which makes hill climbing quite slow. This little engine also struggles to bring this much weight to its max speed: One should go downhill ''and'' hit the gas in order to reach 40 km/h. Turning on the spot is also a no-go since the tracks do not provide enough traction to the ground: Hit the forward key and gain some speed ''before'' attempting any manoeuvre. Be patient and choose your path wisely and you should reach your destination soon enough.

With its four HMGs, this SPAA is quite reminiscent of the [[GAZ-AAA (4M)]] while having much more firepower. Since these weapons fire simultaneously, one hit usually means four holes in your opponent, a heavy toll to the early planes (and biplanes) you will be shooting at this BR.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


'''Armour type:'''

* Structural steel (chassis, gun mount)
* Wheel (front tires)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Chassis || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 3 mm || N/A 3 mm ''Engine hood''
|-
| Gun Mount || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 30 mm ''Base'' 20 mm ''Frame'' || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Front tires are 10 mm thick.
* The gun platform is 10 mm thick (wood).
* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 7 mm thick, and torsion bars are not modeled.
* A 3 mm plate separates the driver cabin fro the gun platform.
* Mudguards are 3 mm thick.

The {{PAGENAME}} has practically no armour. Every crew member sits exposed to enemy fire, so even a light machine gun can knock out the entire crew in a matter of seconds. This means that the {{PAGENAME}} should never be exposed to any enemy fire, including artillery barrages, enemy ground fire and even strafing attacks from aircraft. The only parts of the vehicle that might stop a rifle-calibre round are the engine block and the gun mount.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=28|rbMinHp=18}}

The mobility is above average and smooth overall, while no terrain poses a challenge due to the half-track system. Due to the relatively high potential speed, the {{PAGENAME}} can quickly get into an advantageous position on the map to shoot down planes. Just be sure to keep an eye out for flanking light tanks or fast medium tanks such as the Panzer III and IV, as anything can annihilate you with mere MG fire.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Hotchkiss Mle 1930 (13.2 mm)}}

The quad 13.2 mm Hotchkiss HMGs have excellent performance against low-tier aircraft and start fires very easily since the belts contain pure AP rounds. With their above-average rate of fire, high damage, good accuracy and decent reload speed, they are an excellent choice for someone who enjoys AA gameplay. It is worth noting that they have a limited magazine capacity, only 30 rounds per gun, but this is more-or-less remedied by the fact that there are 4 guns, allowing for 120 rounds total.

The P.7's low BR also means that the 13.2 mm MGs can be decent at destroying reserve and BR 1.3 tanks from the sides and rear. Generally speaking this is a terrible idea though, and should only be reserved as a last ditch effort.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Hotchkiss Mle 1930 (13.2 mm)|13.2 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1930]] (x4) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 1,440 (30) || rowspan="2" | 450 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+45° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 52.84 || 73.13 || 88.80 || 98.20 || 104.47 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 35.70 || 42.00 || 51.00 || 56.40 || 60.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''AP-T:''' {{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}

{{:Hotchkiss Mle 1930 (13.2 mm)/Ammunition|AP, AP-T}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''48''' || 40 ''(+8)'' || 36 ''(+12)'' || 28 ''(+20)'' || 20 ''(+28)'' || 4 ''(+44)'' || Yes
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* The ammunition is modeled as clips of 30 rounds.
* The visual discrepancy concerns the total number of clips as well as the number of clips per rack:
** 38 clips are modeled but you can pack 48 clips.
** Rack 4 is modeled as 8 clips but contains 10 clips (the last 2 clips count for 4 clips).
** Rack 5 is modeled as 8 clips but contains 16 clips (every 2 clips count for 4 clips).

== Usage in battles ==


'''Overview:'''

The P.7.T AA has a total lack of armour, so the best strategy is to stay away from enemy ground vehicles and focus on planes. However, the guns do have some penetration, so targeting enemy ground vehicles is a possibility. The limited mobility and lack of armour make fighting enemy ground vehicles very difficult for the P.7.T AA.

'''Tips:'''

Playing the P.7.T by focusing on air targets is the most viable strategy. Do not spawn this vehicle early game since there will be few planes to shoot at. Do not engage aircraft too early, as you will only expose yourself. Begin firing at less than 1 km range for the best effect. Always watch out for multiple aircraft, as if they strafe you, you will almost certainly die. The guns are surprisingly potent, and will quickly dispatch most air targets after a few hits, although some heavy fighters and bombers may prove challenging to destroy. When engaging enemy tanks, you can reverse from behind a building to only expose the gunner to enemy fire.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Four 13.2 mm machine guns, able to destroy weakly armoured foes like the [[Ha-Go (Family)|Ha-Go]], [[AS 42]] or [[T-26]], and aircraft like the [[He 51 (Family)|He 51]]
* AP/AP-T belt as default means it has anti-tank potential even when stock
* Excellent at actually being an SPAA. A high rate of fire and powerful rounds will shred planes at the rank
* Good at suppressing enemy vehicles
* Light: easy to tow from enemy fire when immobilised
* Can damage some tanks from their weaker sides, like the [[LVT (Family)|LVT(A)]] series, [[Pz.IV C]] or [[Pz.II (Disambiguation)|Pz.II]]
* Does not lose too much speed when turning due to the half-track configuration

'''Cons:'''

* Very low survivability - the crew is exposed, extremely vulnerable to anything especially enemy MG, nearby artillery, bombs and rockets and HE shrapnel, even 7.62 mm MGs can damage critical parts like the engine or transmission
* Has difficulty penetrating most enemy tanks frontally, for example Pz.II, [[B1 bis]]
* Reload time is rather long, stopping it from firing back in critical times
* Poor off-road mobility and climbing ability makes it slow on hills
* The four cannons fire synchronously, which reduces the chances to hit an aircraft
* Gun platform turning and elevation rate are a bit slow (slow reaction, hard to follow close/fast targets)
* Limited elevation of 45° limits its effectiveness against targets directly above it, for example dive bombers like [[Ju 87 B-2|Ju 87 B2]]
* Driver blocks the gun in a frontal ~90° arc, may not be able to swing the hull around in time to combat sudden encounters

== History ==

The first half-tracks were built by Frenchman Adolphe Kegresse for Russia in 1910-11. After the First World War Kegresse returned to France to work with Citroen to produce half-tracks for the French Army starting in the 1920s. By 1940, these unarmoured Kegresse-Citroen half-tracks (the P.17, P.19, P.107, and MCG variants) were used primarily for towing artillery, although a small number of closed-top half-track armoured cars (the P.16) were also in service. The P.7.T had been an earlier Kegresse model, built between 1925 and 1927. The French, who had created the first self-propelled anti-aircraft gun-truck back in 1913, would continue through the interwar period experimenting with various truck-mounted AA weapons like those shown in this model.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_citroen_kegresse_p4t Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|PF2AVtHfWao|'''The Shooting Range #141 (April Fool's)''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:39 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[M13 MGMC]]
* [[GAZ-AAA (DShK)]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{France anti-aircraft vehicles}}
[[Category:Half-tracks]]

M2A2

2023-02-02T15:42:32Z

U141969647: /* External links */ Add link to the current, much more detailed Tanks Encyclopedia article on the M2A2; note that the old link points to an old archived article.

{{About
| about = American light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = M2 (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m2a2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory"|Update 1.49 (1.70.1945) "Weapons of Victory"]].

The most common and most used American tank in pre-war years. The M2A2 was armed with a .50 and .30 calibre machine gun. The Spanish Civil War showed that tanks with MG as main armament were ineffective. This led to the upgrade to the [[M2A4]]. In the game, the M2A2 is lightning fast, with very weak armour and a subpar armament.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

The whole armour is made out of '''rolled homogeneous armour ''' plates. Tracks provide 15 mm of armour.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15.8 mm (20°) ''Driver port'' 15.8 mm (71°) ''Front Glacis'' 15.8 mm (18-59°) ''Lower Glacis'' || 12.7 mm || 6.35 mm (2-61°) || 6.35 mm
|-
| Turret || 15.8 mm (0-2°) ''Turret front'' 15.8 mm (2°) ''Gun mantlet''|| 15.8 mm (0-1°) || 15.8 mm (2°) || 6.35 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 15.8 mm (2°) || 6.35 mm
|}

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=308|rbMinHp=232}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 1,400 (200) || rowspan="2" | 576 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | -170°/+20° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 14.28 || 19.76 || 24.00 || 26.54 || 28.24 || rowspan="2" | 10.40 || rowspan="2" | 9.20 || rowspan="2" | 8.48 || rowspan="2" | 8.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.93 || 10.50 || 12.75 || 14.10 || 15.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Common:''' {{Annotation|API-T|M20 armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|M1 incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|M20 armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}
* '''API:''' {{Annotation|API-T|M20 armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|M8 armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|M20 armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}
* '''AP:''' {{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|M20 armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}
* '''APIT:''' {{Annotation|API-T|M20 armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Common || 31 || 29 || 21 || 14 || 9 || 6
|-
| API || 30 || 27 || 19 || 12 || 8 || 5
|-
| AP || 31 || 29 || 21 || 14 || 9 || 6
|-
| APIT || 30 || 27 || 19 || 12 || 8 || 5
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''7''' || 3 ''(+4)'' || 0 ''(+7)'' ||Yes
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}


The M2A2 is armed with a secondary .30 cal machine gun in a separate turret, as well as another emplaced in the hull. This extra turret restricts the traverse angles of both this and the main turret. The machine guns can be against very lightly armoured AA vehicles and can be used as a distraction against enemy tanks.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Turret || 9,500 (250) || 500 || -10°/+20° || -5°/+160°
|-
| Hull || 9,500 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The M2A2 is a strange vehicle as a twin-turreted machine-gun armament only vehicle. It is, however, fast, and could be sped around as a scout tank to get on the enemy's side. Your main turret, which uses 12.7 mm (.50) MG can only fire forward and to the left, with secondary turret (which sports standard 7.62 mm (.30) MG, which can only really scare SPAA trucks) firing to the right. Additionally, the M2A2 has a working hull machine gun, but it is fixed to the hull and angled up so its usefulness is extremely limited.

The .50 cal main armament makes it necessary to rush as close to enemy as possible, as it could only penetrate ~20 mm at standard ranges, meaning that it is only really effective against the reserve tanks, and even so, the machine guns often may only be effective when shot at the flat sides or even only at the engine deck.

Avoid any "medium" and "heavy" tanks like [[M13/40 (Family)|M13/40]] or [[R.35 (SA38)]], as they will resist even pure AP belt fired point blank. Avoid messing with tanks of BR 2.0, as even lightly armoured tanks of that rank are only vulnerable from the sides and only from about 100 m away or closer. If you absolutely have to attack them, drive in circles around them and shoot at their weak spots, like engines or turret neck, whenever you get a chance.

Mostly your targets will be "[[AB41|scout]]" and "[[A13 Mk II|sniper]]" tanks, as you can do serious damage to them. To avoid getting annihilated while attacking them from the front, you can fire at their turret while approaching them. Quite often, even if you can't penetrate them as is, they will un-angle themselves, trying to fire at you by turning their flat turret armour parts towards your fire, dooming themselves. If it didn't penetrate, you already lost and shouldn't have attacked them in the first place.

A lot of light tanks and tank destroyers will have stronger turret or gun mantlet armour, than the hull. In such case, simply fire at their hull, trying to get their gunner and driver as soon as possible. Remember, they often don't have to turn their hull towards you to fire back, and angled hull may actually ricochet MG bullets, so it's better to attack from their sides, or at the very least completely head-on.

Overall, it is best to not go around the map without a teammate with a cannon to provide a substantial upgrade in firepower, should it come face to face with the enemy.

Another way to use the M2A2 is as an SPAA. The turrets have decent gun elevation so hitting aircraft is quite easy. The .30 and .50 cal machine guns are very good at destroying any planes at its BR or at least will cripple them. It is recommended to turn the hull with the turrets so you can fire both guns and will not end up only firing one.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very fast, can reach 60 km/h on a road in AB
* Can sacrifice speed to make a fast turn
* Accurate in the long run
* High and stable fire rate

'''Cons:'''

* Armour is only sufficient to protect itself against machine gun fire
* Pathetic armament, which can be used only against anti-air vehicles and some light tanks, and some sides or rears of medium tanks, but not all
* Two non-fully rotating turrets
* In an event in which the .50 gunner is knocked out, the .30 machine gun can't do much to protect the tank
* Cramped crew
* Any high speed collision can result in the driver and co-drivers knockout, or worse the entire crew
* Terrible steering, not adequate under gear 2
* Can get stuck when driving up the hills without track upgrade

== History ==

===Development===
The '''M2 Light Tank''' series was an American pre-World War II design as their answer to a fast, effective tank in a cavalry role.

The idea of light tanks started with the Defense Act of 1920, which defined tanks as an infantry support weapon, but the idea of a cavalry role for the tanks was brought up by multiple theorists, to which the British were the first to incorporate with the ''cruiser tanks''. Limitation in American development leads to the establishment of light tanks as the ''combat cars''. The development team soon looked at the tank prototypes ''T1 Light Tank'' and the ''T2 medium tank'' and decide to use them as the basis for the light tank design.

Modifications made onto the experimental tanks, mostly installing the new Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS) that would be the main suspension in future American tank development, made the tanks into the '''M2A1 Light Tank'''. The main version used before the war was designated the '''M2A2''', which had two turrets, both with a .50 calibre M2 Browning as its armament. However, the Spanish Civil War showed that this kind of tank is insufficient in tank warfare, so initially the design was revised with improved armour up to 22 mm ('''M2A3''') and then with one turret with a 37 mm cannon, this would become the [[M2A4]], which would be the main light tank variant in US service before World War II broke out.

===Combat usage===
Although the M2 light tanks were promising in their introduction, they were soon succeeded by the [[M3 Stuart|M3]] and [[M5A1|M5]] light tanks. The M2 light tanks were seen by armament as a stopgap solution for the dire need of tanks and a development project for tank improvements. By December 1941, the M2 light tanks were being used for training only in the US Army, but the Marine Corps used them in the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Pacific due to the lack of M3 light tanks available.

Britain ordered some M2 light tanks in early 1941 in part of the Lend-Lease Act, but only 36 were delivered before switching to the improved M3 light tanks.

A unique feature on the M2 Light tank was the number of machine guns it could house. Aside from the coaxial and the bow gunner's ball mounted one, two machine guns were fixed facing forward on the sides of the hull, fired by the driver. Another M1919 Browning machine gun could be mounted on the turret top for anti-aircraft use.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
The M2A2 light tank developed and built by Rock Island Arsenal (RIA). A total of 239 of these tanks were built in 1935. The M2A2 was used to train tank operators, who gave it the unofficial nickname "Mae West". It was never used in combat.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m2a2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|cT1u2g6l_Ig|'''Survival Guide - M2A2 - Low Tier Rapid Fire Wonder''' - ''IllusiveThunder''|1yg1DAEbG8A|'''The Stuart Family''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 0:05 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|RyA5KcS2hAw|'''Multi-turreted Tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 0:38 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[M2A4]]{{-}}[[M2A4 (1st Arm.Div.)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[T-60]]
* [[L6/40]]
* [[Pz.II C]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/776|[Devblog] M2A2 / 4M GAZ-AAA / BF109B-1]]
* [[wikipedia:M2_light_tank|[Wikipedia] M2 light tank]]
* [https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/US/M2_Light_Tank.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> M2 Light Tank (old archived article)]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/light-tank-m2a2-a3/ <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Light Tank M2A2/A3 (new, more detailed article)]

{{TankManufacturer Rock Island Arsenal}}
{{USA light tanks}}

Pz.III E

2023-01-22T18:44:49Z

U141969647: /* Main armament */ Remove claim that the IIIE is at BR 1.7 and thus taking APCR is necessary. The IIIE is at BR 1.0 in all modes, so opponents immune to APHE and requiring APCR are unlikely.

{{About
| about = German medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Panzer III (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_pzkpfw_III_ausf_E
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ([[Abbreviations#.28DE.29_Sd.Kfz._Index|Sd.Kfz. Index:]] '''Sd.Kfz. 141''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]].

The successor of the [[Pz.III B|Panzer III B]] and the predecessor of the [[Pz.III F|Panzer III F]] on the German tree line, the Panzer III Ausf. E has an improved armour layout with 30 mm thick front and side armour while retaining the [[KwK36 (37 mm)|37 mm KwK36]] gun.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

[[File:Pz.III E 2.jpg|thumb|300px|The Pz.III E, distinguished from the B by the more traditional cupola, and the square MG mounting.]]

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm || 30 mm || 20 mm || 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 35 mm ''Turret front'' 30 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm || 30 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm || 8 mm
|}

The Panzer III E has improved protection over the [[Pz.III B|Ausf. B]]. The armour values on the hull sides and front are similar, so the Panzer III E is an excellent tank to use the tactic of angling in. With angling, the hull has a chance to bounce some enemy fire. The turret face protection is rather thin, but in some areas the turret armour overlaps which may help to stop some shells. Overall, the Panzer III E is not very survivable, being reliably protected only against .50 calibre ammunition. Additionally, the thin roof armour means that enemy planes may penetrate the top of the tank if they are using .50 calibre guns or cannons.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 465|rbMinHp= 265|}}

The {{PAGENAME}} does have improved mobility over the B model, the top speed is listed as 71 km/h in RB mode, and 79 km/h in AB mode. However, the {{PAGENAME}} can only reach these speeds if travelling down a hill or a decline in the terrain, in RB mode it will struggle to pass 40 km/h off road, and in AB it will rarely pass the early 50 km/h. So the mobility is upgraded, but it's not really enough of an upgrade to be considered a huge advantage. A big positive though is that the {{PAGENAME}} can reverse a lot faster, meaning that if it gets into trouble, it can quickly retreat.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|KwK36 (37 mm)}}

The Pz.III E is equipped with the 37 mm KwK36, which is a fairly underwhelming weapon performance-wise. It can penetrate most lower rank vehicles at close range, but at further ranges the gun really does start to struggle. It's also fairly inaccurate, which makes aiming for certain weak spots quite difficult. It comes with two available rounds-

* APHE- Max 47 mm penetration- Low penetration but higher damage potential.
* APCR- Max 86 mm penetration- High penetration but lower damage potential.

It's best to consider taking a mix of both types of ammunition, the APHE has the potential to knock out some enemy tanks, but will be completely ineffective against the more heavily armoured vehicle you'll likely meet when uptiered, for these tanks it's best to use APCR and aim for flat surfaces. The APCR does very little damage internally, so try to aim for crew members if possible.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK36 (37 mm)|37 mm KwK36]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 131 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 5.24 || 7.25 || 8.80 || 9.73 || 10.35 || rowspan="2" | 3.77 || rowspan="2" | 3.33 || rowspan="2" | 3.07 || rowspan="2" | 2.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 3.27 || 3.85 || 4.67 || 5.17 || 5.50
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| PzGr || APHE || 47 || 44 || 31 || 21 || 14 || 9
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 86 || 77 || 47 || 26 || 14 || 8
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| PzGr || APHE || 745 || 0.69 || 1.2 || 9 || 22.1 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 1,020 || 0.37 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''131''' || 114 ''(+17)'' || 76 ''(+55)'' || 58 ''(+73)'' || 20 ''(+111)'' || 1 ''(+130)'' || Yes
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
* Visual discrepancy concerns rack n°5: it is modeled to contain 8 shells but you have to fire 19 shells in order to empty it.



=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

Like its predecessor, the Pz. III E is equipped with two coaxial 7.92 mm MG34 machine guns, as there are two of them these machine guns are quite potent against enemy anti-air trucks, and even against the slower biplane aircraft commonly encountered in lower ranked battles; although their viability against aircraft is questionable due to the slow turret traverse. These guns have no functional viability against armoured vehicles however, and only serve as a last ditch effort to kick up dust, or blind an enemy vehicle by firing at their optics.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,800 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Coaxial || 1,800 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Pz.III E, despite its upgrades, functions almost exactly the same as the previous B model, the armour and mobility are improved, but not to the point where these aspects are reliable, or warrant a change in playstyle to take advantage of them. Because of the slow turret traverse and unimpressive firepower, consider playing the E in a more passive role. You can't comfortably rush around the map using your extra mobility as if you push to the point where enemies could get on your sides, you'll likely be knocked out very quickly. The largest drawbacks the E model has are its armour, turret traverse and firepower. The firepower can't be buffed in any way, but the negative effects of the armour and traverse can be somewhat negated by playing hull down and covering a narrow sight line. The turret armour can't be completely relied on, but it is the most consistent. Additionally, if you take fire into the turret, you'll likely only lose a couple of crew members. The E model has a fairly effective reverse rate, so you can easily retreat from combat, repair and reengage. You also have access to five rear drop smoke grenades to aid this purpose. Another advantage of covering a narrow sight line is that you don't really need to traverse your gun much to be able to fire on enemy vehicles.

If possible, try to remain somewhat sedentary, because the Pz.III E lacks a short stop stabiliser, if you run into an enemy allied tank on the move, they will likely be able to level off their gun and fire at you first, and as the armour of the E is very inconsistent, you will likely be knocked out. If you stay somewhat still and wait in ambush, you should be able to avoid this drawback. The E model works best at mid ranges, at long range the armour is effective but the gun isn't, whereas at close range the gun is effective but the armour isn't, sp at mid range you have the potential to maximise both. Aim to hide your hull and take a decent mix of APHE and APCR depending on the battle rating you're playing at. The E model isn't the most effective Panzer III, but if played in the right spot it can do a decent job.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very fast reload
* Access to APCR
* Decent overall mobility
* Immune from heavy machine gun fire

'''Cons:'''

* Very slow turret traverse
* Lacklustre firepower
* Poor armour protection
* No short stabiliser

== History ==


{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}|expand=true}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
The Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E was the first large-scale variant of this tank. The machine had a new torsion suspension design, and its wheels had a much larger diameter. This greatly simplified its manufacture and servicing. The construction of the hull was modified, slightly shortening the front and rear sections. Some design improvements were made to facilitate the crew's ability to evacuate when needed and to improve their field of view. The construction of the Kugelblende 30 machine gun's mantlet saw improvements, as well, and a small container of smoke bombs was affixed to the aft of the tank's hull. The more powerful Maibach HL120TR engine, with 300 horsepower, was installed, along with a mechanical Variorex SRG 328-145 transmission with ten forward gears and four reverse gears. These changes increased the tank's maximum speed and cross-country ability.

During the tank's single year of production, beginning in October 1938, the companies MAN, Daimler-Benz, Henschel, MIAG, Alket, Krupp, FAMO, Wegmann, and MNH produced about 100 specimens.

The Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E tank variant participated in every military operation which took place during the first stage of World War II.

This variant became the basis for all subsequent ones.

The tank's first combat experience was successful, and from 1940 to 1941 some of the tanks were outfitted with a 5cm KwK L/42 gun in a new cannon mantlet. Afterwards, the remaining Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E tanks were withdrawn from the front lines and converted into Pz.Beo.Wg. artillery spotters or repair and rescue vehicles.

On the whole, the Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E tank was reliable and easy to operate and provided a high level of crew comfort.

This tank's main disadvantage was that its armament was relatively weak for a medium tank.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_pzkpfw_III_ausf_E Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Germany medium tanks}}