Pz.III J - Revision history

U44629479: /* Ammo racks */ Updated

2024-05-10T17:49:12Z

‎Ammo racks: Updated

U28580205: /* Ammo racks */

2024-05-10T03:06:24Z

‎Ammo racks

U28580205: /* Ammo racks */

2024-05-10T03:05:41Z

‎Ammo racks

U28580205: /* Ammo racks */

2024-05-10T03:05:07Z

‎Ammo racks

U149841126: /* Ammo racks */

2024-05-09T10:25:20Z

‎Ammo racks

U17577377 at 18:27, 3 December 2023

2023-12-03T18:27:57Z

U43191476: see also, pros and cons

2023-11-29T15:04:23Z

U44629479: Edits

2023-08-29T05:42:59Z

Edits

U74396666: Grammar

2023-08-29T02:48:20Z

Grammar

U74396666: Minor consistency updates

2023-08-28T23:28:58Z

Minor consistency updates

@@ Line 88: / Line 88: @@
 ! Visual<br>discrepancy
 |-
-| '''99'''
+| '''99'''  || 78&nbsp;''(+21)'' || 63&nbsp;''(+36)'' || 43&nbsp;''(+56)'' || 35&nbsp;''(+64)'' || 23&nbsp;''(+76)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+98)'' || No
 |-
 |}
@@ Line 97: / Line 94: @@
 * Shells are individually modeled.
-* Ready-rack only: 23 ''(+76)'' shells.
+* Ready rack only: 23&nbsp;''(+76)'' shells.
 === Machine guns ===

@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 |-
 ! Full<br>ammo
-!1st
+! 1st<br>rack empty
 ! 2nd<br>rack empty
 ! 3rd<br>rack empty
@@ Line 98: / Line 97: @@
 * Shells are individually modeled.
-* Ready-rack ''only'': 23 ''(+76)'' shells.
+* Ready-rack only: 23 ''(+76)'' shells.
 === Machine guns ===

@@ Line 85: / Line 85: @@
 ! 3rd<br>rack empty
 ! 4th<br>rack empty
-!5th
+! 5th<br>rack empty
 ! 6th<br>rack empty
 ! Visual<br>discrepancy

@@ Line 76: / Line 76: @@
 ==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 [[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
-<!-- "Last updated: 'Alpha Strike'" -->
+<!-- '''Last updated: 2.35.1.80'''-->
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 |-

@@ Line 76: / Line 76: @@
 ==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 [[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
-<!-- '''Last updated: 1.101.0.44''' -->
+<!-- "Last updated: 'Alpha Strike'" -->
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 |-
 ! Full<br>ammo
-! 1st<br>rack empty
+!1st
 ! 2nd<br>rack empty
 ! 3rd<br>rack empty
 ! 4th<br>rack empty
 ! Visual<br>discrepancy
 |-
-| '''99''' || 74&nbsp;''(+25)'' || 48&nbsp;''(+51)'' || 33&nbsp;''(+66)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+98)'' || No
+| '''99'''
 |-
 |}
 '''Notes''':
-* Racks disappear when all shells in the rack have been loaded/shot.
+* Shells are individually modeled.
-* Racks 1 to 3 emptied: 33&nbsp;''(+66)'' shells.
+* Ready-rack ''only'': 23 ''(+76)'' shells.
 === Machine guns ===

@@ Line 125: / Line 125: @@
 * Good gun depression
 * Good mobility
-* APCR ammo has very high speed and good penetration, making shooting at long range easier
+* APCR ammo has very high speed and good penetration, making shooting at long-range easier
-* Armour is fairly decent, can protect reliably against lower-caliber guns
+* Armour is fairly decent and can protect reliably against lower-calibre guns
 '''Cons:'''
-* Average to low armor penetration with regular ammunition
+* Average to low armour penetration with regular ammunition
 * Poor turret traverse speed
 * Flat armour with little slope, thin side armour
-* Large commander's cupola which can stick out above the terrain and recieve fire
+* Large commander's cupola which can stick out above the terrain and receive fire
 * Rather high shell fuse sensitivity relative to the cannon's power
@@ Line 139: / Line 139: @@
 <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 ===Development===
-The '''Panzerkampfwagen III''' medium tank or the '''Panzer III''' was developed in the 1930s. Starting in early 1934, Heinz Guderian set down some specifications for a new tank, which Army Weapons Department took up to design the tank to weigh no more than 24,000 kilograms with a top speed of 35 km per hour. This tank's role was to be the main tank of the German army and was expected to destroy opposing tanks, as opposed as a tank made to destroy anti-tank guns and opposing infantrymen, which the [[Panzer IV]] took up in.
+The '''Panzerkampfwagen III''' medium tank or the '''Panzer III''' was developed in the 1930s. Starting in early 1934, Heinz Guderian set down some specifications for a new tank, which Army Weapons Department took up to design the tank to weigh no more than 24,000 kilograms with a top speed of 35 km per hour. This tank's role was to be the main tank of the German army and was expected to destroy opposing tanks, as opposed to a tank made to destroy anti-tank guns and opposing infantrymen, which the [[Panzer IV]] took up in.
 Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall produced prototypes meeting the specifications and the Daimler-Benz model was chosen after testing in 1936-1937. The Panzer III model used a leaf-spring suspension in its early models (Ausf. A - Ausf. D) before utilizing a six-wheeled torsion-bar suspension in the [[Pz.III E|Ausf. E]] and beyond. The Panzer III had a crew of five people, the commander, gunner, loader, driver, and assistant driver. The best feature of the Panzer III during its introduction that is the most overlooked was the three-man turret, which was not as common at the time. This frees the commander to be able to effectively command the tank while maintaining situational awareness rather than be burdened by the role of a loader or gunner, improving the combat effectiveness of the tank. Despite this rather advanced design, the turret did not have a turret basket for the crew. It was a proven design and production began in May 1937. The total number of Panzer IIIs tanks constructed in its production life was 5,774 units (excluding [[StuG III F|StuG III]] variant).
@@ Line 147: / Line 147: @@
 ===Combat usage===
-The Panzer III Ausf. J gave the German army better armour for their Panzer III and with a better gun. However, it was still considered under-gunned to the Soviet contemporary [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks as the 50 mm KwK 38 was not powerful enough to penetrate these tanks frontally with normal ammo. This requires the use of APCR, which was in low supply. The Soviet [[T-26]] and [[BT-5|BT series]] light tanks were still easily taken care of and there were still in larger quantities than the T-34s and KVs, but T-34 production was kicking off and it won't be long before the T-34 becomes the main tank of the Red Army.
+The Panzer III Ausf. J gave the German army better armour for their Panzer III and with a better gun. However, it was still considered under-gunned by the Soviet contemporary [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks as the 50 mm KwK 38 was not powerful enough to penetrate these tanks frontally with normal ammo. This requires the use of APCR, which was in low supply. The Soviet [[T-26]] and [[BT-5|BT series]] light tanks were still easily taken care of and they were still in larger quantities than the T-34s and KVs, but T-34 production was kicking off and it won't be long before the T-34 becomes the main tank of the Red Army.
-The Panzer III still needed improvements if it ever was to go up against the more modern tanks and Germany needed it to stay in service as long as possible as their new tanks are being developed. The next variant featured additional armour and a better 50 mm cannon, the 50 mm KwK 39, on the [[Pz.III J1|Panzer III Ausf. J1]]. The armour had an additional 20 mm offset armour in the front hull and turret, plus the 50 mm KwK 39 featured a longer barrel than the 50 mm KwK 38, increasing its penetration values.
+The Panzer III still needed improvements if it ever was to go up against the more modern tanks and Germany needed it to stay in service as long as possible as their new tanks were being developed. The next variant featured additional armour and a better 50 mm cannon, the 50 mm KwK 39, on the [[Pz.III J1|Panzer III Ausf. J1]]. The armour had an additional 20 mm offset armour in the front hull and turret, plus the 50 mm KwK 39 featured a longer barrel than the 50 mm KwK 38, increasing its penetration values.
 {{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}}
-One of the serial modification to the Pz.Kpfw.III light tank, 1,549 of these tanks were produced from March to October, 1941.
+One of the serial modifications to the Pz.Kpfw.III light tank, 1,549 of these tanks were produced from March to October 1941.
-The armour plating installed on tanks of the Ausf.H modification was a temporary measure. Tanks of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J modification began to be released in March, 1941. The thickness of the single-layer, homogeneous armour of the front and rear plates was 50 mm. The design of the spherical machine gun installation had to be modified due to the increase in the thickness of the armour plates. A large number of less significant changes were also made. The first vehicles released were added to the arsenal of the African Corps, but the overwhelming majority entered divisions that were performing combat operations in the incipient war with the Soviet Union. Towards the middle to late stages of the war, the Soviet Union captured large numbers of German vehicles including Pz.III Ausf. Js and would put them into use against their former owners.
+The armour plating installed on tanks of the Ausf. H modification was a temporary measure. Tanks of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf. J modification began to be released in March 1941. The thickness of the single-layer, homogeneous armour of the front and rear plates was 50 mm. The design of the spherical machine gun installation had to be modified due to the increase in the thickness of the armour plates. A large number of less significant changes were also made. The first vehicles released were added to the arsenal of the African Corps, but the overwhelming majority entered divisions that were performing combat operations in the incipient war with the Soviet Union. Towards the middle to late stages of the war, the Soviet Union captured large numbers of German vehicles including Pz.III Ausf. Js and would put them into use against their former owners.
 {{Navigation-End}}

@@ Line 123: / Line 123: @@
 * Accurate and decently powerful gun
-* Great gun depression
+* Good gun depression
 * Good mobility
 * APCR ammo has very high speed and good penetration, making shooting at long range easier
-* Armour is fairly decent, can protect reliably against lower-ranked tanks
+* Armour is fairly decent, can protect reliably against lower-caliber guns
 '''Cons:'''
-* Penetration is a bit lacking, as is post-penetration against things in up-tiers
+* Average to low armor penetration with regular ammunition
-* Awful turret traverse speed
+* Poor turret traverse speed
-* Flat armour with little slope, weak side armour
+* Flat armour with little slope, thin side armour
-* Large commander's cupola, often sticking out above the terrain, drawing enemy attention
+* Large commander's cupola which can stick out above the terrain and recieve fire
-* Rather high fuse sensitivity for such a lacklustre cannon
+* Rather high shell fuse sensitivity relative to the cannon's power
 == History ==
@@ Line 156: / Line 156: @@
 One of the serial modification to the Pz.Kpfw.III light tank, 1,549 of these tanks were produced from March to October, 1941.
-The armour plating installed on tanks of the Ausf.H modification was a temporary measure. Tanks of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J modification began to be released in March, 1941. The thickness of the single-layer, homogeneous armour of the front and rear plates was 50 mm. The design of the spherical machine gun installation had to be modified due to the increase in the thickness of the armour plates. A large number of less significant changes were also made. The first vehicles released were added to the arsenal of the African Corps, but the overwhelming majority entered divisions that were performing combat operations in the incipient war with the Soviet Union.
+The armour plating installed on tanks of the Ausf.H modification was a temporary measure. Tanks of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J modification began to be released in March, 1941. The thickness of the single-layer, homogeneous armour of the front and rear plates was 50 mm. The design of the spherical machine gun installation had to be modified due to the increase in the thickness of the armour plates. A large number of less significant changes were also made. The first vehicles released were added to the arsenal of the African Corps, but the overwhelming majority entered divisions that were performing combat operations in the incipient war with the Soviet Union. Towards the middle to late stages of the war, the Soviet Union captured large numbers of German vehicles including Pz.III Ausf. Js and would put them into use against their former owners.
 {{Navigation-End}}
@@ Line 174: / Line 174: @@
 == See also ==
-* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
+===== Other vehicles of the Panzer III series: =====
-* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 == External links ==

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''Panzerkampfwagen III Ausführung J (Panzer III J)''' ([[Abbreviations#.28DE.29_Sd.Kfz._Index|Sd.Kfz. Index:]] '''Sd.Kfz. 141''') is the ninth variant of the [[Pz.III (Family)|Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank family]] (the "I" variant was skipped). The Panzer III J looked much like the Panzer III G. It was designed with a turret housing a 50 mm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 38 L/42 tank gun. It used the same Maybach HL 120 TRM petrol/gasoline 285 horsepower engine and had identical armour thickness. The hull frontal armour's basic armour thickness had increased to 50 mm. An additional armour plate was installed internally to the front of the turret in the spring of 1941, increasing it to a maximum thickness of 57 mm in places. To improve engine compartment ventilation, the structure of the chassis was extended. The armoured front brake vents were redesigned. On the roof of the turret was an armoured extractor fan. The 50 mm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 38 L/42 tank gun was capable of firing up to 20 rounds per minute, through the use of a semi-automatic breech that opened before the end of the recoil, ejected the used casing, and allowed for fast loading of the next shell.
+The '''Panzerkampfwagen III Ausführung J (Panzer III J)''' ([[Abbreviations#.28DE.29_Sd.Kfz._Index|Sd.Kfz. Index:]] '''Sd.Kfz. 141''') is the ninth variant of the [[Pz.III (Family)|Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank family]] (the "I" variant was skipped). The Panzer III J looked much like the Panzer III G. It was designed with a turret housing a 50 mm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 38 L/42 tank gun. It used the same Maybach HL 120 TRM petrol/gasoline 285 horsepower engine and had identical armour thickness. The hull frontal armour's basic armour thickness had increased to 50 mm. An additional armour plate was installed internally to the front of the turret in the spring of 1941, increasing it to a maximum thickness of 57 mm in places. To improve engine compartment ventilation, the structure of the chassis was extended. The armoured front brake vents were redesigned. On the roof of the turret was an armoured extractor fan. The 50 mm KwK38 L/42 tank gun was capable of firing up to 20 rounds per minute, through the use of a semi-automatic breech that opened before the end of the recoil, ejected the used casing, and allowed for fast loading of the next shell.
-Introduced in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]], the Panzer III J is the next addition to the Panzer III medium tank family. The Panzer III J, armed with the already familiar 50 mm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 38 L/42 tank gun, can readily deal with adversaries in its ranks. Increased hull frontal armour thickness allows players to take greater risks during combat. The turret traverse, on the other hand, is sluggish, owing to the lack of an electric power traverse system. This is arguably one of the most significant disadvantages of any Panzer IIIs, especially when fighting in towns or areas with a lot of cover. Players must use caution when playing in maps where enemy tanks might quickly set up ambush.
+Introduced in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]], the Panzer III J is the next addition to the Panzer III medium tank family. The Panzer III J, armed with the already familiar 50 mm KwK38 L/42 tank gun, can readily deal with adversaries in its ranks. Increased hull frontal armour thickness allows players to take greater risks during combat. The turret traverse, on the other hand, is sluggish, owing to the lack of an electric power traverse system. This is arguably one of the most significant disadvantages of any Panzer IIIs, especially when fighting in towns or areas with a lot of cover. Players must use caution when playing in maps where enemy tanks might quickly set up ambush.
 == General info ==
@@ Line 101: / Line 101: @@
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 |-
-! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
+! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
 |-
 ! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal