Difference between revisions of "Pz.III J"

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== Description ==
 
== 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.'' -->
 
<!-- ''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''') was the ninth variant of the [[Pz.III (Family)|Panzer 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 L/42 anti-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 L/42 anti-tank gun measured 2100 mm from the muzzle to the rear of the breech. It was capable of firing up to 20 rounds per minute. This was accomplished through the use of a semi-automatic breech that opened before the end of the recoil, ejected the used casing, and allowed for the 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 L/42 anti-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 ==
 
== General info ==
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==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
 
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
−
<!-- '''Last updated: 1.101.0.44''' -->
+
<!-- '''Last updated: 2.35.1.80'''-->
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
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! 3rd<br>rack empty
 
! 3rd<br>rack empty
 
! 4th<br>rack empty
 
! 4th<br>rack empty
 +
! 5th<br>rack empty
 +
! 6th<br>rack empty
 
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''99''' || 74&nbsp;''(+25)'' || 48&nbsp;''(+51)'' || 33&nbsp;''(+66)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+98)'' || No
+
| '''99''' || 78&nbsp;''(+21)'' || 63&nbsp;''(+36)'' || 43&nbsp;''(+56)'' || 35&nbsp;''(+64)'' || 23&nbsp;''(+76)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+98)'' || No
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 
'''Notes''':
 
'''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&nbsp;''(+76)'' shells.
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 
{| 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
 
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
Line 123: Line 125:
  
 
* Accurate and decently powerful gun
 
* Accurate and decently powerful gun
−
* Great gun depression
+
* Good gun depression
 
* Good mobility
 
* 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-ranked tanks
+
* Armour is fairly decent and can protect reliably against lower-calibre guns
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
−
* Penetration is a bit lacking, as is post-penetration against things in up-tiers
+
* Average to low armour 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 receive fire
−
* Rather high fuse sensitivity for such a lacklustre cannon
+
* Rather high shell fuse sensitivity relative to the cannon's power
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 
<!-- ''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).'' -->
 
<!-- ''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===
 
===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).
 
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 149:
  
 
===Combat usage===
 
===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}}
 
{{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-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}}
 
{{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.
+
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}}
 
{{Navigation-End}}
  
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== See also ==
 
== 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;''
+
===== Other vehicles of the Panzer III series: =====
−
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+
 
 +
* [[Pz.III (Family)]]
 +
** [[T-III (USSR)]]
 +
** [[Pz.III J1]]
 +
 
 +
===== Vehicles of similar configuration: =====
 +
 
 +
* [[Pz.IV (Family)]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==

Latest revision as of 17:49, 10 May 2024

Introducing Wiki 3.0
This page is about the German medium tank Pz.III J. For other versions, see Panzer III (Family).
Pz.III J
germ_pzkpfw_iii_ausf_j_l42.png
GarageImage Pz.III J.jpg
ArtImage Pz.III J.png
Pz.III J
Germany flag.png Germany
I Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
2.3 2.3 2.3
Class:
Research:5 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:6 300 Specs-Card-Lion.png

Description

The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausführung J (Panzer III J) (Sd.Kfz. Index: Sd.Kfz. 141) is the ninth variant of the 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 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

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull53 / 30 / 53
Turret30 / 30 / 30
Crew5 people
Visibility88 %

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Barrel shroud, Cupola)
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 50 mm (12°) Front plate
25 mm (86°), 50 mm (52°) Front glacis
50 mm (23-69°) Lower glacis 		30 mm 50 mm (14-46°) Top
50 mm (10-66°) Bottom 		15 mm
Turret 50 mm (10-25°) Turret front
50 mm (12-62°) Gun mantlet 		30 mm (20-25°) 30 mm (12-15°) 10 mm
Cupola 50 mm (spherical) 10 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB60 / 12 km/h
RB and SB54 / 10 km/h
Number of gears6 forward
1 back
Weight21.8 t
Engine power
AB572 hp
RB and SB300 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB26.2 hp/t
RB and SB13.8 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 60 12 21.8 465 572 21.33 26.24
Realistic 54 10 265 300 12.16 13.76

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB300 → 408 Sl icon.png
RB320 → 436 Sl icon.png
SB385 → 524 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications5 920 Rp icon.png
4 460 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost410 Ge icon.png
Crew training1 800 Sl icon.png
Experts6 300 Sl icon.png
Aces75 Ge icon.png
Research Aces135 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
20 / 30 / 30 % Sl icon.png
106 / 106 / 106 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
240 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
50 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank traks.png
Winterketten
Research:
240 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
50 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
330 Rp icon.png
Cost:
250 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
330 Rp icon.png
Cost:
250 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
280 Sl icon.png
75 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
640 Rp icon.png
Cost:
480 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
640 Rp icon.png
Cost:
480 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
240 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
50 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
330 Rp icon.png
Cost:
250 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement ger.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
280 Sl icon.png
75 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
240 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
50 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
50mm_kwk_38_39_APCR2_ammo_pack
Research:
240 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
50 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
330 Rp icon.png
Cost:
250 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
280 Sl icon.png
75 Ge icon.png
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
280 Sl icon.png
75 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
640 Rp icon.png
Cost:
480 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

50 mm KwK L/42 cannon
Ammunition99 rounds
First-order22 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
5.2 → 4.0 s
Vertical guidance-10° / 20°
Main article: KwK L/42 (50 mm)
50 mm KwK L/42 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 99 -10°/+20° ±180° N/A 5.2 7.2 8.8 9.7 10.4 5.20 4.60 4.24 4.00
Realistic 3.3 3.8 4.7 5.2 5.5

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
PzGr 39 APC 80 76 62 48 38 29
PzGr 40 APCR 116 107 74 47 30 19
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
PzGr 39 APC 685 2.05 1.2 9 28.9 48° 63° 71°
PzGr 40 APCR 1,050 0.9 - - - 66° 70° 72°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Pz.III J
Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		6th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
99 78 (+21) 63 (+36) 43 (+56) 35 (+64) 23 (+76) 1 (+98) No

Notes:

  • Shells are individually modeled.
  • Ready rack only: 23 (+76) shells.

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34 machine gun (coaxial)
Ammunition4 350 rounds
Belt capacity150 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate900 shots/min
Main article: MG34 (7.92 mm)
7.92 mm MG34
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 4,350 (150) 900 N/A N/A

The small calibre of the MG34 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

Usage in battles

Use of this tank is similar to the Pz.III F, and while it does have significantly better armour on the front than its predecessor, the higher BR means it faces nastier opposition. T-34 (1940)s are almost impenetrable from any side except flat-on below the tracks. M4A1s are similar in speed to you, have thinner sides, are spacious, have powerful guns, and stabilizers. Cromwells are much faster than you with stronger guns. You can only hope for them to get overconfident, overextend, and shoot them in the side or rear. APCR post-penetration damage is not reliable enough to be counted upon when you need it the most, and often can't frontally penetrate a Sherman or T-34 anyway.

Furthermore, even in the best circumstances, the high fuse sensitivity makes many lightly-armoured things with strong guns your worst nightmare, since you'll over-penetrate repeatedly in most cases, allowing easy return fire from the person you failed to knock out, which more often than not cripples you. Enemy SPAAGs, in particular, are frustrating to knock out because of your 15 mm turret ring weak spot enabling them to spray all over you to incapacitate your gunner and loader.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Accurate and decently powerful gun
  • Good gun depression
  • Good mobility
  • APCR ammo has very high speed and good penetration, making shooting at long-range easier
  • Armour is fairly decent and can protect reliably against lower-calibre guns

Cons:

  • 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 receive fire
  • Rather high shell fuse sensitivity relative to the cannon's power

History

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 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 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 variant).

Specifications

The Panzer III started with only 15 mm of armour on all sides, this was quickly upgraded to 30 mm on the front, side, and rear on the Ausf. D, E, F, and G models. Then the Ausf. H placed an additional 30 mm of armour onto the front hull as an interim solution before the Panzer III Ausf. J gave the Panzer III a 50 mm armour thickness on the front and rear. The Panzer III Ausf. J still retained the 50 mm KwK 38 cannon from the Ausf. F, which provided much-needed firepower over the 37 mm KwK 36. The Panzer Ausf. J had a 300 PS Maybach HL 120 TRM engine that gave it a top speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph) with an operational range of 155 km (96 mi.).

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 by the Soviet contemporary T-34 and 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 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 were being developed. The next variant featured additional armour and a better 50 mm cannon, the 50 mm KwK 39, on the 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.


Archive of the in-game description

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.


Media

Skins
Sights
Videos
The Shooting Range #338 - Pages of History section at 04:01 relates the Soviet assessment of the German Pz.III J.

See also

Other vehicles of the Panzer III series:
Vehicles of similar configuration:

External links


Germany medium tanks
Pz.III  Pz.III B · Pz.III E · Pz.III F · Pz.III J · Pz.III J1 · Pz.III J1 TD · Pz.III L · Pz.III M · Pz.III N
Pz.IV  Pz.IV C · Pz.IV E · Pz.IV F1 · Pz.IV F2 · Pz.IV G · Pz.IV H · Pz.IV J · Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J
Pz.V  VK 3002 (M) · Panther A · Panther D · Panther F · Panther G · Ersatz M10 · Panther II
M48 upgrades  M48A2 G A2 · M48 Super
Leopard 1  Leopard I · Leopard A1A1 · Leopard A1A1 (L/44) · Leopard 1A5 · C2A1 · Turm III
Leopard 2  PT-16/T14 mod. · Leopard 2K · Leopard 2AV
  Leopard 2A4 · Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) · Leopard 2A4M · Leopard 2 PL · Leopard 2A5 · Leopard 2 PSO · Leopard 2A6 · Leopard 2A7V
Trophies  ▀M4 748 (a) · ▀T 34 747 (r)
Other  Nb.Fz. · KPz-70
USA  mKPz M47 G · M48A2 C
USSR  ◊T-72M1

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