Pz.III N (Italy)

This page is about the medium tank Pz.III N (Italy). For other versions, see Panzer III (Family).

▄Pz.III N

M15/42

P40

▄Pz.III N

M15/42

P40

Italy

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.0	3.0	3.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:4 600

Purchase:16 000

Description

During the advance of the Allies on Italian territory in 1943, Germany began to send different types of vehicles to Italy (RSI) to increase their effectiveness and in turn improve the defence of the territory, including aircraft, light vehicles, transport vehicles, cannons, and eventually tanks. In particular, Pz.IV G, Pz.III N, and eventually StuG III G were sent, and these would be used in the 1st Armoured Division Black Shirts "M" formed in the same year and was divided into three companies, the second of which had 12 Pz.III N, with a particular difference, the removal of the side skirts. The Italian Pz.III N would not see combat as the division was still in training, and were eventually recovered by the Germans only to be captured by the Allies during the advance towards Germany.

Introduced in Update "Ixwa Strike", the Italian Pz.III N is practically the same as the German one but with the side skirts removed, so you will be a little less covered on the sides. The cannon penetrates up to 100 mm maximum with the HEAT, so it is sensible to try to aim for weak points of the enemy tanks. It is also devoid of the machine gun on the commander's cupola which is present in the German Pz.III N.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull53 / 30 / 53

Turret50 / 30 / 30

Crew5 people

Visibility88 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (cupola, gun mantlet)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	20 + 50 mm Upper plate 50 mm (53°) Upper glacis 53 mm (22°) Lower plate 30 mm (74°) Lower glacis	30mm	32 mm (44°) Upper glacis 53 mm (16°) Upper plate 53 mm (10°) Lower plate 30 mm (65°) Lower glacis	26 mm (6°) Front 18 mm Centre 15-17 mm (2-11°) Rear
Turret	50 mm (cylindrical) Turret front 50 mm Gun mantlet	30 mm (17-25°)	30 mm (conical)	10 mm (7°)
Cupola	50 + 30 mm (cylindrical)	50 + 30 mm (cylindrical)	50 + 30 mm (cylindrical)	10 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and torsion bars are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Track links used as add-on armour are 20 mm thick.
• The turret sides and rear are protected by 8 mm skirts which provide protection against HEAT and HE shells

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB60 / 12 km/h

RB and SB54 / 10 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

1 back

Weight23.0 t

Engine power

AB572 hp

RB and SB300 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB24.9 hp/t

RB and SB13.0 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	23	465	572	20.22	24.87
Realistic	54	10		265	300	11.52	13.04

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB540 → 730

RB601 → 813

SB736 → 995

Total cost of modifications8 400

9 470

Talisman cost640

Crew training4 500

Experts16 000

Aces160

Research Aces190 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

30 / 50 / 60 %

118 / 118 / 118 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 560 Cost: 630 105 Suspension Research: 380 Cost: 430 70 Brake System Research: 380 Cost: 430 70 Filters Research: 420 Cost: 470 80 Transmission Research: 680 Cost: 770 130 Engine Research: 680 Cost: 770 130	Improved Parts Research: 560 Cost: 630 105 Improved FPE Research: 380 Cost: 430 70 Crew Replenishment Research: 420 Cost: 470 80	Horizontal Drive Research: 560 Cost: 630 105 75mm_kwk_37_40_HEAT_ammo_pack Research: 380 Cost: 430 70 Adjustment of Fire Research: 380 Cost: 430 70 75mm_ger_kwk37_Hl_C_HEAT_ammo_pack Research: 420 Cost: 470 80 Elevation Mechanism Research: 420 Cost: 470 80 Smoke grenade Research: 420 Cost: 470 80 Artillery Support Research: 680 Cost: 770 130 75mm_ger_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 680 Cost: 770 130

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm KwK37 cannon

Ammunition64 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

4.3 → 3.3 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

75 mm KwK37					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	64	-10°/+20°	±180°	N/A	13.3	18.4	22.4	24.8	26.4	4.29	3.80	3.50	3.30
Realistic					8.3	9.8	11.9	13.2	14.0

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
K.Gr.rot Pz.	APCBC	52	51	45	39	34	30
Hl.Gr 38B	HEAT	80	80	80	80	80	80
Sprgr. 34	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
Hl.Gr 38C	HEAT	115	115	115	115	115	115

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%
K.Gr.rot Pz.	APCBC	385	6.8	1.2	14	102.4	48°	63°	71°
Hl.Gr 38B	HEAT	450	4.57	0.05	0.1	872.1	62°	69°	73°
Sprgr. 34	HE	420	5.74	0.2	0.1	686	79°	80°	81°
Hl.Gr 38C	HEAT	450	4.8	0.05	0.1	875.5	62°	69°	73°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
K.Gr.Rot Nb.	423	6.2	9	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Pz.III N (Italy)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
64	57 (+7)	54 (+10)	46 (+18)	38 (+26)	24 (+40)	10 (+54)	1 (+63)	No

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 450 rounds

Belt capacity150 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate900 shots/min

7.92 mm MG34
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3,450 (150)	900	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

One of the most effective ways to play the Pz.III N is as either a brawler or support tank. As a brawler you'll essentially be one of the few people on your team leading the charge against the enemy team. Unlike other Italian tanks at a similar battle rating, you actually have somewhat of a reliable armor that can come in very useful when charging the enemy, especially by surprise due to the enemy being caught off-guard and likely misplacing their initial shot. Although its speed is not really the best, with powertrain and engine upgrades that improve the mobility of the tank, you should still be able to keep up fairly well on a flat surface. Protection-wise, make sure you angle your tank if you are not charging the enemy, this will increase your chances of survival. The main asset when playing in the brawler role is your 75 mm KwK37 cannon. This cannon can easily make short work with the majority of the enemies you'll be facing at your BR. Sadly, its stock rounds are not the best so new players might struggle to penetrate from time to time. Once you have unlocked the Hl.Gr 38C HEAT round, you'll be easily taking out enemies frontally. This again will aid you heavily when playing as a brawler. As a support tank, you'll be providing essential support for your team which will greatly increase your chances to get a victory. The support role can be played in many ways, for example some players prefer to get to a good vantage point at the start of the map, usually a place that overlooks key points of a map, such as a capture zones or enemy spawn points. Others prefer to stay behind the main line of tanks leading the charge, and coming in either to assist teammates in eliminating enemy vehicles or by flanking enemy positions to get the edge over them whenever you manage to spot them. It is also recommended that you bring either a back-up vehicle or a strike aircraft in the case you end up perishing during the fight. One of the main weaknesses of this tank is when you're detected or ranged by a tank or tank destroyer (assuming they have an angle that negates your cover's protection), your armor will not protect you from powerful guns. Your sides are the most vulnerable part of the vehicle, so always keep it in mind wherever you are going, as your average speed will make you an easy target for enemy snipers. Also, keep in mind which game mode you are playing, as in Arcade Battles enemies can easily find out where you are located due to the name tag showing up above you, and are able to quickly find out where your weak spots are.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Spaced armour covering the turret of the tank
• Small silhouette
• Good mobility
• Fast-firing main gun

Cons:

• Lacks hull side skirts seen on the German Pz.III N
• May have trouble penetrating heavily armoured tanks
• Hard to aim at long ranges
• Poor stock rounds

History

Pz.III N (Div.M.) during training

The history of Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. N began in Germany of 1942, this variant was mainly an assault tank based on the Ausf. L and Ausf. M chassis, which was re-used to produce this tank. This variant was produced to meet the need for a stronger tank, one that could more effectively handle the Soviet T-34 and KV-1. There was also a desperate need for a special infantry support tank which would be used during advances alongside soldiers on the ground. It had a somewhat complicated development cycle, for example the widely used 75 mm long-barreled gun could not be installed in the turret due to the limited turret internal size. The German designers instead decided to use the short-barreled 7.5 cm KwK37 L/24 gun, which would be paired alongside with special hollow-charge shells. This explosive projectile packed more punch than the 5 cm KwK39 L/60 gun, so at the time it was favoured and underwent a series of trials, which were an overall success. Some design features of the tank had to be modified however, for example, the gun's mantlet was redesigned to accommodate the changes done. Other aspects of the vehicle also became better: the gun's recoil mechanisms were improved, the single-hinged hatch for the command turret was replaced with a two-hinged hatch, the thickness of the commander's cupola was increased to 100 mm. This variant's overall operational weight was around 23 tons. Most of the tanks received 5 mm side skirts (Schürzen) to protect the tank's hull and turret., however Italian variants, in Italian fashion, removed said side skirts. Production of the Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. N tanks began in June 1942 and lasted until August 1943. A total of 700 of these tanks were built. 3 were built from Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. J tanks, 447 from Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. L tanks, 213 from Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. M tanks, and 37 from other variants after they had returned from the front.

Pz.III N (Div.M.) during training

Concerning the Italian operational of this tank, Germany during the late stages of the second world war had supplied 12 units of Panzer IV G to Italy, which were placed in the Division "M" and, after the 25th of July, they were transferred to the 136th Armored Division "Centauro II". The 1st Armored Division Black Shirts "M" (for "Mussolini") was established starting from May of 1943, mainly starting from the very few survivors of the previous MVSN Battalions M who had been repatriated from the Russian front, this had to be done if there was hope for any new division being formed. The division was organised in 3 companies, the second company used 12 Panzer Kpfw III Ausf. N tanks, they were slightly modified however: they featured the 7.5 cm L/24 cannon, but something unique not previously installed on the same model, would be the smoke grenade launcher on the turret. As previously mentioned, they also removed the side skirts of the vehicle, and they were painted in a light tan color with the Divisione "M" logo painted onto the turret. They didn't see any action during the war, most of them were still undergoing training at the time. Most of the tanks ended up in Allied hands after the war. In conclusion, this tank variant earned a good reputation with the troops that had used it and by the beginning of the battle at the Kursk Bulge, the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS owned 155 vehicles of this type. Some of the tanks were also transferred to Romania, Slovakia, and Croatia. Tanks of this variant were used until the end of the war and were transferred to Allied forces after Germany's surrender.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Pz.III N (Italy) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

IXWA Strike - Panzer III N for Italy - 8Bit Dane

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.