Pz.III J1

This page is about the German medium tank Pz.III J1. For other versions, see Panzer III (Family).

Pz.III J1

Pz.III L

Pz.III J1

Pz.III L

Germany

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.7	2.7	2.7

Class:

Medium tank

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

Description

The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausführung J1 (Panzer III J1) (Sd.Kfz. Index: Sd.Kfz. 141/1) is an up-gunned modification of the Panzer III J, which is the ninth variant of the Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank family (the "I" variant was skipped). From December 1941, some existing units of the Panzer III J variants were modified with the 50 mm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 39 L/60 tank gun to replace the earlier 50 mm KwK38 L/42 tank gun. They were originally known as the Panzer III J1 before being renamed the Panzer III L. Armoured vents were installed on the rear engine deck of tanks going to North Africa. This is somewhat comparable to when the Germans started modifying some of their older Panzer IV Fs with longer KwK40 L/43 guns in early 1942. The new improved Panzer IV F was initially known as the Panzer IV F2, before being redesignated as the Panzer IV G. The original Panzer IV F was then renamed Panzer IV F1.

Introduced in Update 1.43, the Panzer III J1 is an improved variant of the Panzer III J. Armed with the long-barrelled 50 mm KwK39 L/60 tank gun, players will notice a significant increase in firepower over the standard Panzer III J. Dealing with heavier armoured adversaries is much easier, and engagement range is greatly increased. However, with the appearance of early Soviet T-34 medium tanks and early KV-1 heavy tanks in battle, players must be cautious, as these tanks pose a severe threat to the Panzer III J1. Since the long-barrelled 50 mm KwK39 L/60 tank gun will struggle to penetrate Soviet early T-34 medium tanks and early KV-1 heavy tanks beyond close ranges, engagement must be much closer. Finally, the long-awaited electric power traverse system has arrived, addressing the fundamental weakness of the Panzer IIIs that has remained for the previous eight variants.

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
• Cast homogeneous armour (Barrel shroud, Cupola)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	50 mm (12°) Front plate 25 mm (86°), 50 mm (53°) Front glacis 50 mm (23-69°) Lower glacis	30 mm	50 mm (15-41°) Top 50 mm (11-66°) Bottom	15 mm
Turret	50 mm (12-25°) Turret front 50 mm (12-46°) Gun mantlet	30 mm (22-25°)	30 mm (13-16°)	10 mm
Cupola	50 mm	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

AB390 → 531

RB430 → 586

SB517 → 704

Total cost of modifications6 960

6 760

Talisman cost530

Crew training3 000

Experts10 000

Aces115

Research Aces160 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

30 / 40 / 40 %

112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 280 Cost: 270 60 Winterketten Research: 280 Cost: 270 60 Suspension Research: 390 Cost: 380 80 Brake System Research: 390 Cost: 380 80 Filters Research: 350 Cost: 340 75 Transmission Research: 750 Cost: 730 155 Engine Research: 750 Cost: 730 155	Improved Parts Research: 280 Cost: 270 60 Improved FPE Research: 390 Cost: 380 80 Crew Replenishment Research: 350 Cost: 340 75	Horizontal Drive Research: 280 Cost: 270 60 50mm_kwk_38_39_APCR1_ammo_pack Research: 280 Cost: 270 60 Adjustment of Fire Research: 390 Cost: 380 80 Elevation Mechanism Research: 350 Cost: 340 75 50mm_kwk_38_39_APCR2_ammo_pack Research: 350 Cost: 340 75 Smoke grenade Research: 350 Cost: 340 75 Artillery Support Research: 750 Cost: 730 155

Armaments

Main armament

50 mm KwK39 cannon

Ammunition84 rounds

First-order22 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

4.8 → 3.7 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

50 mm KwK39					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	84	-10°/+20°	±180°	N/A	13.33	18.45	22.40	24.77	26.35	4.81	4.25	3.92	3.70
Realistic					8.33	9.80	11.90	13.16	14.00

Ammunition

• PzGr 39 - Armour Piercing Capped shell - This is your main ammo type, use it whenever you think it has enough penetration to penetrate your target. It deals the most damage because of its explosive filler.
• PzGr 40/1 - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - This type of ammo should be used if you are having trouble penetrating your opponent, or trying to hit a fast-moving tank at some distance. However, its damaging potential is much lower, because it has no explosive filler to further enhance damage after the penetration.
• PzGr 40 - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - this variation of APCR is lighter, slightly faster and offers the best penetration (up to 150 mm). Use it against heavily armoured beasts like the KV-1 (If you can't flank them). However, don't expect it to cause any real damage upon penetration, it is even worse than that of PzGr 40/1. It basically only deals damage to modules/crew straight in its path. It is therefore almost useless to fire them at things like turret cupolas, as it will usually just fly right through them.
• Sprgr. 38 - High Explosive ammo - You should carry only very few of these. They are completely useless against anything other than unarmoured AA vehicles, to which it is lethal.

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	106	101	83	65	50	39
PzGr 40/1	APCR	130	121	90	62	43	29
PzGr 40	APCR	137	126	88	56	36	23
Sprgr. 38	HE	12	11	9	7	6	5

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	835	2.05	1.2	9	28.9	48°	63°	71°
PzGr 40/1	APCR	1,130	1.07	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°
PzGr 40	APCR	1,180	0.9	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°
Sprgr. 38	HE	870	1.82	0.4	0.1	217.6	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Pz.III J1

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
84	70 (+14)	62 (+22)	34 (+50)	1 (+83)	No

Note:

• Turret empty: 62 (+22) shells.

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 750 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	3,750 (150)	900	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Offensive

Optimal combat distance for this vehicle is somewhere between medium to close range. But don't be mistaken, the Panzer III J1 is not an frontline tank. You should be always on the move and harass the enemy without rest as any return fire will be lethal. Don't trust your armour and instead rely on your mobility. Flanking is the best option for J1 as you can use the high rate of fire for good effect and hopefully avoid the incoming retribution. You don't have the best mobility for a medium tank, but you definitely remain competitive against most enemy tanks you may encounter. Always try to find some good firing positions, with available cover, and if necessary, pull back and relocate. Always avoid direct close range confrontations with main enemy force; never try to fight more than 1 enemy at the time. However - playing purely as support/sniper tank isn't optimal either, because of your lower armour penetration.

With this tank, you have essentially a "jack of all trades, somewhat good at all of them" kind of options set. You can stick with friendly tanks, and use the cannon's high rate-of-fire and excellent stats with APCR to nab scores from either destroying the enemy or getting team assists. Another way to go on the offensive is to go for a flanking move since at practical distances (400-1,000 m) the gun's penetration statistics are far less than the maximum advertised. However, the cannon still has enough power at those ranges to at least immobilize particularly important enemy tanks like a KV-1 or Churchill with a drivetrain shot. You can attempt multiple shots to destroy enemies, but by that point, you will begin receiving "responsive fire", and your tank's armour is not good enough to withstand more than 1-2 hits before being taken out.

A possible solution is to use "shoot and scoot" manoeuvres, popping out to fire and then scurrying to a different spot, but this poses issues if the terrain won't allow you to have a consistent cover (which may result in a downed tank between cover) or if there simply isn't much of any cover (like on the Kursk map's outer capture points).

Defensive

When on the defense, you have a number of advantages and some severe disadvantages - being able to hunker down and hammer in shots with the long 5 cm cannon away from the immediate frontlines mean that most tanks that you will face will likely be more focused on more offensive-oriented players in your team, which may cause them to unintentionally show their hull sides towards the Panzer III J1's position. This scenario, combined with your excellent rate of fire and penetration statistics, means you can make quick work of an unsuspecting light or medium tank, assuming you can find cover in a location the enemy will not be looking at.

If detected or ranged by a tank or tank destroyer (assuming they have an angle that negates your cover's protection), your armour will not protect you from very much, as even 20 mm AP rounds can penetrate the armour plates if close enough. If you simply find yourself stuck behind cover because the enemy has your position, it is advised to pop smoke (as you have multiple use smoke-grenade launchers) and use the smoke to full effect, making it as difficult as possible for enemy tanks to get an exact bearing on your position as you try to move to better or another cover in general.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great firepower: high rate of fire, high penetration, and explosive filler
• Quite mobile and fast with 10km/h reverse speed to be more versatile
• Excellent -10° gun depression
• APCR is great against moving or heavy targets like Matildas
• Boxy armour construction is great when angling

Cons:

• APCR has poor damage against modules and crew, and low penetration at range
• Gun lacks penetration at range, is likely to bounce on armour slopes
• Overall weak armour, can be penetrated by common enemies like T-34, T-50, M3 Lee
• Turret rotates slowly, fatal if being flanked

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 the Army Weapons Department took up to design the tank to weigh no more than 24,000 kg with a top speed of 35 km/h. 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 served as.

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 men, 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 combat effectiveness of the tank. The 37 mm (later 50 mm) anti-tank gun was also very effective against contemporary tanks. 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 III tanks constructed in its production life was 5,774 units (excluding the far more produced StuG III variant).

Design

The Panzer III Ausf. J1 features a much better 50 mm gun compared to its predecessors, the 50 mm KwK39, which is an improvement over the 50 mm KwK38 by its longer barrel that provided additional accuracy. Longer cartridges with more propellant charge were used, providing extra velocity and penetration. This new 50 mm gun gives the Panzer III a fighting edge against T-34s and M4 Shermans, which the older 50 mm KwK38 had trouble fighting against. The Panzer III Ausf. J1 still featured the 50 mm armour thickness on the front and rear originally from the Ausf. J variant, but later models had new offset armour on the front of the hull and turret that provide 20 mm of effective protection These armour also apply as spaced armour due to not being attached to the hull or turret mantlet. The spaced armour on the front helped defend the tank against Soviet anti-tank rounds or HEAT rounds fired at it on those plates, as it dissipates the penetration power before striking the hull.

Combat usage

The Panzer III J1 was only a stopgap design to integrate the 50 mm KwK39 into service as fast as possible. The final designs in its later models were later redesignated the Panzer III Ausf. L and Panzer III Ausf. M. It saw service on the eastern front, where it performed poorly against superior T-34 and KV-1 tanks. However, it also saw service in North Africa, where it would easily defeat allied light tanks such as the M3 Stuart and the Crusader, even when outnumbered. However, the introduction of more medium tanks by the allies in the African theater would prove to be problematic for the Panzer III. Those that survived the defeat in Africa would try to defend Sicily from the allied invasion of Italy.

Archive of the in-game description

The next modification to the Pz.Kpfw.III medium tank after Ausf. J, featuring an enhanced armament. These tanks, which were armed with KwK38 L/42 cannons, were unable to fight successfully against Soviet T-34 and KB tanks, whose armour could withstand the impact of projectiles fired by the short-barreled cannon. The tank's armament had to be enhanced. The new weapon selected was the long-barreled KwK39 L/60, which featured high ballistic characteristics. However, despite these enhanced characteristics, fighting Soviet tanks remained extremely difficult. Tanks with the new armament began to be released in December, 1941. A total of 1,067 tanks with the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J modification and KwK39 L/60 cannon were produced.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Pz.III J1 from live.warthunder.com.

Sights

• RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI

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.