Marder III H

This page is about the German tank destroyer Marder III H. For the other version III, see Marder III.

Marder III H

StuG III A

StuH 42 G

Marder III H

StuG III A

StuH 42 G

Germany

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.0	3.0	3.0

Class:

Tank destroyer

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

Description

The Marder III H officially designated PaK40/3 auf Sfl.38 Ausf. H (Sd.Kfz. Index: Sd.Kfz. 138) is a rank II German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.47 "Big Guns".

The Marder III H is a step above the basic Marder III. As it is in Germany's open - top tank destroyer line, it's calling card is its superb firepower; in fact, it has the most powerful gun for the battle rating 2.0 - 3.0 - 4.0 range - APCBC is almost always enough to penetrate and destroy any tank on the battlefield, and with APCR, it has the highest penetration of any tank for its battle rating range - even at battle rating 5.0 your gun will remain competitive.

The Marder III Ausf. H mounts a 75 mm gun slightly surpassing those on the late Panzer IV's, thus its only disadvantages are its weak armour and its open encasement.

Being a modified Pz.38(t) tank, it is one of the more mobile of the German tanks - nearly matching some Russian tanks. It has a better gun close-range wise and has better armour coverage, being curved to the sides, unlike the earlier Marder III.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull50 / 15 / 15

Turret15 / 15 / 0

Crew4 people

Visibility87 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides (Slope angle)	Rear	Roof
Hull	50 mm (19°) Front plate 12 mm (74°) Front glacis 50 mm (13°) Lower glacis	16 mm Upper 15 mm Lower	15 mm	12 mm
Turret	11 + 8 mm (31°)	11 mm (8-9°)	N/A	N/A

Note:

• Belly armour is 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB49 / 7 km/h

RB and SB45 / 7 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight11.0 t

Engine power

AB286 hp

RB and SB150 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB26.0 hp/t

RB and SB13.6 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	49	7	11	213	286	19.36	26
Realistic	45	7		133	150	12.09	13.64

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB434 → 536

RB491 → 607

SB597 → 738

Total cost of modifications6 900

6 720

Talisman cost530

Crew training3 000

Experts10 000

Aces115

Research Aces160 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

30 / 50 / 60 %

112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 460 Cost: 450 85 Suspension Research: 310 Cost: 300 55 Brake System Research: 310 Cost: 300 55 Filters Research: 430 Cost: 420 80 Transmission Research: 750 Cost: 730 135 Engine Research: 750 Cost: 730 135	Improved Parts Research: 460 Cost: 450 85 Improved FPE Research: 310 Cost: 300 55 Crew Replenishment Research: 430 Cost: 420 80	Horizontal Drive Research: 460 Cost: 450 85 75mm_kwk_37_40_HEAT_ammo_pack Research: 310 Cost: 300 55 Adjustment of Fire Research: 310 Cost: 300 55 75mm_kwk_40_APCR_ammo_pack Research: 430 Cost: 420 80 Elevation Mechanism Research: 430 Cost: 420 80 75mm_ger_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 750 Cost: 730 135

Always go for "Parts" and "FPE" first to increase the vehicle's survivability. The stock shell is quite effective, so the Ml.Gr 38B HEAT shell and PzGr 40 APCR shell are not priorities either. Instead, focus on mobility upgrades and the Horizontal Drive modification. After that, the order of research will be determined by personal preference.

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm PaK40/3 L46 cannon

Ammunition38 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

7.6 → 5.9 s

Vertical guidance-9° / 9°

Horizontal guidance-28° / 28°

75 mm PaK40/3 L46					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	38	±9°	±28°	N/A	10.57	14.63	17.76	19.63	20.89	7.67	6.79	6.25	5.90
Realistic					7.14	8.40	10.20	11.28	12.00

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	APCBC	151	148	135	121	108	96
Hl.Gr 38B	HEAT	80	80	80	80	80	80
PzGr 40	APCR	182	177	159	140	122	107
Sprgr. 34	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10

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	APCBC	792	6.8	1.2	14	28.9	48°	63°	71°
Hl.Gr 38B	HEAT	450	4.4	0.05	0.1	872.1	62°	69°	73°
PzGr 40	APCR	990	4.1	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°
Sprgr. 34	HE	550	5.74	0	0.1	686	79°	80°	81°

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.	540	6.2	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Marder III H

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
38	37 (+1)	33 (+5)	25 (+13)	22 (+16)	14 (+24)	11 (+27)	1 (+37)	No

• Gun shield empty (racks 1 & 2 emptied): 33 (+5).

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG37(t) machine gun

Ammunition1 200 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate769 shots/min

7.92 mm MG37(t)
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Hull	1,200 (200)	769	±10°	±10°

Usage in battles

Since you are an unprotected tank from behind, try to be as far from the action as possible. If getting close to enemy tanks cannot be prevented (Urban maps, Allied retreat etc), then try to hide at least a part of your hull against a wall or rock.

Use the horizontal range of the Marder III H as much as possible: it has excellent gun traverse for a turretless SPG. This tank destroyer can be penetrated easily; it has next to no armour at its battle rating. Keep close to other tanks to prevent this in urban maps, and stay close to cover in other maps. Also, be careful when being targeted by Artillery; one close hit on your rear and you can be destroyed by shrapnel. Another important aspect to take into account is the fact that ammunition is stored in the nearly unarmoured gun shield - nearly any vehicle in the game - with the notable exception of the GAZ-AAA (4M) - can penetrate this tank with ease. To get Ammunition out of the turret, bring fewer shells, leaving the "turret" basically empty - 33 shells is more than enough. Another fact to consider is that nearly all shells will over penetrate the "turret", with no damage, a crewman knocked out or 2.

The Marder III H's main APCBC shell, the PzGr 39, is good enough against most standard medium tank models like the M4 Sherman and T-34 from a frontal and slightly angled perspective. However, the penetration performance against sloped armour is only just enough for these circumstances, and extreme angling beyond a 60° angle of attack on those tanks' part can bounce rounds heading towards their front glacis. This makes up-armoured models like the T-34E and T-34E STZ particularly dangerous as they can defeat the APCBC shell's sloped performance at even slight angles. The T-34E presents itself an enhanced side armour that can bounce shots while the T-34E STZ features enhanced front armour to bounce shots, so be sure to distinguish the two models for a better understanding on where to aim.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Outstanding gun, can knock out frontally common foes like T-34, M4, Churchill I with a single shot
• Armour protects the crew from MG fire, and is thin enough for explosive AP rounds to over-penetrate
• Fairly small tank destroyer can hide behind most obstacles
• Good -9° gun depression, good for most hills
• Excellent horizontal arc of 30°, allowing hiding easily
• Amazing penetration of APCR, effective even in uptiers

Cons:

• Vulnerable to HE shell overpressure (e.g. from SU-122)
• Not fully enclosed (exposed crew), vulnerable to MG, bombs, and strafing planes
• Poor +9° gun elevation can be unsuitable in certain situations
• Shells can overpenetrate some lightly-armoured vehicles (eg. ZiS-12 94KM, Chi-Ha LG)

History

Development

After the start of Operation Barbarossa, the Wehrmacht found a very dire problem of the lack of a mobile anti-tank system and adequate anti-tank weapons, especially after the appearance of the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks. The only mass-issued anti-tank was the 37 mm Pak 36 and the only mobile anti-tank system widely used was the Panzerjäger I with the Czech 47 mm anti-tank gun. Modifications to current vehicles in service was done to put more self-propelled anti-tank weapons into service, which created the Marder I from the French Lorraine, the Marder II from the Panzer IIs, and the Marder III from the Czech Panzer 38(t).

Specifications

The Marder III, with the rest of the Marder series, gave Germany forces a self-propelled gun mounting a better gun than what was available on German tanks, such as the 75 mm Pak 40 or captured Soviet 76.2 mm guns chambered for the Pak 40 ammo. All of the Marders share a lack of armour for the crew, the top and rear of the vehicle is left exposed to mortar, shrapnel, or infantry weapons. This weakness is mitigated with the fact that the Marders is supposed to be anti-tank motor carriages that are to ambush incoming enemy tanks.

The Marder III Ausf. H uses the Panzer 38(t) as it was a design going obsolete, and new large German anti-tank weapons were being produced, so they mounted these guns onto the Panzer 38(t) first. The finished self-propelled mount had a higher silhouette than the Panzer 38(t), which left it more vulnerable, but had a 75 mm Pak 40 gun and withhold 38 rounds in the vehicle. A machine gun on the hull was retained for anti-infantry purposes.

The Marder III Ausf. H predecessor, simply named as the Marder III mounted a rechambered 76.2 gun instead of a Pak 40. Another variant created, the Ausf. M, featured a lower silhouette and a better-sloped armour and fighting compartment, despite only holding 27 rounds for the mounted Pak 40. A total of 3,472 Marder IIIs and its version was created or converted from Panzer 38(t) during its production life.

Combat usage

The Marder III Ausf. H fought on all fronts of the war, being produced from 1942 to 1945, with 450 Marder III Ausf. H with the Pak 40 converted and produced. Using the tested design of the Panzer 38(t), the Marder III experienced a reliable mechanical history and has a gun that could take out most allied tanks in the war. The vulnerability to the crew due to lack of armour was its most pressing issue, with only a front shield plate at most 15 mm thick and side plates that can't enclose the crew. This makes it as very poor assault vehicles or tank substitutes as the open top could allow infantry to easily kill the crew from hidden areas, despite that, it is sometimes repurposed to this role to the chagrin of the crew.

As its production was underway, Germany already had a few self-propelled assault weapons being produced such as the StuG III that could have the same anti-tank capabilities, yet was fully armoured, enclosing the crew inadequate armour. This obvious advantage over the open Marder series encouraged the development of a new kind of tank destroyer from the Panzer 38(t) with better armour, which will eventually create the Jagdpanzer 38(t). Despite that, the Marders continued to serve to the end of the war.

Archive of the in-game description

An antitank vehicle designed by Alkett. The prototype was built in June, 1942. It was produced from November, 1942 to April, 1943 at the BMM factory. The Marder II Ausf.H was also rebuilt from damaged tanks at the Wehrmacht factory in Prilougi using cabins obtained from BMM. Marder IIIs were used actively on all fronts of World War II. Most of them were used on the Eastern Front. A total of 613 Marder III Ausf.H tank destroyers were produced.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Marder III H from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Hetzer's Useless Uncle? - Marder III Ausf. H.
-Military History Visualized

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.