The device of the commander's cupola of the tank t 3. Medium tank Pz Kpfw III and its modifications

Made according to the following layout scheme: power point located at the rear, the fighting compartment and the control compartment are in the middle part of the hull, and the power transmission and drive wheels are in front. The relatively low body of the tank is welded from rolled armor plates. On the modifications A-E frontal armor had a thickness of 15 mm, on modifications F and G it was 30 mm, on modification H it was reinforced with additional sheets up to 30 mm + 20 mm, and on J-O modifications it was already 50 mm + 20 mm. The multifaceted turret was located in the center of the hull. The gun without a muzzle brake was mounted in the turret using a wide cylindrical mask.

The following modifications of the tank were produced:

• A-E - a tank with a 37-mm gun;
• F-N - a tank with a 50 mm gun;
• M-O - assault tank with a 75-mm howitzer;
• self-propelled flamethrower;
• armored command vehicle;
• armored observation vehicle.

From 1940 to 1942, Pz-III tanks were the main armament of tank divisions. Due to the weakness of armament and armor since 1943, they were used only as special vehicles. In total, the German industry produced 5,700 Pz-III tanks of various modifications.

By 1936, the PzKpfw I light tank was in service with the German tank forces, armed with only a pair of machine guns and having light bulletproof armor. This tank could not be seriously considered as a combat vehicle, its lot was service in training parts, and their role on the battlefield was at best limited to intelligence and communications. Having come to power, Hitler refused to comply with the restrictions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles, and joined the technological race that had begun in Europe. During the three years leading up to the Second World War, German technology made a leap, moving from light tanks PzKpfw I to medium Pz Kpfw III and PzKpfw IV, which were destined to become the main German tanks, which largely predetermined the successes and failures of the III Reich.

Tanks were designed to withstand a direct hit from an armor-piercing projectile.
The frontal armor of the tank could withstand a high-explosive projectile. To fight tanks, special anti-tank guns were used, which had a small caliber, but fired a projectile with high speed. The 37-mm anti-tank gun, which was in service with the Wehrmacht, could penetrate the armor of almost any tank.

When fighting with enemy infantry, high-explosive fragmentation shells with a low initial speed, but larger caliber. Therefore, according to Heinz Guderian, two types of tanks should have been adopted in service with tank units, with fundamentally different weapons. One tank to fight enemy tanks, the other to fight infantry.

As a tank with anti-tank weapons PzKpfw III came out, armed first with a 37-mm, and later with a 50-mm cannon. The PzKpfw IV was chosen to fight the infantry, armed with a short-barreled 75-mm cannon.

MAN, Daimler-Benz AG, Rheinmetall-Borsing and Krupp participated in the competition to create a 15-ton tank. For reasons of secrecy, the tank was assigned symbol"platoon commander's vehicle" ("Zugfuehrerwagen", ZW). Prototype tests took place in 1936-1937. at the training grounds in Kummersdorf and Ulm. In comparative tests, the model presented by the company "Daimler-Benz" won, which it was decided to develop.

Tank PzKpfw III, modifications A, B, C, D

The PzKpfw III tank consisted of four main elements: the hull, the turret, the front part of the superstructure with the turret shoulder strap, and the aft part of the superstructure with the overhead armor plate. The main elements were interconnected by welding, and the details of each element were connected by rivets and bolts. Inside the body of the machine was divided by a bulkhead.

In the front compartment there was a gearbox with a steering mechanism, in the rear compartment there was a combat and engine compartment. The shape of the hull, turret and superstructure, as well as the layout of all five crew members, remained unchanged throughout the entire period of serial production of the PzKpfw III.

The first version of the PzKpfw III Ausf.A was produced in May of 1937. 15 vehicles were built, of which only eight received weapons and until 1939 were part of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd tank divisions. The rest of the tanks were used for testing.

Comparative performance characteristics of tanks

In the same 1937, the PzKpfw III Ausf.V tank went into production. This series was also limited to 15 cars. Several of them took part in the September 1939 campaign. In October 1940, five machines of this series were used to create prototypes of the Sturmgeschuetz III assault guns.

In July 1937, the PzKpfw III Ausf.C tank went into production. Until January 1938, only 15 pieces were produced. Several tanks of this modification also participated in the September battles in Poland.

In January 1938, the production of PzKpfw III Ausf.D tanks began. Until 1939, 55 machines of this type were built. Only 30 of them received weapons, the rest were used to test the suspension, weapons and engines. Several Ausf.D tanks saw action in Poland and Norway.

The first four modifications of the PzKpfw III (Ausf.A, B, C and D) were actually prototypes manufactured by Daimler-Benz. They were not intended for large-scale production, and each subsequent modification was a modified version of the previous one. All tanks of these four modifications were powered by Maybach HL108TR engines with a power of 250 hp. and a 5- or 6-speed "Zahnradfabrik" gearbox. Those tanks that were armed carried a 37 mm KwK35/36 L/46.5 cannon and three MG-34 machine guns (two in the turret and one in the superstructure). The thickness of the armor was only 5 mm-15 mm. This thickness protected only from rifle fire, but the mass of the tank did not exceed 15 tons. On the Ausf tanks.A, B and C had a simple drum turret for the commander of the vehicle, while the Ausf.D received a cast turret, similar to the one on the PzKpfw IV Ausf.B.

Only a few PzKpfw III tanks participated in the Polish campaign of 1939. The remaining vehicles were used for testing and crew training. Several PzKpfw III Ausf.Ds, together with PzAbt zb V 40 (NbFz VI), took part in the battles in Norway in April-May 1940. Later, these same machines came to Finland, where they served in 1941-1942.

Tactical and technical characteristics

* Part of the Ausf.D vehicles had armor protection similar to the Ausf.A - C, and, accordingly, a lower combat weight.

* Part of the Ausf.D vehicles had armor protection similar to the Ausf.A - C, and, accordingly, a lower combat weight.

* Part of the Ausf.D vehicles had armor protection similar to the Ausf.A - C, and, accordingly, a lower combat weight.

Pz Kpfw III (T-III)

Until the summer of 1943, the Germans divided theirs into light, medium and heavy armaments. Therefore, with approximately equal weight and armor thickness Pz. III was considered medium, and Pz. IV - heavy.
However, it was the tank Pz. III was destined to become one of the specific incarnations military doctrine fascist Germany. Not making up the majority in the Wehrmacht tank divisions either in the Polish (96 units) or in the French campaign (381 units), by the time of the attack on the USSR, it was already produced in significant quantities and was the main vehicle of the Panzerwaffe. Its history began simultaneously with other tanks. with which Germany entered the second world war.
In 1934, the weapons service ground forces issued an order for a combat vehicle with a 37-mm cannon, which received the designation ZW (Zugfuhrerwagen - company commander). from four firms. participating in the competition. only one - "Daimler-Benz" - received an order for the production of an experimental batch of 10 cars. In 1936, these tanks were transferred for military trials under the army designation PzKpfw III Ausf. A (or Pz. IIIA). They clearly bore the stamp of the influence of W. Christie's designs - five large-diameter road wheels.
The second experimental batch of 12 Model B units had a completely different undercarriage with 8 small road wheels, reminiscent of the Pz, IV. On the next 15 experimental tanks Ausf C chassis was similar, but the suspension improved noticeably. It should be emphasized that all other combat characteristics on the mentioned modifications, in principle, remained unchanged.
This cannot be said about the tanks of the D series (50 units), the frontal and side armor of which was increased to 30 mm, while the mass of the tank reached 19.5 tons, and the specific increased from 0.77 to 0.96 kg/cm2.
In 1938, the factories of three companies at once - Daimler-Benz, "" and MAN - began production of the first mass modification of the "troika" - Ausf. E. 96 tanks of this model received a chassis with six rubber-coated road wheels and a torsion bar suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers. which has not been significantly changed since then. The combat weight of the tank was 19.5 tons. The crew consisted of 5 people. This is the number of crew members, starting with the PzKpfw III. became standard on all subsequent German medium and heavy tanks Thus, already from the mid-30s, the Germans achieved a functional division of duties of crew members. Opponents of them came to this much later - only by 1943-1944.
The PzKpfw III E was armed with a 37 mm cannon with a barrel length of 46.5 calibers and three MG 34 machine guns (131 shots and 4500 rounds). 12-cylinder carburetor "Maybach" HL 120TR with a capacity of 300 hp. at 3000 rpm allowed the tank to develop top speed on the highway 40 km/h; the cruising range at the same time was 165 km on the highway and 95 km - when driving over rough terrain.
The layout of the tank was traditional for the Germans - with a front-mounted transmission, which reduced the length and increased the height of the vehicle, simplified the design of control drives and their maintenance. In addition, prerequisites were created for increasing the dimensions of the fighting compartment.
Characteristic for the hull of this tank, as. however, for all German tanks of that period, there was an equal strength of armor plates on all main planes and an abundance of hatches. Until the summer of 1943, the Germans preferred the convenience of access to the units to the strength of the hull.
Deserves a positive assessment, characteristic of which was a large number of gears in the gearbox with a small number of gears: one gear - one. The rigidity of the box, in addition to the ribs in the crankcase, was provided by a "shaftless" gear mounting system. In order to facilitate control and increase the average speed of movement, equalizers and servo mechanisms were used.
The width of the tracks - 360 mm - was chosen based mainly on the conditions of traffic on the roads, while off-road patency was significantly limited. However, in the conditions of the Western European theater of operations, off-road still had to be looked for.
The PzKpfw III medium tank was the first truly battle tank of the Wehrmacht. It was developed as a vehicle for platoon commanders, but from 1940 to early 1943 it was the main medium tank of the German army. PzKpfw III of various modifications were produced from 1936 to 1943 by Daimler-Benz, Henschel, MAN, Alkett, Krupp, FAMO, Wegmann, MNH and MIAG.
Germany entered World War II, having in service, in addition to light tanks PzKpfw I and PzKpfw II, medium tanks PzKpfw III versions A, B, C, D and E (see the chapter "Tanks of the interwar period. 1918-1939", section " Germany").
Between October 1939 and July 1940, FAMO, Daimler-Benz, Henschel, MAN and Alkett produced 435 PzKpfw III Ausf. F, which slightly differed from the previous modification E. The tanks received armored protection for the air intakes of the brake system and control system, access hatches to the mechanisms of the control system were made of two parts, the base of the turret was covered by special protection so that the turret would not jam when a projectile hit. Additional marker lights were installed on the wings. Three running lamps of the Notek type were located on the front of the hull and the left wing of the tank.
PzKpfw III Ausf. F were armed with a 37 mm cannon with the so-called internal mantlet, and 100 vehicles of the same version were armed with a 50 mm cannon with an external mantlet. 50 mm guns were built as early as June 1940.
Production of tanks of the G version began in April - May 1940, and by February 1941, 600 tanks of this type entered the tank units of the Wehrmacht. The initial order was 1250 vehicles, but after the capture of Czechoslovakia, when the Germans put into operation many Czechoslovak LT-38 tanks, received the designation PzKpfw 38 (t) in the German army, the order was reduced to 800 vehicles.
On the PzKpfw III Ausf. G rear armor thickness increased to 30 mm. The observation slot of the driver began to be closed by an armored flap. On the roof of the tower appeared electric in a protective casing.
The tanks were supposed to be armed with a 37 mm gun, but most of the vehicles left the assembly shops with a 50 mm KwK 39 L / 42 gun, developed by Krupp in 1938. At the same time, the re-equipment of previously released tanks of models E and F with a new artillery system began. The new gun consisted of 99 shots, 3750 rounds were intended for two MG 34 machine guns. After rearmament, the weight of the tank increased to 20.3 tons.
The location of the boxes with spare parts and tools on the fenders has changed. On the roof of the tower there was a hole for launching signal rockets. An additional box for equipment was often attached to the rear wall of the tower. jokingly called "Rommel's chest".
Tanks of a later production were equipped with a new type of commander's cupola, which was also installed on the PzKpfw IV and was equipped with five periscopes.
Tropicalized tanks were also built. They were designated PzKpfw III Ausf. G (trop) and featured an improved cooling system and air filters. Such machines were produced 54 units.
Version G tanks entered service with the Wehrmacht during the French campaign.
In October 1940, the company MAN, Alkett. Henschel, Wegmann, MNH and MIAG launched serial production of version N tanks. By April 1941, 310 (according to some sources 408) vehicles were built out of 759 ordered in January 1939.
The armor thickness of the rear wall of the PzKpfw III Ausf. H increased to 50 mm. The applied frontal armor was reinforced with an additional armor plate 30 mm thick.
Due to the increase in the mass of the tank and the use of tracks 400 mm wide, special guides had to be installed on the support and road wheels, which increased the diameter of the rollers by 40 mm. To eliminate excessive track sag, the front carrier roller, which on the G version tanks was located almost next to the spring damper, had to be moved forward.
Among other improvements, it should be noted a change in the position of the headlight on the wing, towing hooks, and the shape of the access hatches. The box with smoke bombs was moved by the designers under the canopy of the rear plate of the power compartment. An angular profile was installed at the base of the tower, protecting the base from a projectile.
Instead of the Variorex gearbox, the SSG 77 type (six gears forward and one back) was installed on version H machines. The design of the turret changed in such a way that the crew members who were in it rotated with the turret. The tank commander, as well as the gunner and loader, had their own hatches in the side walls and roof of the tower.
Baptism of fire tanks PzKpfw III Ausf. H received during Operation Barbarossa. In 1942-1943, the tanks were re-equipped with a 50 mm KwK L/60 cannon.
The next production version was the PzKpfw III Ausf. J. They were produced from March 1941 to July 1942. The forehead and stern of the car were protected by 50 mm armor. The armor of the sides and the turret was 30 mm. The armor protection of the gun mantlet has increased by 20 mm. Among other minor improvements, the most significant was the new type of installation of the MG 34 machine gun.
Initially tanks PzKpfw III Ausf. J were armed with a 50 mm KwK 38 L/42 cannon, but starting from December 1941, they began to install a new 50 mm KwK 39 cannon with a barrel length of 60 calibers. A total of 1549 vehicles with the KwK 38 L/42 gun and 1067 vehicles with the KwK 38 L/60 gun were built.
The appearance of a new version -PzKpfw III Ausf. L - due to the unsuccessful installation of the PzKpfw III Ausf. J of the standard turret of the PzKpfw IV Ausf G tank. After the failure of this experiment, it was decided to start production of a new series of tanks with the improvements provided for the L version and armed with a 50 mm KwK 39 L / 60 cannon.
Between June and December 1942, 703 tanks of the L version were produced. Compared to previous versions The new vehicles had reinforced cannon mantlet armor, which also served as a counterbalance to the elongated barrel of the KwK 39 L/60 gun. The forehead of the hull and turret was protected by additional 20 mm armor plates. The driver's viewing slot and the mask of the MG 34 course machine gun were located in the holes in the frontal armor. Other changes concerned the track tensioning mechanism, the location smoke bombs at the stern of the tank under the bend of the armor, the design and location of navigation lights and the placement of tools on the fenders, the observation slot of the loader in the additional armor of the gun mask was eliminated. At the top of the armor protection of the mask there was a small hole for inspection and maintenance of the gun's recoil mechanism. Besides. the designers eliminated the armor protection of the base of the turret, which was located on top of the tank hull, and viewing slots on the sides of the turret. One version L tank was tested with recoilless rifle KwK 0725.
Of the ordered 1000 PzKpfw III Ausf. Only 653 L tanks were built. The rest were converted to N version tanks equipped with a 75 mm cannon.
The last version of the PzKpfw III tank with a 50 mm gun was M. The tanks of this modification were further development PzKpfw III Ausf. L and were built from October 1942 to February 1943. The initial order for new vehicles was 1,000 units, but given the advantages of Soviet tanks over the PzKpfw III with a 50 mm gun, the order was reduced to 250 vehicles. Some of the remaining tanks were converted to Stug III self-propelled guns and PzKpfw III (FI) flamethrower tanks, while the other part was converted to the N version, installing 75-mm guns on the vehicles.
Compared to the L version, the PzKpfw III Ausf. M had minor differences. Built-in 90 mm NbKWg smoke grenade launchers were installed on both sides of the turret, a counterweight for the KwK 39 L / 60 gun was mounted, and escape hatches were eliminated in the side walls of the hull. All this made it possible to increase the ammunition load from 84 to 98 shots.
Exhaust system tank allowed him to overcome water obstacles up to 1.3 m deep without training.
Other improvements concerned changing the shape of tow hooks, running lights, installing a rack for mounting an anti-aircraft machine gun, and brackets for attaching additional armored screens. The price of one PzKpfw III Ausf. M (unarmed) amounted to 96183 Reichsmarks.
On April 4, 1942, Hitler ordered to study the feasibility of re-equipping the PzKpfw III tanks with the 50-mm Pak 38 cannon. To this end, one tank was equipped with a new cannon, but the experiment ended unsuccessfully.
The tanks of the latest production version received the designation PzKpfw III Ausf. N. They had the same hull and turret as the machines of the L and M versions. 447 and 213 chassis and turrets of both versions were used for their production, respectively. The main thing that distinguished the PzKpfw III Ausf. N from its predecessors, this is the 75 mm KwK 37 L/24, which was armed with the PzKpfw IV tanks of the A-F1 versions. Ammunition was 64 rounds. PzKpfw III Ausf. N had a modified gun mantlet and a one-piece commander's cupola, the armor of which reached 100 mm. The observation slot to the right of the gun was eliminated. In addition, there were a number of other minor differences from the machines of earlier versions.
Production of the N version tanks began in June 1942 and continued until August 1943. A total of 663 vehicles were produced, and another 37 tanks were converted to Ausf. N during the repair of machines of other versions.
In addition to combat, the so-called linear tanks, 5 types of command tanks were produced with a total number of 435 units. 262 tanks were converted into artillery fire control vehicles. A special order - 100 flamethrower tanks - was carried out by Wegmann. For a flamethrower with a range of up to 60 meters, 1000 liters of fire mixture were required. The tanks were intended for Stalingrad, but they got to the front only at the beginning of July 1943 - near Kursk.
At the end of the summer of 1940, 168 tanks of the F, G and H versions were converted for movement under water and were to be used when landing on the English coast. The immersion depth was 15m; fresh was supplied with a hose 18 m long and 20 cm in diameter. In the spring of 1941, experiments were continued with a 3.5-m pipe - "snorkel". Since the landing in England did not take place, a number of such tanks from the 18th Panzer Division on June 22, 1941 crossed the Western Bug along the bottom.
From July 1944, the PzKpfw III was also used as an ARV. At the same time, a square cabin was installed in place of the tower. In addition, small batches of vehicles for transporting ammunition and carrying out engineering work were produced. There were prototypes of a minesweeper tank and options for converting a linear tank into a railcar.
PzKpfw IIIs were used in all theaters of operations - from the Eastern Front to the African desert, everywhere enjoying the love of German tankers. The amenities created for the work of the crew could be considered a role model. Not a single Soviet, English or american tank that time. Excellent observation and aiming devices allowed the "troika" to successfully deal with the more powerful T-34, KB and "Matilda" in cases where the latter did not have time to detect it. Captured PzKpfw IIIs were the favorite command vehicles in the Red Army precisely because of the above reasons: comfort, excellent optics, plus an excellent radio station. However, they, like other German tanks, were successfully used Soviet tankmen and for its direct, combat, purpose. There were entire battalions armed with captured tanks.
The production of PzKpfw III tanks was discontinued in 1943, after the production of approximately 6,000 vehicles. In the future, only the production of self-propelled guns based on them continued. Encyclopedia of technology

Tank t-3 (Pz.3) - first for realbattle tank of the Wehrmacht.It was developed on a competitive basis by four firms as a ma- tires for company commanders "ZW" (Zugfuhrerwagen). A sample from Daimler-Benz was accepted for production. From 1940 to the beginning of 1943 it was the main medium tank of the German army.

Tank t-3 Pz.3 - the first combat tank weapons German Army World War II

Pz.3A - pre-production version weighing 15.4 tons. The hull and turret are welded. Dviga-

Maybach HL 108TR with 250 hp, five-speed synchronized gearbox, planetary slewing mechanism. Undercarriage with five bearings- with large diameter rollers, Christie-type suspension. Speed ​​32 km/h. Crew 5 people. Dimensions: 5690x2810x2340 mm. In- armament: 37 mm KwK L46.5 cannon and three MG 34 machine guns - two in the turret to the right of the cannon, and one in the frontal hull plate. Max. Armor thickness - 14.5 mm. Made- Leno 10 units.

Pz.3B - new undercarriage with eight small-diameter road wheels and a blocked balancer suspension on semi-elliptical leaf springs. The commander's cupola is unified with the Pz.lVA. 15 units were made.

Pz.3C - minor differences from the previous model. The suspension, exhaust system and planetary steering mechanism have been slightly modified. Weight 16 t. Made- Leno 15 units.

Pz.3 D - The thickness of the frontal and side armor has been increased to 30 mm. The aft part of the hull and the roof of the engine have been redesigned.- department. Improved suspension- ka and introduced a new commander's cupola with five viewing slots. Cruising range increased to 165 km. Combat weight 19.8 tons. 30 units manufactured.

Pz.3 E - undercarriage with six supports- rollers and torsion bar suspension. Maybach HL 120TR engine with 300 hp, ten-speed gearbox- dachas. Introduced double side hatches in the tower, the installation of a course pool- meta Kugelblende 30, combined driver's observation device, escape hatches in the sides of the hull. From- the aft part of the hull has undergone changes. The armament remained the same. Combat weight 19.8 tons. Speed ​​35 km / h. Manufactured 96 units.

Pz.3 F- slightly modernized- bathroom Pz.lllE. From June 1940 - 50 mm KwK 38 gun. 435 units manufactured.

Subsequently, all tanks of the Pz.lllF variant and most of the Pz.lllE were transferred- armed with a 50mm cannon. At the same time, the number of machine guns was reduced to two.

Pz.3G - minor changes in body parts. New command ba-

shenka with five viewing devices, unified with the turret Pz.IV. Equipment box at the rear of the turret. Vooru- munitions: 50 mm KwK 38 cannon and two machine guns- and MG 34 600 units were manufactured (of which 54 were tropicalized Pz.lllG (trop).

Pz.3H - new design guide- pulling and driving wheel. Additional 30 mm plate on the front of the hull. Caterpillars 400 mm wide. Core changed- the new part of the tower. Combat weight 21.6 tons. Armament and engine unchanged,

six speed gearbox. Izgo- 310 units sold.

Pz.lll J - frontal armor 50 mm thick, ball mount for a course machine gun- that Kugelblende 50. Since January 1942 - a 50-mm gun KwK 39 with a barrel length of 60 calibers. Combat weight 21.5 tons. Dimensions with gun L / 60: 6280x2950x2500 mm. Izgo- 2616 units were manufactured (of which 1067 were- barreled gun).

Pz.lllL (Sd.Kfz. 141/1) - increased tol- gun mask armor and additional 20 mm armor in the frontal part of the hull. A number of other minor improvements. Dviga- tel and armament as in Pz.lIIJ later you- launches. 653 units were made.

Pz.lllM (Sd.Kfz. 141/1) - the last va - Riant Pz.lll as a line tank armed with a 50mm cannon. Insignificant- significant differences from Pz.lllL. Eliminated hatches in the sides of the hull. The exhaust system of the tank was adapted to overcome- wading up to 1.3 m deep. Smoke grenade launchers, brackets for mounting anti-cumulative screens, an anti-aircraft machine gun on the commander's cupola were installed. Ammunition push- ki increased to 98 shots. 250 units made.

Pz.lllN (Sd.Kfz. 141/2) - an assault tank armed with a 75 mm KwK 37 cannon with a barrel length of 24 calibers. Hull and turret like Pz.lllL and Pz.lllM. Commander's cupola as in later Pz.IV. Combat weight 23 tons. 663 units manufactured.

The first 10 Pz.lll tanks were transferred to the combat units of the Panzerwaffe in the spring of 1939. Their baptism of fire took place during the Polish campaign. On September 1, 1939 in German tank units name- elk only 98 Rz.lll out of 120 released by this time. Direct participation- tie in the fighting took only 69 vehicles. Most of them (37 units) were concentrated in the 6th training tank- the first battalion (6. Panzer Lehr Battalion), attached to the 3rd Panzer Division, included- necks in the 19th tank corps ge- Neral G. Guderian. There were also several vehicles in the 1st Panzer Division. Bezvo- The significant losses of combat vehicles of this type during the fighting in Poland amounted to 8 units (according to other sources - 26 units!).

By the beginning of the French campaign Panzer- the waffe already had 381 Pz.lll tanks and 60 - 70 command tanks on their ba- ze. At the same time, the shortfall amounted to- roughly 100 combat vehicles. Therefore, it- tsam had to concentrate the deficit- nye medium tanks in formations operating in the directions of the main attacks. 135 Pz.lll tanks were irretrievable- but lost during the fighting.

After the defeat of France, in preparation for the invasion of the British Isles, at the end of the summer of 1940, 168 tanks of models F, G and H were converted into underwater tanks. For parts of Africa- Kanskoy corps was developed by Tropi- cal version of the tank, with more- cooling and cleaning systems- ki air.

Like other types of German tanks, "troikas" took part in the operation in the Balkans in the spring of 1941. On this those- atre, the main danger for German tanks were not the few Yugoslavs

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 19.5 - CREW, people: 5.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm* length 5380 width - 2910, height - 2440, ground clearance - 385.

ARMAMENT "1 gun ^a Kw" 4 L / 45 caliber 37 mm and 3 machine guns MG 34 caliber 7.92 mm.

AMMUNITION: 131 artillery rounds and 4425 rounds

AIMING INSTRUMENTS: monocular telescopic sight

TZE 5a.

BOOKING, mm: forehead of the hull - 30: board 30, stern - 21: days- more - 16; roof - 17; tower - 30,

ENGINE: Maybach HL 120TR, 12-cylinder carbureted, V-shaped, liquid-cooled; power 300 l s (22 ^ kW) at 3000 rpm, displacement 11,867 cm3 3 TRANSMISSION: multi-disc main clutch, 10-axle shaftless mechanical gearbox with pre-selection and pneumatic shifting (10 forward. 4 reverse), planetary steering mechanisms, final drives. RUNNING GEAR: six double rubber-coated support rollers per boot, three rubber-coated support rollers, a steering wheel, a front drive wheel with two removable gear rims, pinion engagement; suspension - individual- al, torsion bar: in each caterpillar there are 94 gracks 360 mm wide, track pitch 130 mm.

SPEED MAXIMUM km/h: 40. POWER RESERVE, km-165.

OVERCOME OBSTACLES, elevation angle hail 30; breadth- on the ditch m - 2.0; wall height, m ​​- 0.6; fording depth, m - 0.8 COMMUNICATIONS: Fu 5 radio station.

cue and Greek tanks and anti-tank guns, and mountain, sometimes unpaved, up to- horns and bad bridges. Serious clashes- veins that led to losses, albeit not- significant, occurred among the Germans from Eng- Liyan troops who arrived in Greece in March 1941. 25-pound fire- several Pz.lll were knocked out with new guns.

In the spring of 1941 Pz.lll arrived in the North- new Africa. On March 11, units of the 5th light division of the Wehrmacht began to unload in Tripoli, numbering in their own- I eat up to 80 Pz.lll. Basically, these were G modification machines in the tropics.-

com version with reinforced air- mi filters and cooling system. After a couple of months, join them- fighting vehicles of the 15th Panzer Division- zii. At the time of arrival, Pz.lll is excellent- dil any English tank in Africa, with the exception of "Matilda"

The first major battle in the Libyan desert with the participation of Pz.lll was the attack by the forces of the 5th tank regiment of the 5th light division- vision of the British positions at Tobruk on April 30, 1941. Subsequently, Pz.lll tanks took part in almost all combat operations of the German troops in this theater. Autumn 1941 and spring 1942. the number of Pz.lll in the African Corp- it was the maximum. For example, in but- November 1941 German troops located-

whether 249 tanks, of which - 139 Pz.lll. in yang- in 1942, another large batch of machines of this type arrived - several de- syatkov Pz.lllJ, though still with a short 50 mm cannon. The first 19 Pz.lllJ with long- arrived in Africa with free cannons in May 1942. On the eve of the battle at El Gazala, the Germans had only 332 tanks- mi, 223 of them were Pz.lll of various mo-

difications. Most of these machines took part in the battle at El Alamein, in which the German troops were defeated and retreated to Tu- nis, leaving all the equipment.

In 1943, a number of Pz.lll tanks, mainly of L and N modifications, took part in the final battles of the Af- rican campaign. In particular, the Ausf.L tanks of the 15th Panzer Division participated in the defeat of American troops in the Kasserine Pass on February 14, 1943. Ausf.N tanks

were part of the 501st heavy tank- th battalion. Their mission was to protect- positions of the "tigers" from enemy attacks- hots. After the surrender of German troops in North Africa On May 12, 1943, all these tanks became the trophies of the Allies.

On the eve of the war with the Soviet Union, the Wehrmacht had 235 Pz.lll tanks with 37-mm guns (another 81 vehicles were found- was under repair). Tanks with 50 mm gun- we had much more - 1090! Another 23 cars were in the stage of pe- rearmament. During June from- industry was expected to receive another 133 combat vehicles. From this number- 965 Pz.lll tanks were intended directly for the invasion of the Soviet Union, which were distributed more or less evenly over 16 not- German tank divisions of 19, part- who fought in the operation "Barbarossa" (6th, 7th and 8th tank divisions had- armament tanks of Czechoslovakia- dstva). So, for example, in the 1st tank division- Vision had 73 Pz.lll and 5 command Pz.Bf.Wg.Ill, in the 4th tank - 105 combat vehicles of this type. Moreover, the vast majority of tanks were armed with 50 mm L/42 cannons.

Three main evaluation parameters- ram - armament, maneuverability and bro- Neva protection - Pz.lll significantly improved- ascended only T-26. Over the BT-7, the German vehicle had an advantage in armor protection, over the T-28 and KB - in maneuverability. For all three parameters, the German environment- ny tank was second only to the T-34. At the same time, Pz.lll had an undeniable superiority- control over all Soviet tanks in- quantity and quality of observation instruments- nia, the quality of sights, the reliability of the movement- gate, transmission and running gear. An important advantage was the 100% division of labor of the crew members, which was not the case on most- vet tanks. Recent circumstances- properties, in the absence of a pronounced superiority in performance characteristics as a whole, allowed Pz.lll in most cases to go out- winner from tank duels. However, when meeting with the T-34, and even more so with the KB, up to- it was very difficult to beat this: the German 50-mm cannon could penetrate their armor

only from a very short distance - no more- more than 300 m.

By the end of 1941, losses in vehicles of this type on the Eastern Front amounted to 660 units, and in the first two months of 1942, another 338! Nevertheless, throughout 1942, Pz.lll remained the main strike force of the Panzerwaffe, including during large-scale offensive operations on the southern flank of the Eastern Front. 23 av- thick 1942 Pz.lll Ausf.J from the 14th tank- th corps were the first to reach the Volga north- her Stalingrad. In the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of the Caucasus, Pz.lll suffered the most serious losses. These battles involved tanks armed with both types of guns - 42 and 60 calibers. Is- use of a long-barreled 50 mm push- ki allowed to move the distance to the fire- first battle, for example, with the T-34 to almost 500 m.