Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf M
In 1939 steps were taken to up gun the Panzer III with a 50mm anti-tank cannon to handle the thicker amour on vehicles being produced by Germanys adversaries, this resulted in the Panzer III Ausf F, G, H, J, L, and M being armed with the 50mm KwK gun. The modification was relatively simple as the Panzer III had been designed with a large enough turret ring in the hull to accommodate up gunning the vehicle, thus a small number of Panzer III Ausf E vehicles were given the 50mm gun late in the war. These vehicles were also included thicker armor or the addition of extra armor plates being bolted and welded to the hull. When these vehicles made their appearance in North Africa the British troops nick named it the Mark III special.
Propulsion
Range: 110 miles.
Fuel: 84 gal.
Fording: 2 ft, 8 in.
Trench: 8 ft, 6 in.
Step: 2 ft.
Weapons & Armament
Armament, Turret (Main): 50mm KwK 39 L/60.
Armament, Turret (Coaxial): MG34
Armament, Hull (Radio Operator): MG34
Stowage, 50mm Ammunition: 78 shells.
Stowage, MG34 Ammunition: 30 belt bags (150-rounds each).
Turret Traverse: 4 (360-degrees).
Flammpanzer: Aproxmelty 100 vehicles were modified between February and April of 1943 to mount a flamethrower instead of the cannon in the turret, these vehicles were designated the Flammpanzer III Ausf M. The modification included the installing of two oil tanks plus an auxiliary engine within the hull to power the flamethrower - giving it the ability to squirt liquid flame out to a range of 196ft. The frontal armor was upgraded (+6 to the DC for the hull and turret front), while the machinegun in the hull and turret were kept in place. Flammpanzer III Ausf M vehicles were deployed at the battle of Kursk by the 6th, 11th, and Grossdeutschland Panzer Divisions.
Communication Tools & Systems
Radio: FuG5
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