Product Description

The Panzer (PzKpfw) III was originally meant to be a reconnaissance tank but during the early war years it served as the mainstay of the Panzer divisions. The first four marks, Ausf A-D, were experimental and the first production model was the Ausf E. Only 98 PzKpfw IIIs were available for the invasion of Poland in 1939, but this number was rapidly increased with, ultimately, a total of 6,157 PzKpfw IIIs being constructed.

The Panzer III was the principal German tank in the Blitzkrieg campaigns against Yugoslavia, Greece and Russia, but was effectively withdrawn from frontline service in 1943, although the chassis was to form the basis of the Sturmgeschutz III assault gun (of which 9,40p9 were built). This title describes in detail the gun tank versions, from the very first lightly armed models that were progressively developed and improved up to those with a 50mm or 70mm gun. The PzKpfw III was the only German tank to remain in the battle lines from 1939 until the final German surrender in May 1945.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1126423 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Customer Reviews

Terry Gander hits another Home Run
Another great work in a series of great works. If you are a model builder this is the series for you. I especially liked the PzK III book. The book contains details that other books just don't have. There are stats on how many of each type were made and pictures that I've never seen before. The pictures from the assembly line which are really awesome. Diagrams and tech drawings are a real treat. The book is a real treasure trove of info for detail oriented people. There are a couple of very minor flaws that the true expert will pick up on. The one theat keeps getting repeated over and over again (probably since WWII) is the that Zimmerett is an anti-magnetic paste, it really isn't anti-magnetic all- it's about as anti-magnetic as stucco. The average model builder will not even notice, and really the book is worth double the price. Kudos to Terry Gander on a job well done.

The Panzer III: The source of the legend
The Panzer III was originally meant to be the armored fist of the German Panzertruppe and was expected to be the primary battle tank for the course of the war and was initially armed with a high velocity 37mm gun. Its stablemate, the Panzer IV was to be the infantry support tank and was armed with a short, low velocity 75mm cannon. As fate would have it the Pz III was the primary German tank in all of the early victories, Poland, France, the Balkans and North Africa as well as the first year and a half in Russia saw the Pz III as the leading edge of German armored might and all the great victories of the first half of the war were gained using the PzIII.

The only flaw was that as early as France the light armament of the III proved to be totally inadequate and this became clearer first in Africa and then in Russia where the Pz III was proven to be in fact, obsolete, even with improvements in armor and a substantial upgrading of its main gun, more than a full year before its replacement was introduced.

The replacement was the Pz IV, upgunned to a high velocity cannon that the PzIII was unable to carry. Ultimately the PzIII-N carried the short, low velocity cannon first seen on the PzIV and the circle was complete with the PzIII-N relegated by 1944 to the infantry support tank role and the PzIV as the battle tank. The PzIII chassis was used throughout the war however as the basis for the Stug-III assault gun which also eventually carried the same high velocity cannon as the PzIV and saw service until the final days of the war.

The PzIII was the armored basis for the invincibility of the German panzer forces and the source of the legend. The great tanks that followed, The Tiger and The Panther never matched the victories achieved against greater odds by the crews of their great machine, the Panzer III. This book is a true gem for anyone interested in the early years of WW2 in Europe and armored warfare in general.