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Marder III
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Marder III
Marder III was the name for a series of World War II German tank destroyers. They mounted either the modified ex-Soviet 76.2 mm F-22 Model 1936 divisional field gun, or the German 7.5 cm PaK 40, in an open-topped fighting compartment on top of the chassis of the Czechoslovak Panzer 38(t). They offered little protection to the crew, but added significant firepower, which was able to destroy the thick-armored T-34s, compared to contemporary German tanks. They were in production from 1942 to 1944 with three variants, the Marder III, Marder III Ausf. H, and Marder III Ausf. M, and served on all fronts until the end of the war, along with the similar Marder II. The German word Marder means "marten" in English.
In the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, the Wehrmacht felt the need for a more mobile and more powerful anti-tank solution than the existing towed anti-tank guns, such as the 3.7 cm Pak 36, or self-propelled tank destroyers, such as the Panzerjäger I (mounted with the 4.7 cm PaK (t)). This need became urgent in 1942, when anti-tank shells fired from said anti-tank guns failed to penetrate the armor of new Soviet tanks, such as the T-34 and KV-1.
As an interim solution, it was decided to use captured French vehicles, such as the Lorraine (Marder I), obsolete tanks in surplus, such as the German Panzer II (Marder II), and Czech-"supplied" Panzer 38(t) (Marder III) as the base for the production of makeshift tank destroyers. The result was the Marder series, which were armed with either captured Soviet 76.2mm F-22 Model 1936 divisional field guns, or German 7.5 cm PaK 40 anti-tank guns mounted in later versions. Due to weight, space, and time constraints, the Marder series had relatively thin armor when compared with other armored vehicles of the era. This thin upper armor formed a gunshield, only protecting the crew from shrapnel and small arms fire on the front and sides. All Marder series had open tops—although some were issued with canvas tops to protect the crew from the elements. In this regard, the Marder was more of a gun carriage than a proper Panzerjäger that could exchange fire with enemy tanks.
By December 1941 the Germans had captured large numbers of Soviet model 1936 76 mm divisional gun M1936 (F-22), which were re-purposed both as field cannon (FK) and anti-tank guns (Pak). According to notes in Franz Halder's War Diary for 28th August 1941, the 7.62 cm gun was originally a Krupp design sold the to the Soviets after being rejected by the German Army's Ordnance Office.
The decision was made to mate this gun to the Panzer 38(t). The built-up gun tubes were rechambered by Rheinmetall-Borsig, being rebored to seat a longer cartridge case, since the more powerful projectiles used by the Germans in the 7.5 cm Pak 40 were physically longer than the Soviet ones. A larger diameter driving band of 76.10 mm was installed on the armour-piercing Panzergranate 39 shells to compensate for the difference in caliber. A de:Solothurn muzzle brake was installed, and the gun was re-designated as the 7.62 cm Pak 36(r).
While the Panzer 38(t) had largely become obsolete as a tank in early 1942, it was still an excellent and plentiful platform for adaptation into a tank destroyer, among other roles. The mass production of the Panzer 38(t) Ausf. G was halted, and a modified superstructure was bolted onto the standard tank chassis in lieu of a gun turret. This upper structure mounted the gun and an extended gun shield, giving only limited protection for the commander, gunner, and the loader. Armor protection overall ranged from 10 to 50 mm, with no armor at all above and behind the gun compartment, which the crew occupied. It had a higher silhouette than the original Panzer 38(t), which made it more vulnerable to enemy fire.
Thirty rounds of ammunition were stored inside the vehicle. The HE Sprenggranate 39, the AP Panzergranate 39, and the tungsten-cored AP Pzgr 40 could be fired, but the latter was withdrawn from around 1943 due to a shortage of tungsten. In fact, the standard AP Panzergrante 39 was so effective even against the KV-1 that the Pzgr 40 was rarely needed. Apart from the main gun, there was a 7.92 mm MG 37 machine gun mounted in the hull. These vehicles had a Fu.Spr.d radio installed.
The original engine installed in the 38 series was the 6-cylinder gasoline Scania-Vabis 1662 of 7.75 litres, manufactured under license by BMM and given the designation Praga TNHPS. It developed around 125 PS @2200 rpm; however, the engine was governed at the factory to 2000 rpm, giving a maximum speed of 37.8 km/h. With a second carburetor the power output was increased to 150 PS @2500 rpm with improved fuel consumption, and a top speed of 47.25 km/h; designated as the Praga AC it was installed from July 1942 in the Ausf. H models with the Soviet 7.62 cm gun. However, the power increase couldn't be fully used because the Praga-Wilson transmission was limited to 2500 rpm.
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Marder III
Marder III was the name for a series of World War II German tank destroyers. They mounted either the modified ex-Soviet 76.2 mm F-22 Model 1936 divisional field gun, or the German 7.5 cm PaK 40, in an open-topped fighting compartment on top of the chassis of the Czechoslovak Panzer 38(t). They offered little protection to the crew, but added significant firepower, which was able to destroy the thick-armored T-34s, compared to contemporary German tanks. They were in production from 1942 to 1944 with three variants, the Marder III, Marder III Ausf. H, and Marder III Ausf. M, and served on all fronts until the end of the war, along with the similar Marder II. The German word Marder means "marten" in English.
In the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, the Wehrmacht felt the need for a more mobile and more powerful anti-tank solution than the existing towed anti-tank guns, such as the 3.7 cm Pak 36, or self-propelled tank destroyers, such as the Panzerjäger I (mounted with the 4.7 cm PaK (t)). This need became urgent in 1942, when anti-tank shells fired from said anti-tank guns failed to penetrate the armor of new Soviet tanks, such as the T-34 and KV-1.
As an interim solution, it was decided to use captured French vehicles, such as the Lorraine (Marder I), obsolete tanks in surplus, such as the German Panzer II (Marder II), and Czech-"supplied" Panzer 38(t) (Marder III) as the base for the production of makeshift tank destroyers. The result was the Marder series, which were armed with either captured Soviet 76.2mm F-22 Model 1936 divisional field guns, or German 7.5 cm PaK 40 anti-tank guns mounted in later versions. Due to weight, space, and time constraints, the Marder series had relatively thin armor when compared with other armored vehicles of the era. This thin upper armor formed a gunshield, only protecting the crew from shrapnel and small arms fire on the front and sides. All Marder series had open tops—although some were issued with canvas tops to protect the crew from the elements. In this regard, the Marder was more of a gun carriage than a proper Panzerjäger that could exchange fire with enemy tanks.
By December 1941 the Germans had captured large numbers of Soviet model 1936 76 mm divisional gun M1936 (F-22), which were re-purposed both as field cannon (FK) and anti-tank guns (Pak). According to notes in Franz Halder's War Diary for 28th August 1941, the 7.62 cm gun was originally a Krupp design sold the to the Soviets after being rejected by the German Army's Ordnance Office.
The decision was made to mate this gun to the Panzer 38(t). The built-up gun tubes were rechambered by Rheinmetall-Borsig, being rebored to seat a longer cartridge case, since the more powerful projectiles used by the Germans in the 7.5 cm Pak 40 were physically longer than the Soviet ones. A larger diameter driving band of 76.10 mm was installed on the armour-piercing Panzergranate 39 shells to compensate for the difference in caliber. A de:Solothurn muzzle brake was installed, and the gun was re-designated as the 7.62 cm Pak 36(r).
While the Panzer 38(t) had largely become obsolete as a tank in early 1942, it was still an excellent and plentiful platform for adaptation into a tank destroyer, among other roles. The mass production of the Panzer 38(t) Ausf. G was halted, and a modified superstructure was bolted onto the standard tank chassis in lieu of a gun turret. This upper structure mounted the gun and an extended gun shield, giving only limited protection for the commander, gunner, and the loader. Armor protection overall ranged from 10 to 50 mm, with no armor at all above and behind the gun compartment, which the crew occupied. It had a higher silhouette than the original Panzer 38(t), which made it more vulnerable to enemy fire.
Thirty rounds of ammunition were stored inside the vehicle. The HE Sprenggranate 39, the AP Panzergranate 39, and the tungsten-cored AP Pzgr 40 could be fired, but the latter was withdrawn from around 1943 due to a shortage of tungsten. In fact, the standard AP Panzergrante 39 was so effective even against the KV-1 that the Pzgr 40 was rarely needed. Apart from the main gun, there was a 7.92 mm MG 37 machine gun mounted in the hull. These vehicles had a Fu.Spr.d radio installed.
The original engine installed in the 38 series was the 6-cylinder gasoline Scania-Vabis 1662 of 7.75 litres, manufactured under license by BMM and given the designation Praga TNHPS. It developed around 125 PS @2200 rpm; however, the engine was governed at the factory to 2000 rpm, giving a maximum speed of 37.8 km/h. With a second carburetor the power output was increased to 150 PS @2500 rpm with improved fuel consumption, and a top speed of 47.25 km/h; designated as the Praga AC it was installed from July 1942 in the Ausf. H models with the Soviet 7.62 cm gun. However, the power increase couldn't be fully used because the Praga-Wilson transmission was limited to 2500 rpm.
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