- Introduction & Background
The final model of Panzer III - Panzer III Type N
The N type was jointly produced by Henschel, Weiger, MNH, MIAG and the Augsburg-Nuremberg Machinery Works in June 1942. As of August 1943, a total of 700 vehicles were produced and modified. The chassis The number is 73851~77800
In 1942, the Panzer III's weak 50mm gun was no longer able to deal with Soviet tanks. In June of the same year, the German army began to plan to install a 75MM caliber artillery piece on the No. 3. The types of artillery and shells used were the same as the short-barreled model of the No. 4. It could not only fire high-explosive bombs, but also high-speed armor-piercing projectiles, which was superior to the original in terms of firepower. 60 times caliber 50mm artillery.
The original N-type tank was improved from the semi-finished J-type and L-type Panzer III tanks that were still in the production line. About 3 J-type tanks were modified; 447 L-type tanks were modified. Because of the good feedback from the troops, it was decided in November to modify the 75MM artillery on the Type III Panzer III tank. A total of 213 tanks were modified; the remaining 37 tanks were modified from some early battle-damaged Type III tanks.
Because the No. 3 N type is mainly modified from the chassis of the J, L, and M models, its basic structure is the same as the three. The biggest difference lies in its main gun. In order to give you a better understanding of No. 3 N, here we briefly mention the three models J, L, and M.
Compared with the previous model, the No. 3 J type has a redesigned body and 50MM of armor installed. The driver has an improved observation port, and a newly designed air intake and engine cooling system are used in the lower body. The smoke grenade launchers were relocated to both sides of the rear of the vehicle. From April 1942, 20mm of additional armor was added to the front of the gun shield and the upper part of the hull. Since the No. 3 J model was installed, 60 times the 50mm cannon was also installed, which resulted in the length of ammunition being lengthened and the amount of ammunition available reduced.
The Type III tank L mainly uses a new torsion bar balanced gun recoil offset device to replace the original coil spring recoil mechanism. The armor in front of the turret is increased from 30mm to 57mm, and the lower part of the car body and the gun shield are also increased. The 20mm additional armor mentioned. The air inlets and covers were modified, the crew escape window on the hull, the loader's observation window on the shield and the side part of the turret were removed, and a device for transmitting engine heat from one vehicle to another was added. Type 41/42 anti-aircraft machine guns are also installed on the command tower, which has become the standard for all types.
The Panzer III Tank M is equipped with new wading equipment, which allows the wading depth to reach 1.3m (previously it was only 0.8~0.9m, but I forgot to add a point here before and it became 13m). A muffler modified with a shut-off valve is installed behind the car body so that all air inlets and outlets are sealed with other openings. Interestingly, this wading equipment was further improved and installed on the Type III submersible tank.
Regarding the M-type and N-type, in order to speed up the production of the N-type, the method of directly mounting the N-type turret on the M-type body was adopted.
Beginning in March 1943, the newly produced N-types were equipped with armored skirts on both sides of the car body. From early 1943, various models of cars were coated with the antimagnetic ZIMMERIT coating, and the N model was no exception.
The N type is mainly used for close support. It is often equipped with the "Tiger" heavy tank battalion to prevent the Tiger from being attacked by enemy infantry or anti-tank fighters, and performs secondary tasks such as reconnaissance, escort, and anti -infantry. , and also used for fire support of armored forces.
During the Battle of Kursk, the frontline German troops were equipped with a total of 155 Type III Type N vehicles. At the same time, there is no evidence that these Panzer III N tanks suffered heavy losses in Kursk or had excellent results.
After all, in fact, the most famous thing about the Panzer III tank is not the tank itself, but the Panzer III assault gun made from its chassis. Author: Ye Laisi - Just to tease you https://www.bilibili.com/read /cv15153007/ Source: bilibili
