Panzer III Aus L Tank
The Panzer III was conceived in 1934 as the principal combat tank of the German Army's Panzer divisions. Armed with a high-velocity 37mm gun that fired armour-piercing projectiles, it was complemented by a support tank, the heavier Panzer IV with a short 75mm gun.
Production started in 1937 with the Ausfuhrung, (abbreviation Aus, meaning version), A. The Aus B, C and D versions were produced in small numbers and saw combat in Poland in September 1939. Experience in Poland and France showed that the original 37mm gun was ineffective against the most heavily armoured tanks and from July 1940 the Aus G mounted a short 50mm gun.
Combat against Soviet T-34 and KV tanks during Operation Barbarossa revealed that the Panzer III was both insufficiently armoured and still under-gunned. The Aus J introduced 50mm armour (compared to 30mm on the earlier models) and the long 50mm gun. The Aus L was introduced in June 1942 and a total of 653 were manufactured before it was superseded by the Aus M in December 1942.
Features of the Aus L include even thicker armour on the turret front as well as spaced armour on the gun mantlet and superstructure front. The Tank Museum’s example is an early production Aus L, modified for ‘tropical’ service. It was shipped from Nuremburg via Naples to Benghazi in Libya, arriving on the SS Lerica on 18 July 1942. It was issued to the 8th Panzer Regiment, part of the 15th Panzer Division and probably fought in the Battle of Alam Halfa. It was subsequently captured by the British Army and shipped to the UK.
The Museum’s staff have restored the tank to running order, have repainted it in its original camouflage and markings and are currently replacing many of the ancillary tools and equipment that it carried. The Panzer III was the backbone of the German armoured divisions between mid-1940 and mid-1942.
By 1942 it was clearly outclassed by the latest Soviet tanks and it was superseded in this role by the larger Panzer IV, armed with a high velocity 75mm gun. Some 6,140 Panzer IIIs were built, with production ending in August 1943. However, the chassis continued in production until 1945 as the basis of the Sturmgeschutze III assault gun. Panzer IIIs were also converted into armoured recovery vehicles, command tanks and artillery observation vehicles.
Panzer III Aus L Tank
The Panzer III was conceived in 1934 as the principal combat tank of the German Army's Panzer divisions. Armed with a high-velocity 37mm gun that fired armour-piercing projectiles, it was complemented by a support tank, the heavier Panzer IV with a short 75mm gun.
Production started in 1937 with the Ausfuhrung, (abbreviation Aus, meaning version), A. The Aus B, C and D versions were produced in small numbers and saw combat in Poland in September 1939. Experience in Poland and France showed that the original 37mm gun was ineffective against the most heavily armoured tanks and from July 1940 the Aus G mounted a short 50mm gun.
Combat against Soviet T-34 and KV tanks during Operation Barbarossa revealed that the Panzer III was both insufficiently armoured and still under-gunned. The Aus J introduced 50mm armour (compared to 30mm on the earlier models) and the long 50mm gun. The Aus L was introduced in June 1942 and a total of 653 were manufactured before it was superseded by the Aus M in December 1942.
Features of the Aus L include even thicker armour on the turret front as well as spaced armour on the gun mantlet and superstructure front. The Tank Museum’s example is an early production Aus L, modified for ‘tropical’ service. It was shipped from Nuremburg via Naples to Benghazi in Libya, arriving on the SS Lerica on 18 July 1942. It was issued to the 8th Panzer Regiment, part of the 15th Panzer Division and probably fought in the Battle of Alam Halfa. It was subsequently captured by the British Army and shipped to the UK.
The Museum’s staff have restored the tank to running order, have repainted it in its original camouflage and markings and are currently replacing many of the ancillary tools and equipment that it carried. The Panzer III was the backbone of the German armoured divisions between mid-1940 and mid-1942.
By 1942 it was clearly outclassed by the latest Soviet tanks and it was superseded in this role by the larger Panzer IV, armed with a high velocity 75mm gun. Some 6,140 Panzer IIIs were built, with production ending in August 1943. However, the chassis continued in production until 1945 as the basis of the Sturmgeschutze III assault gun. Panzer IIIs were also converted into armoured recovery vehicles, command tanks and artillery observation vehicles.