German Medium Tanks

Armament: 37mm KwK 35/36 L/46.5 gun (99 rounds) and 3 x 7.92mm MG 34 mg.

Armour: 30mm.

Weight: 15 tons.

Crew: 5 commander, gunner, loader, driver and radio operator.

Speed: Road 40kmh (25mph) Cross country 20kph (13mph).

Range: Road 165km (103 miles) Cross-Country 105km (65 miles).

In 1935, development of a general-purpose medium tank was begun. The first PzKfw III Ausf A was produced in May 1937. It was armed with the 37mm KwK 35/36 L/46.5 gun and three 7.92mm MG 34 machine guns (two in the turret and one in the hull). A 250hp petrol engine, with 5 or 6-speed gearbox, giving a top speed of 40km/h, powered the vehicles. The vehicle was operated by the crew of five men, consisting of a commander, gunner and loader in the turret and the driver and radio operator in the hull front. Communication between crewmembers was through the use of intercom system. The PzKfw III was the first German Panzer to be equipped with an intercom system for in-tank communications. Later on all Panzers were equipped with this device, which proved to be very effective during combat.
Later that year saw the introduction of the Ausf B and then the Ausf C. These were followed in January 1938 by the next variant, the Ausf D. These early models, Ausf A, B, C and D, were pre-prototypes and each new model was an improved version of the previous one. Each model featured improved types of suspension, engines and armour protection was increased to 30mm.
In December 1938, Ausf E entered production and was the first version that was produced in significant number. The basic design remained unchanged from its predecessor but it featured new torsion bar suspension composed of six road wheels and three return rollers. A driver's visor was provided and side hatches were installed in the turret. It was powered by a new 300hp engine and an improved gearbox. It was also heavier than all previous models weighing 19.5 tons. From August 1940, all Ausf E vehicles were rearmed with 50mm KwK 38 L/42 guns.
In September 1939, the Ausf F entered production. It was a refined version of the Ausf E and it did not feature any significant modifications or changes other than an improved engine. From August of 1940 all 37mm Ausf F were rearmed with 50mm KwK 38 L/42 guns. In 1942, a number of Ausf F tanks were rearmed with the 50mm KwK 39 L/60 gun.
In 1940 attempts were made to standardize the production of Panzer III and Panzer IV vehicles. April of that year saw the introduction of the Ausf G. The Ausf G was a slight improvement over previous variants. New optics for the driver, a modified turret, a new commander's cupola and late production vehicles were fitted with wider 400mm tracks.
In October 1940, Ausf H entered production. It featured a newly designed turret, a new gearbox, armour protection was increased to 30mm and the suspension system was modified. The weight also increased to 21.8 tons. Originally, the Ausf H was armed with 50mm KwK 38 L/42 gun and two MG 34 machine guns, but in 1942 the vehicles were rearmed with the 50mm KwK 39 L/60 gun.
In March 1941 the Ausf J entered production. The Ausf J had its armour protection significantly improved to 50mm. In addition improved driver's optics and front access hatches were fitted.
In June 1942, the Ausf L tank entered production. The main improvement was a new torsion bar gun counter balance, which replaced the original coil spring gun recoil mechanism. Armour protection on the front turret was increased to 57mm and 20mm spaced armour was installed on the gun mantlet. Many vehicles were also mounted with 5mm hull and turret armour skirts (Schurzen).
In October 1942 the Ausf M entered production. The Ausf M was fitted with new wading equipment, allowing wading up to an increased depth of approximately 1.3m.
From February 1943, 100 Ausf M tanks were converted to Flammpanzer - flame-thrower tanks. In contrast to regular tanks, a three-man crew, composed of commander/flame gunner, radio operator/hull gunner and driver, operated the vehicle. The main gun and internal ammunition stowage were replaced with the flame-thrower and fuel tanks. The vehicle was armed with a 14mm Flammenwerfer flame-thrower and two 7.92mm MG 34 machine guns. The flame-thrower was mounted in place of the original 50mm gun and concealed in a thick 1.5m long pipe made to appear as standard armament. The flame-thrower could be lowered to 8° and raised to 20°. Each vehicle carried 1020 litres of inflammable oil (Flammol) in two tanks inside the vehicle. Oil was pumped into the pipe by a pump and was ignited by an electric charge (Smitskerzen). The supply of oil allowed 125 one second, or 80 two to three seconds long bursts. The maximum range of the flame-thrower was 60m using ignited oil and 50m using cold oil. The range also depended on the weather conditions. However the Flammpanzer III's design proved to be unsuccessful and vehicles returned for repairs were rebuilt into standard combat tanks or Sturmgeschutz III assault guns.
In June 1942, the last PzKpfw III model entered production. The Ausf N, whose major improvement was its main armament. It was armed with a short 75mm KwK 37 L/24 gun, with internal ammunition stowage modified to 56 rounds. Vehicles produced from March of 1943 were factory mounted with 5mm hull and turret armour skirts (Schurzen) and vehicles produced from early 1943 were factory applied with Zimmerit - anti-magnetic paste.
The PzKfw III's production ceased in August 1943 and it saw an extensive service on all fronts until late 1943, when it was totally replaced by the PvKfw IV.

Armament: 75mm L/24 gun (80 rounds) and 1 x MG 34 mg.

Armour: 50mm.

Weight: 20 tons.

Crew: 5, commander, gunner, loader, machine gunner / radio-operator and driver.

Speed: Road 40kmh (25mph), Cross Country 20kmh (13mph).

Range: Road 200km (125miles) Cross Country 130km (81miles).

Development of the PzKfw IV began in 1934, with full production of the Panzer IV Ausf A beginning in 1937. Armed with 75mm KwK 40 L/48 gun and two MG 34 machine guns. The vehicle featured a suspension system composed of drive sprocket, idler and 8 road-wheels on each side of the hull. The vehicle was operated by a five man crew composed of commander, gunner and loader in the turret and driver along with machine gunner / radio-operator in the front part of the hull. The communication between the crew was by the use of the intercom. A 12-cylinder engine with 300hp, giving a top road speed of 40kmh, powered the vehicle. From mid 1937 onwards, attempts were made to standardize production of the PzKfw III and PzKfw IV.
In April 1938, the Ausf B was introduced. It featured a modified turret and a new one-piece front hull plate.
In October 1938, further development of the PzKpfw IV evolved into the Ausf C. Late Ausf C models were powered by a newer 12 cylinder engine which became the standard power plant for all of the later models in the series.
In October 1939, the next variant, Ausf D, was produced. The Panzer IV Ausf D was the first true production model and remained in service until 1944. It featured new front hull plate design and a new external gun mantlet
In September 1940, the Ausf E entered production. The Ausf E was the first Panzer IV fitted with turret mounted storage bins, an improved design of driver's visor, drive sprockets and commander's cupola.
In April 1941, the Ausf F was introduced. The Ausf F was the last of the Panzer IV's based on the short version chassis. The Ausf F also featured a newly designed turret, drive sprockets and idlers. It was fitted with new 400mm wide tracks instead of the old 360mm wide ones.
In May 1942, next variant Ausf G was introduced. It was based on the long version PzKpfw IV chassis and armed with the newer 75mm KwK 40 L/43 gun. The installation of the new gun increased the overall weight of the tank and reduced its speed. The new gun was mounted with double baffle muzzle brake and late model Ausf G's were fitted with steel armour skirts. Other new features included a new simplified turret design mounted with smoke grenade launchers.
The Ausf H entered production in April 1943. Frontal armour was increased from 50mm to 80mm on the front hull and superstructure. This also increased the weight of the Ausf H to 25 tons. It was fitted with a new, water-cooled gasoline engine producing 265hp, giving a maximum road speed of 38km/h. Further modifications, included deletion of side superstructure visor ports in June 1943, followed by application of Zimmerit paste starting in September 1943 and modifications to the suspension in September-November of 1943. Also introduced were new commander's cupola and anti-aircraft MG 34 cupola mount. Vehicles were also fitted with side armour skirts (Schurzen).
In June 1944, Ausf J, the final variant of the PzKfw IV tank entered production. The Ausf J was produced with simplifying the production process in mind. The first component deleted was the electric turret drive with auxiliary generator set, which resulted with the turret having to be traversed manually by hand. Its place was to be taken by a 200-litre fuel tank in July 1944. This increased the fuel capacity to 680 litres, improving the combat range to over 300km.
During early stages of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, PzKfw IV's were equipped with single-axle trailers carrying two barrels of fuel in order to increase their radius of operation. Since the autumn of 1942, Panzer IVs serving in Russia, were equipped with wider "winter tracks" (Winterketten) and since the spring of 1944, with even wider "eastern tracks" (Ostketten).