PZ III E – Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E
Original name code for the PZ III E is Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E. This is a German light tank and it is a tier 3 one.
Description
This comes in the list of the German’s rank 1 medium tank. And this has a battle rating with a value of 1.0. It is categorized as AB/RB/SB. It was developed with so many updates and versions. But was stopped at the version of 1.41. Compared to the PZ III E’s predecessor (Panzer III F) and the successor (Panzer III B), the Panzer III F was in a good shape in almost every aspect. Especially on the side of the armor layout.
Specially added features to the new PZ III E
There were so many new features for the truck. But the most iconic ones were the front with a 30mm thickness and the side armor which had a 37m gun. This also has the magical smoke grenade feature. This feature can be seen in the E-100 too.
General built
As a medium tank, this also had the same built design and features.
Armor
| Armor | Front/side/back |
| Hull | 30/30/20 |
| Turret | 35/30/30 |
Crew
The crew of the Panzer III E has consisted of 5 people. They are,
- The commander
- The gunner
- The driver
- The radio operator
- The loader
Pros and cons
What were the pinpoints of Panzer III E?
It had an improved security and protection system over so many tanks. Especially over the Ausf. B. There are many arguments about this side of the tank. But the Panzer III E is the best option for the need for angle tactics.
What were the null points of Panzer III E?
We all can agree that the Panzer III E is not the best option for survival. But, since this is a light tank, it just has to stop a few shells only and the tank is capable of it.
Panzer III J – Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. J
The original name code for the PZ III E is Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. J. This is a German medium tank. And it has 2.3 ratings on the battle rating ranks.
Built
The armor of this Panzer III J is 20 mm thick. And it is a spaced one. The hull and the turret were fitted to the back of the above-mentioned armor.
Performance
It was a beast against the American and British tanks. Especially in North Africa. But it was a failure when compared with the soviet beasts. Specifically with the Soviet T-34.
Specifications of the Panzer III J
| Dimensions | 5.49 m x 2.95 m x 2.50 m |
| Machine guns | 2 × 7.92 mm MG34 |
| Armament | 5 cm Kw. K 38 L/42 later
5 cm Kw. K L/60 |
| Weight | 21.6 tons |
| Armor | 57 mm (previously 10mm – 50mm) |
| Range | 155 km |
| Crew | 5 |
Mobility of Panzer III J
Panzer III J was great in mobility. It had a forward speed limit of 60km/h and a reverse speed of 12km/h. and Panzer III J had 6 forward gears and back gear.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
Panzer III J was indeed a powerful tank. And the gun depression was at its best. And the armor is pretty decent with the layout.
Disadvantages
But it also had some cons. Main problem Panzer III J was the penetration. It was a bit lacking. And the turret traverse speed was awful. Rather than that, it is safe to say that Panzer III J was a pretty good boy on the field.
Overall performance
We can agree that the overall performance of both tanks, PZ III J and PZ III E was in good measures.
