Marder III

Marder III
Marder III Ausf. M
TypeTank destroyer
Place of originNazi Germany, German-occupied Czechoslovakia
Service history
In service1942–1945
Used byNazi Germany
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Designed1942
ManufacturerBMM (ČKD)
Produced1942–1944
No. built1736 produced and converted
  • Sd. Kfz. 139: 344 produced
  • Sd.Kfz. 138, Ausf. H: 275 produced, 175 converted
  • Sd.Kfz. 138, Ausf. M: 942 produced[1]
Specifications
Mass10,670 kg (23,520 lb)
Length4.65 m (15 ft 3 in)
Width2.35 m (7 ft 9 in)
Height2.48 m (8 ft 2 in)
Crew4

Armor10–50 mm
Main
armament
7.62 cm PaK 36(r) (Sd.Kfz. 139) 7.5 cm PaK 40 (Sd.Kfz. 138 Ausf. H and M)
Secondary
armament
7.92 mm MG 37(t), MG 34 or MG 42
EnginePraga Typ TNHPS/II water-cooled, 6-cylinder gasoline, 7.75 l
125–150 PS (123–148 hp; 92–110 kW)
Power/weight14.1 PS (10.4 kW) / tonne
Suspensionleaf spring
Ground clearance40 cm (1 ft 4 in)
Operational
range
190–210 km (120–130 mi)
Maximum speed 35–42 km/h (22–26 mph)

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 Czechoslovakian 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 H, and Marder III 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.

  1. ^ Jentz, Thomas L.; Doyle, Hilary Louis (2011). Panzer Tracts No.23 - Panzer Production from 1933 to 1945. Boyds, Maryland: Panzer Tracts. pp. 23, 76.