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Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was ''Panzerkampfwagen III'' Sd.Kfz. 141 (abbreviated PzKpfw III) translating as "armoured fighting vehicle". It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and serve alongside the support Panzer IV; however, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, stronger anti-tank guns were needed. Since the Panzer IV had a bigger turret ring, the roles were reversed. The Panzer IV mounted the long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun and engaged in tank-to-tank battles. The Panzer III became obsolete in this role and for most purposes was supplanted by the Panzer IV. From 1942, the last version of Panzer III mounted the 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24, better suited for infantry support. Production of the Panzer III ended in 1943. However, the Panzer III's capable chassis provided hulls for the Sturmgeschütz III assault gun until the end of the war. ==Development history== On January 11, 1934, following specifications laid down by Heinz Guderian, the Army Weapons Department drew up plans for a medium tank with a maximum weight of and a top speed of . It was intended as the main tank of the German Panzer divisions, capable of engaging and destroying opposing tank forces. At the time, it was widely held that tanks would be used in two ways. The first use was, of course, direct combat against other tanks and other armoured vehicles, requiring the tank to fire armour piercing (AP) shells. The second use was protecting other tanks against anti-tank guns and infantry, firing high-explosive shells at such soft targets. It was the infantry, in prepared defences and equipped with anti-tank guns, that was thought to present the biggest threat to armour. Tanks designed to operate with friendly infantry against the enemy generally carried more armour and were heavier. A separate class, known as cruisers or mediums, was intended to exploit gaps in the enemy lines where opposition had been removed, moving through and attacking the enemy's unprotected lines of communication and the rear areas. These designs were lighter and faster. The Panzer III was built to this lighter standard, and was intended to be paired with the Panzer IV. The infantry-support role was provided by the turretless ''Sturmgeschütz'' assault gun, which mounted a short-barrelled gun on a Panzer III chassis. Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall all produced prototypes. Testing of these took place in 1936 and 1937, leading to the Daimler-Benz design being chosen for production. The first model of the Panzer III, the ''Ausführung A.'' (Ausf. A), came off the assembly line in May 1937; ten, two of which were unarmed, were produced in that year. Mass production of the Ausf. F version began in 1939. Between 1937 and 1940, attempts were made to standardize parts between Krupp's Panzer IV and Daimler-Benz's Panzer III. Much of the early development work on the Panzer III was a quest for a suitable suspension. Several varieties of leaf-spring suspensions were tried on Ausf. A through Ausf. D, usually using eight relatively small-diameter road wheels before the torsion-bar suspension of the Ausf. E was standardized, using the six road wheel design that became standard. The Panzer III, along with the Soviet KV heavy tank, was one of the first tanks to use this suspension design. A distinct feature of the Panzer III, influenced by British Vickers tanks (1924), was the three-man turret. This meant that the commander was not distracted with another role in the tank (e.g. as gunner or loader) and could fully concentrate on maintaining awareness of the situation and directing the tank. Most tanks of the time did not have this capability, providing the Panzer III with a combat advantage versus such tanks. For example, the French Somua S-35 only had a one-man turret crew, and the Soviet T-34 originally had a two-man turret crew. The practical importance of this feature is signified by the fact that not only all the further German tank designs inherited it, but also, later into the war, most Allied tank designs either quickly switched to the three-man turret, or they were abandoned as obsolete. The Panzer III, as opposed to the Panzer IV, had no turret basket, merely a foot rest platform for the gunner.〔Some authors say that basket was added in Ausf. H, some object that: 〕 The Panzer III was intended as the primary battle tank of the German forces. However, when it initially met the KV-1 and T-34 tanks it proved to be inferior in both armour and gun power. To meet the growing need to counter these tanks, the Panzer III was up-gunned with a longer, more powerful gun and received more armour although this failed to effectively address the problem caused by the KV tank designs. As a result, production of self-propelled guns, as well as the up-gunning of the Panzer IV was initiated. In 1942, the final version of the Panzer III, the Ausf. N, was created with a KwK 37 L/24 cannon, the same short-barreled howitzer-like gun used for the initial models of the Panzer IV, a low-velocity gun designed for anti-infantry and close-support work. For defensive purposes, the Ausf. N was equipped with rounds of HEAT ammunition that could penetrate of armour depending on the round's variant, but these were strictly used for self-defense. The Japanese government bought two Panzer IIIs from their German allies during the war (one 50 mm and one 75 mm). Purportedly this was for reverse engineering purposes, since Japan put more emphasis on the development of new military aircraft and naval technology and had been dependent on European influence in designing new tanks. By the time the vehicles were delivered, the Panzer III's technology was obsolete.〔Zaloga (2007), p.17〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Panzer III」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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