- For the Steel Division: Normandy 44 unit see SD:Marder III M
Marder III M is a German Anti-tank unit in Steel Division II. It is in essence a PaK 40 mounted on an open-top Panzer 38(t) chassis (a design of Czech origin), making it a mobile gun carriage that packs a punch but is incredibly vulnerable to any form of enemy fire. The Marder series consisted of using obsolete Panzer chassis to use as a carriage for the potent Pak 40 gun, which in 1942 was heavily depended upon to combat Soviet medium & heavy tanks on the Eastern front.
- Marder I: PaK 40 mounted on the French Lorraine chassis (artillery tractor / APC)
- Marder II: PaK 40 mounted on the Panzer II chassis
- Marder III: PaK 40 mounted on the Panzer 38(t) chassis
While the Germans managed to defeat various Soviet armies with tactics, air support and training, the need for a more powerful gun was apparent as soon as the first German troops encountered the T34 and the KV-1. Amongst other solutions to quickly upgrade German forces was the Marder series, a series of Pak 40s mounted on obsolete chassis. production of Marders started in 1942 and they saw service on the Eastern front as well as the Western front.
It was respected for its firepower, though its armour was insufficiently thick and its main weakness was its survivability. As an open-top vehicle, it suffered from weather conditions as well as possible attacks from small arms, machine guns and artillery. Furthermore, Marders had a high silhouette and was more prone to being detected and hit.
Background[ | ]
A simple conversion of the Panzer 38(t), the Marder (Marten) was the pinnacle of the improvised tank destroyer series, combining the proven light tank chassis with a high powered gun to create a cheap, effective counter for enemy tanks in the Soviet Union and North Africa. The conversion took place at the Böhmisch-Mährische Maschinenfabrik, which was the original ČKD factory renamed under Nazi occupation.
The turret of the original tank was removed and replaced with an armored superstructure bolted together from armored plates, providing limited protection from the front and to the sides. The main gun was a captured Soviet F-22 76.2mm divisional gun, with a hull-mounted MG 34 for self-defense. Although it had a high silhouette and was extremely vulnerable to return or artillery fire, the high-powered main gun combined with German optics made them capable fighting vehicles. Improvements to the design focused on lowering the profile, with Ausf. H full utilizing the fighting compartment and providing a purpose-designed open-topped casemate for the gun. A total of 344 early versions were produced, with an additional 275 vehicles and 175 conversions of the Ausf. H variant.
The final model, Ausf. M, was redesigned to provide significant improvements. Sacrificing the front machine gun for a sloped glacis plate and moving the engine from the rear to the middle of the vehicle reduced the vehicle's visibility and improved protection, while the enclosed fighting compartment provided decent protection for the gun crew from all sides, except for the top. The number of crew in the rear was also increased by adding the radio operator, who assisted the commander and gunner as a loader. 942 Ausf. M destroyers were produced, serving until the end of the war.
17. SS-Panzergrenadier (SD2)'s SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 17 were still waiting for their Jagdpanzer IV (SD2) but their third Kompanie were equipped with three Marder III and 9 Marder III M.
Panzerdivision Tatra's Panzer-Jäger-Kompanie Gunther had some Marder III tank destroyers.
verst. Grenadier Regiment 1028 (mot.) has a 14. (Panzerjaeger) Kompanie (Sf.) equipped with 14 Marder III. This regiment reinforced 715. Infanterie.