Sdkfz 141 panzer iii light medium tank military factory. A total of 600 panzer iii gs were produced in 194041, which meant a number saw service in north africa. However the 1st batterie was sent to fight in north africa. The name stuck, with both news media and allied soldiers, as the name for all subsequent german units in north africa. The panzer ii was a german light tank ordered into production as a stopgap measure, as the panzer iii continued to have developmental problems. The panzer group comprised the afrika korps, with some additional german units now in north africa, plus two corps of italian units. Pz i only seem to have been used by a few panzer unit headquarters. Dec, 2004 however the 1st batterie was sent to fight in north africa. Panzerkampfwagen iii ausf n medium tanks are unloaded form a transport. Hitler ordered that the principal armament of panzer iii was to be the 50mm kwk l60. These african panzer iiis proved highly effective against the early armor of.
Rommels desert war at the height of his power in january 1941 hitler made the fateful decision to send troops to north africa to save the beleaguered italian army from defeat. Cbnaiv17 cbnaiv17 italian afv tm40 artillery tractor 8 crew 156th. Captions are notoriously wrong, especially on the internet. On 4th january 39 the weapons dept was conracted to arm the pzkw iii with a 5cm gun and installed the 5cm short l42 gun with a muzzle velocity of 450685 mps. This tank was, like another one currently in finland, buried as a bunker at the north.
Panzer iii in north africa battleline, 1 9780980659351 by claude gillono and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. In action in the east, west and north africa, 19391943 9780921991762 by restayn, j moller, n. Battleline 1 workhorse, panzer iii in north africa. The turretless command variant seems to have hung on a little longer. It was meant to compliment the lighter panzer ii and panzer iii and the design requirements did not require the new tank engage enemy tanks on equal terms. The okh organizational department tried occasionally to regularize the units fighting in north africa, but events usually overtook these efforts. During the first world war, the british learned a great deal about caring for war. Sturmpanzer ii bison in north africa site statistics. Both the main gun and the coaxial mg are simply covered to protect them from sand and such. German tank arrivals in north africa many thanks to user nmao on the ahf for putting all this information together in this thread.
Panzer iii in north afrika dak next photo panzer iii vol2 image 76 of 147 previous photo. The dak formation consisted of first of two of division 5. Panzerjaeger platoon 4 x panzerjaeger i or4 x marderii iii 76mm. Most pz iii are brand new from the factory and have the extra armor, a few are older and do not. It was under the command of hauptmann ernst benz and it was equipped with at least 6 stug iii ausf f8s. Bagnold, acting under the direction of general archibald wavell. Panzerjaeger platoon 4 x panzerjaeger i or4 x marderiiiii 76mm panzerjaeger company 3 x panzerjaeger platoon, 1 x panzerjaeger, 1 x panzerjaeger hq light flak platoon 3 x 20mm flak38, 3 x light truck.
The panzer ii tanks were produced from 1935 till 1943 and played an important role in the early years of wwii. First sent as a holding force to shore up the italian defense of their african colonies, the formation fought on in africa, under various appellations, from march 1941 until its surrender. The german panzer iii tank official designation panzerkampfwagen iii, sd kfz 141, abbreviated to pzkpfw iii saw widespread use during the second world war campaigns in poland, france, the soviet union and the balkans, and. However, additional l24 equipped pz ivs formed part of the 10th panzer division shipped to tunis as part of 5th panzer army. Workhorse panzer iii in north africa scale modelling now. Panzer ivf2 in russia 1942 this is the first in a series of articles on german tanks of world war ii. Division zb v afrika dak june, 1941 361st light africa regiment x 1 x 2 x 3 x 9 x 1 x 1 x 1 infantry battalion x 2 x 2 x 1 x 15 by greg moore march, 2009 this regiment is mostly former french foreign legionnaires of german origin. Panzer group africa was renamed panzer army africa panzerarmee afrika, armata corazzata africa on 30 january 1942. Origninally built with only 15 mm of armor, it was later upgraded to 30 mm of armor. Listed here are the panzer iii tanks that still exist today. Production began in april of 1941 and numbered 437 examples with the 75mm shortbarreled, lowvelocity gun. It was under the command of hauptmann ernst benz and it was equipped with six stug iii ausf f8s. A panzer iii in north africa world war two, world war.
No sdkfz 234 variants or sdkfz 2509 in the theatre. N 172 model, 15th panzer division, afrika korps 1943. No more than one 1 heavy panzer company allowed panzerjaegers must be all of the same type transport vehicles are optional. Bizerte, wilayat binzart, tunisia the german africa corps german. As such, german authorities ordered that the killing power of the panzer iv be broadened. By 194041 they were supplanted by the panzer iii s and panzer ivs.
Jun 25, 2019 the second design this one larger and heavier than the panzer iii would become the excellent panzer iv, a fiveman vehicle intended to supplement the actions of the existing panzer i, panzer ii and soontobe panzer iii tanks on the battlefields. On the night of february 14, 1941 the first units of what was to become famously known as the deutsches afrika korps dak sailed into the port of tripoli in north africa. Luftwaffe airfields 193545 general introduction preface this reference compendium is about those airfields in europe, russia and north africa during the period they were used by the german air force luftwaffe in world war ii and is intended to fill a gap in what is currently available on the subject. When the change of formation took place, the new 21. The panzerkampfwagen iv ausf f2 saw the biggest change in the design of the panzer iv with the installation of the long barrelled 7. L models were fielded by rommel across his north africa campaigns. War department most likely deferred to the british in dealing with the general officer prisoners because london had far more experience handling prisoners of war. The bulk of panzerregiment 7 landed in tunis in the period from 27 november to 5 december 1942. Dragon model kits for aircraft, ships, tanks, wwii and modern military. On 15 august, the panzer group was activated with rommel in command, and command of the afrika korps was turned over to ludwig cruwell. This kit of the panzer iii tank has been upgraded with magic track. The tiger i was already in north africa kicking ass when the panther came out. The panzer iii medium tank was the main german battle tank for the first two and a half years of the second world war, only beginning to lose that status after the appearance of the panzer iv ausf f2 in march 1942. Leichtdivision already stationed in north africa, continued to function as a combat unit.
This site contains a large collection new and rare digital magazines, books, manuals and more. A total of 7 stug iiis 3 ausf cd and 4 f8 were assigned and used in africa. The panzerkampfwagen iii, commonly known as the panzer iii, was a medium tank developed. See more ideas about panzer ii, afrika korps and military vehicles. E versions and includes a profile of tank ii01 as an ausf e.
Starting in may 1943 schurzen 5 mm skirt armour plates were mounted on the hull side and 10 mm plates on the turret, to prevent the soviet 14. Gallery germany tanks panzer iii vol2 panzer iii in north afrika dak next photo panzer iii vol2 image 76 of 147 previous photo. Pdf mit heute noch existierenden panzer iii englisch. According to wehrmacht panzer divisions 193945 by rosado and bishop, the tank strength of the 10 panzer division7th pz. Panzer iv were armed with short or long barreled 75mm guns that proved very effective. Panzer leader blitz north africa egypt desert map set large.
N was increasingly used in the infantry support role once the 75 mm long barrelled panzer iv, panther and 88mm armed tiger tank entered service. Iv long the only numbers that book offers for the 15th and 21st panzer divisions are alamein or before. It was fought in the libyan and egyptian deserts western desert campaign, also known as the desert war and in morocco and algeria operation torch a page 2. The war in north africa, 19421943 1 in april 1942, rear admiral henry kent hewitt hewitt had been ordered to hampton roads virginia, usa to command the atlantic fleets new amphibious force. This transformed the panzer iv from a medium support tank into the best battle tank then in german service. Jul 10, 2018 initially i was going to model panzerbefehlswagen ii01 with panzer regiment 5 in north africa, using claude gillonos panzer iii in north africa book. In early 1943 the first panzer vi tigers reached africa. German tank arrivals in north africa the crusader project. Deutsches afrikakorps, or just the afrika korps, was the german expeditionary force in libya and tunisia during the north african campaign of world war ii. Ii was used during the polish and french campaigns, in north africa against the british, and on the eastern front against the red army.
Afv database surviving panzer iii tanks a pdf file presenting the panzer iii tanks pzkpfw. This collection is made up of 5 scale models, paints and accessories from the north african campaign of world war 2 that took place from 10 june 1940 to may 1943. Also, please note that there was no official standard panzer division anywhere until 1943. A total of 7 stug iii s 3 ausf cd and 4 f8 were assigned and used in africa. Deutsches afrikakorps, dak listen help info was the german expeditionary force in africa during the north african campaign of world war ii. The panzer group was, in turn, redesignated as panzer army africa on 30. Martin kitchens masterful new history of the axis campaign provides a fundamental reassessment of the key battles of.
France, the soviet union and the balkans, and in north africa with the famous. The book is an illustrated history of the panzerkampfwagen iii as it served in north africa during world war ii. By 194041 they were supplanted by the panzer iiis and panzer ivs. Apr, 2016 as has also been said, pz iii n were deployed to provide close he suport for tigers. Many sources list the date of formation as being in october, 1941. The german panzer iii tank official designation panzerkampfwagen iii, sd kfz. The italian forces in north africa found this out the hard way and fell to british armor due to their main gun ineffectiveness. Workhorse panzer iii in north africa by claude gillono book. As has also been said, pz iii n were deployed to provide close he suport for tigers. Bagnold was assisted by captain patrick clayton and captain william shaw. Lrdg vs panzer dak the ultimate north african bundle is now. Im starting with the panzer iv which was the mainstay of wehrmacht and waffen ss panzer formations throughout the war. During november 1942 transports brought to the ports of tunis and bizerte 176 tanks, 1 artillery pieces, 1,152 vehicles, and,000 tons of supplies.
You can barely make out the frame antenna and the distinctive running gear with a return roller of the pz iii ausf. Panzerdivision was also ordered to tunisia in response to the allied landings in french north africa. Pick 4 plates to create a sheet of custom panzer leader or panzer blitz counters. Chamberlain and doyle state in their muchmaligned book that the majority of pz iv f1s were used to reequip the 2nd and 5th panzer divisions, units which were never sent to north africa. Jim day has indicated very clearly he is working on a north africa product for the panzer series. This unit was later renamed stug battery 90 late april 1943. Sturmpanzer ii bison in north africa world war photos. Why wasnt the stug iii ever used during the north african. Until then, and even afterwards, there existed many variations and improvisations. Many were still in combat service against western allied forces in 19441945. This is an apolitical forum for discussions on the axis nations and related topics hosted by the axis history factbook in cooperation with christian ankerstjernes panzerworld and christoph awenders ww2. Martin kitchens masterful new history of the axis campaign provides a. It was armed with both a machine gun and an automatic 20 mm canon, decidedly inferior to the standard 37 mm and 2 pounder tank guns used in most.
The panzer iii was used in the german campaigns in poland, in france, in the soviet union, and in north africa. You can also specify unit insignia be added to the counters options like. The unit is known for having been commanded by field marshal erwin rommel. Mar 07, 20 german tank arrivals in north africa many thanks to user nmao on the ahf for putting all this information together in this thread. Sdkfz 161 panzer iv medium tank tracked combat vehicle. Aside from use in europe, the panzer iii also saw service in north africa with erwin rommels renowned afrika korps. Lrdg vs panzer dak the ultimate north african bundle is.
The panzer group controlled the afrika korps and other units that were sent to africa notably the 90th light infantry division, and the italian x corps and xx corps. German panzer battalion north africa, 1941 early 1942 cohesion. I have turned this into a more readable excel table, and done some calculations and added some notes to the information. Panzer division began to form while panzer regiment 5 continued to operate in north africa. Panzerdivision began to form while panzerregiment 5 continued to operate in north africa. Until then the panzer iii had been the only german designed tank armed with a gun designed to penetrate enemy armour. After operation torch landed 225,000 allied soldiers in north africa, the germans and italians built up their forces. Luftwaffe airfields 193545 general introduction preface this reference compendium is about those airfields in europe, russia and north africa during the period they were used by the german air force luftwaffe in world war ii and is intended to fill a. He has said it would likely be standalone since the vehicle artwork is expected to change, and it will also enable the mbt series to expand to idf which itself may be multiple projects since north africa is where the desert rules will be introduced. Panzer iiis had success in north africa where they first arrived in february 1941, with a mix of panzer i, ii, iii ausf g, h. Initially i was going to model panzerbefehlswagen ii01 with panzer regiment 5 in north africa, using claude gillonos panzer iii in north africa book.
Westphal, who functioned in north africa in 194143 as operation officer of panzer group later panzer army. Battleline, tanks and militray vehicles, world war ii, firefly collection. This is an apolitical forum for discussions on the axis nations and related topics hosted by the axis history factbook in cooperation with christian ankerstjernes panzerworld and christoph awenders ww2 day by day. This is the first in a series of articles on german tanks of world war ii. Mar 15, 2016 the name stuck, with both news media and allied soldiers, as the name for all subsequent german units in north africa. World war ii armed forces orders of battle and organizations. Surviving panzer iii tanks the shadocks website free. Jan 14, 2004 also, please note that there was no official standard panzer division anywhere until 1943. Panzerkampfwagen iii ausf n unloaded in north africa the. I dont think that what we are seeing here is a dummy gun, jr. Giving the characteristic of north african modifications, this kit includes a roofmounted jerry can rack and a rommelkiste stowage box on the rear of the turret. To oppose all of those tanks tyhe afrika korps relied on both panzer iii and ivs. The other panzer division in afrika 10th panzer division.
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