The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II

544 Pages·1998·75.922 MB·English

by  Chris Bishop

THE
ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF
WEAPONS
OF
WORLD WAR II
Contents
Introduction 7 Armoured Cars 83
Axis Tanks 9 Allied and Axis Trucks 93
British and French Tanks 20 Light Vehicles 101
Soviet and American Tanks 31 Self-Propelled Guns 111
Tank Destroyers 42 Heavy Artillery 123
Special Purpose Tanks 52 Field Artillery 136
Amphibious Vehicles 63 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Guns 148
Allied and Axis Halftracks 73 Light Anti-Aircraft Guns 159
War Rockets 169
Anti-Tank Guns 179
Infantry Support Weapons 191
Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons 203
Allied and Axis Rifles 215
Allied and Axis Pistols 225
Allied and Axis Machine-Guns 236
Allied and Axis Sub-Machine Guns 249
Allied and Axis Flamethrowers 264
Allied Fighters 275
Axis Fighters 283
Heavy Bombers 293
Contents
Light and Medium Bombers 305 American Aircraft Carriers 470
Jet Aircraft 318 Allied and Axis Battleships 478
Axis Ground Attack Aircraft 330 Allied and Axis Cruisers 487
Allied Ground Attack Aircraft 340 Axis Destroyers 497
Night-Fighters 350 Escort Vessels 509
Allied and Axis Flying-Boats 361 Coastal Craft 519
Allied and Axis Seaplanes 372 Assault Ships 529
Anti-Shipping Aircraft 383 Glossary of Weapons 540
Carrier Aircraft 393
Transport and Assault Aircraft 404
Air-to-Ground Weapons 414
Light Aircraft 424
Axis Submarines 434
Allied Submarines 443
British Aircraft Carriers 452
Japanese Aircraft Carriers 462
Introduction
-w^TT^TTorld War II affected virtually every corner But essentially they were all much the same -
jL I of the globe. In the six years between 1939 armoured vehicles mounting powerful guns running
Y Y and 1945, some 50 million people lost their on tracks.The small arms with which the various
lives, and very few who survived were not affected. combatant nations equipped their armies were very
It was the costliest and most widespread conflict the different in detail too, but essentially they were all
world has ever seen. devices for launching projectiles at high speed.
World War II was fought on land, sea and in the In short, many would simply say that guns are guns,
air with weapons which had first been used in the bombs are bombs, aircraft are aircraft, and so on. But
Great War of 1914-18. Ironically, an even greater there is certainly more to it than that, for the capacity
conflict was to emerge from the burning embers of to win or lose a war actually rested on these weapons'
that "war to end all wars", and with it huge advances qualities, just as much as it did on the fighting skills of
in weapons technology. The countries involved in those who employed them and on the strategic sense
World War II now had the means and the capability of those who directed them in their use.
to fight each other in a more efficient - and more We cannot simply bundle these weapons together -
deadly - manner. not if we really want to understand why and how
Yet only Great Britain, her Empire allies and 20th century history unfolded the way it did.
Germany were involved during the whole period. The Complete Encyclopedia of Weapons of World
For other nations the conflict was of a shorter dura- War II makes a very important contribution to the
tion. The USA and Japan, for example, were at war subject - perhaps even a vital one - for it describes
from December 1941 to August 1945 (and the USA every major weapon and vehicle employed during
was simultaneously at war with Germany, until the full period of the conflict, on land, sea and in the
Hitler's defeat in May 1945). air, in enormous detail, both in textual and in graphic
The situation was so complicated, the skeins of form. It also provides detailed specifications about
alliance and enmity so intertwined that it would take the 'core' weapon or system and all its major variants.
a very large chart indeed to describe them. Only one Thus it allows straightforward comparisons to be
factor was more straightforward and common to all made accurately and effectively.
the countries involved: the nature of the weapons Its sheer comprehensiveness makes The Complete
that the men (and sometimes women) used to fight Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II com-
their way to victory - or defeat. pelling reading. Clearly it will have considerable
There were differences in detail, of course: the appeal to all manner of students of the period as the
German Panzerkampfwagen V 'Panther' tank was a first - and probably the definitive - source of clear,
very different vehicle from the American M4 concise information on the nature and history of dif-
Sherman, the Russian T-34, or the British Cromwell. ferent weapons, including specifications, capabilities
7
Introduction
and capacities, varying forms, the colour schemes in and assault ships also played vitally important parts,
which they appeared and the manner in which they and they, too, are described, illustrated and docu-
were employed. mented here.
The text and tables have been prepared by some New weapons appeared throughout the war, but it
of the foremost experts in the field, and this same was in the air that the real changes were rung. Until
team provided and approved specifications, plans quite late in the 1930s, the world's air forces were
and drawings and photographic reference material to equipped with biplanes with relatively low-powered
assist the best graphic artists available to produce engines, thus limiting their performance, endurance
illustrations, the like of which, in terms of quality, and load-carrying capacity. Germany, risen from the
precision and accuracy, are seldom seen outside offi- ashes of defeat in 1918 and plagued throughout the
cal circles. next decade by internal strife and near-revolution,
The Complete Encyclopedia of Weapons of World was the first to recognize the potential for a new gen-
War II covers the terrestrial equipment of all arms of eration of all-metal aircraft, and soon produced such
service, from the infantryman's handgun, rifles and masterpieces as the Bf 109 interceptor/fighter, and
machine-guns, to the support weapons he used to the Dornier, Heinkel and Junkers medium bombers.
take on tanks and subdue fortified defensive posi- Britain followed suit, and began turning out long-
tions; from light armoured cars used for reconnais- range heavy bomber aircraft, such as the Lancaster,
sance to heavy assault tanks and special-purpose widely held to be the best of its type, while the USA
armoured vehicles; from towed anti-tank guns to tank - slow to get going initially - built up an aircraft
destroyers and from lightweight field artillery pieces industry second to none, which came to dominate
to self-propelled guns and howitzers, not forgetting the field by the end of the war, producing magnifi-
wheeled and tracked utility vehicles. cent aircraft, such as the Mustangs and Thunderbolts,
The war was also conducted at sea, and World War which doubled as both fighters and ground attack
II saw warships of every calibre employed all over aircraft, and the redoubtable B-7 and B-29 Fortresses.
the globe, from the 70,000-tonne monster battleships The former USSR's powerful aviation industry also
to the diminutive motor gun-boats and motor torpe- had its roots in World War II, and its products, as well
do-boats, and the best of these are described in as those of Japan, are also covered in great detail.
detail. Pride of place, however, goes to the new breed In all, The Complete Encyclopedia ofWeapons of
of capital ships - the aircraft carriers, which were World War II is a unique and essential document, cov-
born in the inter-war period and which achieved ering the equipment and weapons systems, which
maturity just as hostilities broke out. Alongside them themselves dictated the nature of the most wide-
space is also given to another new naval weapon: the spread, most expensive and most destructive conflict
submarine. the world has ever seen. World War II quite literally
Here, too, are described the last of the old genera- altered the face of the planet and the nature of its peo-
tion of capital ships - for which World War II was to ples' lives, and its reverberations are still to be felt half
be their swansong.The battleships of both sides were a century later. Here, at least and at last, we have the
to become household names all over the world means to understand how technological advances and
between 1939 and 1945, and here they are described fantastic leaps of imagination of this vitally important
and illustrated in full colour and in tremendous period manifested themselves in the tools with which
detail. Cruisers, destroyers and escorts, coastal craft the war was won - and lost.
8
Axis
Tanks
By the end of World War I the tank was a familiar sight on the battlefield;
it took the power of the German Blitzkrieg to convince conventional military
strategists that the tank, and more importantly its method of use, can have a
profound effect upon the outcome of a battle.
Although Italy and Japan pro-
duced significant numbers of
tanks before and during World War
II, it is the German tanks which
are best known. At the outbreak
of the war the Panzerkampfwagen
(PzKpfw) I and PzKpfw II were
the most common models, but
within a few years these had been
phased out of service and
replaced by the PzKpfw III and
PzKpfw IV. The latter had the dis-
tinction of remaining in produc-
tion throughout the war. It was an
excellent design that proved to be
capable of being upgunned and
up-armoured to meet the chang-
ing battlefield threat. The Panther
and Tiger arrived on the scene
towards the end of the war, but
these could not be produced in A German PzKpfw IV tank being held in reserve in anticipation of a call to action following the
anything like the required num- Allied landings at Normandy in June 1944. Note the side skirt.
bers as a result of shortages in
materials and manpower and of were first class, and this tank defensive, and these vehicles were War II as well as during the Far
the effectiveness of Allied bomb- proved a difficult one to destroy quicker, easier and cheaper to Eastern campaigns from 1941.
ing on German plants, even on both the Eastern and Western produce than tanks, such as the As few Allied AFVs were available
though many of these had been Fronts. Often four Shermans Panther and Tiger. at that time the Japanese vehicles
dispersed early in the war. The would be required to neutralize While some of the Italian tanks were quite adequate, the more so
Panther and Tiger were rushed just one Tiger: two would try to were fairly modern in 1939, by as their primary role was infantry
into production without proper draw its fire, often being knocked the early part of Italy's war they fire support rather than tank-
trials, however, and many were out in the process, while the oth- had become completely obsolete. against-tank operations.
lost during their initial deploy- ers worked round its flanks and The better armed and armoured Czech tanks are included, as
ments as a result of mechanical attacked it from its more vulnera- P 40 heavy tank never entered many were subsequently taken
breakdown rather than direct ble sides. To wards the end of service with the Italian army, over by the Germans during the
enemy action. The Tiger was, in World War II Germany turned its although a few were taken over invasion of France in 1940 and
particular, a very heavy tank and attention to producing more and by the Germans. remained in production in
lacked mobility on the battlefield. more tank destroyers as by that Japan used tanks during the Czechoslovakia after that
Its armour protection and guns time the German army was on the invasion of China before World country's occupation.
9
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
LT vz 35 light tank
In October 1934 the Czech army
placed an order for two prototypes of a
medium tank called the S-ll-a (or I'-
ll) which were completed in the fol-
lowing year, Army trials with these
vehicles started in June 1935 and soon
uncovered many faults as a result of the
tank's rushed development. Without
waiting for these faults to be corrected
an order was placed for a first batch of
160 vehicles in October 1935, and the
first five of these were delivered in the
following year. So many faults were
found with these vehicles that these
were returned to Skoda for modifica-
tions. A further batch of 138 was
ordered for the Czech army, which
called it the LT vz 35, while Romania
ordered 126 under the designation R-
2. Gradually most of the faults were
overcome and the vehicle gained a
good reputation. The Germans took
over the remaining vehicles under the
designation Panzerkampfwagen 35(t),
and a further 219 were built specifical- The hull of the LT vz 35 was of riv- side consisted of eight small road Czechoslovakia provided many of
ly for the German army in the Skoda eted construction that varied in thick- wheels (two per bogie), with the drive the tanks used by the Wehrmacht in
works. Such was the shortage of tanks ness from 12mm (0.47 in) to a max- sprocket at the rear, and idler at the the battle for France. ThePz35(t)
in the German army at that time that the imum of 35mm (1.38m). The bow front; there were four track-return rol- equipped the 6th Panzer Division in
6th Panzer Division was equipped with machine-gunner was seated at the lers, that campaign, and some tanks
the PzKpfw 35(t) in time to take part in front of the vehicle on the left and oper- An unusual feature of the tank was continued in service until 1942.
the invasion of France in 1940. These ated the 7.92-mm (0.31-in) ZB vz 35 or that the transmission and steering
continued in service until 1942 when 37 machine-gun, with the driver to his were assisted by compressed air to
most of these were converted into right. The commander/gunner and reduce driver fatigue, so enabling the
other roles such as mortar tractors loader/radio operator were seated in tank to travel long distances at high
(German designation Mörserzugmit- the two-man turret in the centre of the speed, Problems were encountered width 2.159 m (7 ft 1 in); height 2.209 m
tel), artillery tractors (German de- hull. Mam armament consisted of a with these systems when the tanks (7 ft 3 in)
signation Zugkraftwagen) or mainte- 37.2-mm Skoda vz 34 gun with a 7.92- were operated by the Germans on the Powerplant: one Skoda six-cylinder
nance vehicles with tank battalions. It mm (0.31-in) ZB 35 or 37 machine-gun Eastern Front because of the very low water-cooled petrol engine
is often not realized that Czechoslova- mounted co-axially to the right. Totals temperatures encountered. developing 120 hp (89 kW)
kia was a leading exporter of of 72 rounds of 37 mm and 1,800 rounds Performance: maximum road speed
armoured vehicles and artillery prime of machine-gun ammunition were car- Specification 40 km/h (25 mph); maximum range
movers before World War II, with ried. The engine and transmission LTvz35 193 km ( 120 miles); fording 0.8 m (3 ft
sales made to Austria, Bulgaria, Hun- were at the rear of the hull, the trans- Crew: 4 4 in); gradient 60 per cent; vertical
gary, Latvia, Peru, Romania, Sweden, mission having one reverse and six for- Weight: 10500 kg (23,148 lb) obstacle 0.787 m (2 ft 7 in); trench
Switzerland and Turkey. ward gears. The suspension on each Dimensions: length 4.9 m ( 16 ft 1 in); 1,981 m (6 ft 6 in)
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
TNH P-S light tank
Used by two Panzer Divisions in 1940,
the PzKpfw 38(t) was in production
In 1937 the international situation was for the German army until 1942. The
rapidly deteriorating, so the Czech basic chassis was la ter used for a
army issued a requirement for a new number ofSP artillery conversions.
light tank. This time the army was de-
termined that the troubles encoun-
tered with the LT vz 35 light tank when
it entered service, resulting from a
lack of testing, would not be repeated.
Skoda entered its S-ll-a and S-ll-b,
while CKD entered an LT vz 35 with
the engine and transmission of the
TNH tank, the LTL, the TNH P-S
(already produced for export) as well
as a new medium tank called the V-8-
H. During the extensive trials the TNH
P-S was found to be the best design
and on 1 July 1938 was adopted as the
standard light tank of the Czech army
under the designation LT vz 38, but
none had entered service at the time of
the German occupation in 1939. The
vehicle remained in production for the
German army between 1939 and 1942,
more than 1,400 being built under the
designation Panzerkampfwagen 38(t)
Ausf S to PzKpfw 38(t) Ausf G. (Aus- The hull and turret of the vehicle bow machine-gunner to his left and armament was another 7.92-mm (0,31-
führung is the German word for model were of riveted construction, the top of operating the 7.92-mm (0,31-in) MG in) machine-gun. Totals of 90 rounds of
or mark.) The Germans also exported the superstructure being bolted into 37(t) machine-gun. The two-man turret 37-mm and 2,550-rounds of machine-
69 vehicles to Slovakia, 102 to Hungary, position, Minimum armour thickness was in the centre of the hull and armed gun ammunition were carried. The en-
50 to Romania and 10 to Bulgaria. Dur- was 10mm (0.4 in) and maximum with a 37.2-mm Skoda A7 gun, which gine was at the rear of the hull and
ing the invasion of France the tank was thickness 25 mm ( 1 in), although from could fire both armour-piercing and coupled to a transmission with one re-
used by the 7th and 8th Panzer Divi- the Ausf E this was increased to 50 mm HE rounds with an elevation of +12° verse and five forward gears. Suspen-
sions, and continued in service as a (1.96 in). The driver was seated at the and a depression of -6°. Mounted co- sion on each side consisted of four
light tank until 1941-2. front of the tank on the right, with the axial with and to the right of the main large rubber-tyred road wheels sus-
10
pended in pairs on leaf springs, with Switzerland in 1946-7 under the de-
the drive sprocket at the front and idler signation G-13. These were finally
at the rear, and with two track-return withdrawn from service in the late
rollers. 1960s.
When outclassed as a tank the
PzKpfw 38(t) was widely used as a re- Specification
connaissance vehicle, and the Ger- TNHP-S
mans even fitted some chassis with the Crew: 4
turret of the SdKfz 222 light armoured Weight: 9700 kg (21,385 lb)
car complete with its 20-mm cannon. Dimensions: length 4.546 m ( 14 ft
The chassis of the light tank was also 11 in); width 2.133 m (7 ft 0 in); height
used as the basis for a large number of 2,311m (7 ft 7 in)
vehicles including the Marder tank Powerplant: one Praga EPA six-
destroyer, which was fitted with a new cylinder water-cooled inline petrol
superstructure armed with 75-mm engine developing 150 hp (112 kW)
(2.95-in) anti-tank gun, various self- Performance: maximum road speed
propelled 15-cm (5.9-in) guns, a 20-mm 42 km/h (26 mph); maximum range
self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, sever- 200 km (125 miles); fording 0.9 m (3 ft);
al types of weapons carriers and the gradient 60 per cent; vertical obstacle
Hetzer tank destroyer, to name just a 0.787 m (2 ft 7 in); trench 1.879 m (6 ft
few. The last was armed with a 75-mm 2 in)
(2.95-in) gun in a fully enclosed fighting
compartment with limited traverse,
and was considered by many to be one A PzKpfw 38(t) during the invasion of
of the best vehicles of its type during France; the 7th and 8th Panzer
World War II. A total of 2,584 was built Divisions used the tank. The
between 1944 and 1945, and produc- commander of the 7th Division
tion continued after the war for the became well known later in the war-
Czech army, a further 158 being sold to hisname was Rommel.
GERMANY
Panzerkampfwagen I light tank
In 1933 the German Army Weapons
Department issued a requirement for a
light armoured vehicle weighing ab-
out 5000kg (11,025 lb) that could be
used for training purposes, and five
companies subsequentlay built pro-
totype vehicles. After trials the Army
Weapons Department accepted the
Krupp design for further development,
the design company being responsi-
ble for the chassis and Daimler-Benz
for the superstructure. To conceal the
real use of the vehicle the Army
Weapons Department called the vehi-
cle the Landwirtschaftlicher Schlep-
per (industrial tractor). The first batch
of 150 vehicles was ordered from
Henschel, and production com-
menced in July 1934 under the de-
signation PzKpfw I(MG) (SdKfz 101)
Ausf A and powered by a Krupp M 305
petrol engine developing only 57 hp
(42 kW). There were problems with
the engine, however, and the next-
batch Ausf B had a more powerful en-
gine which meant that the hull had to
be longer and an additional roadwheel
added on each side. This model was a model remained in service longer. Above: TwoPzKpfwIs anda heavier
little heavier, but its more powerful en- Once the light tank was obsolete its PzKpfw III in France in 1940.523 of
gine gave it a maximum road speed of chassis underwent conversion to other the little ligh t tanks were used in the
40 km/h (25 mph). This entered ser- roles, and one of the first of these was campaign, in spite of their
vice in 1935 under the designation of the Munitions-Schlepper used to carry unsuitability for combat.
the PzKpfw 1(MG) (SdKfz 101) Ausf B. ammunition and other valuable car-
Most of the vehicles were built by goes. For the anti-tank role the chassis Right: The PzKpfw I was heavily
Henschel but Wegmann also became was fitted with captured Czech 47-mm involved in the Polish campaign after
involved in the programme, peak pro- anti-tank guns on top of the superstruc- its operational debut in theSpanish
duction being achieved in 1935 when ture with limited traverse, These were Civil War.
over 800 vehicles were completed. used on both the Eastern and North
The Panzerkampfwagen l was first African fronts, but soon became obso- Specification
used operationally in the Spanish Civil lete with the arrival of the more heavily PzKpfw I Ausf B
War, and at the start of the invasion of armoured tanks on the battlefield. The Crew: 2
Poland in 1939 no less than 1,445 such largest conversion entailed the in- Weight: 6000 kg (13,230 lb)
vehicles were on strength. It had stallation of a 15-cm (5.9-in) infantry Dimensions: length 4.42 m (14 ft 6 in);
already been realized, however, that gun in a new superstructure, but this width 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in); height 1.72 m
the vehicle was ill-suited for front-line really overloaded the chassis and less (5 ft 8 in)
use because of its lack of firepower than 40 such conversions were made. Powerplant: one Maybach NL 38 TR
and armour protection (7-13mm/0.28- The turret was in the centre of the six-cylinder petrol engine developing
0.51 in), and in the invasion of France in vehicle, offset to the right and armed 100 hp (75 kW)
1940 only 523 were used, although with twin 7,92-mm (0.31-in) machine- Performance: maximum road speed
many more were still in Germany and guns, for which a total of 1,525 rounds of 40 km/h (25 mph); maximum road
Poland. By the end of 1941 the PzKpfw I ammunition were carried. The driver range 140 km (87 miles); fording 0.58 m
had been phased out of front-line ser- was seated to the left of the turret. (1 ft 11 in); gradient 60 per cent;
vice, although the kleiner Panzer- vertical obstacle 0.36 m (1 ft 2 in);
befehlwagen I (SdKfz 265) command trench 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in)
11
GERMANY
Panzerkampfwagen II light tank Despite being intended as a training
machine, the PzKpfw II provided the
majority of German Panzer strength
To bridge the gap until the arrival of during the invasions of Poland and
the PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV tanks, a France.
decision was made in 1934 to order an
interim model which became known
as the Panzerkampfwagen II.
Development contracts were awarded
to Henschel, Krupp and MAN under
the designation Industrial Tractor 100
(LaS 100) to conceal its true role. After
evaluation of these prototypes the
MAN model was selected for further
development, MAN being responsible
for the chassis and Daimler-Benz for
the superstructure. Production was
eventually undertaken also by Famo,
MIAO and Wegmann, and the tank
formed the backbone of the German
armoured divisions during the invasion
of France, about 1,000 being in front
line service. The tank was also used in PzKpfw II Ausf F, which appeared in the chassis was quickly adopted for Specification
the invasion of the USSR in the 1940-1 and which was uparmoured to many other roles, One of the first of PzKpfw II Ausf F
following year although by that time it 35 mm (1.38 in) on the front and 20 mm these was a self-propelled anti-tank Crew: 3
was obsolete, had inadequate armour (0.79 in) on the sides, this pushing up gun using captured Soviet 76.2-mm (3- Weight: 10000 kg (22,046 lb)
protection and lacked firepower. It the total weight to just under 10 tonnes in) guns and called the Marder I. This Dimensions: length 4.64 m (15 ft 3 in);
was in fact intended primarily as a and consequently reducing the speed was followed by a model called the width2.30 m (7 ft 6.5 in); height 2.02 m
training machine rather than for actual of the vehicle, which was felt to be Marder II with a 7.5-cm (2,95-m) Ger- (6 ft 7.5 in)
combat. acceptable because of the greater man anti-tank gun, and some 1,200 of Powerplant: one Maybach six-
The first production PzKpfw II Ausf protection provided. these were converted or built, The cylinder petrol engine developing
A vehicles were delivered in 1935, and The hull and turret of the PzKpfw II Wespe was a self-propelled gun fitted 140hp(104kW)
were armed with a 20-mm cannon and was of welded steel construction, with with a 10.5-cm howitzer and was pro- Performance: maximum road speed
7.92-mm (0.31-in) co-axial machine- the driver at the front, two-man turret duced in Poland until 1944. 55 km/h (34 mph); maximum road
gun. There was a three-man crew, and in the centre offset to the left, and the range 200 km (125 miles); fording
combat weight was 7,2 tonnes. Tests engine at the rear. Armament con- Armed with a 20-mm cannon, some 0.85 m (2 ft 10 in); gradient 50 per cent;
with the early production models sisted of a 20-mm cannon (for which 1000 PzKpfw IIs were used during vertical obstacle 0.42 m ( 1 ft 5 in);
showed that the vehicle was under- 180 rounds were provided) on the left the Polish campaign. trf-nrh 1 VRmrR ftQ ini
powered with its 130-hp (97-kW) en- side of the turret, and a 7.92-mm (0.31-
gine, so the PzKpfw II Ausf B was intro- m) machine-gun (for which 1,425
duced with a 140-hp (104-kW) engine rounds were carried) on the right of
and other improvements (notably the turret.
thicker frontal armour) which pushed The PzKpfw II was also used as the
up its weight to just under 8 tonnes, The basis for a number of fast reconnais-
PzKpfw II Ausf C was introduced in sance tanks called the Luchs (this
1937, and had better armour protec- name was subsequently adopted by
tion. Additionally, the small bogie the new West German Army in the
wheels were replaced by five inde- 1970s for its 8x8 reconnaissance vehi-
pendently-sprung bogies with leaf cle) but these and similar vehicles
springs on each side, and this was to were not built in large numbers.
remain the basic suspension for all re- One of the more interesting vehicles
maining production vehicles. In 1938 was the special amphibious model de-
the PzKpfw II Ausf D and PzKpfw II veloped for the invasion of England in
Ausf E were introduced, with new tor- 1940. This model was propelled in the
sion-bar suspensison which gave them water at a speed of 10 km/h (6 mph) by
a much increased road speed of a propeller run off the main engine. A
55 km/h (34 mph), although cross- model with two flamethrowers was
country speed was slower than that of also produced as the Flammpanzer II;
the earlier models. The final produc- 100 of these were in service by 1942.
tion model of the series was the When the basic tank was obsolete
GERMANY
Panzerkampfwagen III medium
tank
It was envisaged in the mid-1930s that be large enough to permit the upgun-
each German tank battalion would ning of the vehicle to 50 mm if this
have three companies of relatively should be required. Following trials
light medium tanks and one company with the prototype vehicles the Daim-
of better armed and armoured ler-Benz model was selected, although
medium tanks. The former eventually the first three production models, the
became the Panzerkampfwagen III PzKpfw III Ausf A, PzKpfw III Ausf B
(PzkPfw III) or SdKfz 141, while the and PzKpfw III Ausf C were built only
latter became the Panzerkampfwagen in small numbers, differing from each
IV (PzKpfw IV) which was to remain in other mainly in suspension details, In
production throughout World War II. September 1939 the vehicle was for-
In 1935 the Weapons Department mally adopted for service, and mass
issued contracts for the construction of production was soon under way, The
prototype vehicles against the lighter Continued on page 508
concept to Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MAN
and Rheinmetall-Borsig. At an early A Panzer III with accompanying
stage it was decided to arm the tank infantry during 1942. By this time the
with a 37-mm gun which would fire the German tanks had come up against
same ammunition as that used by the the excellent Soviet T-34, and armour
infantry anti-tank gun, but provision and armament were being
was made that the turret ring diameter increased.
12