Mark IIIL medium tank

[Rundstedt]

Can someone brief me about this tank model? Was it really armed with a 5 cm/L 60 high velocity gun? When was it being produced and for how long?

It's in the game (v. 7.0), but I can't seem to find it in the Encyclopedia.

And also, will there ever be a complete Encyclopedia with descriptions of all units present in the game? Or is that too much to ask for?


Regards, von Rundstedt (OB WEST)

[herr1]

Dear Rundstedt,

I managed to get this information off the Web. It confirms that the PzIIIL was armed with the L/60. Please bear in mind that theb L/60 was retro fitted to some earlier models of PzIII was well.

Information from:-

http://homepage.tinet.ie/~nightingale/panzer3l.htm

In March 1942 a study was undertaken to determine whether the Pz Kpfw IV turret would fit on the Pz Kpfw III superstructure.Analysis revealed that the resultant weight was excessive and numerous modifications would be necessary.The idea was dropped and production of the Pz Kpfw III with the 50mm KwK39 L/60 continued.The original order for 1,100 Ausf L was reduced by an order early in June 1942 to mount 450 75mm KwK L/24 in the Pz Kpfw III.447 Ausf L were used to mount the short 75mm gun and thus became Ausf N.One Ausf L was compleated with an experimental tapered-bore KwK0725.
Improvements to the Ausf L inclued increasing the armour on the turret front from 30mm to 57mm , installing a torsion-bar counter-balance instead of a coil spring for the main gun and altering the air-intake louvres and hatches on the rear deck.All Ausf L had 20mm spaced armour on the superstructure front and most had 20mm spaced armour on the gun mantlet.Early in the production run the hull escape hatches on the hull side , the loaders vision port on the gun mantlet and the turret side ports were deleted.A system designed to transfer heated enging coolant from one vehicle to another was also introduced with the Ausf L.
Later in June 1942 at the start of the summer offensive there were approximately 600 Pz Kpfw III mounting the 50mm KwK L/60 with units at the front in Russia.Apart from replacing lossesAusf L were issued to the newly-formed Panzer regiments of the 1st (Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler) , 2nd (Das-Reich) and 3rd (Tötenkopf) SS Panzergrenadier Divisions and the Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland.

I would also have some info in my books at home, however, I am at work at the moment.

As far as the encyclopedia goes I have no answers for you there. I hope this has been of some help.

[Rundstedt]

Now that's what I call exhaustive research!


Regards, Rundstedt (OB WEST)

[tomaszp]

I might only add that some of those 653 tanks were tropical version of PzIIIL and were meant to sent to DAK troops in Africa, but I have no information if any of them reached their destination. Tropical version had the same armor and armament that the rest of PzIIIL's.

Regards,
Tomek

[tracer]

Originally posted by Rundstedt


And also, will there ever be a complete Encyclopedia with descriptions of all units present in the game? Or is that too much to ask for?


Regards, von Rundstedt (OB WEST)

R,
All the units are in the encyclopedia (as far as I can tell); some like the PzIIIL are not listed where you would expect them to be. The PzIIIL is not located with the other tanks (at the beginning); its listed after the infantry and aircraft formations, on the 8th page.

[Rundstedt]

Originally posted by tracer


R,
All the units are in the encyclopedia (as far as I can tell); some like the PzIIIL are not listed where you would expect them to be. The PzIIIL is not located with the other tanks (at the beginning); its listed after the infantry and aircraft formations, on the 8th page.

Howcome?


Regards, von Rundstedt (OB WEST)

[tracer]

One of the designers could probably answer better than me, but I assume as units were added to the OOBs the groupings became scattered. Changing the listing order would probably involve changing unit numbers, which would cause other (bigger!) problems.

[Belisarius]

Hmm.. but I like Rundstedt's idea of descriptions of all encyclopedia units. As it is now, there's info about most tanks and a few AFV's, but it'd be fun to have some additional text on guns, AT pieces, trucks, infantry etc... OK, this would be a huge task to complete - but hey! there's a lot of us that could contribute with a line or two

[Rundstedt]

Originally posted by Belisarius
Hmm.. but I like Rundstedt's idea of descriptions of all encyclopedia units. As it is now, there's info about most tanks and a few AFV's, but it'd be fun to have some additional text on guns, AT pieces, trucks, infantry etc... OK, this would be a huge task to complete - but hey! there's a lot of us that could contribute with a line or two

Where do we sign up then?


Regards, von Rundstedt (OB WEST)

[tracer]

Oops, sorry: I missed the word 'description' in your first post.

[Taglia]

I suggest you to check out also this PAGE

[Warhorse]

I had wanted to do the text for the Axis Minors, but the ordering is very strange, I can't tell what letters to put before the lbm number, or whatever, to get the text to show up?! I suspect this is why it's not worked on, the numbering is very queer!!