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Soon after the start of the Russian campaign in 1941 the Germany Army demanded more effective mobile anti-tank weapons. The Heereswaffenamt was ordered on 22 December of that year to produce a self-propelled anti-tank gun to fit this requirement. The weapon chosen was the Russian 7.62cm anti-tank gun. It was more effective than the majority of German weapons available at the time and had been captured in large quantities. The complete gun and carriage, less wheels, were fixed on top of a basic PzKpfw 38(t) chassis, forward of the engine. A suitably modified superstructure, with armour shields for the gun, formed the small fighting compartment.
Production by BMM began on 24 March 1942 and 120 had been completed by 15 May when an extension contract was issued for another 100 vehicles. Further production followed, and when it ceased a total of 344 examples of this vehicle had been built. On 27 February 1944 the vehicle was named Marder III by order of Hitler.
1) Museé Des Blindés, Saumur, France
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229
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This Marder is missing its gun clamp. [Preserved Tanks in France: Number 76].
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2) U.S. Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen Proving Ground, USA
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230
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Text in original Preserved German Tanks publication:
This Marder appears to be in fairly good condition and is largely complete.
Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
This Marder was in the external display area for many years. It has recently been refurbished (source: N. Baumgardner).
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Ausf H
On 18 May 1942 Hitler, through the Minister of Arms, ordered a new model of the Marder III to be built. This became known as the Ausf H and used the German 7.5cm PaK 40/3 anti-tank gun in place of the Russian weapon. The vehicle arrangement was similar, but the shield of the PaK 40 was incorporated in the mounting and the superstructure was larger and simpler. Some vehicles had engines up-rated from the original 125hp to 150hp.
The prototype of the Ausf H was delivered in June 1942 and the type was accepted for production. This ended in March 1943 after 418 vehicles had been completed.
3) Auto und Technik Museum, Sinsheim, Germany
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231
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This Marder has a canvas cover over the fighting compartment and has campaign markings for 24 PzDiv on its front (source: L. Archer). It was originally on display in the Panzermuseum at Munster, but in the late 1980’s it spent some time at the Bundeswehr base at Trier and was restored there. It was recently transferred from the BWB Collection at Koblenz. It carries the number “322”.
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4) Museo di Guerra per la Pace Diego de Henriquez, Trieste, Italy
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Unique ID: |
232
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Text in original Preserved German Tanks publication:
This Ausf H was previously part of the De Henriquez Arsenal on display outside Trieste. It was recovered and restored to running order by the Trieste War Museum Consortium during the 1980’s. Its current status is not known.
Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
Additional photograph(s) available.
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Ausf M
It became apparent that Panzerjägers based on the unmodified PzKpfw 38(t) chassis were unsatisfactory because of the need to mount the weapon in a fighting compartment above the main superstructure. This resulted in a top-heavy vehicle with a high silhouette. Therefore from March 1943 a modified chassis was introduced which had the engine moved forward from the rear to the centre of the vehicle. This produced a better configuration with a larger and better protected fighting compartment built at the rear of the hull. The hull front was revised and simplified. The bow machine gun and driver’s visor were replaced with a new sloping glacis plate with a protruding driver’s position.
This new arrangement of the chassis was used in the final version of the Marder III, the Ausf M. It proved to be a very successful design with some 799 vehicles being produced in total, up until May 1944. Late production vehicles had a welded instead of cast driver’s compartment. Some also had Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste applied to the sides of the fighting compartment.
The Marder III in its various forms was a very successful, albeit makeshift, anti-tank weapon. It saw service with Panzergrenadier and Panzerjäger units from 1942. It fought in the North African, Italian and Russian campaigns until 1944, when it was replaced by the Hetzer tank destroyer.
There is a well-known replica Marder III displayed in the Victory Memorial Museum at Arlon in Belgium. It is displayed with seven kill-rings marked on its barrel and the tactical number “206” on the rear plate. It was rebuilt from a Pbv 301 armoured personnel carrier, a Swedish adaptation of the PzKpfw 38(t) chassis. It is believed to have a wooden fighting compartment around an authentic PaK 40. It is not known how many of the vehicle components, if any, are originally from a Marder III. Another Pbv 301 has been rebuilt to resemble a Munitionspanzer GW 38(t) and is on display in the Museum. (Source: Sherman Register, R. Fleming).
5) Museé Des Blindés, Saumur, France
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Unique ID: |
233
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This is a late production vehicle with welded driver’s compartment (source: L. Archer). It is in a very poor condition, awaiting restoration. (Photo: J. Vollert Collection). [Preserved Tanks in France: Number 76].
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6) Museo di Guerra per la Pace Diego de Henriquez, Trieste, Italy
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Unique ID: |
234
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Text in original Preserved German Tanks publication:
This Ausf M was previously part of the De Henriquez Arsenal on display outside Trieste. It was recovered and restored by the Trieste War Museum Consortium during the 1980’s, however its current status is unknown.
Text in Preserved German Tanks Update:
Additional photograph(s) available.
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7) U.S. Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen Proving Ground, USA
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235
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This Marder carries the tactical number “23” on the side of the fighting compartment.
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