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Marder III H

-- Info --
This is a Marder III replica, it is mostly 1:1 and has realistic proportions and details.


-- Controls --

W/A/S/D - Driving

Mouse + ALT - Aiming the cannon

-- History --

After the start of Operation Barbarossa, the Wehrmacht found itself in a very dire situation due to the lack of adequate mobile anti-tank weapons, especially after the appearance of the superior Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks. The only mass-issued dedicated anti-tank gun was the 37 mm PaK36 while the sole widely used tank destroyer was the Panzerjäger I with the Czech 47 mm anti-tank gun. Obsolete tanks and captured vehicles were converted to tank destroyers to enable them to penetrate the modern Soviet tanks at common combat distances. Those were mainly the Marder I (from French Lorraine tracked supply vehicles), the Marder II (from Panzer IIs), and the Marder III (from Czech Panzer 38(t)s).

The Marder III Ausf. H fought on all fronts of the war, being produced from 1942 to 1945, with 450 Marder III Ausf. H with the PaK40 converted and produced. Using the tested design of the Panzer 38(t), the Marder III was mechanically reliable and had a gun that could take out most allied tanks in the war. The vulnerability of the crew due to lack of armour was its most pressing issue, with only a front shield plate at most 15 mm thick and side plates that can't enclose the crew. This makes it a poor assault vehicle or tank substitute, it allows infantry to easily kill the crew from ambushes. Despite that, with the deteriorating situation during the last years of the war, they were nevertheless used this way and suffered considerable losses.

As its production was underway, Germany already had a few self-propelled assault weapons being produced such as the StuG III that could have the same anti-tank capabilities, yet was fully armoured, enclosing the crew in adequate armour. This obvious advantage over the open Marder series encouraged the development of a new kind of tank destroyer from the Panzer 38(t) with better armour, which would eventually become the Jagdpanzer 38(t). Despite that, the Marders continued to serve to the end of the war.

-- Other --

!DO NOT REUPLOAD IN ANY FORM!

This is one of my coolest replicas imo and it took quite alot of effort, if you like this vehicle, please rate it so that we can get it to the front page of the workshop!

Tags: Marder Marder 3 Marder III Tank Destroyer TD SPG Casemate PAK 40 75mm Germany Nazi Vehicle military WW2

Feel free to put any suggestions in the comments section :)