Marder III ausf. M

Unit Card:

Marder_III_Ausf_M_Eastern_Front_AAMeditor_120122053844.jpg

Set - Rarity - Number

Eastern Front - Uncommon - 37/60

Historical Background:

While the Panzer 38(t) had largely become obsolete as a tank in early 1942, it was still an excellent platform for adaptation into a tank destroyer, among other roles. Since the Soviet 76.2 mm field gun was captured in large quantities, the decision was made to mate this gun to the Panzer 38(t).To do so, the production of the Panzer 38(t) Ausf. G was stopped and a modified superstructure was bolted onto the standard tank chassis. The upper structure mounted the gun and an extended gun shield, giving very limited protection for the commander and the loader. Armour protection overall ranged from 10 to 50 mm with no armor at all above and behind the gun compartment. The gun, commander and loader were located on top of the engine deck. It had a higher silhouette than the original Panzer 38 (t), which made it more vulnerable to enemy fire. The now-called 7.62 cm PaK 36(r) was rechambered to be able to use standard German 75 mm ammunition,[citation needed] of which 30 rounds could be carried inside the vehicle. Apart from the main gun, there was a 7.92 mm machine gun mounted in the hull.

The last Marder III variant was based on the Geschützwagen 38(t) Ausf. M, a purpose-designed vehicle for self-propelled gun usage, again armed with the 75 mm PaK 40 anti-tank gun. Ausf. M was the final variant of the Marder series and was a significant improvement over previous models, with its lower silhouette, sloped armour and much more functional fighting compartment. In this variant, the engine was moved from the rear to the middle between driver and the rest of the crew. Because there was no engine in the rear, the gun and the crew did not have to sit on top of the engine deck as in previous models. The fighting compartment could be lowered down to the bottom floor level where the engine used to be. This decreased crew exposure, as well as visibility. Unlike the previous two Marder IIIs, the fighting compartment was closed at the rear protecting the crew up to their midsection. It stayed open-topped. It could only carry 27 rounds of ammunition. The machinegun port at the front was eliminated in the Ausf. M in favor of an MG 34 or MG 42 carried by the crew. In the previous two models, the commander served as a gunner. However, in Ausf. M, the radio man moved to the rear with the commander and gunner, serving as a loader. Combat effectiveness increased because the vehicle commander was freed from manning the gun.

Reviews:

6thLyranGuard
Not a great tank destroyer, but very cheap and decidedly superior to the Marder II . Its best use is probably to stick it behind a Tiger or Panther and use it to take shots at flankers or other targets that aren't important enough for the big gun. Just make sure you have something around to keep aircraft away from it.

Akela152
Take a Panzer 38(t) , put on a PAK 40 antitank gun and voilà! Now, the armor is kind of weak and you can pay 2 more points to improve it massively with the Stug III ausf G at the expense of - 1 speed. If you can, another alternative to consider is the Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer that let you keep speed 4 at the expense of 1pt over the Stug III

Plastic Figure Notes:

EF37-MarderIII.jpg
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