History of the Panzer III Ausf.H

The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf H had been intended to be the first version of the Panzer III to use the 5cm KwK gun when 759 were ordered in January 1939, but the use of that gun on the majority of Ausf Gs and the imminent arrival of the improved Ausf J meant that only 308 would be produced.

The biggest change made to the Ausf H was the addition of extra 30mm armour plates on the hull front and rear and on the superstructure front. This gave the Ausf H 60mm armour that was effectively immune to fire from the main anti-tank guns in use in 1941, but did increase the weight of the tank. To compensate for the extra weight the Ausf H used the 40cm wide tracks first used late in the production of the Ausf G. These wider tracks also required a redesign of the wheels. Stronger torsion bars were added at the same time, as was a new transmission. The Ausf H was used in the Balkans, Russia and North Africa.