Panzer 38(t) during the war. By early 1942, it was clearly obsolete. However, the production lines were already running, the vehicle was mechanically reliable, and the factory would have had difficulty moving over to larger tanks, so it was decided to find other uses for the Panzer 38(t) chassis for self-propelled guns. Variants: Marder 138 (Marder III) = 75 mm Pak 40 gun on Panzer 38(t) chassis (Sd. Kfz. 138) Marder 139 (Marder III)= captured Russian 76.2 mm gun on Panzer 38(t) chassis (Sd. Kfz. 139) Grille = 150 mm heavy infantry gun on Panzer 38(t) chassis (Sd.Kfz. 138/1) Jagdpanzer 38 = 75 mm L/48 Pak39 gun on a widened Pz 38(t) chassis Flakpanzer 38(t) = 2cm FlaK self-propelled anti-aircraft gun on Panzer 38(t) chassis (Sd. Kfz. 140) Panzer III Also known as: PzKpfw III, 'Panzer III', Sd. Kfz. 141 The Panzer III was designed as a medium tank, with a high-velocity 37 mm gun. Pre-war production was 98 vehicles. During the war, the Pz III was upgunned to a 50 mm L/42 gun, then to an even higher velocity 50 mm L/60 gun, in order to improve its anti-tank performance. A low-velocity 75 mm gun was also fitted (using the same mount as the early Panzer IV), but since the tank was not large enough to fit a high-velocity 75 mm gun, production was halted mid-war, although the chassis continued to be used to build assault guns. The Panzer III was the first tank to have a 3-man turret: the commander did not have to double up as a loader or a gunner, so he could concentrate on commanding the tank. Variants: Panzer III A-F= armed with 37 mm L/45 gun Panzer III F-M = armed with 50 mm L/42 or L/60 gun Panzer III N = armed with 75 mm L/24 gun, used for Infantry support Panzer III (f) = armed with flamethrower Sturmgeschütz III = Sturmgeschütz 40= Assault Gun armed with 75 mm L/24 (A-E), later with L/43 (F) and L/48 gun (F8 & G) (Sd. Kfz. 142) StuH 42 = Sturmhaubitze 42. StuG III with 105 mm light field howitzer (Sd. Kfz. 142/2) Panzer IV Also known as: PzKpfw IV, 'Panzer IV', Sd. Kfz. 161 Panzer IV was designed alongside the Panzer III. The Panzer IV was a slightly larger and heavier tank, and with its large calibre low velocity gun, it was designed to support