Tankopedia
WW2Tank DestroyerGermany

Marder III (Sd.Kfz. 138/139)

In service 1942 - 1945

The Panzer 38(t) turned into a gun carrier, first with captured Soviet guns, then with the PaK 40.

Built byBMM (formerly CKD), Prague

Marder III (Sd.Kfz. 138/139)
Kurth / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Development history

The Marder III came in three main forms: the Sd.Kfz. 139 with a rebored Soviet 76.2 mm gun, the Ausf. H with the PaK 40 mounted centrally, and the Ausf. M with the engine moved forward and the gun at the rear - a far better layout that led directly to the Hetzer. Produced in Prague in large numbers, Marder IIIs equipped anti-tank battalions from 1942 onwards and were among the most numerous German self-propelled anti-tank weapons of the war.

Variants

One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.

  1. Sd.Kfz. 139

    1942

    Captured 76.2 mm PaK 36(r), tall central mount

  2. Ausf. H (Sd.Kfz. 138)

    1942

    75 mm PaK 40/3 mounted centrally

  3. Ausf. M (Sd.Kfz. 138)

    1943

    Engine moved forward, gun at rear, lower profile

Notable actions

  • Eastern Front 1942-45
  • North African Campaign
  • Italian Campaign