Marder III

Marder III was the name for a series of German tank destroyers of the Second World War. The series mounted either the modified ex-Soviet 76.2 mm F-22 Model 1936 divisional field gun, or the German 7.5 cm PaK 40, in an open-topped fighting compartment on top of the chassis of the Czechoslovak Panzer 38(t). They offered little protection to the crew, but added significant firepower, which was able to destroy the thickly-armored T-34s, compared to contemporary German tanks. They were in production from 1942 to 1944 with three variants, the Marder III, Marder III Ausf. H, and Marder III Ausf. M, and served on all fronts until the end of the war, along with the similar Marder II. The German word Marder means "marten" in English.