Photo Focus: PzKw III in Oosterhout 1944

The Imperial War Museum’s photo above caught my eye when I saw it. It’s another of those pictures that reveals more detail the more you look at it. It was taken on 24th September 1944 in the village of Oosterhout, just north of Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

What's so interesting about this photo?

This is an old PzKw III tank from 1939 or 1940. This particular version became obsolete in 1941, so the fact it’s being used on the front line in late 1944 is rather unusual.

How did it get here? Let’s look at its story…

Panzer-Kompanie Mielke

This vehicle was one of 15 or 16 tanks - 8 PzKw IVs & 7 PzKw IIIs and, according to at least one source, an old PzKw II - belonging to Panzer-Kompanie Mielke in September 1944. At the time, this tank company - named after its commanding officer, Oberleutnant Wilhelm Mielke - was part of Panzer-Ersatz und Ausbildungs-Abteilung 11, a training unit based in Bielefeld, Germany.

German training formations were often equipped with armoured fighting vehicles which were deemed unfit for front-line service. This unit was no different, using 7 PzKw III tanks, a model which was being withdrawn from combat units due to its ineffectiveness against Allied tanks.

On 17th September 1944, the unit received orders to move urgently to the Netherlands to help counter enemy airborne troops who were reported to be landing en masse just outside Arnhem.

The unit’s tanks were sent by train to Zevenaar, south-east of Arnhem. From there, they drove to Duiven, where the unit was assigned to Kampfgruppe Knaust.

KG Knaust was a small infantry unit of 4 companies of unfit soldiers & motor transport of exactly 1 half-track. Panzer-Kompanie Mielke became its 5th company.

On 18th September, KG Knaust was moved to Arnhem by truck, with Panzer-Kompanie Mielke arriving afterwards.

By the time Mielke’s unit arrived in Arnhem, it was reduced to just 8 tanks; 2 PzKw IVs & 6 PzKw IIIs. It is unclear what happened to the rest of the tanks, which may have broken down, been lost to air attack or sent to support another unit.

The unit then spent 2 days attacking the British paratroop positions at Arnhem Bridge, losing its 2 PzKw IVs to anti-tank fire.

On Sept. 21st, as the British threat to the bridge receded, Panzer-Kompanie Mielke and the rest of KG Knaust moved out of Arnhem. The column headed south to Elst. Here, 5 PzKw IIIs & 1 infantry company moved further south to Oosterhout.

In the afternoon of the 21st, the tanks of the 2nd Welsh Guards crossed the bridge at Nijmegen, which had been taken the day before.

That evening, the Cromwell tanks of No.1 Squadron, 2nd Welsh Guards moved into Oosterhout. It seems they surprised the recently arrived elements of KG Knaust. The Germans were heard to shout "Nicht schiessen, wir sind Deutschen!" (“Don’t shoot, we’re German!”)

In the ensuing battle, the Germans lost 3 of their PzKw III tanks, including the one in the original photo, as well as a number of infantry. However, following the action, as night fell, the British tanks of No.1 Squadron fell back.

The next day, Oosterhout was taken by 7th Somerset Light Infantry, supported by tanks of the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards. One of the 2 remaining PzKw IIIs surrendered while the other escaped from the village.

And so ended the very brief combat history of Panzer-Kompanie Mielke.

Identifying the Tank

The tank is clearly an early PzKw III armed with the short 5.0cm L/42 gun. There were 5 Ausführungen or models of the PzKw III fitted with this weapon - Ausf. E, F, G, H & J - but which model is this?

The first clue here is the commander’s cupola, which is the earlier version fitted on Ausf C, D, E & F tanks. Some Ausf. G vehicles were also fitted with this cupola.

We can therefore rule out this tank being an Ausf. H or J. This tank can then only be an Ausf. E, F or G. But which is it?

The main clue is the Zusatzpanzer (extra armour), in particular, the extra piece of armour plate fixed to the Driver’s Plate. This was added to a large number of PzKw III tanks as part of an upgrade designed to extend their survivability on the battlefields of 1941-42.

Upgrading the Early PzKw III

Although the PzKw III was designed with the intention to carry a 5.0cm gun, that weapon was just a concept at the time. To avoid delays in the start of production of the PzKw III, the decision was taken to use the already existing 3.7cm gun and introduce the 5.0cm gun at a later date.

By the end of the campaign in France & the Low Countries in June 1940, it was clear the 3.7cm main gun was no longer effective against enemy tanks. This was addressed with the introduction of the short 5.0cm L/42 gun which was just entering production.

However, by July 1940, there were still several hundred PzKw IIIs already built with the 3.7cm gun. The German Army could not afford to retire these from service.

So an upgrade programme was drawn up for 600 existing Ausf. E, F & G tanks armed with the 3.7cm main gun. This would replace the 3.7cm gun with the short 5.0cm L/42, add extra armour plates to the hull front and strengthen the suspension to cope with the increased weight of the new gun & extra armour.

• The Main Gun

This sounds straight forward, but the process involved some extensive rework. The new gun required the new better-armoured mantlet which had been designed for it. This was mounted on the outside of the turret & meant alterations had to be made to the turret front to fit it.

The ammunition stowage also had to be revised for the larger shells. Finally, the air extractor on the turret roof was moved from the left side of the turret roof to the right so it didn't interfere with the elevation of the larger gun.

• Zusatzpanzer

The frontal armour was beefed up with the addition of additional 30mm armour plates - Zusatzpanzer - bolted to the two bow plates and welded - as spaced armour - to the driver’s plate.

• Suspension

Of course, the larger gun and increased frontal armour meant an increase in weight. Therefore, the upgraded tanks required a stronger suspension; the main features of this were wider tracks (38cm instead of 36cm) & thicker torsion bars at the front.

• Other Features

Other minor enhancements were made to bring the earlier Ausf. E & F tanks to at least Ausf. G/H standard. An obvious example was the relocation of the front Notek light from the hull front to the left-hand trackguard.

The following two photos show the differences between an original and an upgraded PzKw III Ausf. F:

The upgrades began in late 1940 although most took place in 1941. A further 85 tanks were converted in 1942 and 1 in 1943, making 424 in total, versus the planned total of 600 conversions.

And the Ausführung is?

In the tank in the original photo, we can see all the exterior elements of an upgraded PzKw III Ausf. E, F or G; the 5.0cm gun, new mantlet, re-located air extractor, 38cm-wide tracks, Zusatzpanzer & relocated Notek light. But which Ausführung is it? The short answer is, it’s very hard to say with certainty.

We can rule out this tank being an Ausf. G. This was the first with the late-model commander’s cupola. The tank in the photo has the earlier, so that should let us eliminate the Ausf. G. However, when building tanks, it was common to use up stocks of older components before fitting the new versions. Indeed Tom Jentz in Panzer Tracts 3-2 mentions a number of Ausf. G built at M.A.N. were fitted with the earlier cupola.

The main clue here, however, isn’t the cupola but the driver’s visor & the Zusatzpanzer protecting it. While the Ausf. E & F had the prior split driver’s visor fitted to Ausf. A to D models, the Ausf. G had a new cast pivoting visor; the difference is clear from the photo below.

As a consequence, the upgrade programme was complicated further as the Zusatzpanzer fitted to the upgraded Ausf. G tanks was necessarily different to that fitted to the Ausf. E & F, to accommodate the larger cast visor.

So we are safe to conclude from the Zusatzpanzer on the Driver’s Plate that the tank in the photo wasn’t an Ausf. G. This leaves us with the choice between the Ausf. E or F, built in 1939-1940.

However, the main differences between the 2 versions were to do with the engine; there is very little externally to differentiate between the 2 models.

The only sure way to know whether it’s an E or an F model is via the chassis number of the tank, but that isn’t visible in the photo. So it’s either an Ausf. E or F and we cannot tell which on the strength of this picture alone. Given only 96 Ausf. Es were built, compared to 435 Ausf. Fs, statistically it’s more likely to be an Ausf. F, but there’s no certainty.

The Detail in the Photo

After identifying the model, my attention turned to the damage to the tank. It has been hit at least twice by 75mm shells from the Welsh Guards Cromwells. Both impacts have penetrated the frontal armour.

One shell hit the front of the hull, penetrating the armour and potentially damaging the gearbox and/or wounding the radio operator or driver.

The shell hit exactly where the bow plates meet and dislodged the upper bow Zusatzpanzer. This is now lying upside-down on the ground in front of the 2 men - see photo above. The bolts holding the Zusatzpanzer were snapped, again possibly causing injury to crew members inside.

The two larger holes in the upper bow are the air intake vents for cooling the brakes. The armoured covers for these are still attached to the dislodged upper bow Zusatzpanzer (one is visible between the plate & the ground in the photo above, indicated by the arrow).

A second shot hit the tank in front of the driver. The Zusatzpanzer was broken & the driver's plate penetrated. The force of the impact has dislodged & bent upwards the thin metal strip covering the gap between the Zusatzpanzer and the driver’s plate (indicated by the arrow).

Sadly, for the driver, if he was still in his seat at the time, it is unlikely he would have survived the impact.

Camouflage & Markings

The tank may have been built in 1940, but its paint finish is current for 1944. The tank has been sprayed overall Dunkelgelb with a fairly standard random camouflage spray of red-brown & green paint. Note the spare track section was not removed before the vehicle was repainted.

No markings are visible in the photo. From photos of other tanks in Panzer-Kompanie Mielke, we know the unit used the Balkenkreuz on its tanks. Some also had tactical numbers painted on the turret.

Other

This tank can also be seen in this IWM footage of British vehicles advancing past its position.

SOURCES & CREDITS

• Mike's Research - Panzer-Kompanie Mielke

• Little Sense of Urgency - RG Poulussen

• Panzer Tracts 3-2 - Jentz/Doyle

• Panzerketten - Schwartzmann

• Many thanks also to Sean Claxton for some elusive information

• Photos credited individually