Rommel dropping his Es

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Quick question.
Just purchased the dessert German starter pack which comes with lovely new PZIIIE.
The amendments say Es are dropped.
Oh.
Thats a lot of surplus armour...
Yet my research (Wikipedia) claims Rommel had 'limited numbers' and was using them up to Hell Fire Pass, but moaning about their lack of a decent gun. Can I still use them as early-early dessert?
What about the lovelier new F sculpts?

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Wil some  "E's" did get upgunned, and visually the difference is marginal. No long 50's arrived till Gazala in 42.

[steve_holmes_11]

I hear that Rommel wasn't alone.

[flamingpig0]

[Jerboa]

Is it too late to substitute G/H?

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

The Es are already on my painting desk...

[Big Insect]

Not quite sure who 'drove' that amendment to the Afrika Korp list Lemmy. I'd have to dig back into the archives.

But if 'E's were used at Halfaya Pass (Hellfire Pass) that would have been in Oct'41, so some 'E's would be available.

The Wiki entry for the PZIII states:

Aside from use in Europe, the Panzer III also saw service in North Africa with Erwin Rommel's renowned Afrika Korps. Most of the Panzer IIIs with the Afrika Korps were equipped with the KwK 38 L/42 50mm (short-barrelled) tank gun, with a small number possessing the older 37mm main gun of earlier variants. The Panzer IIIs of Rommel's troops were capable of fighting against British Crusader cruiser and US-supplied M3 Stuart light tanks with positive outcomes, although they did less effectively against Matilda II infantry tanks and American M3 Lee/Grant tanks fielded by the British starting from early 1942. In particular, the 75mm hull-mounted gun of the Lee/Grant tank could easily destroy a Panzer III far beyond the latter's own effective firing range, as is true for the US M4 Sherman, which also saw service with British forces alongside Lees/Grants in North Africa beginning in the middle of 1942.

My 15mm PZIIIE's are the short barrelled version.

So I'd say 'paint way' and I'll double check that amendment.
Cheers
Mark

[sultanbev]

More recent sources indicate all the Panzer IIIs sent to North Africa were 5cmL42 armed:
71x Panzer III went in 5th Panzer Regiment in early 1941, of which most were Ausf G, some Ausf F and 4-5x Ausf H. All armed with 5cmL42 gun, and all but the H variant with only 3cm frontal armour.

8th Panzer Regiment had 51x Panzer IIIH, 21x Panzer IIIF and G, all armed with 5cmL42 and the Ausf H with extra hull frontal armour.

See Tank Combat in North Africa, Thomas Jentz, Schiffer Military History (1998) ISBN 0-7643-0226-4
Panzer Truppen vol.1 also by Jentz from 1996 repeats the same.

if there has been newer information published since then someone please reference it.
I consider the older references to 3.7cm armed Panzer IIIs were in fact Befehlspanzer III command tanks with dummy guns.

[kustenjaeger]

I agree that there were no Ausf E in North Africa. Jentz provides sources for the Pzkw III initially shipped to Africa.

Regards

Edward

[Big Insect]

Interesting ... thanks

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

So, keep my Es in grey for Western Europe and Poland then...

[Ace of Spades]

Working on a 20mm DAK project and was wondering about this too. Good to know!

Thanks,
Rob

[FierceKitty]

Quick question.
Just purchased the dessert German starter pack, which comes with lovely new PZIIIE.

Chocolate tanks?

[Big Insect]

Mmmmm ... melts in zi mouf!

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Mmmmm ... melts in zi mouf!

Beware your blood sugar !!