From 21st
Century Toys
Ultimate Soldier 1:32 scale
German Marder III
Sd.Kfz. 321
self-propelled tank destroyer
99413 S2
The German Marders were a series of self-propelled tank
destroyers mostly built as stop gap solutions until purpose designed and
built equipment could reach the field. The Marder III was the first
production version in the Marder III series. The gun was centrally
located, due to weight issues. With the engine mounted at the rear of
its chassis, the gun had to be mounted elsewhere in order to keep the
tank from being unbalanced. The later Marder IIIM version had the engine
relocated to the center of the chassis, hence the designation “M”
(middle), and the gun compartment was located on the back of the hull.
Both versions had lightly armored crew compartments and were open in the
top and rear. The Soviet 76.2 mm field gun was captured in large
quantities and it was decided to use these by mating them to the Panzer
38(t) chassis. The resulting Marder III was an effective anti-tank
weapon and was used widely by the Germans in WWII.