I gotta ask, just how scary was the Marder III back in the day?
Depends on the gun used. Most were either armed with 7.5 cm Pak 40s or captured Soviet 76mm divisional gun M1936. The Pak 40's AP round had a book muzzle velocity of 792 m/s and 132mm of penetration on a 90 degree angle at 500 meters. The M1936's BR-350A AP shell had a muzzle velocity of 600 m/s and a penetration of 75mm at 90 degree angle at 500 meters.
It's armor was very thin and only covered the crew from the front and sides, leaving the back and top exposed. Effective against small arms fire, while machine guns posed a serious threat to the crew at close range. It's primary use was for overwatch and defensive positions. Overall, they were about as scary as the towed versions of their respective guns.
Depends on the gun used. Most were either armed with 7.5 cm Pak 40s or captured Soviet 76mm divisional gun M1936. The Pak 40's AP round had a book muzzle velocity of 792 m/s and 132mm of penetration on a 90 degree angle at 500 meters. The M1936's BR-350A AP shell had a muzzle velocity of 600 m/s and a penetration of 75mm at 90 degree angle at 500 meters.
It's armor was very thin and only covered the crew from the front and sides, leaving the back and top exposed. Effective against small arms fire, while machine guns posed a serious threat to the crew at close range. It's primary use was for overwatch and defensive positions. Overall, they were about as scary as the towed versions of their respective guns.
except that these were self-propelled and could move to a different location immediately after firing without having to take the time to packup the gun for transport.
