Marder III Sd.139 WWII German self-propelled gun WWII 1/72 UM 347

Marder III Sd.139 WWII German self-propelled gun WWII 
1/72 WWII military VEHICLE scale plastic model kit
UniModels (UM) 347

Manufacturer: Universal Models / UniModels / UM (Ukraine)
Scale: 1/72
Material: Plastic
Condition: New in Box

Number of parts: 162parts + 10 photo-etched parts

The Marder III is the name for a series of World War II German tank destroyers built on the chassis of the Panzer 38(t). The German word Mardermeans "marten" in English. They were in production from 1942 to 1944 and served on all fronts until the end of the war.Even in the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, the Wehrmacht already felt the need for a more mobile and more powerful anti-tank solution than the existing towed anti-tank guns such as Pak 36 or tank destroyers like thePanzerjäger I. This need became urgent in June 1941, when anti-tank shells failed to penetrate the armour of new Soviet tanks like the T-34 and KV-1.

As an interim solution, it was decided to use captured French vehicles like theLorraine (Marder I), obsolete tanks such as German Panzer II (Marder II), and Czech-supplied Panzer 38(t) (Marder III) as the base for makeshift tank destroyers.

Marder III, Sd.Kfz. 139

While the Panzer 38(t) had largely become obsolete as a tank in early 1942, it was still an excellent platform for adaptation into a tank destroyer, among other roles. Since the Soviet 76.2 mm field gun was captured in large quantities, the decision was made to mate this gun to the Panzer 38(t).

To do so, the production of the Panzer 38(t) Ausf. G was stopped and a modified superstructure was bolted onto the standard tank chassis. The upper structure mounted the gun and an extended gun shield, giving very limited protection for the commander and the loader. Armour protection overall ranged from 10 to 50 mm with no armor at all above and behind the gun compartment. The gun, commander and loader were located on top of the engine deck. It had a higher silhouette than the original Panzer 38 (t), which made it more vulnerable to enemy fire.

The now-called 7.62 cm PaK 36(r) was rechambered to be able to use standard German 75 mm ammunition of which 30 rounds could be carried inside the vehicle. Apart from the main gun, there was a 7.92 mm machine gun mounted in the hull.

This tank destroyer was put into production as the Panzerjäger 38(t) für 7.62 cm PaK 36(r),Sd.Kfz. 139. A total of 344 vehicles were built in three series from April to November 1942. Chassis numbers were 1360-1479, 1527-1600 and 1601-1750.

Marder III
Marder III Ausf. M
Type	Tank destroyer
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia
Service history
In service	1942–1945
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II