Hobby Boss 1/35 80168 Marder III Ausf.M Tank Destroyer Sd.Kfz.138 - Late

The last Marder III variant was based on the Geschützwagen 38(t) Ausf. M, a purpose-designed vehicle for self-propelled gun use, again armed with the 75 mm PaK 40 anti-tank gun. Ausf. M was the final variant of the Marder series and was a significant improvement over previous models, with its lower silhouette, sloped armor and much more functional fighting compartment. In this variant, the engine was moved from the rear to the middle between driver and the rest of the crew. Because there was no engine in the rear, the gun and the crew did not have to sit on top of the engine deck as in previous models. The fighting compartment could be lowered down to the bottom floor level where the engine used to be, which decreased crew exposure, as well as visibility. Unlike the previous two Marder IIIs, the fighting compartment was closed at the rear, protecting the crew up to their midsection. It stayed open-topped. It could carry only 27 rounds of ammunition. The machinegun port at the front was eliminated in the Ausf. M in favor of an MG 34 or MG 42 carried by the crew.

The Marder III (Sd.Kfz 138 and 139) was a German tank destroyer from the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were made in 1942, and serial production continued in the period 1942-1944, ending with the production of about 970 vehicles. The Marder III was powered by a single Prague EPA engine of various versions with a capacity of 125-150hp. He was armed with 1 cannon F-22 Model 1936 cal. 76.2 mm (Sd. Kfz. 139) or 1 cannon PaK 40 cal. 75 mm (Sd. Kfz. 138) and 1 MG34 or MG42 machine gun cal. 7.92 mm.

The Marder III was created as a result of a hardware shortage in the Wehrmacht related to a mobile anti-tank gun, capable of destroying the Soviet T-34 and KW-1. In order to minimize the time of testing and implementation into production, the Marder III was created with the chassis of the PzKpfw 38 (t) tank, which was then decommissioned, and in the original version the main armament was the captured Soviet F-22 gun. Three variants of this vehicle were produced in series production. The first was designated Sd.Kfz 139 Marder III and was armed with the aforementioned captured Soviet 76.2mm F-22 gun and powered by a 125hp engine. Sd.Kfz 138 Marder III Ausf was established soon after. H, which was equipped with the German 75mm PaK 40 cannon and a 140hp engine. Finally, the last mass-produced version was the Sd.Kfz 138 Marder III Ausf. M, which still had the PaK 40 gun, but already had a closed crew compartment and a 150hp engine. Marder III vehicles of all versions were used primarily on the Eastern Front in the period 1942-1945, where especially in the period 1942-1943 proved to be a very effective weapon. A small batch of about 60-70 vehicles went to North Africa at the turn of 1942-1943.