Oliver, Dennis: Panzer III Light Tank

Volume 50 in the "Tank Craft" series. In the spring of 1942, the Panzerkampfwagen IIIwhich had already seen action during the Polish campaignremained the most numerous armored fighting vehicle in the Wehrmacht's arsenal. Serving as the spearhead of the panzer divisions during the Blitzkrieg era, the Pz.Kpfw. III was less heavily armored than many of its adversaries but was distinguished by its robustness and reliability; furthermore, its main armament was a match for any opposing weapon it encountered. The basic version was continuously upgraded with heavier armament and armor without sacrificing speed or mobility, ensuring that even later variants remained capable, modern weapon systems. Deployed across the vast plains of present-day Belarus and Ukraine at the forefront of the dramatic advances of 1941, the Pz.Kpfw. III was also destined to bear the brunt of the following year's offensivescampaigns intended, according to plan, to knock the Soviet Union out of the war. This volume in the "Tank Craft" series continues the tank's wartime history, examining the models that took part in the fighting on the Eastern Frontfrom the spectacular advance to the threshold of Asia and into the Caucasus in June 1942, to the bitter street fighting in Stalingrad. Through archival photographs and meticulously researched color illustrations, Dennis Oliver examines the Pz.Kpfw. III and the armored units involved in these decisive engagements. A significant portion of the book showcases available model kits and accessories, complemented by a gallery of superbly built and painted models in various scales. Technical details and modifications made during production or in frontline service are also covered. The book thus offers the modeler everything needed for an authentic reproduction of these historic tanks.