German tank fighter MARDER III Ausf. M COBI 2282 - World War II

You know that:

• The development of the MARDER tank fighter began in 1941 at Alkett.
• The basis for the new machine was the excellent tank chassis of Czechoslovak design LT-38, which was produced by ČKD Praha under the German occupation.
• The first pieces used captured Soviet F-22 guns, renamed PaK 36, as the main weapon. Later versions received German PaK 40/3 barrels.
• The machine had an open superstructure with light armour, a deficiency that was fully demonstrated in the fighting on the Eastern Front. The M version already had thicker armour and a redesigned engine mount.
• The open hull was covered with a waterproof canvas in case of inclement weather.
• A total of 1,736 units were produced in various versions.
• After World War II, the tank fighters were included in the armament of the Czechoslovak Army under the designation ST-II.

Technical parameters:

• length 5.02 m, width 2.15 m, height 2.35 m
• weight 10 700 kg
• frontal armour thickness up to 50 mm
• propulsion gasoline 6-cylinder Praga AC engine with a capacity of 7 750 cm³ and a power of 110 kW
• number of gears 5 forward + 1 reverse
• maximum speed 46 km/h on the road and 15 km/h off-road
• range 190 km on the road and approx. 95 km off-road
• maximum wading depth of 0.9 m
• main weapon PaK 40 L/46 cannon 75 mm calibre (27 rounds)
• secondary weapon MG 34 machine gun 7,92 mm calibre (1 200 rounds)
• crew of 4