Germany Pz.Bef.Wg III Ausf KOrdnance classification

World War 2 Tank and Gun Database

The Pz.Bef.Wg III Ausf K, it was based on the PzKpfw III chassis and was in use from 1942 to 1945.

General Details (Command)

Specifications
Operational Date(s)	1942 - 1945
Ordnance classification	SdKfz 268
Quantity Produced	50
Weight	unknown
Crew	5
M.G's small	1
M.G's large(>10mm)	n/a
Length	5.64 mtr
Width	2.95 mtr
Height	2.51 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed	25 mph
Max Cross Country Speed	11 mph
Range Road	103 miles
Range Cross Country	unknown
Fuel Type	Petrol
Fuel Capacity	unknown
Horse Power	300 hp
Power/Weight	unknown

General Information
The Pz.Bef.Wg III Ausf K, it was based on the PzKpfw III chassis and was in use from 1942 to 1945. It was armed with 1 light machine gun. Its main armament consisted of a 5.0cm KwK 39 L/60 weighing 1.780 kg and with a maximum range of 2,650 metres.

Armour Details

Turret
Front	57mm	@	15°	(59mm)
Side	30mm	@	25°	(33mm)
Rear	30mm	@	12°	(31mm)
Top	10mm	@	87°	(10mm)

Superstructure
Front	70mm	@	9°	(71mm)
Side	30mm	@	0°	(30mm)
Rear	50mm	@	12°	(51mm)
Top	18mm	@	83°	(18mm)

Hull
Front	50mm	@	21°	(54mm)
Side	30mm	@	0°	(30mm)
Rear	50mm	@	9°	(51mm)
Top	16mm	@	90°	(16mm)

Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)

Effective Armour - Maximum 71 mm - Minimum 16 mm


5.0cm KwK 39 L/60 5.0cm Kampfwagenkanone 39 L/60 (translates as Tank Gun)

	History
	Used on the later models of the Panzer III and the SdKfz 234 Puma
	Calibre	50mm
	Length	L/60

Ammunition Details
Name/Id	Calibre Weight MVelocity					Explosive Content
5.0cm PzGr. 39 L/60 (AP Armor Piercing)	50mm 2.06Kg 840M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 102mm @ 100mtr/0°
Range(Mtr)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000	2400
Flight Time(Secs)	0.12	0.24	0.5	1.06	1.67	2.33	3.04	3.8
Penetration(mm@30°)	79	76	70	60	51	43	36	31
Penetration(mm@0°)	92	89	82	69	59	50	43	36
Hit Probability(%)	88	88	88	79	61	49	22	13

Range(Mtr)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000	2400
5.0cm PzGr. 40 L/60 (AP40 Armour Piercing Tungsten Cored)	50mm 0.98Kg 1198M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 149mm @ 100mtr/0°
Flight Time(Secs)	0.08	0.17	0.35	0.72	1.12	1.55	2	2.48
Penetration(mm@30°)	103	100	95	84	75	67	60	53
Penetration(mm@0°)	120	116	110	98	87	78	70	62
Hit Probability(%)	88	88	88	85	79	70	61	49

Range(Mtr)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000	2400
5cm Sprgr Patr (HE High Explosive)	50mm 1.78Kg 550M/Sec					0.165Kg explosive
Maximum Range not shown as gun elevation is limited
Flight Time(Secs)	0.18	0.37	0.77	1.63	2.57	3.59	4.7	5.87
lateral dispersion means the side to side variation of the shell from the aiming point
50%(CEP) of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.12	0.12	0.12	0.21	0.32	0.43	0.53	0.64
80% of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.15	0.15	0.15	0.27	0.41	0.55	0.68	0.82
95% of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.24	0.24	0.24	0.41	0.63	0.84	1.04	1.25
range dispersion means the back to front variation of the shell from the aiming point
50%(CEP) of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.15	0.15	0.15	0.27	0.40	0.53	0.67	0.80
80% of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.19	0.19	0.19	0.35	0.51	0.68	0.86	1.02
95% of shells land within +/- (mtr)	0.29	0.29	0.29	0.53	0.78	1.04	1.31	1.57
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000
Flight Time(Secs)	0.19	0.38	0.79	1.69	2.7	3.81
Hit Probability(%)	88	88	85	61	34	13
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill	2 mtr	Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill						4 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill	11 mtr	Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr						0 mm
An explosion within 2 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal.
An explosion within 4 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's.
An explosion within 11 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties.
The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will not cause any significant armour damage.

About Penetration Figures

All penetration figures in this database are calculated to a common standard based on German WWII testing criteria (complete penetration with functioning fuze). This allows direct comparison between all nations' guns.

Original national test figures would be higher for some nations due to different criteria:

German: 1.00? (baseline - strictest)
British: 1.02? (slightly looser)
American: 1.05? (50% mass through plate)
Soviet: 1.10? (75% mass through plate)

For example, a Soviet gun showing 159mm here would be published as ~175mm in Soviet documents, and a German gun showing 120mm would be published as 120mm in German documents. The 159mm figure is directly comparable to the German 120mm - the Soviet gun really was more powerful.

National Testing Standards
German:	1.00? - Complete penetration, fuze functions (strictest)
British:	1.02? - Complete penetration
American:	1.05? - 50% of shell mass through plate
Soviet:	1.10? - 75% of shell mass through plate
All database figures are normalized to German standard for direct comparison. Multiply by the factor above to see original national test figures.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.