Osprey Publishing

M3 Medium Tank vs Panzer III Kasserine Pass 1943

by  Gordon Rottman Illustrations by Ian Palmer and Giuseppe Rava

Reviewed By  Howie Belkin, IPMS# 16

MSRP: $17.95 ISBN: 13: 978-1846032615 Web Site: www.ospreypublishing.com Somebody told Osprey that most modelers were also history buffs and our personal libraries are as awesome to behold as are our significant model collections. And just when you've seen it all, Osprey creates a new series that has a unique approach with enough new text and illustrations that are hard for you to pass by. This matching up the Allies' M3 Medium vs. Germany's Panzer III is the tenth in this successful "Duel" series. It follows the tried and true format of its predecessors which is both good and bad news. The bad news for the modeler's budget is that no one edition provides the modeler with everything he could wish for. So you will still have to rely on other references for other material, but more on that later. This particular book compares the M3 Grant against the Panzerkampfwagen III, their successes and failures, strengths and weaknesses as they fought in North Africa, while awaiting superior replacements. While the Grant/Lee tanks would soon be replaced in their entirety, with some remaining in service converted into self-propelled Priest, Sexton and M12 arty and M31 recovery vehicles (to name a few), the Panzer III continued in production and front line combat service, being the second most produced German tank after the Panzer IV. The Panzer III also had its support roles, the one most common was the Stug III with some 10,500 produced. Typically, civilian governments delude themselves after wars and cut defense spending to the bone, stifling the development of better weapon systems. While the airplane was born before WWI erupted, the tank did not crank out until Cambrai, very late in the war. War would end before military thinkers had time to think of, propose and prove just what constitutes the best tank and armor strategy. As WWII approached, France had one of the largest and most modern armor arms of service. In its ranks could be counted tanks ranging from the diminutive Renault D1 which was the last development of the WWI FT17, as well as the heavy Renault Char B1 with its 75mm main armament mounted in the front hull with a smaller gun high in its rotating turret. This B1 may have influenced the M3 Grant's design which seemed perfectly sound, until the Battle of France proved otherwise. As quickly as M3 production went into full swing, the M4 Sherman development went into high gear with plans to replace the M3 as soon as possible. At the same time, Germany intended that the machine gun armed Panzer I and IIs were meant to train tankers, not to actually be used on the battlefield as extensively as they were. As advanced as the Panzer III was, there was no turret basket floor, so the loader had to walk as the turret traversed. Nor was the Panzer III's main gun gyrostabilized like the M3s. The Panzer III couldn't shoot on the run. The M3 and Panzer III each represent a step in their nation's armor evolution/revolution that was state of the art for a time - a very short time. This book tells the remarkable story chronologically, covers design & development, the strategic situation, technical specifications, gunnery, small unit tactical and maintenance along with the effect of the climate on tank crews, a brief combat description of the fighting at Kasserine (mentioning that the earlier Galzala Line battle was the first German encounter with the M3 where it accounted well for itself), statistics and analysis and an Aftermath/Conclusion. That's a lot of territory for an 80 page book so you should realize that this can be an overview at best. For example, a color cutaway turret illustration for both tanks is provided with all the key components keyed off and labeled but the drawings intentionally are "soft" giving you an "impression" but not the sharp, crisp details a modeler requires to recreate it in his kits. On the other hand, there are a couple of turret interior photos that do the trick for the sections they show. If you're looking for a book crammed with camouflage and markings, or detailing references to build better models, this is not your book. Only three pages are dedicated to analyzing Kasserine (the M3 played a small role as the U.S. mostly had Sherman's in that battle) and comparing the two tanks overall. The history buff will get the most out of this book, while the modeler will find it a helpful supplement to the separate M3 Grant/Lee and Panzer III Osprey books in his collection. At $17.95 I feel it's a little pricey for a soft covered book but it's priced in line with say, the Concord books. Available in hobby shops and bookstores or go to www.ospreypublishing.com . Many thanks to Osprey Publishing for the review copy.

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