Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: Panzer III Part 2

[@manassurya2019]

Panzer III is a perfect example of how a tank can be more effective than its simple firepower, mobility and armour statistics. In theory this was supposed to be inferior to the Char B1 and T 34-76, but it turned out to allow its crew to take better advantage of the tank and use it to its full potential.

[@MrMarinus18]

Yeah, I think the French Somoa is a good comparison and while the Somoa looks much better on paper the Panzer III can get to it's maximum potential much more easily.

[@lairdcummings9092]

Crew efficiency matters.

[@MrMarinus18]

They feel made with crew input rather than just by executives to market or for engineers to have fun with.

[@ianbirge8269]

That poop chute is probably the single greatest feature on a tank ever.

[@phil20_20]

I think that's why the support troops are always laughing in the movies. 😆

[@Legitpenguins99]

@Dmitry Godlevsky seriously? Thats the most unnecessary, non Russian tank feature ive ever heard of

[@dimag509]

@@Legitpenguins99 yes

[@petrolak]

@@Legitpenguins99 Well, there are people boasting about kitchens and toilets on Su-34, but the toilet is a pissbottle under the seat and the kitchen is a thermos flask with coffee behind the pilot. So I imagine T-14s "bathroom" is just the good old poophatch.

[@antonkhalamayzer1379]

@I don't know wait like the airplane

[@imagifyer]

The mysterious doohickey is a gyro compass, basically because tanks are big metal boxes a magnetic compass won't work, instead you set this thing to a known heading (ie north) and the gyroscope will spin and stay on that heading no matter which way the vehicle turns, so you can always know which way north is

[@jarmokankaanpaa6528]

Improbable, first because a gyro compass needs current input to keep the rotor turning (and the doohickey is a bit small for a period gyrocompass), second because the scale is only up to 12 whereas a compass would have a degree (360) or mil (6000 or 6400) scale, and third because you CAN have a magnetic compass on a metal tank -- you just need to calibrate it. How do you think they can have magnetic compasses on iron ships if metal were a problem? Presuming this is supposed to be an Afrika Korps tank, they could also have used a sun compass like the LRDG. And finally, the guy actually doing the navigation would be the TC (or more likely a navigator in the command tank); the driver would be occupied negotiating the terrain.

[@imagifyer]

@@jarmokankaanpaa6528 probability has nothing to do with it, I was stating a fact not making a guess. It's a gyro compass, called a 'kurskreisel' , my source is page 43 of the Haynes Tiger tank workshop manual.

[@jarmokankaanpaa6528]

You are correct, @@imagifyer.

[@MrMarinus18]

I guess the magnetic center of the tank was in a very inconvenient location.

[@Mattle_lutra]

@@imagifyer I speculate that the "1 to 12" scale might be clock degrees as to more easily follow tank commanders directions if given in clock degrees. Would the lower yellow part (harder to see in the video) possibly be a 360 degree scale?

[@johnnyzippo7109]

The restoration of this Panzer III is phenomenal , what is also phenomenal is the overall fit and finish of WW2 Gurman panzers. Those welds , nothing but sliding dimes , incredible.

[@bradleyshorey1604]

Nicholas mentions at 13:21 a "little device" to the left front of the driver's position. The manual labels it as a "Kurskreisel" which I believe translates as gyro compass.

[@Stuka87]

Was so happy to see this pop up. The Panzer III (and the Stug) were incredibly reliable, well thought out tanks. If not as powerful as later tanks. Hoping that WG also had you go through the Panzer IV, and Maybe Tiger 131.

[@ivanvukadin3194]

They allready did Tiger 131. Look it up at the Chieftains channel

[@sirboomsalot4902]

Ivan Vukadin The Challenger did the Tiger, not the Cheiftain that I know of

[@Stuka87]

@@ivanvukadin3194 The Chieftan has not done Tiger 131. (Many others have, but I would like his input)

[@Angry-Lynx]

I don't like the fact that they were mostly paper tanks, generally everything designated as AP will destroy them.

[@Stuka87]

@@Angry-Lynx At the start of the war they were definitely not paper tanks. And they were up-armored as the war went on. Yes they were very outclassed by late model tanks, but they could still stand up to a lot of mid to lower caliber guns that were still in use.

[@bigblue6917]

Nice to see the Panzer 3 in detail. It tends to get overlooked for the later tank but good for its day.

[@WarReport.]

Beast in the desert

[@erikhalvorseth3950]

Its a beautiful tank and I believe especially in desert conditions it served DAK well due to its reliability where it apparently outperformed P-IV. Its the punch of the gun that gets you into trouble ofc. Mathildas etc would be a tough nut

[@timonsolus]

I suppose the driver and radio operator didn’t have their own hatches because the tank was too small to accommodate them. It’s easy to forget that the Panzer III was designed as a 15 ton tank. Allied near equivalents in terms of weight were the British Cruiser III and IV, and the US M3 / M5 Light, which all had a crew of 4 men, and the Russian BT-7 and British Valentine III, which both had only 3 men. So the Germans did a brilliant job of crew ergonomics on the Panzer III considering the small size of the tank.

[@MrMarinus18]

Well more that the Germans figured the inconvenience was worth it for the increased protection. Hatches are weak points in the armor. The Driver and radio operator would have hatches in the front which is the most likely part to be hit.

[@chrisgibson5267]

The early marks had escape hatches for the driver and radio man on the side: deleted after this model I think. Our man here makes mention of them in the video. These are in the hulk sides and hinge forward. There's a number of photos of knocked out tanks with the open and at least one with a crew member apparently dead gal in and half out the tank.

[@thebog11]

@@chrisgibson5267 That's absurd, women didn't serve in the Wehrmacht

[@MrMarinus18]

It is also the reason they went for the more vertical armor. It allowed them to make a smaller tank which still fitting in 5 people.

[@MrMarinus18]

Also the intended weight of the Panzer III was 18 tons which was the maximum weight of army bridges at the time. The British clung on to that a little more which is why the Valentine is so cramped cause they wanted it to stay under 18 tons.

[@Wotplaya4]

Panzer 4 next? It's got hatch for the driver and radio operator :P

[@ThePerfectRed]

And it's the first tank with a real turret basket

[@beersmurff]

@@ThePerfectRed You're a turret basket!

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

@@ThePerfectRed I think T-28 gets that honor, actually. Would need to check.

[@derkaiser9881]

@@TheChieftainsHatch Oooh. That's actually pretty surprising, especially considering it's a Russian tank...and their reputation..

[@ThePerfectRed]

That would be cool, but I think it was only the 1940 design of the "conical" turret that had this. A video about the T-28 would be great!

[@neilwilson5785]

Excellent video. When you see how well layed out that turret is, you can see the real reason why this tank 'over-performed' in North Africa and Russia for so long.

[@Pulsatyr]

Please keep doing early war subjects like the panzer II or Czech designs. A day without Moran is a day without sunshine. You are such a great presenter that I would watch you evaluating make-up airbrushes or non stick cookware.

[@begines7787]

I WAS WAITING SO HARD FOR THE SECOND PART TO COME!

[@derkaiser9881]

YESS

[@Yes-br1qj]

Same here

[@Hyperion__GD]

*insert It's Been So Long meme here*

[@b1laxson]

Thats what she said.

[@JaM-R2TR4]

how its done? waiting hard... :D

[@myplane150]

"Shorter people back then"... (3:55). Considering you are 6'5", everyone was shorter back then and most still are today. ☺

[@gafeleon9032]

He knows, he's saying it for context probably

[@terrystoner4504]

I'm shorter than him right now but only by 3" so yeah. I've always heard that submarine crews could only be a certain height so maybe the Germans did something similar with tank crews.

[@littlejimmy8744]

@@terrystoner4504 same height as you so would i be able to be a gunner in a german tank ?

[@CB65810]

My uncle was 6’4” and a Sherman driver/ assistant driver/ bow gunner / in 712th tank battalion

[@littlejimmy8744]

@@CB65810 shermans are taller than Germans tanks but if he fit i could fit but i would prefer loader or a gunner.

[@n95265]

I have been waiting for this tank for years, so many go to panther and such but I love the III. Thank you for doing the early war machines.

[@MrBandholm]

Also the Panzer III is great looking with the long 5cm gun. In the end perhaps the panzer IV was better (due to the ability of upgrading it), but the Panzer III looks like a very capable tank. And something of a terror in the Desert.

[@bigblue6917]

But then got its second wind as the Stug III

[@MrBandholm]

@@bigblue6917 The Stug III is arguably the most important AFV of the German army from 1942 and onwards... But it was there already in 1940. But you are quit correct!

[@RussianThunderrr]

I agree on all accounts... Pz-III is a good looking and comfortable tank, Pz-IV is not, but Pz-IV was a MBT "work horse" thorough the WWII.

[@HappiKarafuru]

British - Tea making machine inside their tank German - Toilet inside their tank

[@ernestpaul2484]

I didn't realize Mr. Moran was so tall. If he can fit into most of these WW2 era tanks and their crew positions fairly easily, then the crews of that time period, which were smaller and shorter in stature, would have no problem at all. It is the small details that make up this series of armored education. I almost considered being a tanker, then thought about how big a target I would be. So jumping out of airplanes and humping a ruck around didn't seem like too bad a deal. I would love to go to Bovington for a visit before I expire. Hell, all of the museums in Europe also.

[@elijah24567]

Such a beautiful tank. This and Pz 4 is probably the reason why i don't progress in my Tech tree.

[@shorttimer874]

Thank you post production for lowering the music volume!

[@alexthibodeau979]

The Panzer 1 video's music was so dominating and it was really nice that I could actually listen to the Cheiftain properly in this one.

[@billhuber2964]

My compliments and congratulations Nicolas. You done your homework well. This will help me on scale model projects in the future.

[@McRocket]

For once (especially from about 1942 onwards), it looks like the Germans designed a great tank on the 'bang for the buck' scale. I gained a lot of respect for this tank thanks to this review. Thank you.

[@chippledon1]

Access hatches for the driver/machine gunner in the hull were located on the glacis plate in front. I've seen a pic of a pz 3 driver standing in the open hatch.

[@donvanduzen8944]

No you haven't.

[@daveybyrden3936]

@@donvanduzen8944 I've seen that too.

[@christiandtorres9843]

Finally!! I can see inside my favourite tank of all times!!

[@nateweter4012]

Great vid. Just a heads up, the MG34 on the cupola IS for shooting at aircraft, although in 8mm it’s quite inadequate for the role. The mount is called the “Fliegerbeschussgerät”(roughly translates to plane shooting device). There’s a switch arm/lever, which when turned, allows the arms of the mount to rotate upwards which raises the MG substantially enough to where the operator can get behind the gun for elevated shots. It allows for about 60 degrees elevation not much more. The idea worked well enough in the mid to late 30’s where biplanes, soft bodied and slower planes were used but was less effective against modern WW2 aircraft. It’s function on the mount became a way for tank commanders to paint a target with tracers for gunner and other tanks and for both a moral boost and potential deterrent during Jabo attacks.

[@frankwhite3406]

The Drivers and Radio Operators / Hull machine gunners hatches were located on the sides of the lower hull between the tracks on the Ausf L model . I think you could also escape in an emergency out of the differential drive shaft inspection hatches above the Drivers knees. As on the Stug 3.

[@peterlewerin4213]

Side hatches yes. The inspection hatches are too small, and you can't squeeze past the gearbox/final drive assembly anyway.

[@frankwhite3406]

@@peterlewerin4213 Ooh Yes you can when the tanks on fire !!!

[@justforever96]

Did you see inside those hatches in part 1? I was thinking "those are literally just inspection hatches, you couldn't even fit your hands in there to work on anything", and here you are claiming a whole person could squeeze out? There is no way. The *hatch* is large enough, but there is less than six inches of space between the brakes and the hull.

[@frankwhite3406]

@@justforever96 Hi , I have seen pictures of German Panzer Crewmen coming out of the hatch in question in front of the driver . Once you squeeze past the control leavers you open the hatch from the inside of the Panzer III / Stug and pop out. ( please note people were also alot slimmer in the 1940's)!

[@Luredreier]

Thank you, the Panzer 3 L is one of my favorite tanks of all times. =)

[@TheLPN05Fan]

Man, I waited for this like ages! There's a reason why this is my favourite WW2 Tank!

[@jim200cmvfd2]

OMG, I think this is the first German tank that you gave a positive view of. Now you gotta do the Panzer 4 to compare to. Nice Job, now that you finally did part 2 of the Panzer 3 I'll buy that book, not gonna read it until the Panzer 4. Thanks

[@sirboomsalot4902]

Fallschirmjäger Guy Films That’s not the Chieftain, that’s his UK counterpart called the Challenger who just sits in the commanders seat and does nothing.

[@mattmopar440]

9:15 the M3 Lee is making a flanking move you better move quick :)

[@panzerkampfwagenmark6tiger198]

mattmopar440 not if i have anything to say about that

[@gafeleon9032]

@@panzerkampfwagenmark6tiger198's transmission proceeds to brake

[@panzerkampfwagenmark6tiger198]

Gafe León NEIN NOT AGAIN

[@ZoSoPage1977]

That's a Grant

[@aperson1363]

@@ZoSoPage1977 the Lee is American, Grant is British

[@Clangokkuner]

Maybe the azimuth indicator is so the commander can know the relative positions without completely shifting his field of vision? I can imagine the reasoning being that they want to be able to let the commander track targets without having to look away and still be able to give accurate commands to the various crewmen

[@joehammond1247]

Thanks Chieftain, I have been eagerly awaiting part 2!!!!!!!!!!!

[@fhlostonparaphrase]

Finally, was beginning to wonder if there ever was to be a part 2. Now...the music. In the last video I couldn't see/hear the issue that so many commented on, but in this video, the music *really* is distracting. Not too big on background music in general, but we sort of have to live with it (its a fad), but could you please tone it down a few notches? Its too loud compared to his voice, which is what we come for; information over noise. Other than that, refreshing to see a tank with good ergonomics for a change ;)

[@abrahkadabra9501]

Always enjoy going over those old German designs. They were so well thought out and well built. No wonder the German tank divisions were so dangerous!

[@kellyknott4201]

Great job on an under appreciated vehicle and considering its free I can wait until you’re ready to produce the video. My vote too for the Pz IV or StuG III with coverage of the engine bay as well. Keep up the good work.

[@paoloviti6156]

It good to remember that the Pz.Kpfw III not only had better ergonomics but it had a number of first regarding tanks: it was the first to understand the importance of having a three manned turret to divide the workload in a more logic way, it was the first to recognize the importance to give good view to the crew with the hatches closed so it was fitted armored glass all around with an cupola with an all-around view for commander, it was the first to be regularly fitted with the intercom system permitting a excellent coordination among the crew altrough the loader was not connected for ease of movement, and finally it was the first to have torsion bars permitting a relatively smooth ride on rough terrain. Compare it, with the exception of the Pz.Kpfw IV, to the contemporary tanks then in production in other countries to get an overall picture...

[@zafranorbian757]

The Neubaufahrzeugs turret, wich became a huge influence for the turret on the Pz3 and 4, already had the 3 man configuration with the commander elevated in the back. But you could still say the Pz3 was the first to bring that turret design to a mass produced tank.

[@paoloviti6156]

@@zafranorbian757 interesting, as I didn't know that the turret of the Neubaufahrze had a three man-crew. Thanks for the heads up!!

[@sheikbombalot5781]

An absolutely brilliant tank for the first years of the war. Up until 1941/42 there wasn’t much that could match them, except for T34’s which were tactically inferior. And after 41 they were an excellent basis for the STUG and as infantry support vehicle.

[@FalconWing1813]

Very Cool, Makes me have a lot of respect for all those that have served and fought in this things.

[@user6008]

One of the original Blitzkrieg tanks deployed so effectively by Germany early on during WWII. Excellent engineering, combined with mechanical reliability and as the Chieftain so ably pointed out....great ergonomics.

[@bodavidson2804]

Fun fact The boxy design of WWII German panzers was inspired by the shape of Hindenberg's head

[@carlwesternut2434]

Hey, mr chieftain, it would be interesting to see a video on a type 63 apc, or a panzer 4 brumbarr. Your knowledge and research is second to none. Great video.

[@justforever96]

Shorter people back then, yes. But they also specifically chose crewmen based on their physical ability to fit. I think Moran would have been advised to go to the infantry instead, they *wanted* smaller crew for armor and aircraft, for similar reasons. Making the tank just enough bigger to accommodate a man of 6'2" instead of 6' could easily add hundreds of pounds worth of armor hull plate, and strange as it seems, saving weight was a major consideration for tank designers. Even with the later behemoths like the Tigers, the weight was already so huge, they had to try to limit it as much as possible, and the thicker your armor is, the larger the increase is when you add a few inches to the dimensions. In aircraft, it means more material and weight, and more size means more drag (and a larger target, which is especially significant on a panzer). It is much simpler to simply be selective of your crewmen. And yes, those are escape hatches. A person can squeeze out of a surpisingly small space when it is a matter of life or death...but yet another reason to prefer small men. Hatch openings are vulnerable weak points, and you want them as small as possible (especially on an extremely vulnerable spot like the hull side). All they needed was a space barely big enough to squeeze out of in dire emergency, it would make no sense to make them larger for comfort (or to accommodate fat crewmen) at the cost of making the whole panzer more vulnerable.

[@haydenmoore3421]

I honestly get lit to the looping guitar in the background

[@glennmorrissey5309]

Great tour of the Panzer III, thank you!

[@khps0413]

Panzer IV! Panzer IV! Panzer IV! We need a complete tour video for Panzer IV! (Challenger already made one for it, but I still hope there will be a complete tour for this warhorse.)

[@lllPlatinumlll]

The hatch in the floor is also for hosing out the gore of the previous crew if needed. I read about one becoming blocked with a skull and the guy cleaning it had to hop in and remove the skull so he could keep hosing.

[@DrLoverLover]

Cool story bro

[@drittal]

2:03 is that a stirrup in the side of the 5cm ammo box to possibly allow the commander head out operation without exposing his torso?

[@AveragePootis]

13:44 Well i guess in the desert there could be a loss of traction maybe mutiple times (IE. get stuck) so that the odometer would not be accurate. Sand in the middle of desert is not very... grippy

[@henrikhilskov]

I once read that the latest version of the Pzkmpf III with the short barrel 75mm was produced to be a support tank for the Tiger I units, messenger tank ect. However that very fast turned out to be a bad idea. The best support for a Tiger was another Tiger.

[@gusgone4527]

If Panzer IV production had been numerous enough. I'm sure all Panzer III hulls would have been given over to Stug production early in the war. That combination with either Tiger Mk1 or another, would have given the USSR a real problem. The resources wasted on Panther, Tiger II and the other crazies lost the production of the workhorse vehicles. With more tanks available, the German armies could have reached much needed oil reserves before halting for the winter and consolidating. The T34 and KV's were a shock but very difficult to both operate, coordinate and keep running. Don't get me wrong. I'm so pleased the Germans never achieved their full potential. But but with hindsight the allies were very lucky Hitler was a drug addicted megalomaniac. Had he "died" in 1941 and been replaced by Erich Von Manstein or similar. Who know what would have happened?

[@thecashier930]

Looking at the turret hatches and the ergonomics inside the hull a "Oh booger, the tank is on fire" test from the hull would probably be quicker than some of the other tanks, where he got stuck. Not having a hatch for the people is pretty horrible, but if you were to build one without them, this is probably the best you can do.

[@iwhbyd2683]

Honestly, wiggling into the driver seat without a hatch looked much easier than going through many other tanks that had a drivers hatch. Didn’t notice him having to do any twisting or bending, or shoulder dislocating, can’t say that for some other tanks.

[@jroch41]

Very informative review of Panzer III

[@begines7787]

STUG 3 NEXT EPISODE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

[@Iamhavingastromk]

YES!!!

[@bigchunk1]

A comfortable crew would make for an effective tank I imagine.

[@cosimopiovasco8196]

Oh bugger, that guitar riff again! Let's escape before my ears burn! (otherwise, great review of a really smart tank!)

[@skjorta1984]

I like it

[@e90baby]

Cosimo Piovasco looks comfy

[@zacheryloop1947]

Music is much to loud. Rather hear what he is saying. It's a distraction!

[@pweter351]

Thanks for the video just a suggestion is to have close up shots from the crew position and details

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

Thank you for finally coming out with part 2.

[@johnludmon7419]

The hull escape hatches were deleted in the later production models of this tank I think mid way through the “J” spec model. Possibly that is why they are very blocked up as they have moved things around in the hull with the adoption of the larger gun and bigger ammunition.

[@erikhalvorseth3950]

P-III impresses me more and more. Apart from the escape hatches for driver and funker ..they dont have emergency hatches either? I believe I have read somewhere that P-III was a favorite in DAK because of its reliability. The problem ofc was the punch of the gun.

[@zafranorbian757]

there were originally escape hatches in the side of the hull, though they were super tiny and were removed on later models.

[@petesheppard1709]

at least those big side turret hatches made escape for the gunner and loader fairly quick, clearing the way for the hull crew to bail. Still, the hull crew had to be something of claustrophiles even if they were small.

[@d.f.9140]

Pete Sheppard u didn't watched it right. He even mentions that even it's such a small tank, the crew ergonomics are astonishing for that time. I'm 1,80 m in height and would fit in it, very comfortable tank and space magic.

[@chumleywarner586]

Awesome - My patience has been Rewarded! Like your style on par with Master Fletcher!!! Cheers Vi

[@pauljames9869]

Ok, the tank is in fire! For many Panzer 3s they had a hull escape hatch on each side. He even showed it on this one. The later ones. Didn’t have them. It is the GUNNER that was lucky to have his own hatch. Most LOADERS always had their own hatch.

[@derekbaker3279]

Excellent, and I agree that the PzKmpfw III is an underappreciated tank. After all, Germany's greatest successes in WWII all occurred while the PzKmpfw III was their main battle tank (and the PzKmpfw IV was a support tank). I was quite surprised with the proximity of the recoil guard to the commander's legs. Was this a compromise when the L/60 gun replaced the L/42 gun? Or was it a design flaw (inconvenience?) from the outset. Finally, I think that the PzKmpfw III in 1940 had the 37mm gun, so it was inadequately armed, IMHO. However, by Barbarrossa, all PzKmpfw IIIs had the 50mm L/42 & it may be fair to say that in 1941 it was the best tank in the world that was available in impactful quantities (so the T-34/76 wouldn't count). Looking forward to your next video!

[@DrKakao-po6zk]

In second 0:04 of this video you can see a mounted issue on top of the right chain....looks a little bit like a "helmet" . I have seen this at many german military vehicles and I always wondered what it is? Maybe you can answer this question--thanks in advance!

[@zafranorbian757]

you mean the objeckt on the left track guard? That is is a light for driving in the dark outside of friendly teritory. As you can imagne if you expect an enemy might be nearby and looking for you you can just use the regular headlights as they would give your position away. So they use this special light that thanks to its shape only illuminates a small strip of terrain directly infron on the tank, enabeling the driver to drive in the dark. Thats wjy it is usually mounted on the same side of the vehicle as the drivers position.

[@JustSomeCanuck]

"Oh bugger, the main gun ammo under the commander's seat is on fire..."

[@VladiSSius]

*insert "guess i'll die" meme*

[@randymotter51]

@@VladiSSius *insert "(chuckles) I'm in danger" meme*

[@user-uq1bq5wq4w]

@@randymotter51 i think during the eastern front i would like that lmao. heated seats, made in germany!

[@richardrobinson7645]

"ahwell - he was an arsehole anyway"

[@visionist7]

Seeing as the driver has no hatch to poke his head through the designers had no choice but to give him a generous vision block.

[@mrbigshoworelse]

If the Pz. III is so close to perfect I'd imagine the Pz. IV is going to be arguably perfect, takes everything the Pz. III does wrong and makes it right.

[@AussieStandsWithRussia]

He was impressed. The panzer 111 was the James bonds of tanks in that era

[@1joshjosh1]

I'm proud that I knew that 18 years ago about the 39 versus the 40

[@Sydney559]

Really great vidéos!!! I am doing a Das Werk 1/16 Panzer 3 ausf J Glad to see all the details.

[@VonRammsteyn]

AWESOME! I was waiting 4 this! The panzer III ausf H is my favorite tank of the war. And something to remember is it was with this tank that the wehrmacht did achieve it's best victories. Large push ups like the french campaign or the early manouvers of barbarroja would been unreacheable with the rate of malfunctions of the tiger or the panther. This was the tool wich come closer to achieve Hitler's dreams. As allways, a big fat Thank you for the video, Nicholas! It was better than i espected.

[@peterlewerin4213]

It was with this tank that the Wehrmacht achieved its *only* victories. Retiring the Pz III from its original role coincided with the Germans going into sustained defense/retreat. (I'm obviously not saying they should have stuck to the Pz III to avoid losing.) It's my favorite WWII tank too. One of the very first tanks that wasn't just a lumbering tin can monster, and throughout its career its crews consistently defeated tanks that were, on paper, superior to it. The little tank that could, until it couldn't any more.

[@ico9750]

Panzer 4 now? Please?

[@RussianThunderrr]

There we go... kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYHInoqbeaeafJI

[@screamingfang]

@@RussianThunderrr no we want Tank Jesus to do the Panzer 4! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@darthtrudeau4907]

8:40 look at the soldiers looking into the tank 😅

[@chemiker494]

Do you know why the top speed is listed as 40 km/h? The Soviets acquired a Pz III for testing in 1939, and found that it could go 60 km/h or more, faster than the T-34, thanks to its torsion bar suspension

[@michaelillingworth6433]

I've also heard this, with an explanation. It's thought that it had more to do with the Russians lack of respect for the machine, ie pushing it past its designers specification.

[@tj_struck]

Can you please put the camera up to the cupola and weapon/driver sights so we can get an idea of the Commander and crewman view please?? Would definitely add more to the video, I would love to see that!

[@mariebcfhs9491]

lol having a potty hole inside a flipping tank is the uttermost luxury at those times lol

[@geramos109]

What about the lateral door between the weels? This is a good escape for the driver and the radio man.

[@DeadValeryi]

Перевода в ближайшем десятилетии мы не дожёмся. Для русскоязычной аудитории передачу можно назвать «Учим английский вместе с Николасом Мораном»

[@The_Furless]

Finally, I can never ever find a video on the panzer 3 interior

[@mbr5742]

To put german males of the period into perspective: My step-grandfather (maternal) was a WW2 german tanker (Panzer IV and Panther). He was considered a BIG GUY both in hight and shoulder width. He was 182cm in hight and visibly bigger than his crew My geandfather (paternal) was seen as a giant at 192cm, towering a head over his fellow miners on pictures. And even at 190cm today I am well above average for a german male (177cm for german my age, 179cm for age 18-30)

[@kingofhogwarts9499]

Finally! I have to say, this is all I wanted for christmas

[@airnt]

so even when coming out of the turret, isn't it still quicker than many other tanks you looked at? Obviously you might need to cross the actual fire hazard, but still, that all depends where the fire even started. Also the covered ammo storage makes for a bit more fire resistance?

[@anatolib.suvarov6621]

Col., I see the boys at Bovington chained the MG-34 to the mount, so you couldn't liberate it.

[@karoltakisobie6638]

No mention of Stug SP gun? It was build on Pz3 chassis and was one of the best so guns Germans ever had.

[@LucioFercho]

About time!!!

[@realfrog.9669]

Imagine looking at a German tank and the turret starts traversing towards you

[@justforever96]

Why, because it's more scary if a *German* tank is shooting at you, as opposed to any other kind of tank? A tank shooting at you is bad news, no matter whose it is. Even a crewman in a Tiger II isn't laughing when he sees an M3 Light drawing a bead on him, let alone an M4 Medium. No tank is invulnerable, all have weak points and can be very deadly to the crew. Tanks don't even like being under MG fire if they can help it. For those *not* in a tank, even a light tank is a terrifying prospect. To infantrymen, even the worst of Italian tanks can be a monstrous beast. With the right weapons and training infantry can deal with tanks, but they are always something to be afraid of.

[@Dethfield]

StuG III please!!

[@DC_10]

Too bad the camera didn't go along with some of the details. I am most interested in the gunner sight and other equipment panels.

[@leftnoname]

Really would like to see Nick do a video on Tiger I.

[@fhlostonparaphrase]

Apparently, the wooden Challenger has already done one... So its probably not first priority.

[@milosjanos5058]

I would say that at the beginnig of the war CZ made LT 38, or Pz 38(t) (german designation) was more than match for Pz.III. Rommel s panzer dividion used LT 38 in France.

[@JakeMarshall]

In Sweden the tank driver have the task of counting the time we're exposed in a fiering position for example. You dont want to be exposed more than 60 sec or so

[@antonfarquar8799]

excellent report

[@justforever96]

You keep saying the loader has no seat, but I cannot believe that is true. The guy has to ride around in this thing for hours, days at a time, usually not in combat, just on route march. He must have something to sit on besides the floor and the hatch sill. I have heard of a bicycle-style removable seat for other Panzer types, and I suspect the same here. It can be easily removed and stowed for combat, and allows more room for movement should he need to start slinging ammunition suddenly.

[@justforever96]

I thought you said you were going to show us the port-side escape hatch when you couldn't get the starboard one open.

[@LucioFercho]

WHAT!!!!! No side escape hatch test?!?!?!?!?!?!

[@LucioFercho]

@@razor1uk610 For that you do not need such big hatches... they appear to be too small for people and too large for anything else. Earlier versions had pistol ports, they were way smaller. Plus there was the bottom hatch for other uses.

[@thebog11]

@@razor1uk610 I've heard of shooting gold rounds, but this is ridiculous!

[@staplafara]

The timer was for torpedo launches. Just joking. Greetings and thanks from Germany.

[@beersmurff]

It's a German tank. So maybe to time the Bratwurst cooker?

[@bigblue6917]

Tended to get overlooked in the dessert the old torpedo. They did come up with a clockwork one on wheels but by then the Afrika Corp had run out of Africa.

[@gehtdichnixan3200]

@@beersmurff as a german you know when your bratwurst is done !

[@luvr381]

I thought only TOG II had torpedoes.

[@scipioafricanus4328]

staplafara QA

[@DrLoverLover]

Why is there music playing when he's talking?????

[@VladiSSius]

Pz 3 was my most favourite tank. I even make a semi sci-fi upgrade depiction of it by having a turret of a Comet tank (bit modified of course for the gun) and swap the gun with 7,5 kwk 39 gun so that it has more room inside and included modern upgrade such as modern gun sight, digital battlefield system, etc etc. Btw, how much weight a Comet turret has? Oh and any specific on the dimension of it? Anyway I really really love the video, and it is kinda painful of a wait for part 2 :))

[@justforever96]

They don't even have the same turret ring diameter. If you could easily make a Pz III ring larger, they would have done so, and to reduce the diameter of the Comet turret would defeat the whole purpose and make it impossible to fit the larger gun (never mind that reengineering it to that extent would basically involve designing a whole new turret, so you might as well just design a whole new turret; the whole point of using an existing one is to use up existing stocks or at least tooling and molds instead of setting up a whole new production line). What you are describing is fantasy, not sci-fi. Sci stands for science, which means it is based on plausible, reality-based (or potentially real) scenarios. Fantasy can be fun as well, but they aren't the same thing. And dropping a Comet turret on a PzIII chassis is fantasy.

[@LastAvailableAlias]

I think I'll hear the background music in my head in my sleep

[@alexthibodeau979]

This video's audio was decent enough that I could hear it. The Panzer 1's audio mixing haunts my nightmares

[@mandaloretheproud6622]

You know it has begun when you hear that music.

[@farmerman7947]

Tiger II, STUG III or panzer 4 next?