Novus America wrote:From looking it up the T-34 had a top speed of 33 MPH and a 500 hp engine.
The Panzer III only 25 mph and 296 hp.
Indeed, but the Panzer III also had superior armor outside the frontal regions.
It was certainly slow. Panzer IV was not that great either, but did have a much better gun than most IIIs.
Indeed the Long 75s were better than the Long 50s, but they were not the awful things you are claiming they were. Their combat record as late as 1943 shows that.
And if the Panzer III was so great, why were they replaced and converted to other roles than tanks? Why did they and stop building the III and keep building the IV? Why were they already going to different tanks? Cleary the Germans thought it was inferior to newer models and inferior to the IV.
The same reason the Soviets moved from the T-34/76 to the T-34/85. New technologies were getting developed, and making both the 76 T-34 along with the Panzer III outdated. The point I've been making all along is that you claiming the Panzer III was outdated by 1939 and ineffective at challenging the T-34 is completely without merit.
The long 50mm was okay, but not great, hence why the Germans went to bigger guns. The short 50mm and 37mm were definitely obsolete. Hence why they were replaced as fast as possible.
The 50mm was more than sufficient into 1943, and I've already covered the others.
I agree the T-34 was not that great either. But again a lot goes into kill ratios beyond just which tank is better.
Yes, and unless you're saying the 1st and 5th Guards at Kursk were the amateurs of 1941, you can't explain away the Panzer III's performance in 1943.
Fact is the T-34 had a better gun, better armor, better speed. It was often used poorly and its crews poor. And yes earlier models especially did have major problems.
The Long 50mm was clearly of the same abilities as the Soviet gun, while the Panzer III had roughly equal or better armor by 1943. As for speed, it's useful, but not the be all , end all. Otherwise, why did the Soviets quit making their light tanks with high speeds in 1943/1944? And on the crews, again you're going to have to explain how two Guards Armies in 1943 were of the same poor abilities others were in 1941. Again, the combat record just doesn't add up to your allegations.