chapter 41 Trial by fire

Münster, March 20, 1937

...The tracks have been installed under the direction of the Gefreiters and inspected by the Wachtmeister in charge of the vehicle fleet. Thus we headed to the training area, each PzI trainer driven by one of the boys under the watchful eye of the Panzer Lehr driving instructors. They quickly figure things out and after a couple of hours the fuel tanks and our stomachs are empty, so we return the undamaged PzI trainers to the motor pool and head towards the cafeteria.

They are in luck as today is spaghetti day, as we line up for our lunch there is some pushing but before I have to turn around the Scharführers jump in and get the kids back in line. With an appreciative nod to the Scharführers, I inch toward the service stations.

When we finally sit down, I quickly show the kids how to eat this foreign dish. And under much hilarity, the young people dig with enthusiasm. After a quick reminder that everyone can eat as much as they want, everyone lines up for a few seconds.

One of the boys asks me; If in the army we always eat so well, as his father constantly insists on the poor diet he had during his time in the army. In response I tell him about the Führer's own order to the Heer that it will not only be the best led, equipped and trained army in history but also the best fed. And I can say from personal experience how much the food has improved since then, and that dishes like kebab, pizza and burgers have really added to the menu. And even in the countryside the rations have improved, if not as much as I would like.

Now fed and watered we marched to the shooting range for the main event. As we move forward, I begin to describe the Panzer III, starting with the armor, which is a vast improvement over any other tank currently in service or even on the drawing boards of the world's military, with a slope with an uninterrupted glacis in the front, then on the sides sloping over the tracks with 'schutzen' to cover the top of the tracks. (1)

Tracks that have become so wide that the pressure of the tank on the ground is actually less than that of a man standing. Bringing me to the story of why Leutnant Lenk is not giving today's tour, as he jumped from the Panzer only to sink into the soft peat up to his knees and twist his ankle.

However, the tank reaches 22 tons when loaded, a real concern when crossing bridges that I continue to expand on. Powered by a 190 kW Daimler Benz Diesel and with the rear-mounted SGR 75 transmission it can exceed 30 km/h. With about 400 liters of diesel fuel in the tanks, it can easily exceed 200 km of independent operation.

The current version carries a 7.5 cm KwK 34 L/24(2), although it is capable of penetrating foreign armor at distances of 700 meters, its main objective was to shoot the enemy with direct fire high-explosive projectiles. Although I have heard rumors that there is a new version in the works with a longer barrel. It also carries two machine guns chambered in 13 mm, one as a coaxial cannon and another mounted for use by the tank commander.

This only triggers the torrent of questions from the kids clamoring for additional details. Things like exact armor thickness and muzzle velocity I can't answer as they are classified information. But the reasoning for not having a third machine gun for the radio operator is one of the few questions I can answer, namely that space for the machine gun or even sights on the glacis would greatly weaken the armor.

As we have now reached the parked Panzers, I can quickly point out details, such as the 'Zwiehander' close defense (3) and the grenade launchers capable of eradicating any impertinent soft enemy. Climbing into the Panzer, I point out the grab handles and the fact that the hatches are spring-loaded and will open in your face if you're not careful.

With a quick wave to the drivers and instructors, I divide the group into crews of four tanks over the ten Panzer IIIs available for the fun ahead. Reiterating that each of them will rotate to all crew stations and have the opportunity for all aspects of being a panzer crew member. And during the exercise, pay maximum attention to the instructors and to myself, who will stand astride the back of the tank, with the slightest disobedience being punished with the end of the exercise.

With that, I give the order to saddle up, prompting howls of delight as the boys stride like lemmings toward the cliffs. When they have finally settled into their positions with headphones and throat microphones in place, I give the order to start the engines. Something that for once fires without problems.

Soon enough we reach the firing range, allowing the commanders to order us into position and load the first practice rounds. Seeing the rounds reach a full 7 kilos (4) is not an easy thing to do for the first time. Still after some clumsy attempts and one or two near-miss rounds, the commander's report is ready and uploaded.

With a quick nudge and a wink to the Oberscharführer who is currently in command of the panzer I'm sitting in and therefore acting as platoon leader. He gives the order to get information towards enemy positions. As we move forward, I swear I can see the Junge positively vibrating with excitement.

When targets begin to appear in range, he quickly divides the targets among his 'platoon' as he orders his tank to stop and seconds later fire the gun. Something his gunner does promptly, scoring a solid hit to the enemy's lower armor plate, which the range master counts as a kill. But the second targets are already on the horizon, this time not stationary but moving across the field.

Still, weapons are reloaded and targets are placed, although by now the now completely hyperactive boys have left any sense of communication discipline in the dust. Something that apparently does not interfere with their abilities since several successes are being reported, which leads me to realize that this could be an expensive day since for each success they receive another opportunity up to four in total.

After what seems like several eons, everyone has had their turn, and the Panzers return to the car pool with their freshly cleaned barrels. I say goodbye to the young people with an ice cream, then head towards the mayor's office as they march back to the train station.

Handing in my report for the day and the list of names for the recruiters' visits, I can finally return to my papers. Still in awe of the young Rottenführer who managed to hit four out of four, two while he was still moving.

(1) Think Panther armor if it is much thinner.

(2) The OTL 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 introduced a couple of years earlier.

(3) Claymore Mines.

(4) Practice rounds weigh more than real rounds.