M3 Medium Tank Vs Panzer III: Kasserine Pass 1943

This is one more volume in the Osprey Duel series. Each book is brief, so one should not expect a great deal of detail. Nonetheless, for the person who wants a "quick and dirty" introduction to a "duel," this represents a decent investment. The format across these volumes is standard: an introduction, a chronology, design and development, the strategic situation, technical specifications, the combatants, the combat itself, statistics and analysis, and the aftermath. The battle at Kasserine Pass was not the first jousting of German and American forces in North Africa, but it was perhaps the most significant. The battle taught the two sides a great deal about one another. The main American tank was the M3, not a great tank, but serviceable. Just so, the main German tank considered here was the Panzer III. Again, serviceable but not great. This chapter and the one on specifications tells the reader a good amount about the two contending tanks. There are some nice illustrations to note similarities and differences in, for instance, ammunition. Also discussed is the training of the personnel. Discussion of the strategic situation notes how the different armies ended up where they were. The heart of the book is the description of the battle itself. At first, the Germans drove allied forces back; the battle ended about where it began, though. Americans learned a great deal about combat. The Germans learned much about their adversaries and their equipment. Aftermath? The book notes that (Page 75): "The battles of Kasserine Pass were a sobering episode for the US Army. Even though the Americans had been ashore for almost three months and had seen action, they were ill prepared to face the veteran Germans." A nice--albeit brief--account of an important early battle in the North African war.

Ok, there are a few wrong captions (example: a burnt out panzer IV is mistakenly identified as a panzer III) and some odd mistakes (an upside down browning .30 cal machine gun) and a habit of labeling the panzer III as a light tank on one page and a medium tank on another page (it was a medium and not a light tank)...but there is still enough info and great artwork, along with very interesting stories from veterans of the battle of Kasserine Pass to make the book worthwhile.

"Kirby could see the panzers coming through his periscope, which was just high enough to see over the wadi's edge. His gun could not be brought to bear -- yet. The firing order blared over the radio, and US guns began to crack, including their own 37mm -- for what it was worth." Gordon L. Rottman is the author of "M3 Medium Tank vs. Panzer III: Kasserine Pass 1943", the 10th book in Osprey's popular Duel series. The veteran author does a suitable job of analyzing and contrasting the American built M3 medium tank and the German Mark III. "Duel 10" is clearly written, well illustrated and is a fast read. Mr. Rottman's discussion comprises the design, layout, and development of these tanks, their crew assignments, their respective army units, and their deployment. "Duel 10" concludes with a clash between the two rival tanks -- The Battle of Kasserine Pass. With a total output of 5,688, the Mark III was Germany's most produced panzer. In 1937, for compatibility reasons, the Mark III was assigned the new high velocity 37mm gun. The Mark III was first upgraded to the short 50mm in June 1940 after battling the rugged French Char B tank. Later the main gun was upgraded again to the long 50mm, in response to the threat of the formidable Russian T-34 tank in 1941. In 1939, realizing that no current tank matched up with the German panzers rolling through Poland, US designers hurriedly began development of the unorthodox high-profile M3 medium tank. After reports that German panzers had crushed France were analyzed, the US Army Ordinance Committee demanded that a 75mm gun be incorporated into the M3 tank -- somehow. This cobbled together M3 would serve in the interim until the faster, more reliable M4 Sherman could be made available in February 1942. The M3 medium tank ably served with the British Army in North Africa, starting in May 1942. While other units had already converted to the M4 Sherman medium tank, the 2nd Battalion, 1st US Armored Division still was using M3s during the Battle of Kasserine Pass. In the Far East Theater, Commonwealth M3s served against the Japanese in India, Burma, and Borneo. The author is unwilling to name either tank as the superior weapon. In analysis of the tanks, Mr. Rottman argues, "The M3 tank was rife with flaws, some fatal." The most predominate drawback was its very high profile. The M3 was much easier to see and a much larger target than the Mark III. Another obvious disadvantage of the M3 tank was that the sponson-mounted 75mm main gun could only fire forward and be aimed from side-to-side with 30 degrees of total adjustment. In order to fire the 75mm main gun at a target, over half the M3 must be exposed to the enemy. The M3 commander's job was further complicated by the responsibility for two guns. Most of the M3 tank's armor plate was riveted on -- if a shell struck a rivet head, the rivet shaft could be turned into deadly shrapnel inside the tank. Also bullets and shell fragments could