Marder I
Marder was the general name assigned to a "family" of six open-topped tank destroyers produced between 1942-45. The Marder I used captured French Lorraine tractor chassis to act as a basis for a tall, lightly-armored compartment mounting a 75mm PaK 40 anti-tank gun with the splinter shield. The Marder I, after 184 in total were built, served in Russia in 1942 with disastrous results. Thus they were all later redeployed to France for occupation duties.

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	Technical data and/or diagram of Marder I.
	One of the many hybrid vehicles utilizing captured French equipment, the Marder I was a 75mm PaK auf Gw LrS(f), a standard anti-tank gun mounted on a Lorraine tractor chassis.

Marder II
The Marder II used the chassis of the PzKpfw IIB and had two versions. The first had a 75mm PaK 40 mounted in an open-topped fighting compartment at the front of the hull. The second used a captured Russian 76.2mm gun with splinter shield in the middle of the hull top. The former had a production run of 730 and the latter about 150, depending on how many guns were captured.

Click on one of the thumbnails below to view the full picture.
	Technical data and/or diagram of Marder II.
	A Marder II with the 75mm PaK 40/2 gun barrel clamps lowered. Although this vehicle was one of the more important (numerically) of the Panzerjäger, it was rather tall and generally lacked protection.
	A 76.2mm PaK(r) auf Gw II Ausf B Marder II crewed by men from the Herman Goering Division.
	Marder II (PzKpfw II chassis) with centrally mounted PaK 40 manned by Fallschirmjäger in Italy.
	The Marder II was based on the PzKpfw IIA, C or F and mounted a 75mm PaK 40/2 and was one of the more important of the Panzerjäger conversions.

Marder III
The Marder IIIs were the best in the family, and there were three versions. All used the chassis of the ubiquitous Czech LT-38. The first carried a 75mm PaK 40 in a three-sided compartment at the front of the hull. Thus they were nose-heavy, so only 418 were manufactured. The second type had the compartment moved to the rear in 1943 and 799 were produced. The third carried the Russian 76.2mm gun in the middle of the hull in a similar open-topped fighting compartment.
The Marders were, unlike the Sturmgeschütz and Jagdpanzer types, which were custom-desgined to meet a specification, merely hasty improvizations to help equalize the imbalance of armor on the Eastern front. Although they packed a heavy punch, the lack of adequate protection for crewmen and high silhouettes rendered them vulnerable to conventional artillery, anti-tank guns, tank guns and even small-arms fire. Many were allocated to Fallschirmjäger units (paratroopers) in Russia, which were Luftwaffe formations.

Click on one of the thumbnails below to view the full picture.
	Technical data and/or diagram of Marder III.
	The later Marder IIIs had the main gun position moved to the rear of the chassis and the engine to the front. This provided a better-balanced and more handy vehicle, still using the basic components of the PzKpfw 38(t) tank.
	This Marder III was captured in North Africa in April 1943 and mounted its 75mm PaK 40/3 in a central position. It was a very simple conversion of a Czech tank chassis but was effective enough.
	Marder III with 75mm PaK 40.
	Marder III with 76.2mm gun captured by British troops in North Africa.

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