Panzer III addition, to counter enemy anti-tank rifles, starting from 1943, the Ausf. L version began the use of spaced armour sideskirts and screens (known as "Schürzen" in German) around the turret and on the vulnerable hull-sides. However, due to the introduction of the upgunned and more-armoured Panzer IV, the Panzer III was, after the German defeat at the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, relegated to secondary/minor combat roles, such as tank-training, and it was finally replaced as the main German medium tank by the Panzer IV and the Panzer V Panther. The Panzer III's strong, reliable and durable
Panzer IV enclosed turret armed with twin Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 103 aircraft autocannon. Although not a direct modification of the Panzer IV, some of its components, in conjunction with parts from the Panzer III, were utilized to make one of the most widely used self-propelled artillery chassis of the war—the Geschützwagen III/IV. This chassis was the basis of the "Hummel" artillery piece, of which 666 were built, and also the gun-armed Nashorn tank destroyer, with 473 manufactured. To resupply self-propelled howitzers in the field, 150 ammunition carriers were manufactured on the Geschützwagen III/IV chassis. Another rare variant was the "Bergepanzer" IV armored recovery