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
Tanks in the British Army the most common tanks of the 1930s and early WWII. The six-tonner, which was arguably the most influential design of the late 1920s, was not adopted by the British Army. The Carden Loyd tankettes (two-man vehicles with machine guns) influenced the tankette concept through export and similar designs such as the Soviet T-27, Italian CV-33, German Panzer I and other copies. Another notable design was the Vickers Medium Mk II, a pivotal design which combined some of the best traits of WWI tanks into a much faster tank. Eventually, by the 1930s, British experiments and policy and their strategic situation