SE Panzer upgrade question.

[stormbringer3]

I'm in early 1940. The regular Panzer III will let me change over to a Panzer IV. However, the SE Panzer III doesn't have that as an option. Do the SE Panzers have a different upgrade path?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[proline]

Don't do that. It's not a simple matter of Panzer 4s being better than Panzer 3s the way iPhone 4s are better than iPhone 3Gs. Both series of tanks receive regular upgrades through 1943. Panzer 3s are generally better at hard attack and defense, Panzer 4s are better against soft targets. As time goes on, the Panzer 4s receive slightly better upgrades such that by 1942 they are clearly the better of the two, though even then the 3s are close behind and useful in certain situations, such as better close defense.

Upgrading a 3 to a better 3 requires only that you pay the price difference, upgrading a 3 to a 4 requires paying full price. Long story short, you might want to buy mostly Panzer 4s as they are the more future proof, but don't waste valuable money trying to turn a Panzer 3 into a Panzer 4.

[dalfrede]

In Nico's equip file The Pz4D shows up in April 1940. Late May in standard equip file.
Nico has Pz4C in 1938, there is no SE Pz4C, only D and later.
Because of Ground Defense do not upgrade to Pz4 until E version, If ever.
I am playing GC43 on Rommel and kept as Pz3 until Tigers and Panthers.

[stormbringer3]

Thanks for the info. I wasn't going to change the MkIII to a MkIV because my research showed that it wasn't a very good idea just as you stated. I was curious as to why the path was different between a regular and a SE unit. It appears from your answers that it's a timeline difference.
Thanks again.

[turn4441]

Probably an unintentional error. It is odd that the IVD is available on 5/5/40 while the SE IVD isn't until 5/27/40 unless for some reason they didn't want to allow an SE IV until a bit later. All other matching IIIs/SE IIIs and IVs/SE IVs become available on the same date.

[proline]

Probably an unintentional error. It is odd that the IVD is available on 5/5/40 while the SE IVD isn't until 5/27/40 unless for some reason they didn't want to allow an SE IV until a bit later. All other matching IIIs/SE IIIs and IVs/SE IVs become available on the same date.

Maybe it is intentional because the IVD sucks and they wanted to wait closer to the next upgrade before allowing the Panzer IV.

[Yrfin]

Probably an unintentional error. It is odd that the IVD is available on 5/5/40 while the SE IVD isn't until 5/27/40 unless for some reason they didn't want to allow an SE IV until a bit later. All other matching IIIs/SE IIIs and IVs/SE IVs become available on the same date.

Maybe it is intentional because the IVD sucks and they wanted to wait closer to the next upgrade before allowing the Panzer IV.

That's a reasonable argument. Anycase IVD sucks ...lol.

[hugh2711]

I wouldnt change over a p3 to a p4 unless I had so much prestige spare that i was in danger of rolling over the prestige meter limit!. I would go straight to tiger only. There is a very small window where the p4 IVG is very good and PERHAPS? worth it but 1) in general its silly and wasteful of prestige to upgrade outside of family and 2) although there is a longer period where the on-paper stats of the p4 series appear to be slightly better BUT during those times what dominates the combat situations are the heroes and experience and a p3 with better experience and heroes will be needed/usefull more so I would just upgrade the p3 family to the best available untill tiger time.

[PoorOldSpike]

I'm in early 1940. The regular Panzer III will let me change over to a Panzer IV. However, the SE Panzer III doesn't have that as an option. Do the SE Panzers have a different upgrade path?

I've just looked at the France 1940 scen and there are no SE Pz III's in it, and no options to upgrade to them, so it seems you're stuck with the standard Pz IIIF.
That's not as bad as it sounds because they're a good little crate packing a wicked little 37mm gun (anti-armour hitting power of '7' in the game) which can hurt most Allied tanks of the period.
In the scen you can upgrade it to a Pz IVD at enormous cost, but like guys have said it's not worth it because it's short 75mm gun only has the same armour-penetrating power (7) as the Pz III's 37mm.
After France 1940 the Germans began upgunning the Pz III by giving it a short 50mm gun making it their hardest-hitting tank (9) in time for Barbarossa 1941.
Later in '41 they upgunned it to a long 50mm (11) making it their first tank with a fairly decent chance of slugging it out with T-34's on an equal footing.
Summing up, armour penetrating gunpower in the game is-
Pz IIIF (7) (37mm)
Pz IIIG, H, and J (9) (short 50mm)
Pz IIIJ1 and L (11) (long 50mm)

And for the record the Pz IV was eventually upgunned with a long 75mm in early 1942-
Pz IVG and Pz IVF2 (13)

Below- this photo is captioned "Hans Kraft vor seinem Panzer, dem Panzer III F. 1943 im Don-Gebiet", does 'Don' mean it's in Russia?
And here's a longer caption, I ran it through google translate but it came out garbled, so maybe any German-speaking Slitherine members can translate it for us?-
"Hans Kraft aus dem Dorf Laudenbach (bei Bad Mergentheim) in Baden-Württemberg war im 2. Weltkrieg mit der Panzer-Abwehr-Abteilung 25 am Russlandfeldzug beteiligt. Einige Fotos aus dieser Zeit sind hier zu einem Bilder-Kriegstagebuch zusammengestellt."


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