Panzerbeobachtungswagen III (Pz Beob Wg III) were German armored, fully-tracked artillery observation vehicles developed on obsolete PzKpfw. III chassis. The hull machine gun and main armament were removed to allow more interior space for radios and equipment. A single machine gun was mounted in the center of the mantlet alongside dummy armament. Approximately 260 Panzer III chassis were modified from Feb. 1943 to April 1944.
The following photographs of Panzerbeobachtungswagen III were included in a confidential SHAEF intelligence publication on German tanks: Summary of German Tanks in Photographs, Office of Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, October 1944.
Nice photographs of rare panzer type.