After completing the military occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939, the German Wehrmacht took over inventories of the advanced LT Vz 38 light tank. One-hundred and fifty additional LT Vz 38 tanks were produced shortly thereafter. Experiences on the Eastern Front however indicated the obsolescence of the Czech design as a battle tank. In 1942 Hitler ordered all the Czech LT Vz 38 (38(t) in German service) be converted to self-propelled anti-tank guns (Panzerjaegers). The new series of vehicles were designated “Marders.” Early models utilized captured stocks of Soviet 76.2mm field guns. Later models used the very effective German 7.5-cm PaK 40 anti-tank gun. The British Army’s first encounter with “Marders” in North Africa led them to mistakenly believe they were encountering a self-propelled version of the deadly German “88.” Early model “Marders” proved to be front heavy due to the fighting compartment’s location in the center of the hull. The improved M model (displayed), introduced in April 1943, moved the fighting compartment to the back of the hull. Nine-hundred and seventy-five Marder III M’s were produced up to May 1944, at which time, production shifted to the more advanced Jaegdpanzer “Hetzer.”