43M Turán III
The 43M Turán III or 44M Turán III was a Hungarian medium tank of World War II. It was based on the 41M Turán II medium tank but was equipped with a significantly larger turret and a much more powerful long-barreled 75 mm gun.
Development
Though the Turán I and II had not yet seen combat, in February 1943 the General Staff of the Honvédség decided it was necessary to begin a modernisation program to improve the tanks. In April 1943 the Hungarian General Staff debated whether to build the Turán III or to obtain the license to produce the long barrelled Panzer IV. Major General Zoltan Harmos asserted that the Panzer IV was not superior enough to the planned Turán III to be worth the price the Germans would ask for the production license.In August 1943 the first prototype of the Turán III was built on the chassis of a Turán I. This first prototype had a new turret and additional 25mm of armor added to the front and rear of the tank. A second prototype was planned for December 1943, but was not completed until June 1944. The second prototype had around 75-95mm of armor on the front of the turret and the hull, which further increased the weight and slowed the vehicle down compared to the earlier Turán variants.