Re: Smoke candles
Not that it matters, but the smokecandles mounted on the rear of Panzer III and IV and probably others were introduced in August 1938. It was not considered a succes and was dropped again in February 1942.
The turret-mounted dischargers were introduced on the Panzer IV in February 1943 and dropped again in May 1943 because enemy small arms fire penetrated the dischargers, setting off the smoke, blinding the crew in the tank.
The final smokedevice used by the Germans in their tanks was the bomb-launcer in the turret roof, which was introduced in July 1944.
Incidentally, the British had used a similar device - the 2" bombthrower. Exactly when the British introduced this, I'm not sure, but it appears to have been around since late 1941 and certainly in early 1942 and for the rest of the war. It was also adopted in the Sherman in the summer of 1943 and it was the intention to modify existing tanks to carry it, if they were going overseas from the US.
Claus B
PS: The Panzer III could not spin its tracks in opposite directions, as it had a simple clutch-brake steering system just like the Panzer IV and a lot of other tanks of the period. It could block one track and turn over that track like any other clutch-brake steered tank.
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