In 1941 while invading the USSR the German generals realized that their tanks were no and existing tanks upgraded there was a need for a stopgap vehicle. This would be the Marder III Tank Destroyer (English � Marder means Marten) based on the chassis of the Czechoslovak Panzer 38(t) and produced in 3 variants, Sd.Kfz.139, Ausf.H, Sd.Kfz.138 and Ausf.M, Sd.Kfz.138. These Tank Destroyers saw action on all battlefronts. While fighting in France the 7th Panzer Division was referred to as the �Ghost Division� because of its ability to move so quickly. It entered the USSR in June 1941 and fought at the Minsk Pocket, Stalingrad Line, the Dvina crossings, Smolensk, the Dnieper crossings, Vitebsk, Vyasma, Klim and Moscow. They suffered heavy losses and during the bitter winter of 1941 � 1942 suffered even more. As a result in May of 1942 the 7th was sent to southern France for R&R.