The gr PzBefWg’s second order was for 45 vehicles, all based on the PzKpfw III Ausf E design and suspension. However, due to material shortages early in the war, the series was not completed as quickly as initially planned. The Ausf E had the same hull and suspension as the Panzer III Ausf E, but with a dummy main armament, a turret bolted in place, additional vision and pistol ports on the superstructure sides, and a pistol port replacing the machine-gun on the superstructure front. The large frame antenna on the rear deck easily distinguished this vehicle from a PzKpfw III. At the beginning of the Western campaign in 1940, 64 Panzerbefehlswagen Ausf Dl and E were available with Panzer divisions, with eight sent in as replacements during the fighting. The Ausf E remained in service until the end of the war, but was gradually phased out through attrition.