Figures include tank production and chassis production used for other variants (for example, Panzer III figures include StuG III assault gun production, etc.).
Panzer III figures for 1942 and 1943 excludes 700 Panzer III Ausf N models converted from older variants.
Germany also produced 44,259 armored half-tracks and 3,607 armored cars during the war.
Panzer I
Panzer I Ausf. A
Panzer I Pre-war: 1,893 hulls had been produced. 1,867 were fitted with turrets, and the rest used as command vehicles. These lightly armed and armoured tanks were intended as training vehicles but were used in combat as the war came sooner than the military had anticipated.
Panzer II (f) - flamethrower tank (converted from older types)
Marder II - 75mm PaK 40 L/46 or captured Soviet 76.2mm gun on Panzer II chassis (Sd.Kfz. 131/132) (some converted from older types)
Wespe - 105mm light field howitzer on Panzer II chassis (Sd.Kfz. 124)
Sturmpanzer II - 150mm heavy infantry gun on Panzer II chassis
Panzer 38(t)
Panzer 38(t)
The Panzer 38(t) was a pre-war Czech tank design, following the Occupation of Czechoslovakia, the Czechoslovakian industry became an extesnion of Germany's. Pre-war: 78.
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
Total
Panzer 38(t)
153
367
678
198
-
-
-
1,396
Marder III Sd.Kfz. 138
-
-
-
110
783
323
-
1,216
Marder III Sd.Kfz. 139
-
-
-
344
-
-
-
344
Grille
-
-
-
-
225
346
-
571
Jagdpanzer 38(t) "Hetzer"
-
-
-
-
-
1,687
1,335
3,022
Total
153
367
678
652
1,008
2,356
1,335
6,549
Variants:
Marder III (7.5 cm PaK 40/3 auf Panzerkampfwagen 38(t), Sd.Kfz. 138)) - mobile anti-tank guns formed by mounting 75mm PaK 40 L/46 gun on Panzer 38(t) chassis
Marder III (Panzerjäger 38(t) für 7.62cm PaK36(r), Sd.Kfz.139) - reworked Soviet 76.2mm guns on Panzer 38(t) chassis
Grille - 150mm heavy infantry gun on Panzer 38(t) chassis (figures include munition-carrying versions of the Grille) (Sd.Kfz. 138/1)
Jagdpanzer 38 (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), "Hetzer"[lower-alpha 1]) - 75mm PaK 39 L/48 gun on a widened Pz 38(t) chassis (Sd.Kfz. 138/2)
Panzer IV A-F1 - Panzer IV with short 75mm L/24 gun
Panzer IV F2-J - Panzer IV with long 75mm L/43 or L/48 gun
StuG IV (Sd.Kfz. 167) - Assault gun. Modified superstructure of Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G on Panzer IV chassis; armed with 75mm L/48 gun
Jagdpanzer IV (Sd.Kfz. 162) - Tank destroyer with 75mm L/48 gun on Panzer IV chassis
Jagdpanzer IV/70 (Sd.Kfz. 162/1) - Tank destroyer with 75mm L/70 gun on Panzer IV chassis
Sturmpanzer IV ( (Sd.Kfz. 166, "Brummbär") - with 150mm field howitzer on Panzer IV chassis
Hornisse (Sd. Kfz. 164, 88 mm PaK43/1 auf Geschützwagen III/IV, later known as Nashorn)
Hummel (Sd.Kfz. 165) - 150mm field howitzer on Geschützwagen III/IV chassis
Möbelwagen (Flakpanzer IV Sd.Kfz.161/3) - Anti aircraft. Single 37mm FlaK 43 gun on Panzer IV chassis
Wirbelwind (Flakpanzer IV) - Anti aircraft. quadruple 20mm FlaK 38 guns in armoured turret on Panzer IV chassis,
Ostwind (Flakpanzer IV) - Anti Aircraft. Single 37mm FlaK 43 in armoured turret on Panzer IV chassis, with
The Panzer IV was originally armed with a low-velocity short-barreled (L/24) 75mm gun. In 1942 this was upgraded to a 75mm L/43 gun, and in 1943 to a 75mm L/48 gun. For the purposes of the above table, both these guns are classed as "long" and displayed on the same row (Ausf. F2-J).
The Panther (Panzer V Panther, Sd.Kfz. 171) was a medium tank armed with a 75mm KwK 42 L/70 gun. It was intended to replace the Panzer III and IV. The Jagdpanther (Sd.Kfz. 173) was a Jagdpanzer ("hunting tank") variant with the more powerful 88mm L/71 PaK43 gun on modified Panther chassis. A successor to the Ferndinand and Nashorn, these were used by heavy anti-tank battalions.
Tiger I (Panzer VI E/H, Sd.Kfz. 181) was armed with an 88mm L/56 gun
Sturmtiger - assault tank based on Tiger I chassis. Armed with 380mm rocket mortar converted from battle damaged tanks
Tiger II (Panzer VI B, Sd.Kfz. 182, also known as Königstiger) was armed with an 88mm L/71 gun
Jagdtiger (Sd.Kfz. 186) - Based on Tiger II chassis. Tank destroyer armed with a 128mm PaK 44 gun (L/55)
Ferdinand/Elefant
Elefant
The Ferdinand/Elefant (Sd.Kfz. 184, and known as Panzerjäger Tiger (P)) used the chassis of Porsche's VK 4501 (P) which had been produced before the design was rejected, due to its complex Porsche-designed powerplant, in favour of the Henschel design which became the Tiger. Two over-stressed Maybach HL120 water-cooled V-12 engines were installed instead to drive the generators and electric motors for the final drives. On top of this chassis, a forward-facing 88mm L/71 gun was mounted.
German manufacturing of tanks began in 1934, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.[4] German industry had not produced arms in many years, and time was required to develop the necessary techniques for hardening steel and for the development of tooling to produce arms.[5] The first tank type produced was the two-man, Panzer I light tank, designed and produced by the Krupp works as a training vehicle.[6] It was not designed for use in combat; instead, the main battle tank of the German army was to be the Panzer III but delays in its development and manufacture led to the production of an interim vehicle, the Panzer II,[6] which began production the following year. It was not clear yet how tanks would be used in the next war, nor was it apparent that tank-versus-tank combat would be important; some military theorists envisioned tanks operating in support of infantry. The cavalry arm of the Heer saw the major function of tanks to be that of reconnaissance.[7] This was in marked conflict with the ideas of the armoured warfare proponents of Germany, chiefly Heinz Guderian, Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma, and Walther von Reichenau.[8] It was not until 1937–38 that the first Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tanks began to appear.[4]
Noting that Germany was the third largest producer of automobiles in the world, Guderian projected that Germany would be competitive with its major adversaries,[9] a rather optimistic projection since Germany had great difficulty replacing vehicle losses throughout the war, the United States had been considered a non-combatant, and it ignored Soviet production capacity.[10]
Early in development the Heer settled on the concept of the tank having a commander who was in radio communication with his superiors. Thus the basic design of the main battle tanks called for a larger turret that would house the tank commander, gunner and loader, while a driver and a machine gunner were down in the hull. Guderian insisted on the tank commander being in radio communication with both his platoon and with the members of his own tank crew.[11] Though the Panzer III was conceived as the main battle tank of the Wehrmacht, the Wehrmacht did not anticipate being at war with Europe's major powers in 1939, and few were available at the start of the war.[12] Excluding Czech-built tanks, on 1 September 1939 the invasion of Poland was undertaken with the German armoured force of 3,195 tanks evenly split between the Pz I training tank and the Pz II light tank; of the main battle tanks, only 98 Pz IIIs were in service during the invasion of Poland, along with 211 Pz IVs, with 215 tanks of various models also available as command tanks after being modified by having their main armament removed and extra communications equipment installed.[13]
Manufacturing control
The production of tanks in Germany began in 1934. Due to the insertion of the Nazi Party into the procurement process and political considerations that had nothing to do with the goal of providing arms for the military, the companies that ended up gaining the contracts for tank production had limited actual experience in mass production. Ford and Opel, two manufacturers with considerable knowledge and ability in assembly line techniques, were not allowed to participate in the bidding process.[7] Germany in general and the German tank production industry in particular was not prepared for the total war that Germany was entering in 1939. In contrast to the Messerschmitt Bf109 fighter aircraft, which was designed by Willy Messerschmitt with the production of large numbers of the aircraft in mind, tank design and production in Germany in 1939 was the work of craftsmen. German industry anticipated supporting the military in brief conflicts. A full commitment to war production was not made until the midpoint in the conflict. Surprisingly, civilian vehicle production was not set aside until 1943. By contrast British car companies switched to war production (making military transports, aircraft and tanks) at the start of the war and the United States halted production of civilian automobiles within two months of its entry into the war in late 1941, with autoplants converted to military-only production of arms, munitions, trucks, tanks and planes.
In the run up to the outbreak of war, the large companies engaged in tank production did not have space set aside for expanding their production lines. In consequence, unlike allied manufacturers, German tank manufacturers never came to a point where they were stockpiling and storing excess finished products. Though these companies did expand with the increased demand of the ongoing war, it was not until the assignment of Albert Speer as Minister of Armaments that true efforts were made to bring mass production techniques to the German tank production industry.
During the period before the war, all companies with the exception of Alkett (which was under the control of Rhine-Metal Borsig, a subsidiary of the government-controlled Hermann Göring Works) were privately owned stock companies with the stock available for purchase by the public. All these companies, with the exception again of Alkett, produced tanks in addition to their normal peacetime manufacture of trucks, locomotives, and other heavy equipment. From 1935 onward, the government progressively increased its control over industries engaged in rearmament. The Nazi Party's Four Year Plan introduced in 1936 placed Hermann Göring in leadership of the state's efforts to bring industry into state control.[14] Through threat and coercion Göring was able to expand the Nazi Party's control of private industry involved in steel and armament production.[15] By 1938, this control included the rationing of essential raw materials, factory inventories, labor hours, rates of pay, working conditions, building and machine tool expansion, plant locations and stock dividends. All companies were forced to join the Economic Board of the tank industry which handled all questions affecting the industry.
Location of German tank manufacturing industry
The tank manufacturing industry in Germany was not concentrated in any one geographic location. Major plants were located in Nuremberg, Kassel, Brunswick, Magdeburg, and Berlin. There was, however, some geographical concentration of tank component manufacturers, such as engines and gears in Friedrichshafen, hulls, turrets, and guns in the Ruhr, rubber treads in Hanover, and instruments in Berlin. These locations, if interdicted, represented a potential chokepoint to German tank manufacturing.
Panther tanks are loaded for transport to the front, 1943.
During the course of the war the Allies made sustained efforts to determine the extent of German productivity, and approached this in two major ways: conventional intelligence gathering and statistical estimation. In many cases statistical analysis substantially improved on conventional intelligence. In some cases conventional intelligence was used in conjunction with statistical methods, as was the case in estimation of Panther tank production just prior to D-Day.
The allied command structure had thought the Panther tanks seen in Italy were an unusual heavy tank, and would only be seen in northern France in small numbers, much the same way as the Tiger I was seen in Tunisia. The US Army was confident that the Sherman tank would perform well against the German "Mk III" and "IV" tanks which they expected to meet.[lower-alpha 2] Shortly before the landings in northern France, rumours indicated that large numbers of Panther tanks were being used in the panzer divisions.
To ascertain if this were true the Allies attempted to estimate the number of Panther tanks being produced. To do this they made use of the serial numbers printed on captured or destroyed German tanks. The principal numbers used were gearbox numbers, as these fell in two unbroken sequences. Chassis and engine numbers were also used, though their use was more complicated. Various other components were used to cross-check the analysis. Similar analyses were done on tires, which were known to be sequentially numbered. The analysis of Panther tank wheels yielded an estimate for the number of wheel molds that were in use. A discussion with British road wheel makers then allowed the estimation of the number of wheels that could be produced from this many molds. This in turn yielded the total number of Panthers that were being produced each month. Analysis of road wheels from the two tanks obtained yielded an estimate of 270 Panthers produced in February 1944 alone, substantially more than had previously been suspected.
German records after the war showed production for the month of February 1944 was 276.[17] The statistical approach proved to be far more accurate than conventional intelligence methods, and the phrase "German tank problem" became accepted as a descriptor for the statistical analysis used.
The Panzer II is the common name used for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II.
The Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was Sd.Kfz. 141. It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and serve alongside and support the similar Panzer IV, which was originally designed for infantry support.
The Panzerkampfwagen IV, commonly known as the Panzer IV, is a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.
The Panzerkampfwagen 38(t), originally known as the ČKD LT vz. 38, was a tank designed during the 1930s, which saw extensive service during World War II. Developed in Czechoslovakia by ČKD, the type was adopted by Nazi Germany following the annexation of Czechoslovakia. With the German Army and other Axis forces, the type saw service in the invasions of Poland, France and the USSR. Production ended in 1942, when its main armament was deemed inadequate. In all, over 1,400 Pz. 38(t)s were manufactured. The chassis of the Pz. 38(t) continued to be produced for the Marder III (1942–1944) with some of its components used in the later Jagdpanzer 38 (1944–1945) tank destroyer and its derivative vehicles.
The Jagdpanzer 38, originally the Leichter Panzerjäger 38(t), known mostly post-war as Hetzer, was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis.
The Sturmgeschütz III was an assault gun produced by Germany during World War II. It was the most-produced fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle, and second-most produced German armored combat vehicle of any type after the Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track. It was built on a slightly modified Panzer III chassis, replacing the turret with an armored, fixed superstructure mounting a more powerful gun. Initially intended as a mobile assault gun for direct-fire support for infantry, the StuG III was continually modified, and much like the later Jagdpanzer vehicles, was employed as a tank destroyer.
The Leichter Panzerspähwagen was a series of light four-wheel drive armoured cars produced by Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1944.
Marder III was the name for a series of World War II German tank destroyers. They mounted either the modified ex-Soviet 76.2 mm F-22 Model 1936 divisional field gun, or the German 7.5 cm PaK 40, in an open-topped fighting compartment on top of the chassis of the Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t). They offered little protection to the crew, but added significant firepower compared to contemporary German tanks. They were in production from 1942 to 1944, and served on all fronts until the end of the war, along with the similar Marder II. The German word Marder means "marten" in English.
The Jagdpanther, Sd.Kfz. 173, was a tank destroyer built by Germany during World War II. The Jagdpanther combined the 8.8 cm Pak 43 anti-tank gun, similar to the main gun of the Tiger II, with the armor and suspension of the Panther chassis.
The Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track was a World War II German armored personnel carrier designed by the Hanomag company, based on its earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the Panzergrenadier into battle. Sd.Kfz. 251s were the most widely produced German half-tracks of the war, with at least 15,252 vehicles and variants produced by seven manufacturers. The utility of this vehicle led the German Army to develop the similar looking but shorter and lighter Sd.Kfz. 250 as a supplement.
Sturmgeschütz meaning "assault gun" was a series of armored fighting vehicles used by both the German Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS formations during the Second World War (1939–1945). The main StuGs were the StuG III and StuG IV based on the Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tank chassis respectively.
The Sd.Kfz. 250 was a light armoured half-track, very similar in appearance to the larger Hanomag-designed Sd.Kfz. 251, and built by the DEMAG firm, for use by Nazi Germany in World War II. Most variants were open-topped and had a single access door in the rear.
The Sturmgeschütz IV was a German assault gun variant of the Panzer IV used in the latter part of the Second World War. It was identical in role and concept to the highly successful StuG III assault gun variant of the Panzer III. Both StuG models were given an exclusively tank destroyer role in German formations and tactical planning in the last two years of the war, greatly augmenting the capability of the dwindling tank force available to the German army on the Eastern and Western fronts.
The Jagdpanzer IV / Sd.Kfz. 162, was a German tank destroyer based on the Panzer IV chassis and built in three main variants. As one of the casemate-style turretless Jagdpanzer designs, it was developed against the wishes of Heinz Guderian, the inspector general of the Panzertruppen, as a replacement for the Sturmgeschütz III. Guderian objected against the needless diversion of resources from Panzer IV tank production, as the StuG III was still more than adequate for its role.
The 15 cm sIG 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen 38(t), also known as Grille was a series of self-propelled artillery vehicles used by Nazi Germany during World War II. The Grille series was based on the Czech Panzer 38(t) tank chassis and used a 15 cm sIG 33 infantry gun.
The 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24(7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 37 L/24) was a short-barreled, howitzer-like German 75 mm tank gun used during World War II, primarily as the main armament of the early Panzer IV tank. Slightly modified as StuK 37, it was also mounted in early StuG III assault guns.
This article deals with the tanks serving in the German Army throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German Wehrmacht, the Cold War tanks of the West German and East German Armies, all the way to the present day tanks of the Bundeswehr.
↑ An Armored Ground Forces policy statement of November 1943 concluded the following: "The recommendation of a limited proportion of tanks carrying a 90mm gun is not concurred in for the following reasons: The M4 tank has been hailed widely as the best tank of the battlefield today....There appears to be no fear on the part of our forces of the German Mark VI (Tiger) tank. There can be no basis for the T26 tank other than the conception of a tank-vs.-tank duel-which is believed to be unsound and unnecessary."[16]
Citations
↑ Steven Zaloga. "Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II". Stackpole Books, May 15, 2015. Appendix 2: German AFV Production.
Guderian, Heinz (1952). Panzer Leader. New York: Da Capo. ISBN0-306-81101-4.
Hahn, Fritz Waffen und Geheimwaffen des deutschen Heeres 1933 – 1945 Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe, 1987.(in German)
Liddell Hart, B.H., The German Generals Talk. New York, NY: Morrow, 1948.
Lucas, James World War Two through German Eyes. New York, NY: Sterling, 1987. ISBN0-85368-831-1
Ogorkiewicz, Richard Armour: the development of mechanized forces and their equipment. London: Stevens & Sons, 1960. ISBN
Ruggles, Richard; Brodie, Henry (1947). "An Empirical Approach to Economic Intelligence in World War II". Journal of the American Statistical Association. 42 (237): 72–91. doi:10.2307/2280189. ISSN0162-1459. JSTOR2280189.
Panzertruppen Berlin: Militärverlag der DDR, 1974.(in German)
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