The VK.31 Leichttraktor ("Light tractor") was an experimental German light fighting tank developed in the 1920s under secret conditions.[1] Only four were produced and they were used in the late 1930s and the early part of the war for training purposes.
The Panzer I (Sd. Kfz. 101) was not intended as a combat vehicle, but more to familiarise industry and the army with tanks. By the time production had ended in 1937, a total of 1,869 Panzer I hulls had been produced, of which 1,493 were fitted with turrets, and the rest used as command or training vehicles.
The Panzer II (Sd. Kfz. 121) was a light tank designed to replace the Panzer I. It was armed with a 20mm cannon, which had some capability against other armoured vehicles. Before the war started, 1,223 had been built.
In March 1939, Germany occupied and annexed the Bohemia and Moravia region of Czechoslovakia taking over the Czech arms manufacturing industries. The Czech LT-35 tank was given the German designation Panzer 35(t), with "t" standing for tschechisch (the German word for Czech).
Panzer 38(t)
Also known as: PzKpfw 38(t), Panzer 38(t), Sd. Kfz. 140 In March 1939, Germany invaded Czech territory and took over the Czech arms manufacturing industries. The Czech LT-38 tank, then in production, was produced for German use as the Panzer 38(t) ("t" standing for tschechisch, German for Czech). By the start of the war, 78 Panzer 38(t) tanks had been produced.
Germany continued producing the Panzer 38(t) during the war. By early 1942, it was clearly obsolete. However, the production lines were already running, the vehicle was mechanically reliable, and the factory would have had difficulty moving over to larger tanks, so it was decided to find other uses for the Panzer 38(t) chassis for self-propelled guns.
Variants:
Marder 138 (Marder III) = 75mm Pak 40 gun on Panzer 38(t) chassis (Sd. Kfz. 138)
Marder 139 (Marder III)= captured Russian 76.2mm gun on Panzer 38(t) chassis (Sd. Kfz. 139)
Grille = 150mm heavy infantry gun on Panzer 38(t) chassis (Sd.Kfz. 138/1)
Jagdpanzer 38 = 75mm L/48 Pak39 gun on a widened Pz 38(t) chassis
Flakpanzer 38(t) = 2cm FlaK self-propelled anti-aircraft gun on Panzer 38(t) chassis (Sd. Kfz. 140)
Panzer III
Also known as: PzKpfw III, 'Panzer III', Sd. Kfz. 141 The Panzer III was designed as a medium tank, with a high-velocity 37mm gun. Pre-war production was 98 vehicles. During the war, the Pz III was upgunned to a 50mm L/42 gun, then to an even higher velocity 50mm L/60 gun, in order to improve its anti-tank performance. A low-velocity 75mm gun was also fitted (using the same mount as the early Panzer IV), but since the tank was not large enough to fit a high-velocity 75mm gun, production was halted mid-war, although the chassis continued to be used to build assault guns.
The Panzer III was the first tank to have a 3-man turret: the commander did not have to double up as a loader or a gunner, so he could concentrate on commanding the tank.
Variants:
Panzer III A-F= armed with 37mm L/45 gun
Panzer III F-M = armed with 50mm L/42 or L/60 gun
Panzer III N = armed with 75mm L/24 gun, used for Infantry support
Panzer III (f) = armed with flamethrower
Sturmgeschütz III = Sturmgeschütz 40= Assault Gun armed with 75mm L/24 (A-E), later with L/43 (F) and L/48 gun (F8 & G) (Sd. Kfz. 142)
StuH 42 = Sturmhaubitze 42. StuG III with 105mm light field howitzer (Sd. Kfz. 142/2)
Panzer IV
Also known as: PzKpfw IV, 'Panzer IV', Sd. Kfz. 161 Panzer IV was designed alongside the Panzer III. The Panzer IV was a slightly larger and heavier tank, and with its large calibre low velocity gun, it was designed to support the Panzer III when it met heavy resistance from infantry support. Pre-war production was 211 tanks. Originally armed with a low-velocity 75mm L/24 gun, in 1942 this was upgraded to a 75mm L/43 gun, and 1943 to a 75mm L/48 gun.
Variants:
Panzer IV A-F1 = Panzer IV with 75mm L/24 gun
Panzer IV F2-J = Panzer IV with 75mm L/43 or L/48 gun
The Panther, also known as "PzKpfw V", "Panzer V", and Sd. Kfz. 171, was a medium tank of the German Army in the second part of World War II. Until 1944, it was designated as the PzKpfw V Panther. The production Panther was a direct response to the Soviet T-34, after encountering difficulties fighting the T-34, Colonel General Heinz Guderian (the "Inspector of Panzer Troops") suggested simply copying the T-34; although the report of the enquiry recommended that the main attributes of the T-34 - armament, sloped armor and suspension - be incorporated into a new German medium weight tank under the Vollketten 30 project. Two proposals - by Daimler-Benz and Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN) - were examined and the MAN design selected for production.
Variants:
Panther Ausf. D - first production version, armed with 75mm KwK 42 L/70 gun. 842 built
Panther Ausf. A - second production version, improved Ausf. D, 2,200 built
Panther Ausf. G - additional armour, approx 2,900 built
Jagdpanther - a Jagdpanzer (tank destroyer) design with an 88mm L/71 PaK 43 gun on Panzer V chassis (Sd. Kfz. 173)
Panther Ausf. F - a Panther development with narrow front Schmalturm turret, none built
Panther II tank successor tank to the Panther while visually similar, was planned to use a new turret, longer 75mm gun, thicker armour, new engine and different components from the Tiger and Tiger II. Only one chassis was built and was later fitted with an Ausf G turret
Panzer VI Ausf. E "Tiger"
Also known as: PzKpfw VI E, 'Panzer VI E', Tiger I, Sd. Kfz. 181 The Tiger I (Panzer VI Ausf.H, later renamed later Panzer VI Ausf.E ) was armed with an 88mm L/56 gun. On May 26, 1941 Hitler ordered the Henschel and Porsche firms to design a new heavy tank to be delivered in 1942. Porsche used their existing VK 30.01 (P) Leopard design while Henschel based theirs on their earlier VK 36.01 (H). The Henschel design won the competition and became the Tiger. A few Porsche Tigers were made, with a different chassis and hybrid gasoline-electric powerplant, but these were not as reliable as the Henschel model. Many of the Porsche chassis were converted into tank destroyers, known as Ferdinand then rebuilt as Elefant
Also known as: PzKpfw VIB, 'Panzer VIB', Tiger II, King Tiger, Royal Tiger, Sd. Kfz. 182 The Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II Ausf. B "Königstiger" (Sd. Kfz.182) / VK4503(H) was a heavy tank in the later half of World War II. Armed with an 88mm L/71 gun, the vehicle could perform well in the defensive role on the eastern and western fronts but was an expensive failure for Nazi Germany when used in an offensive role as a main battle tank. The Tiger II combined one of the most capable AT guns of the period with heavy armour, but had an over-burdened engine and lacked reliability.
Variant:
Jagdtiger was armed with a 128mm L/55 Pak44 gun (Sd. Kfz. 186)
Panzer VII "Löwe"
Panzer VII Löwe was a proposed superheavy tank design. It never left the drawing board.
Panzer VIII "Maus"
Also known as: "Panzer VIII", 'Maus' Panzer VIII Maus was a German 188t super heavy tank. Two prototypes were built and only one prototype got a turret.
The Hummel was a self-propelled artillery piece fielding a 150mm howitzer on a chassis that combined features of both the Panzer III and Panzer IV. 714 Hummels plus 150 Hummel ammunition carriers were built from 1943 to 1944.
The Heuschrecke was a self-propelled artillery piece with a 10.5cm leFH 18/1 L/28 on a Panzer IV chassis. Production never started as it would have affected production of tanks.
Self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery
Several types of armored self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons ("flakpanzers" in German) were used in the war.
Flakpanzer I, a converted version of the, Panzer I tank.
Kugelblitz, in prototype stage at the end of World War II
Assault guns
An assault gun is an armoured fighting vehicle similar to a tank, but typically does not have a rotating turret, and may have an open roof. The removal of the turret allows for a much larger gun to be carried on a smaller chassis. They are not intended to fight other AFVs, but instead directly support infantry during assaults on prepared positions. However they were still often fitted with AT guns to destroy AFVs.
During World War II Germany built many more assault guns than tanks, because of their relative cheapness and simplicity.
The Elefant (Sd. Kfz. 184) used the chassis of Porsche's losing entry for the Tiger I competition. On top of this chassis, a forward-facing 88mm L/71 gun was mounted. A total of 90 Elefants were produced, all in early 1943 and known then as the Ferdinand, after its designer, Dr Ferdinand Porsche. Those still in use in late 1943 were modified and renamed Elefant.
Half-tracks
Maultier - "mule" conversions of trucks to half tracks
Sd.Kfz. stood for Sonder Kraftfahrzeug or ‘special-purpose vehicle'. Sd.Kfz. designations were assigned to armoured vehicles and other vehicles put in military service for a specific purpose. The system was used by Germany prior to and throughout World War II.
Sd. Kfz. 100s for PzKpfw I versions
Sd. Kfz. 120s for PzKpfw II versions
Sd. Kfz. 140s for PzKpfw III versions
Sd. Kfz. 160s for PzKpfw IV versions
Sd. Kfz. 170s for PzKpfw V versions
Sd. Kfz. 180s for PzKpfw VI versions
Sd. Kfz. 1s, 10s, and 200s for half-tracks and armoured cars
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.
This article lists production figures for German armored fighting vehicles during the World War II era. Vehicles include tanks, self-propelled artillery, assault guns and tank destroyers.
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.
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 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, in his eyes, 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 Panzerkampfwagen I was a light tank produced in Germany in the 1930s. The Panzer I was built in several variants and was the basis for a number of variants listed below.
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.
The Australian Armour and Artillery Museum is a privately owned museum in Smithfield, Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It is dedicated to tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery from the Second World War and post war periods. It was officially opened in 2014.
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