The Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung (abbreviated N.K.A.V.) was a rear mounted grenade dispenser used to disperse the Schnellnebelkerze 39 smoke grenade. It was typically found on German tanks from 1939 through 1942. [1]
The Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung (abbreviated N.K.A.V.) was a rear mounted grenade dispenser used to disperse the Schnellnebelkerze 39 smoke grenade. It was typically found on German tanks from 1939 through 1942. [1]
The device carried five smoke grenades, each grenade being held in position by spring loaded catches. The vehicle commander released the grenades one at a time [1] by wire control which operated a ratchet coupled to a camshaft.
Each pull of the control wire rotated the camshaft one fifth of a turn, releasing a smoke grenade, the pin of which was drawn out by a fixed chain, and the ratchet was returned to its original position by a second spring. Five pulls on the control wire would release all five smoke grenades in succession, enabling the vehicle to reverse out of sight into its own smoke screen [2] with the grenades discharging smoke for about 100 to 200 seconds. [3] Later examples of the Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung were fully enclosed in an armored box (N.K.A.V. mit Schutzmantel). [4] The Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung was discontinued beginning in April 1942 because it had not proven to be effective, [3] the main disadvantage being that the resulting smoke screen built up behind the vehicle. [5] It was succeeded by the turret mounted Nebelwurfgerät launcher.
The Panzer I was a light tank/tankette produced in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Its name is short for Panzerkampfwagen I, abbreviated as PzKpfw I. The tank's official German ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 101.
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. However, as the Germans faced the Soviet T-34 and KV-1, more powerful anti-tank guns were needed, and since the Panzer IV had more development potential with a larger turret ring, it was redesigned to mount the long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun. The Panzer III effectively swapped roles with the Panzer IV, as from 1942 the last version of the Panzer III mounted the 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 that was better suited for infantry support. Production of the Panzer III ceased in 1943. Nevertheless, the Panzer III's capable chassis provided hulls for the Sturmgeschütz III assault gun until the end of the war.
The Panzerkampfwagen IV, commonly known as the Panzer IV, was 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 Panther tank, officially Panzerkampfwagen V Panther with ordnance inventory designation: Sd.Kfz. 171, is a German medium tank of World War II. It was used on the Eastern and Western Fronts from mid-1943 to the end of the war in May 1945.
The Nahverteidigungswaffe was a roof mounted, breech-loaded, single shot, multi-purpose, 360° rotating grenade launcher that could fire a variety of ammunition. It was typically found on German tanks such as the Panzer IV, Panther I, Tiger I, and Tiger II from 1944 until the end of the war and was intended to replace three previous devices: the Nebelwurfgerät, the Minenabwurfvorrichtung, and pistol ports.
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.
Nazi Germany developed numerous tank designs used in World War II. In addition to domestic designs, Germany also used various captured and foreign-built tanks.
The 5 cm KwK 38 L/42(5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 38 L/42) was a German 50 mm calibre cannon used as the main armament of variants of the German Sd.Kfz. 141 Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank during the Second World War..
The Bergepanzerwagen V, often referred to as the "Bergepanther", was an Armoured recovery vehicle used by the German Army in WWII. It was a variant of the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther.
The 10.5 cm K gepanzerte Selbstfahrlafette, also known as the Panzer Selbstfahrlafette IV Ausf. A was a prototype self-propelled gun used by Nazi Germany during World War II. Although it was originally designed as a Schartenbrecher for use against the French Maginot Line defences, following the defeat of France in 1940, it was evaluated for use as a tank destroyer on the Eastern Front.
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 VK 20 series were the proposed replacements of the Panzer IV and Panzer III tanks with entries by MAN, Krupp and Daimler Benz. It was initially projected to weigh 20 tonnes, but grew to 24 tonnes. By November 1941, the designs almost reached completion but against the professional judgement of Wa Pruef 6, political interference in December 1941 led to all of the designs being dropped. The root of this adverse decision came from encounters with increasing numbers of T-34 and KV-1 tanks. Reichsminister Fritz Todt declared that a new tank, 30 tons in weight should be designed and produced. Oberst Fichtner argued that time would be lost developing this new 30 ton tank, the number produced would be reduced and engineer bridges could not support such a tank. This new tank chosen from the VK 30 series would become the Panther, replacing the VK 20 series. This decision would place the rushed MAN Panther into production as Germany's new standard medium tank, which was plagued with issues never fully addressed especially those caused by MAN's final drive. It would also arrive too late, with Germany's position in a steep decline, having lost the initiative.
The Schmalturm was a tank turret designed for use on the Panther Ausf. F medium tank. There was a Krupp proposal to fit it onto the Panzer IV medium tank as well. The turret's shape resembled the Soviet T-34 tank turret with a narrow conical gun mantlet resembling German Jagdpanzer mantlets. It featured a narrow front to maximize protection while minimizing weight. It was both lighter and easier to manufacture than the standard Panther turret. The turret had a stereoscopic rangefinder with lenses on either side of the turret, located in spherical bulges. No Schmalturms entered series production.
The Minenabwurfvorrichtung was an anti-personnel mine launcher used to disperse S-Mines. It was typically found on German tanks such as the Panzer III and Tiger I from 1942 through 1943.
The Nebelwurfgerät was a turret mounted launcher used to disperse the Schnellnebelkerze 39 smoke grenade. It was typically found on German tanks from 1942 through 1943.
The Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. F, also known as VK 18.01, was a German light tank from World War II. Despite the fact that it was designated as a modification of the light tank Panzer I, the VK.18.01 was a completely new vehicle, had almost nothing to do with it. The Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.F was created in 1942 as a light tank designed to storm fortified lines. In that same year, 30 units were produced. From 1943 it was used for anti-guerrilla operations on the Eastern Front and in Yugoslavia. Thirty Ausf F tanks were built between April and December 1942, eight of which were sent to the Eastern Front for evaluation.
The Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. L "Luchs" is a German light tank from the Second World War, developed between 1940 and 1942 by Daimler-Benz and MAN. The Luchs was the only Panzer II design with the Schachtellaufwerk overlapping/interleaved road wheels and "slack track" configuration to enter series production, with 100 being built from September 1943 to January 1944 in addition to the conversion of the four Ausf. M tanks. Originally given the experimental designation VK 13.03, it was adopted under the alternate name Panzerspähwagen II and given the popular name Luchs. The Luchs was larger than the Panzer II Ausf. G in most dimensions. With a six speed transmission, it could reach a speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) with a range of 290 km (180 mi). The FuG 12 and FuG Spr radios were installed, while 330 rounds of 20 mm and 2,250 rounds of 7.92 mm ammunition were carried.