English: 'The Tank Song' | |
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Military anthem of the Panzerwaffe | |
Music | Kurt Wiehle, 1933 |
Audio sample | |
Instrumental rendition in A-flat minor |
The "Panzerlied" ('Tank Song') is a German march, first adopted by the Panzerwaffe of Nazi Germany in 1933. It is one of the best-known songs of the Wehrmacht and was popularized by the 1965 film Battle of the Bulge . [1] It was composed by Oberleutnant Kurt Wiehle in 1933.
Panzerlied was composed in 1933 by Oberleutnant Kurt Wiehle. [2] In 2017, the Bundeswehr was banned from publishing song books containing Panzerlied and other marching songs by the Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen as part of denazification efforts. [3] However, as of 2025, the German Army has started to use the song again. [4]
The song is sung by some motorized and parachute units of the Italian Army, most especially by the 185th Infantry Division "Folgore" under the title of "Sui Monti e Sui Mar". [5] In France, the lyrics were adapted slightly to become the "Marche des Chars" used by the 501e régiment de chars de combat. [6] The half portion of the song was used for Namibian patriotic song and unofficial anthem under South African rule, "The Southwestern Song". In the Brazilian Army, motorised and parachute units used the tune under the title "Canção da Tropa Blindada". [7] A Spanish translation of the song is used by the Chilean Army as an armoured cavalry march, and by the Chilean Naval Academy as a pasacalle . The French Foreign Legion also has this song in their repertoire under the name Kepi Blanc.
The lyrics to "Panzerlied" were adapted to fit a Kriegsmarine song.
The song is also used as a leitmotif for Kuromorimine Girls High School in the anime series Girls und Panzer .
German original | English translation |
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I | I |