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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] It would also arrive too late, with Germany's position in a steep decline, having lost the initiative.[7]
Daimler Benz was awarded a contract to develop a 20-ton replacement for the Panzer III. Unlike the Z.W. 40, the VK 20.01(III) was a complete departure from previous designs. It was one of the first tanks designed to use an overlapping/interleaved road wheel suspension system (known as the Schachtellaufwerk), which had been in use with German military half-tracks like the Sd.Kfz. 11 as early as 1934; and had an advantage of having a shorter ground contact length for improved steering with the tank's weight distributed over larger-diameter road wheels, which lasted longer and provided a smoother ride over rough terrain. By 14 December 1938, Daimler Benz completed a design project using the HL 116, which developed 300 metric hp.[8]
VK 20.01(D)
Daimler Benz having been forced to accept untested components in their Panzer III Ausf E, gained permission to pursue their design without interference from Wa Pruef 6. This allowed them to adopt leaf springs as torsion bars held the following key disadvantages: wasted space inside vehicle, poor access to repair and replace torsion bars, instability as a weapons platform due to the individual sprung wheels and the lack of a satisfactory shock absorber design addressing the instability. The Panzer III Ausf E's hydraulic steering, which did not function as planned, was also dispensed with. It was to be replaced with a system using mechanical levers as long as no better alternative was available. The tank design was to be completed by December 1940 and if the MB 809 diesel engine could be delivered by February 1941, a complete experimental chassis was to follow. The MB 809 had a continuous power rating of 350 metric hp, increasing to up to 400 metric hp without fuel injection. With fuel injection, its power could be increased to 450 metric hp. Design of a diesel motor was deemed necessary to utilize strategic fuel specifically demanded by Hitler. The design of the MB 809 was completed in June 1940 with the first motor running on the test stand in February 1941 followed by its acceptance test on 12 March 1941. The motor arrived in Berlin-Marienfelde to be installed in an experimental chassis. On 22 December 1941, a report to the directors of Daimler-Benz stated: "Based on experience in the Russian campaign, the new tank just developed by Daimler-Benz was now obsolete. Utilizing the already developed tank, studies were being conducted on a new design with thicker armour and heavier armament."[9]
Krupp
VK 20.01(IV)
A further development of the Panzer IV series also by Krupp. It used leaf spring suspension, the HL 116 engine and the motor compartment of the VK 20.01(III). Maximum speed was to be 42km/h, same as it was on the Panzer IV Ausf. C. This was later redesignated as the VK 20.01(BW) and then as the B.W.40.[1]
MAN
VK 20.02 (M)
This was the immediate predecessor to what would become the Panther. According to M.A.N. based on the requirements given by Wa Pruef 6, it was one of the designs they reworked with sloping walls following the "Russian design". No other details about this design have been found.[5]
The Tiger II was a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B, often shortened to Tiger B. The ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 182.. It was also known informally as the Königstiger. Contemporaneous Allied soldiers usually called it the King Tiger or Royal Tiger.
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 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.
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 Entwicklung series, more commonly known as the E-Series, was a late-World War II attempt by Nazi Germany to produce a standardised series of tank designs. There were to be standard designs in five different weight classes from which several specialised variants were to be developed. This intended to reverse the favor of extremely complex tank designs that had resulted in poor production rates and mechanical unreliability.
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.
Sd.Kfz. 247 was an armored car used by the German armed forces during World War II.
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 16.02 Leopard was a planned German light reconnaissance vehicle designed from mid-1941 through to January 1943, with serial production scheduled for April 1943. It was intended to be the replacement of Panzer II Ausf. L "Luchs". The project was canceled in January 1943 before the first prototype was completed as it did not meet the requirements for 1944. A wooden mock up of the Waffenträger variant was produced.
The VK 30.01 (P) was the official designation for a heavy tank prototype proposed in Germany. Only two prototype chassis were built. The tank never entered serial production, but was further developed into the VK 45.01 Tiger (P). Porsche called it the Typ (Type) 100.
The Versuchskonstruktion 30 were two series of tank designs by Germany in World War II, originally intended as heavy 'breakthrough' tanks, but later switching completely to designate medium tanks to succeed the Panzer III, IV, and the planned VK 20 series tanks. These were requested in response to the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks, with far heavier armour and armament than the mobile armoured vehicles fielded by the Wehrmacht at the time. Many German companies submitted projects, including Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN), Daimler-Benz (DB), Henschel, and Porsche. The winning entry tanks would go on to become the famous Tiger I and Panther tanks, capable opponents to the T-34, but it was ultimately too late and at too small of a scale to affect the course of the war.
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. 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 VK 30.01 (D) and VK 30.02 (D), also known as VK.3001 (DB) were two tank designs made by Daimler Benz submitted for the VK 30 project for a 30 tonne tank to be used by the German army.
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 260 km (160 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.
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