|
A World of Tanks | |
Germany
 |
PzKpfw I Ausf.B |
| The little Panzer I, developed to be a training tank for the
pre-war Panzertruppen, was pressed into actual combat use until at least 1942. The Panzer I first saw action during the Spanish Civil War (1936-38) and in 1939 it was called upon to reinforce the tank units which invaded Poland and France in 1940. By 1941 the Panzer Is were withdrawn. |
 |
PzKpfw II Ausf. F |
| The Panzer II was larger than its predecessor and armed with a gun
(even though a small one). Likewise the PzKpfw I its was forced into action because
of manufacturing delays which affected deliveries of PzKpfw III and IVs. As delays
were prolonged by the war events, the Panzer II was still on production lines until
1943. It was fast, reliable and was very useful during the German conquests of 1940-42. Its main combat drawback was a poor anti-tank performance (as said, it had a gun...but a very small one!). The Panzer II, following major redesigns, was adapted for many other roles (such as the self-propelled guns Marder II and the Wespe) |
 |
PzKpfw III Ausf.F |
| By 1935 the lessons learned with the Panzer I and IIs had provided
the German industry with the confidence to produce a more ambitious combat tank. The
original PzKpfw III design had a 37mm gun and two MG but was ready to mount a
heavier gun. The main armament, starting from Ausf. E (1939), was increased to 50 mm gun
and eventually to 75 mm (Ausf. N - 1943). The PzKpfw III formed the bulk of the Panzer Divisionen during the early war years but suffered many manufacturing delays. When production ceased, in 1943, more than 13,500 had been produced (in a great number of variants and conversions). One of the most important ones was the Stug III assault gun. |
 |
PzKpfw IV Ausf. F2 |
| The Panzer IV, conceived by General Guderian himself as a
heavy support tank for Panzer IIIs, was the workhorse of the Panzer Divisionen. Although it was slow to come into production, the Panzer IV soon revealed its fine balance between protection, firepower, and mobility. When production ceased in 1945, more than 8,000 hed been built (all 75 mm versions, short or long-barrelled ones). It also provided the basis for many other combat vehicles, including : Jagdpanzer IV tank-hunter, Nashorn and Hummel self-propelled guns, and the Flakpanzer IV anti-aircraft tank . |
 |
PzKpfw V Ausf. G "Panther" Weight
: 45.5 ton |
| The Panther was the best German tank produced until 1945 and, tied
with the T-34/76 and /85, can be considered the best medium tank of WWII . It had a remarkable balance of protection, firepower, and mobility and was rushed into production in 1943 as a response to the Soviet T-34, whose main features (a powerful engine, wide tracks, a hard-hitting gun, and sloping armour) influenced the German engineers. As soon as the first production problems, due to the hurry to get it into the battle, were solved, the Panther was developed into a magnificent battle beast which had, however, one main drawback : there were never enough of them. Between 1943 and 1945, about 5,500 were built. |
 |
PzKpfw VI "Tiger I" Weight
: 57.0 ton |
| The massive Tiger I dwarfed all previous German
tanks. Conceived in 1937 as a heavy assault tank, it was actually developed from 1942. Tigers saw their first actions around Leningrad and in Tunisia. Thereafter, they fought on all fronts until the end of the war. They were slow and fuel consuming, but their heavy armour and powerful gun made them dangerous opponents for every Allied tank. Between 1942 and 1945 some 1,350 were built. The most remarkable Tiger-derived variants were : the Jagdtiger tank-hunter, the Sturmtiger a monster 380 mm breech-loaded mortar, and the Elefant assault gun |
 |
PzKpfw VI "Tiger II" Weight
: 68.0 ton |
| The Tiger II "Royal Tiger" was the most powerful combat
tank of World War II. Although its mobility was limited by its great weight and terrific fuel consumption, its long-range 88/71 gun as well as its oversized armour protection made it a real "nightmare" for its opponents. The "Royal Tiger" saw first action in Normandy (June 1944), and was later deployed during the Battle of the Bulge. Production was slow, due to Allied bombing or to raw materials shortages. By the end of the war only 489 had been built. |
I'd be
delighted if you filled one page of my Guestbook
and let me have your comments
Back to Klisura69
homepage
Acknowledgment
All the color images (by G.Canestrari) and information have been selected from the "I
Corazzati" book by B.Benvenuti, edited by A.Mondadori, and from "TANKS of World
War Two" by J.Restayn, edited by Histoire & Collections . Further information was
extracted from "Tanks of World War II", a handbook edited by COLLINS/Jane's.
All material is property of the respective authors
Page established on :August 12, 1997
Last update : January 20, 1998
This page is maintained by Mario Paesani .....the webmaster !
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page