German tanks in World War II

German tank production line.

Nazi Germany developed numerous tank designs during World War II. In addition to domestic designs, Germany also employed various captured and foreign-built tanks. By doing this Germany saw their tanks grow from "tiny five ton packages to one hundred-ton monsters[1]".

Development and uses

Heinz Guderian in the Battle of France with the 'Enigma' machine

The German tank force was an amazing success due to tactical innovation more than tank quality.[2]

Using Blitzkrieg tactics, Guderian, Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist and other field commanders such as Rommel broke the hiatus of the Phoney War in a manner almost outside the comprehension of the Allied — and, indeed, the German — High Command. In actual tank-on-tank encounters the German armor performed poorly, but as a coherent unit, the combined arms tactic of the Blitzkrieg shocked the Allies.

The German Panzer force at the start of World War II was not especially impressive. Only 4% of the defense budget was spent on armored fighting vehicle (AFV) production. Guderian had planned for two main tanks: the Panzer III, which was in production; and the Panzer IV with a 75 mm gun, which was not. The design work for the Panzer IV had begun in 1935 and trials of prototypes were undertaken in 1937, but by the time of the invasion of Poland only a few hundred 'troop trial' models were available.[3] The development work was then halted and limited production was begun by Krupp in Magdeburg (Grusonwerk AG), Essen and Bochum in October 1939 with 20 vehicles built. However, even that low number could not be sustained, with production dropping to ten in April 1940. Production also dropped because metal was very expensive and not many citizens were donating it.

Rommel in the Western Europe campaign (June 1940)

Nevertheless, the number of available Panzer IV's (211) was still larger than that of the Panzer III (98). There were also technical problems with the Panzer III: it was widely considered to be under-gunned with a 37 mm KwK L/45 and production was split among four manufacturers (MAN, Daimler-Benz, Rheinmetall-Borsig, and Krupp) with little regard for each firm's expertise, and the rate of production was initially very low (40 in September 1939, 58 in June 1940) taking until December 1940 to reach 100 examples a month. The Panzer force for the early German victories was a mix of the Panzer I (machine-gun only), Panzer II (20mm gun) light tanks, and two models of Czech tanks (the Panzer 38(t) and the Panzer 35(t)). By May 1940 there were 349 Panzer III's available for the attacks on France and the Low Countries. Through superior command/control and tactics, the Germans were able to prevail in the Battle of France, despite the deficiencies of their Panzers.

German Panzer II with 20 mm (0.79 in) gun and machine-gun in rotating turret.

That the Panzer III was undergunned was recognized during its conception and its design included a large turret ring to make it possible to fit a 2250 ft/s (656 m/s) 50 mm KwK L/42 gun on later models. In July 1940, too late to see action in the final weeks of the Battle of France, the first 17 of these models were produced. Designated the Panzer III Ausf. F, the other changes included an upgraded Maybach engine and numerous minor changes to ease mass production.

The Ausf. F was quickly supplanted by the Ausf. G, which was the main tank of the Afrika Korps in 1940–41 and also saw action in Yugoslavia and Greece. Around 2,150 Panzer IIIs were produced, of which around 450 were the Ausf G. These tanks were still under-gunned, poorly armored and mechanically overly-complex in comparison to equivalent British tanks.[4] After fighting in Libya in late 1940 the Ausf. H was put into production with simpler mechanics, wider tracks and improved armor. In April 1941 there was a general 'recall' of the Panzer III to upgrade the main gun to the new 50 mm L/60, with the new Panzergranate 40 round, and muzzle velocity was pushed to 3875 ft/s (1,181 m/s). New tanks produced with this gun were designated Ausf. J.

Panzer III's of 21st Panzer advance along the coastal road in Cyrenaica, March 1941.

The invasion of the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa signalled an enormous change in German tank development. In July 1941 36 Panzer and motorized infantry divisions were assigned to the invasion fielding over 3000 AFV's. In June 1941, these tanks first encountered the Soviet T-34. The German tanks were outclassed in every aspect of battle performance. A little later the American-made M3 Lee and then M4 Sherman tanks were encountered in the Western Desert, the M4 outclassing German armor in that theater too.

As an immediate measure the Panzer III's armor was upgraded to 70 mm by additional plates and spaced armor was introduced to protect against hollow charge attacks. Nonetheless, the Panzer III was clearly outclassed and production was ended in August 1943 with the Ausf. M (a conversion of older types), the vehicle having been up-gunned to a 75 mm L/24 and downgraded to a support role. The Panzer III chassis did continue to be made until the end of the war as the base of a range of special purpose vehicles like Sturmgeschütz III.

Damaged Panzer IIIs of the Afrika Korps.

Slow production of the Panzer IV had been continuing, by the end of 1940 386 Ausf. Ds were in service and in 1941 a further 480 were produced, despite an order from the army for 2,200. The short 75 mm gun was the main advantage of the Panzer IV, weight and armor were close to that of the Panzer III. The Panzer IV became the most numerous tank of the Panzer divisions, although already outclassed in 1942 it was easy to maintain and simpler to produce than other German tanks. The Ausf. E was the major production variant, although the Ausf. F2 (later renamed in Ausf. G) with a long high velocity gun was the most impressive performer. First introduced in 1940 the 22 ton machine was progressively improved, with the addition of the L/43 gun the most significant change – it could penetrate 80 mm of armour at 1800 m. Later variants further improved the gun to a 75 mm L/48 but were mainly characterised by increasing the main armor and adding spacer and skirt armor to protect against anti-tank weapons. Zimmerit paste, to prevent magnetic charges attaching was also introduced on the Panzer IV. About 12,000 Panzer IV tanks (derived chassis included) were produced during the war, more than twice as many as the next German tank.

Despite continued efforts with the lighter tanks throughout the war the German designers did produce a direct counter to the heavier Allied tanks with the PzKpfw V, the Panther (in 1944 the PzKpfw designation was dropped and the vehicle was known simply as the Panther). Design work on the replacement for the Panzer IV had begun in 1937 and prototypes were being tested in 1941. The emergence of the T-34 led to an acceleration of this leisurely time-table. At the insistence of Guderian a team was dispatched to the eastern front in November 1941 to assess the T-34 and report. Three features of the Soviet tank were considered as most significant, top was the sloped armour all round which gave much improved shot deflection and also increased the armor thickness against penetration; second was the wide track and large road wheels that improved stability; and third was the long over-hanging gun, a feature German designers had avoided up to then. Daimler-Benz and MAN were tasked with designing and building a new 30–35 ton tank by next Spring. At the same time the existing prototype tanks were up-gunned to 88 mm and ordered into production as the PzKpfw VI, the Tiger.

The two T-34 influenced proposals were delivered in April 1942. The Daimler-Benz design was a 'homage' to the T-34, ditching the propensity for engineering excellence, and hence complexity, to produce a clean, simple design with plenty of potential. The MAN design were more conventional to German thinking and was the one accepted by the Waffenprüfamt 6 committee. A prototype was demanded by May and design detail work was assigned to Kniepkampf.

If the over-hanging gun and sloping armor are ignored the Panther is a conventional German design, its internal layout for the five crew was standard and the mechanicals were complex. Weighing 43 tons it was powered by a 700 hp (522 kW) gasoline engine driving eight double-leaved bogie wheels on each side, control was through a seven-speed gearbox and hydraulic disc brakes. The armor was homogenous steel plate, welded but also interlocked for strength. Preproduction models had only 60 mm armor but this was soon increased to 80 mm on the production Ausf. D and later models had a maximum of 120 mm. The main gun was a 75 mm L/70 with 79 rounds, supported by one or two MG 34 machine guns.

The MAN design was officially accepted in September 1942 and put into immediate production with top priority, finished tanks were being produced just two months later and suffered from reliability problems as a result of this haste. With a production target of 600 vehicles a month the work had to be expanded out of MAN to include Daimler-Benz and in 1943 the firms of Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen-Hannover and Henschel. Due to disruption monthly production never approached the target, peaking in 1944 with 330 a month and ending around February 1945 with at least 5964 built. The Panther first saw action around Kursk on July 5, 1943.

In addition to these mainstream efforts the German army also experimented with a variety of unusual prototypes and also put into production several peculiarities. Some Tiger tanks were fitted with anti-personnel grenade launchers that were loaded and fired from within the tank as an anti-ambush device.

Overview per tank

Leichttraktor

Main article: Leichttraktor
Number built—4

Germany was forbidden to produce and use tanks because of the Treaty of Versailles. But a secret program under the code name "Traktor" was developing armored military vehicles and artillery. The Germans tested the tank in the Soviet Union under the Treaty of Rapallo. "Leichter Traktor" which translates to "Light Tractor" was the cover name for all 4 tanks. In the early years of World War II they were used as training tanks.

Panzer I

Panzerkampfwagen I
Main article: Panzer I
Number built—1,493

The first of these German-built tanks was the Panzer I. It was not designed for combat, but rather as a training vehicle to familiarize tank crews with Germany's modern battle concepts, and to prepare the nation’s industry for the upcoming war effort. Nevertheless, the tank design did see actual combat, first during the Spanish Civil War of 1936, then again during World War II, and elsewhere.

Since the tank was never intended to be used in actual combat, it was plagued by weapon and armour shortcomings through its entire life. Attempts were made to improve the design, but with little success. The Panzer I’s participation in the Spanish Civil war did, however, provide vital information to the German military about modern tank warfare.

Panzer II

Panzerkampfwagen II
Main article: Panzer II
Number built—1,856

The Panzer II was ordered into production because the construction of medium tanks, later to be known as the Panzer III and IV, was falling behind schedule. The Panzer II was intended to “fill the gap” until the III and IV could come into full production. Along with the Panzer I, the II made up the bulk of German tank forces during the invasion of Poland and France.

Panzer III

Panzer III Ausf. H
Main article: Panzer III
number built—5,774

The Panzer III was intended to be the main medium core of the German armor force when it was designed during the inter-war period. While it was originally designed to fight other tanks, its 37 mm and later 50 mm guns could not keep pace with Soviet T-34 and KV tanks, which had thick or well sloped armor and 76 mm guns. In 1941, the Panzer III was the most numerous German tank, but by late 1943 it was largely replaced by later versions of the Panzer IV and Panther. Its assault gun chassis variant, the Sturmgeschütz III was, with just over 9,400 units built, the most produced German armored fighting vehicle of World War II.

Panzer IV

Panzerkampfwagen IV
Main article: Panzer IV
Number built—8,800

The Panzer IV was the workhorse of the German tank force during World War II. It saw combat in all theaters, and was the only German tank to remain in production for the entire war.

The Panzer IV was originally intended to be a support tank. It was thus armed with a 75 mm howitzer intended primarily to fire high-explosive shells in support of other tanks or infantry. By Mid 1942, it was rearmed with a longer 75 mm dual-purpose gun that could defeat most Soviet tanks. In the second half of the war, about half of all German tanks were Panzer IVs.

Neubaufahrzeug

Main article: Neubaufahrzeug
Number built—5

The German Neubaufahrzeug series of tank prototypes were a first attempt to create a heavy tank for the Wehrmacht after Adolf Hitler had come to power. Multi-turreted, heavy and slow, they were not considered successful therefore only five were made. These were primarily used for propaganda purposes, though three took part in the Battle of Norway in 1940.

Panther

A Panther ausf A at the Canadian War Museum.
Main article: Panther tank
Number built—6,000

The Panther was a medium tank (45 tonnes) with a crew of five, which was designed to counter the Soviet T-34 tank. In weight it was comparable to Soviet heavy tanks. This tank was introduced in the battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history. It had sloped armor (for better protection). The sloping of the armor increased the effective thickness of the armor from 80 mm (3.1 in) to roughly 140 mm (5.5 in) making the front of this tank virtually impervious to enemy fire. However the sides of this tank were very vulnerable, ranging from only 40 mm (1.6 in) to 50 mm (2.0 in) of either barely sloped or completely flat armour plate. The tank carried a high-velocity 75 mm gun, which possessed more penetration than the Tiger's 88 mm gun. Series production began in 1943. The tank was plagued with mechanical problems throughout its service life, several of which were never quite fixed, even after the war. Despite this, the tank is considered by some to have been the best tank in the war, and to have greatly influenced post-war tank designs, setting a role model for the balance of firepower, mobility, and armour protection.

Tiger I

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger
Main article: Tiger I
Number built—1,347

In response to the T-34 after the invasion of the Soviet Union, the German forces ordered the construction of a new heavy tank. Originally to be named the Panzer VI, Hitler ordered the name changed. The tank had formidable firepower (the 88 mm anti-aircraft/anti-tank gun) and thick armor. It had some mechanical problems due to its weight. But whilst in combat this tank had 100mm of armor on the front of the hull and turret, while the sides had 80mm of armor as well as the back where it is weakest. Americans and British tank forces first encountered the German Tiger I in North Africa. Churchills and M4 Shermans were weak compared to these new types of German heavy tanks and were the most likely to be destroyed by German Tigers. These Allied tanks were no match for one Tiger, so commonly it would take up to four or five M4 Shermans to destroy a single Tiger.

Tiger (P)

Main article: VK4501
Number built—5

The VK45.01 (P), also known as the Tiger (P), was an unsuccessful heavy tank prototype produced by Porsche in Germany in 1942. It was not selected for production because it didn't work during testing in front of Hitler. So the Henschel-built VK45.01 (H) design to the same specification, using the same Krupp-designed turret as the Porsche prototype did, was produced as the Tiger I. Most of the 91 existing Porsche-produced chassis were instead rebuilt as self-propelled guns. The original main self propelled gun made on the Tiger (P)'s chassis was the Ferdinand. This tank also had mechanical problems, partly from the complex, copper-dependent gasoline-electric drive system's poor grade of copper. It has max. 200mm armour in front.

Tiger II

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II
Main article: Tiger II
Number built—492

Even larger and heavier than the Tiger I the Pzkpfw VIB Tiger II. It is also known under the informal name Königstiger[5] (the German name for the "Bengal tiger"), often semi-literally translated as the King Tiger or Royal Tiger by Allied soldiers.[6] It was the largest and most powerful tank released by German forces during the war. It had the firepower to knock out virtually any Allied tank and enough armor to shrug off most Allied firepower at the time (excluding hollow charge weapons), but it suffered from multiple mechanical problems due to its rushed development and excessive weight. It was named after the Tiger but it was a combination of the Panther medium tank and Tiger heavy tank.

Löwe

Main article: Panzer VII Löwe
Number built—0

Even larger and heavier was the Super-heavy tank Löwe. It translates to "Lion" It remained on paper and was cancelled in favor of the heavier Maus.

Maus

Main article: Panzer VIII Maus
Number built—2, 1 was incomplete

The Maus was a super-heavy tank, heavier than the Löwe. It translates to "Mouse". Only 2 prototypes were built, one of which was incomplete, and only one had the turret mounted, which was later destroyed. The other chassis was captured by the Soviets, who later mounted the turret from the other, completed Maus, which had its chassis destroyed at the end of the war by demolition charges.

E-100

Number Built—1 incomplete

The Panzerkampfwagen E-100 (Gerät 383) (TG-01) was a German super-heavy tank design developed near the end of World War II. Only one chassis with no turret was made.

Panzer IX and Panzer X

Number built—Panzer IX
0 | Panzer X: 0

The Panzer IX & X were 2 fictional super-heavy tank designs created for propaganda and counterintelligence purposes.

Ratte

Number built—0

The Ratte was the heaviest tank design of WWII German tanks. Ratte translates to "Rat". It was cancelled before any work was started on it.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Chamberlain, Peter (1969). Reviewed Work: German Tanks of World War II. American Library Association. p. 75.
  2. ↑ Beach, Jim (2007). British Intelligence And German Tanks, 1916-1918. History Reference Center. pp. 454–475.
  3. ↑ "Shibboleth Authentication Request". web.a.ebscohost.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  4. ↑ "Shibboleth Authentication Request". web.a.ebscohost.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  5. ↑ Jentz and Doyle 1993, p. 16.
  6. ↑ Buckley 2004, p. 119.
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