A Review of German Medium And Heavy Tanks, 1938-1945
I thought I'd have fun with my post today.
Mark III Panzer
This was one of the earliest combat tanks in the German arsenal. It was only moderately armored and was equipped with a rather weak 5 cm L/42 gun, which was effective against lighter tanks but would merely glance off the armor of heavier tanks, like the British Matilda or Soviet T-34. It was intended to be phased out as the war went on, but found a lot of use on the Eastern Front as the Wehrmacht became more desperate for anything they could find.
Mark IV Panzer
This was the most effective early German tank, and was used in the invasions of Poland and France, where it performed very well against the weaker tanks (or in the case of the Poles, cavalry) of the enemy. It was equipped with a 7.5cm L/24, but this later was updated to a L/46 by the F2 model. It was very well armored and served as the backbone of the German tank force throughout the war. However, it was found to be insufficient against the Soviet T-34, which sported both heavier armor and armament, and that led to the development of the later tank designs.
Panther
This was my personal favorite of the German tanks. It combined powerful fire (a high-velocity 7.5cm L/70, able to punch through armor up to 200mm thick), heavy armor (up to 100mm in the front), and high speeds unmatched by other tanks of the same class. While less heavily armored than the Tiger (see below) and having a smaller cannon, it was able to make up for this with its speed and slimmer profile. Serving on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, it outclassed any British or American tank it ran into, and was effective against all but the heaviest Russian tanks and assualt guns. However, it suffered from production difficulties that limited its numbers in the field.
Tiger
This tank was designed to be the unquestioned king of the battlefield, and almost always was. Slower than the Panther, it sported a 8.8cm L/56 cannon and heavy frontal armor. A single Tiger tank was able to destroy 15 Allied tanks in a battle in a French town - the Allied gunfire could not penetrate the armor. On the Eastern front it faced slightly stiffer opposition from new-model T-34s and assualt guns such as the SU-152 (which had a massive 15.2 cm gun). However, Hitler insisted on deploying most Tigers on the Western Front, where they were either bogged down in the forested countryside or destroyed by Allied air power, instead of using them in the east where they could move freely on the fields of Ukraine. Also, like the Panther, Tigers were very difficult to produce and were very hard to come by.
Königstiger (King Tiger)
The Königstiger was the undisputed king of the battlefield. With a unstoppable 8.8cm high-velocity cannon (the same used in anti-aircraft guns, actually) and huge armor plating, it was almost invincible in head-to-head tank battles. However, it was not produced until 1944, and therefore only a handful were ever produced. Where they were used, however, they would decimate the opposition. Even the best Soviet tanks were no match for this beast.
Pictures!:
Mark III
Mark IV (This is with the shorter L/24 gun, mostly likely a D model)
Panther
Tiger
Königstiger
Next week: German Assualt Guns 1941-1945!
Mark III Panzer
This was one of the earliest combat tanks in the German arsenal. It was only moderately armored and was equipped with a rather weak 5 cm L/42 gun, which was effective against lighter tanks but would merely glance off the armor of heavier tanks, like the British Matilda or Soviet T-34. It was intended to be phased out as the war went on, but found a lot of use on the Eastern Front as the Wehrmacht became more desperate for anything they could find.
Mark IV Panzer
This was the most effective early German tank, and was used in the invasions of Poland and France, where it performed very well against the weaker tanks (or in the case of the Poles, cavalry) of the enemy. It was equipped with a 7.5cm L/24, but this later was updated to a L/46 by the F2 model. It was very well armored and served as the backbone of the German tank force throughout the war. However, it was found to be insufficient against the Soviet T-34, which sported both heavier armor and armament, and that led to the development of the later tank designs.
Panther
This was my personal favorite of the German tanks. It combined powerful fire (a high-velocity 7.5cm L/70, able to punch through armor up to 200mm thick), heavy armor (up to 100mm in the front), and high speeds unmatched by other tanks of the same class. While less heavily armored than the Tiger (see below) and having a smaller cannon, it was able to make up for this with its speed and slimmer profile. Serving on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, it outclassed any British or American tank it ran into, and was effective against all but the heaviest Russian tanks and assualt guns. However, it suffered from production difficulties that limited its numbers in the field.
Tiger
This tank was designed to be the unquestioned king of the battlefield, and almost always was. Slower than the Panther, it sported a 8.8cm L/56 cannon and heavy frontal armor. A single Tiger tank was able to destroy 15 Allied tanks in a battle in a French town - the Allied gunfire could not penetrate the armor. On the Eastern front it faced slightly stiffer opposition from new-model T-34s and assualt guns such as the SU-152 (which had a massive 15.2 cm gun). However, Hitler insisted on deploying most Tigers on the Western Front, where they were either bogged down in the forested countryside or destroyed by Allied air power, instead of using them in the east where they could move freely on the fields of Ukraine. Also, like the Panther, Tigers were very difficult to produce and were very hard to come by.
Königstiger (King Tiger)
The Königstiger was the undisputed king of the battlefield. With a unstoppable 8.8cm high-velocity cannon (the same used in anti-aircraft guns, actually) and huge armor plating, it was almost invincible in head-to-head tank battles. However, it was not produced until 1944, and therefore only a handful were ever produced. Where they were used, however, they would decimate the opposition. Even the best Soviet tanks were no match for this beast.
Pictures!:
Mark III
Mark IV (This is with the shorter L/24 gun, mostly likely a D model)
Panther
Tiger
Königstiger
Next week: German Assualt Guns 1941-1945!
posted by Jimmy at 10:23 PM
<< Home