In the middle of 1943, the Germans began developing a new series of tanks called the E-series. The E-100 Super Heavy Tank was the most advanced tank in this series. The Germans used everything they had learned about tank warfare when they began designing the E-series, which included the E-10, the E-25, the E-50 and …
Category Archives: German World War Two Tanks
Elefant/Ferdinand Heavy Tank Destroyer
Germany’s Elefant/Ferdinand Heavy Tank Destroyer was an excellent tank when it came to destroying other tanks at long range, but it wasn’t very useful as an assault gun. It hade no defensive capability at close range, and its 34.6 inch (8.8 centimeter) STuK 43/2 L71 gun had limited traverse. The 64-ton Ferdinand, which was named …
Famous WWII German Panzer Generals
It may be hard to understand now, but in their heyday, much like U-Boat captains, Panzer General were worshipped as heroes. After all, they were commanding the cutting edge in warfare technology, at the forefront of battlefield tactics with their panzer divisions. If you’re a war historian or WW2 German tank buff you will probably …
Jagdpanther Heavy Tank Destroyer
The Jagdpanther heavy tank destroyer was a variant of the Panther heavy tank. It had a 3.46 inch (8.8 cm) Pak 43/3 L/71 gun that could pierce 7.17 inches (182 mm) of armor at a distance of 1,640 feet (400 meters.) Despite weighing over 45 tons, the Jagdpanther could move quickly, with a maximum speed …
Jagdpanzer IV Tank Destroyer
The Jagdpanzer IV, which used the chassis of the PzKpfw IV, replaced the StuG III early in 1944. The earliest model of the Jagdpanzer IV, which was essentially an upgrade of the StuG III, weighed almost 24 tons. It had a 2.95 inch (7.5 cm) PaK39 L/48 gun and carried 79 rounds. Later versions were …
PzKpfw III Medium Tank
During World War II, most of Germany’s tank strength came from its medium tanks. The PzKpfw Panzer III medium tank was Germany’s main battle tank during the war. Development of the PzKpfw III began in 1935. Twelve standard versions were built: Ausf A through Ausf N. (There was no Ausf I or Ausf K.) PzKpfw …
PzKpfw IV Medium Tank
The PzKpfw or Panzer IV was the only German World War II battle tank that was produced until the end of the war. Together, the PzKpfw III and the PzKpfw IV provided most of the military might of Germany’s Panzerwaffe (armored force). A larger turret ring on the PzKpfw IV allowed it to carry bigger …
PzKpfw Maus Super Heavy Tank
Despite the successes of smaller German tanks, as World War II progressed, Hitler wanted the Nazis to keep building bigger and bigger tanks. Consequently, the Nazis designed a series of super heavy tanks. Only two of these were ever built, the E-100 and the PzKpfw Maus (Mouse), and these two only existed as prototypes – …
PzKpfw V Panther Tank
Germany brought heavy tanks weighing 40 to 60 tons onto the World War II battlefield long before the Allies did, and though this was classed as a medium tank by the Germans is was more akin the heavy tanks from the Allies’ point of view, and was considered a heavy tank by many at the …
PzKpfw VI Jagdtiger Heavy Tank Destroyer
The PzKpfw VI Jagdtiger heavy tank destroyer was the heaviest World War II armored fighting vehicle to experience combat. It weighed almost 70 tons, had armor that was almost 10 inches thick and mounted a 5.04 inch (12.8 cm) Pak 44 L/55 gun. This gun was capable of penetrating 6.18 inches (157mm) of armor from …
PzKpfw VI Tiger Heavy Tank
The PzKpfw VI Tiger 1 Heavy Tank is probably the most well known of all the German tanks that were active in World War II. In fact, the Germans built many more Panther tanks than Tiger tanks. They built about 6,000 Panther tanks, but only about 1,350 Tiger 1 tanks. Production of the Pzkpfw VI …