The German tank. German tanks of the Second World War. Heavy German Tank

The Second World War became one of the most bloody battles in the history of the civilized world. The number of lives given in the name of freedom is amazing and at the same time makes everyone proud of their homeland, realizing that the merit of their ancestors is invaluable. The desire to study the history of this battle among the youth is very commendable, for it was not for nothing that Sir Winston Churchill argued that "people who do not remember their past have no future". To assess how important the feat of our defenders is, it is necessary to get acquainted with the history of German tanks. It was the German tanks of the Second World War that served as the main element of the Wehrmacht weapons, but it still did not help the German troops to win. So what's the reason?

Light tanks

Preparing Germany for an armed confrontation began long before the offensive. But although some of the development of German armored vehicles have already been tested, the effectiveness of light tanks remained very doubtful.

Panzerkampfwagen I

The signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which took place after the end of the First World War, put Germany in a certain framework. This agreement strictly regulated all arms of Germany, including military forces and armored vehicles. Strict conditions of the treaty only led to the fact that Germany soon began to develop, and then manufacture, new military equipment secretly.

The first tank, created in Germany in the interwar period, was Panzerkampfwagen I, also known under the abbreviated name PzKpfw I. The development of this tank began in 1931, and officially under the documents it passed as an agricultural tractor. The order for the creation was given to the four leading machine-building firms, but as a result, the Wehrmacht preferred the model created by the firm Friedrich Krupp AG.

After the development and carrying out of all necessary tests of the test model, this light German tank was put into production. According to official data, from 1934 to 1936, about 1100 copies were created. After the first samples were transferred to the troops, it turned out that the tank was not capable of developing a sufficiently high speed. After that, two modifications were created on its basis: Pzkpfw I Ausf.A and PzKpfw I Ausf.B. After minor changes in the hull, undercarriage and engine, the tank already posed a serious danger to enemy armored vehicles.

The military baptism of PzKpfw I took place in Spain during the Civil War of 1936 - 1939. During the first battles it became clear that the German tank could hardly fight against the Soviet T-26. Despite the fact that the PzKpfw I gun is powerful enough, it can not penetrate the T-26 from long distances, while for the Soviet car it was not a problem.

Since the technical characteristics of this package left much to be desired, most of the copies were lost on the battlefields. For almost the whole of the Second World War, the tanks were in service with the Wehrmacht, although they had secondary tasks.

Panzerkampfwagen II

After checking the not very successful PzKpfw I tank, the German armed forces had to create a light tank with an anti-tank gun. It was these requirements that were presented to the development companies, but the projects did not satisfy the customer, and therefore a complete set with details of various firms was made. Like PzKpfw I, PzKpfw II officially passed as an agricultural tractor.

In 1936-1937, 75 tanks were produced in three different trim levels. These submodifications almost did not differ technical characteristics, but they served as test samples for determining the effectiveness of individual technical solutions.

In 1937, the Pz Kpfw II Ausf b version was launched, which combined an improved transmission and chassis, later used to produce the best German tanks. Production of PzKpfw II in all three modifications was carried out in 1937-1940, during this period, about 1088 copies were produced.

After the first battles it became clear that PzKpfw II is much inferior to similar tanks of enemy equipment, because its armor was too weak, and the damage was small. Nevertheless, the production of this machine only increased until 1942, and when new, more advanced models were already available, the tank began to be used in secondary sectors.

Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf L Luchs

Poor patrolling on Polish lands forced the Third Reich to develop a new armored unit that would have a crawler drive. The development of new technology was entrusted to two machine-building giants - Deimler-Benz and MAN, which produced almost all the German tanks of the Second World War. Despite the name, this modification had very little in common with PzKpfw II, although they have some manufacturers of most modules.

In 1939-1941, both firms were engaged in the design of a reconnaissance tank. Based on the results of these works, several models were created, which were even subsequently produced and sent to the front. But all these complete sets did not satisfy customers, therefore works continued. In 1942, engineers finally managed to create a machine that met all the requirements, and after minor improvements it was released in the amount of 800 pieces.

Luchs was equipped with two radio stations and a large number of observation devices, as a result of which a new member - a radio operator - appeared in the crew. But after the first 100 vehicles were sent to the front, it became obvious that the 20-millimeter cannon clearly can not cope with enemy armored vehicles. Therefore, the rest of the party was re-equipped, and it was armed with a 50-millimeter cannon. But this equipment did not meet all the requirements, so the production of Luchs was stopped.

Medium tanks

German medium tanks of the Second World War were equipped with many modules that the enemy did not have. Although Soviet armored vehicles still managed to successfully combat enemy equipment.

Panzerkampfwagen III

German medium tank Pzkfw III replaced the weak predecessor Pzkfw I. Wehrmacht demanded from the manufacturer a machine that could fight on an equal footing with any enemy equipment, and the weight of the new model should be equal to 10 tons with a 37-millimeter gun. The German military calculated that Pzkfw III would be the main unit of German armored vehicles. In battle, he had to help one light tank Pzkfw II and one heavy, which should serve as the firepower of the platoon.

In 1936, the first modifications of the machine were presented, and in 1939 one of them was already in mass production. Since a treaty of military-technical cooperation was concluded between Germany and the Soviet Union, the USSR acquired one copy of the machine for testing. After the research it was decided that although the tank is sufficiently armored and fast, the gun is weak.

After the first battles with France, the Wehrmacht realized that the German tank Pzkfw III was already unable to cope with the tasks assigned to it, so it was modernized, it was equipped with a more powerful gun and made the forehead armored so that the car was not too easy to take out of the ACS. But as the quality of enemy equipment continued to grow, and the heap of new modules on Pzkfw III led to a significant increase in mass and, consequently, deterioration of patency, the production of the tank was discontinued.

Panzerkampfwagen IV

The production of this machine was engaged in the company Krupp, which was charged with developing and creating a powerful tank weighing 24 tons with a 75-millimeter gun. Like many other German tanks of the Second World War, PzKpfw IV was equipped with a chassis, which included 8 support rollers, which improved maneuverability and patency of the car.

The tank had many modifications. After testing the first model A it was decided to install a more powerful engine, which was carried out in the subsequent two trim levels B and C, which took part in the Polish campaign. Although they proved themselves on the field well, it was decided to create a new model with improved armor. All subsequent models were significantly modified, taking into account the experience gained after testing the first versions.

From 1937 to 1945, 8525 copies of various modifications were produced, which took part in virtually all battles and proved themselves well throughout the war. That's why on the basis of PzKpfw IV, several other machines were created.

Panzerkampfwagen V Panther

The review of German tanks proves that PzKpfw V Panther was one of the most effective machines of the Wehrmacht. Chess pendant, 75-millimeter cannon and excellent armor made it the best German tank, according to many experts.

Since during the first years of the war German armored vehicles met the requirements, the development of a powerful tank remained at the initial stages. But when the Soviet Union demonstrated its superiority in tank building, releasing KV and T-34, which far exceeded the existing German tanks of the Second World War, the Third Reich thought about the production of a new more powerful model.

PzKpfw V Panther, created on the basis of the T-34, participated in the main battles at the front of the whole of Europe and proved to be the best. Although the production of this model was quite long and expensive, it justified all the hopes of the creators. To date, only 16 specimens have survived, one of which is in the tank museum of Kubinka.

Heavy tanks

During the Second World War, the main firepower of Germany was served by heavy tanks. It's not at all surprising if you take into account their technical characteristics. The most powerful heavy German tank is, of course, the "Tiger", but does not graze the backs of the equally famous "Maus".

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger

The project "Tiger" was developed in 1941, and in August 1942 the first specimens took part in the battle of Leningrad, and then in the Battle of the Kursk Bulge. After German troops attacked the Soviet Union and met with serious resistance in the form of a maneuverable armored T-35, whose gun was capable of damaging any German tank, it was decided to create a machine capable of repelling him. Therefore, the engineers had to create a modernized analog KV-1 using PzKpfw IV technology.

Excellent armor and 88-millimeter cannon made the tank the best among heavy tanks around the world, which was recognized by the troops of the United States, Britain and France. The powerful reserving of the tank on all sides made it virtually invincible, but such new weapons caused the anti-Hitler coalition the need for new means of struggle. Therefore, towards the end of the war, the opponents of Germany had SAUs that could destroy the German Tiger tank. Including them included the Soviet SU-100 and ISU-152.

Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus

Wehrmacht planned the construction of a superheavy tank, which would become an unattainable target for enemy equipment. After Hitler had already signed an order for development, leading machine builders convinced him that there was no need to create such a model. But Ferdinand Porsche thought differently and therefore personally proceeded to design a complete set of a new superheavy unit of military equipment. As a result, the "Mouse" was created, the armor of which is 200-240 mm, which is a record for military equipment.

Only 2 copies were published, but they were blown up by the Red Army in 1945, like many other German tanks. The photos that have survived, and the model assembled from the two above-mentioned blown up tanks, give an excellent idea of how powerful this model was.

Conclusion

To summarize, it must be said that even though in Germany during the Second World War the tank industry was rather well developed, its innovations appeared as a response to such models of Soviet tanks as KV, KV-1, T-35, and many others. It is this fact that makes it clear how much the Soviet people's desire for victory played an important role in the outcome of the war.