Concept in Definition ABC

This name became no longer famous, but legendary during World War II, by the mouths of those who must have suffered its onslaught. And it is that, among the most iconic images of the purely warlike section of the conflagration, have more than one and two starring the German armored weapon, whose tanks all over the world call panzer.

Panzer is just short for panzerkampfwagen, which, in German, means “armored fighting vehicle”.

Although we commonly identify the "panzer" with the German tanks of World War II, the The name is earlier, and is given - like the name "tank", invented by the British - in the First World War.

The first "panzer" was the A7V of 1917, the German replica of the first British and French tanks, with which sought to decant to the side of the Entente the trench warfare that was taking place in the theater European.

In pureness, the A7V (a slow vehicle and lacking in the forms that would later define a tank) received the name of sturmpanzerwagen

(armored assault vehicle), and not yet panzerkampfwagen, but we can clearly see that the word "battleship" (panzer, from the French pancier) was already present in the denomination.

The interwar period was not one of solace and neglect for the military, including the Germans, that despite the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles developed new tactics and weapons.

Among these were new armored vehicles, such as tanks themselves or infantry assault vehicles.

Although Germany in the 1930s and 1940s excelled in design and use of the armored weapon, and therefore it might seem that they were the true inventors of this, such statement is not true.

The tank, as such, is a British invention, and it was the French who theorized its use in large groups to break the enemy front, but despite counting With defenders of the stature of Charles de Gaulle (at that time, a rising lieutenant colonel), theories were ignored by the high military commanders and politicians.

Where they did take good note was in Germany, where they added the theories of de Gaulle and the defenders of the armored weapon to create the Blitzkrieg.

The Blitzkrieg use the armored weapon as a spearhead alongside aviation to deliver total and devastating blows quickly.

Tanks were thus essential to the rearmament plan of Hitler and the Nazis, who foresaw an inevitable war in Europe.

The first of the panzer It was not one of the high-tonnage “monsters” of the last stretch of the war, which would end up being the most representative vehicles of the conflict, but a still “tiny” Panzer I.

Not much larger than the Renault FT-17, the Panzer I had two machine guns as its primary weapon, not a barrel as future designs should mount.

The Panzer I was a light tank, whose main use was to serve as a trainer for an armed forces German women who still babbled on the use of the armored weapon due to the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles.

His baptism of fire occurred during the War Civil Spanish, and was used by the Wehrmacht on all fronts until Operation Barbarossa (the invasion of the USSR). was already considered antiquated at the beginning of the conflict, but it had to be employed due to the lack of sufficient copies of more modern models. Its efficient use was the key to its success against top models. benefits.

Its successor, the Panzer II, already combined a small 20mm cannon with a machine gun, although it was still a light tank.

With a similar combat history to the Panzer I, it had a chassis very similar to this one, but with greater armor, greater engine power, and a turret of greater capacity, all this to be able to serve in the role that, today, have the MBT (the main battle tanks) in all the armies.

The Panzer 38 (t) was not a German, but a Czech, light tank design that featured a 37mm cannon and two machine guns.

With the annexation of what was left of Czechoslovakia in 1939, the Reich also "inherited" an important infrastructure of armament factories and an interesting collection of designs, of which this tank stood out.

His production, of which the Czechs had already made several units, was resumed, now for the German occupying army. Its service history is similar to the two previous models, but it was little appreciated by the crews for the weakness of its armor.

The Panzer III happens to be one of the most iconic panzer models of the first period of the war.

With a distinctive design, it was designed to be a medium tank, that is, larger, heavier, armored and with a greater fire capacity than previous models. Through successive revisions, it went from mounting a 37mm gun to a 75mm gun.

The image that defines it the most is the North African front, next to the Panzer IV. Also used on the Russian front, it was made obsolete by the strength of the Soviet T-34.

The Panzer IV was the most successful German tank design, being developed in the prewar era, and serving well beyond the end of the world conflict.

The last war actions in which a Panzer IV took part were in the Golan Heights in 1967, and these tanks were in the hands of the Syrian army.

Before, they actively participated in all fronts of World War II, making this model the most produced by Germany during the entire conflict.

The Panzer V is better known by its nickname, “Panther,” panther, and is another of the iconic vehicles of the Wehrmacht's armored weapon.

Conceived to fight face-to-face with Soviet T-34s (a design that surprised the Germans when they entered the USSR), for the time it was classified as a medium tank, although it was almost more of a heavy armored tank due to its features.

Introduced in 1943, its first combat was the Battle of Kursk, and it saw service on both the eastern and western fronts until the end of the war.

One of the best known panzer models is the VI, nicknamed Tiger.

The “pièce de résistance” of the German armored weapon was this heavy tank of almost 60 tons and a fearsome 88-millimeter cannon, which caused real dread among the allied troops of all fronts.

Although many authors attribute the Tiger's entry into combat to the Battle of Kursk, they previously served in the North Africa, and some scholars indicate that they were "premiered" in Leningrad before even going into action with Afrika Korps.

Just as legendary as its presence, the Tiger I is also known for its weak point: the rear of the vehicle.

But the top of the panzer was undoubtedly the Tiger II, a nearly 70-ton beast with 185mm armor at its peak, and a fearsome 88mm gun.

Virtually unbeatable, feared by all, and arriving too late on the battlefield and in too few numbers to have some influence on the course of events (at the end of the war less than 500 units).

It was introduced in 1944, and it fought until the end of the war on the eastern and western fronts.

All these cars were also exported to other countries (such as Switzerland, Peru, Finland, China, Hungary or Romania), as well as used by some of the winners of the conflict after 1945 (as in the case of France, which would operate Some Panther).

Also, and using their chassis, some variants were built, such as tank destroyers, self-propelled artillery, or command and recovery vehicles.

Due to the defeat of the Axis, the blueprints of future models, which were not discarded either, because after their examination, many of their ideas were implanted in modern tanks.

Both the panzer themselves and the use that the Germans gave them, have served as the basis for the armored weapon of today's armies.

Photos: Fotolia - dmitrypk / rumifaz

Topics in Panzer