Tanks Wehrmacht: specifications and photos

The tanks of the Wehrmacht (the armed forces of Germany) were in full harmony with the then German concept of their application. In the development of the first combat vehicles, combat power and mobility were at the forefront. The latter was planned to be provided at the expense of a small thickness of armor. Nevertheless, the defense had to withstand armor-piercing bullets fired from rifle-caliber machine guns. During the First World War, it was because of the machine guns that the front became static. Therefore, theorists believed that bulletproof protection would return troops due mobility.

Violation of the Versailles Treaty

According to the Treaty of Versailles, concluded after the defeat of Germany in the First World War, this country was prohibited from importing tanks, as well as other similar machines. But the Germans secretly violated this restriction in 1925, launching the project "Big Tractor". The result of this program were six tanks, which were fully assembled by the beginning of 1929. But to conduct tests in Germany itself was impossible, so the fighting vehicles were sent to the USSR (tank school near Kazan). After conducting field tests, German engineers took into account all the shortcomings, so that in the future the Wehrmacht's light, medium and heavy tanks became much more perfect. In Germany, the production of first-generation combat vehicles was brewing.

Pz.I

The first German tanks Pz.I belonged to the category of lungs. The simplicity of their design and low cost allowed to establish a serial production. Only the way to the conveyor was not easy. The first tank went into development only in 1930, code-named "Small Tractor". Chassis was ordered from Krupp. To speed up the production process, the Germans decided to use a copy of the English suspension of the Carden-Loyd tank. To preserve secrecy, all the details were purchased through intermediary firms. But in the end, German engineers did not wait for this suspension, recreating it according to drawings and photos of the English counterpart. The world crisis of that time greatly hampered the production process, and the release of the first series took place only in 1934. Since that time, the Nazis have guided the German industry to create tanks for future conquests. The tank schools for the training of drivers were actively opened. Germany was preparing for World War II.

First modification

By the end of 1935 the Wehrmacht tanks, whose photos are attached to the article, had reached 720 units. All of them went to equip combat divisions, formed in the same year. In 1936, three panzer divisions were founded , which the Nazis brought to a state of complete combat readiness.

However, the Pz.I tank had to be modified. Engineers have identified insufficient specific power (only 11 hp per ton). This problem was solved by replacing the old motor with a new engine (100 hp) from the company Maybach. In the suspension of the tank instead of the support roller added a regular sloth. The new model received the designation Pz.I Ausf.B. Its release began in mid-1936, and after twelve months the new panzer division numbered 1175 modified pieces.

Pz.II

Back in 1933, the German leadership realized that the recruitment of divisions would be hopelessly late. To the Wehrmacht tanks arrived in sufficient quantities, the engineers were ordered to work on the creation of a new light model. It was called La.S. 100, but after it got on the armament in the division, it was renamed Pz.II. The Nazis did not become original and took as a prototype the tank Pz.I. The main difference of the new machine is a spacious tower. This significantly strengthened the tank's armament: the left-wing machine gun was replaced with an automatic cannon in a 20-mm. She wanted to install another model of the first generation Pz.I, but it was too close for her.

Of course, the main purpose of cannon armament is to fight enemy tanks. But the most important thing is that the enemy shields of artillery guns were powerless against cannon shots. The rapid-fire anti-tank gun was the most dangerous weapon of the time. Its ammunition was equipped with fragmentation-explosive and armor-piercing shells.

Pz.III

The development of the middle tank Pz.III began in 1933. And at the end of 1935, Daimler-Benz won a tender for the construction of 25 units of the installation series. The towers were provided by Krupp. After the release of the first batch, the lack of design of the combat vehicle became obvious. The Wehrmacht tanks needed improvement. It took engineers three years.

The first small series had an interesting feature in terms of weapons: two machine guns were paired with a gun, and the third was located in the hull of the tank. Machines were equipped with only 14.5 mm bulletproof armor. And imperfect pendants reduced mobility in the rough terrain. In general, each new modification of Pz.III brought the Germans closer to a tank suitable for mass production.

The most successful of these was the combat vehicle Pz.III Ausf.E. Due to the fact that the chassis were developed by Daimler-Benz, this tank had the best in the world driving performance and the highest speed - 68.1 km / h. A reinforced armor (6 cm) and a powerful 50-mm cannon made him the most formidable fighting machine of the time. This fact will be confirmed in many years, when the researchers will study in detail the captured tanks in the Wehrmacht.

Pz.IV

Developed by the company "Krupp" to support the lungs and medium Pz.III. To do this, the tank was armed with a 75-mm gun of 24 caliber and two machine guns. Special attention was paid to the suspension of his engineers. They have long experimented with leaf springs and support rollers, until they get almost perfect vibration damping. It did not even require the installation of shock absorbers.

The tanks of the Wehrmacht Pz.IV became the most massive in the history of Germany. None of the German combat vehicles received the same propagation either before or after the war.

Conclusion

Beginning in mid-1943, the Wehrmacht tanks on the Eastern Front began to occupy a defensive position. Basically, all battalions consisted of "quads" (Pz.IV). The Germans suffered serious losses, and the situation with technology was complicated every day. It came to the point that instead of tanks began to use assault guns. In 1944, they armed whole battalions. Of course, the assault guns were perfectly suited for fire support, but could not act in conjunction with the line tanks because of the limited sector of the shelling. As a result, the entire organizational structure of the tank battalions went to pieces. In the last months of the battles, one-day fighting groups were created from several assault guns and combat vehicles. After the defeat of the Nazis, the Wehrmacht tanks of the Second World War were destroyed. And those that remained, went to the disposal of the Soviet troops.

Today we described all the main tanks of the Wehrmacht in 1941-1945. Of course, they did it briefly, since it is impossible to put all the information in the close frame of a short article. For a more detailed acquaintance with the mentioned technique, it is better to turn to the materials of military encyclopedias.