World War II Album: The War in View #32: Wheels & Tracks

Balkans, Hungary. Jagdpanzer 38(t) "Hetzer" (Panzerjäger 38(t), Sd.Kfz.138/2) of the Waffen-SS Division "Florian Geyer" next to a motorcycle with sidecar, Hungary, 1944.

Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer knocked out, date and location unknown.

Captured IS-2 heavy tank and British Universal Carrier of the Polish 4th Heavy Tank Regiment, 1945.

Yanks of 60th Infantry Regiment advance into a Belgian town under the protection of a M4 medium tank. Spangle, September 9, 1944. (US Signal Corps #111-SC-193903. National Archives Identifier 531213)

A Churchill tank in the Medjez-el-Bab area Tunisia, 23-25 April 1943. (Imperial War Museum NA2304)

German troops pulling a 37mm anti-tank gun along a road near Dunkirk. Immobilized British Scout carriers are parked at the side of the road.

Crewmen loading supplies of tinned food into their newly-delivered Stuart tank, 29 March 1942. (Imperial War Museum E9898)

Valentine and Crusader tanks and Humber armored cars at a base depot awaiting delivery to armored units, 26 July 1942. (Imperial War Museum E14924)

Light Tank Mk VI and crew in Iraq, 25 April 1942. The unit is most probably the 14th/20th Kings Hussars. (Imperial War Museum E10994)

New Grant and Stuart tanks being unloaded from a ship onto a "Z" craft which will then take them ashore, 13 March 1942.(Imperial War Museum E9226)

New Grant tanks being loaded from a ship onto a "Z" craft which will then take them ashore, 13 March 1942. (Imperial War Museum E9222)

Stuart tanks and crews lined up for inspection, 29 March 1942. (Imperial War Museum E9900)

A Valentine tank making its way up the beach after being unloaded from a landing craft, 9 February 1942. (Imperial War Museum E8174)

25-pdr field guns and 'Quads' being unloaded from a ship into a landing craft for transport ashore, 9 February 1942. (Imperial War Museum E8161)

A Matilda tank coming ashore from a tank landing craft, 9 February 1942. (Imperial War Museum E8173)

A Grant tank fitted with 'sun shield' lorry camouflage, June 1942. (Imperial War Museum E13376)

The rear view of a Grant tank fitted with 'sun shield' lorry camouflage, June 1942. (Imperial War Museum E13379)

A Grant tank partially fitted with 'sun shield' lorry camouflage, June 1942. (Imperial War Museum E13380)

A 6-pdr anti-tank gun semi-armored portee, camouflaged to look like an ordinary lorry, North Africa, 27 October 1942. (Imperial War Museum E18647)

Crusader tanks of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, 2nd Armoured Brigade, 1st Armoured Division, moving at speed across the North African desert, 5 November 1942. (Imperial War Museum E18969)

Lieutenant General Neil Ritchie, C-in-C of Eighth Army standing by his command caravan in the Western Desert, 23 March 1942. (Imperial War Museum E9572)

A Valentine tank training in the Western Desert, 27 March 1942. (Imperial War Museum E9772)

A Scammell Pioneer tank transporter sets out to collect damaged vehicles, 8 June 1942. (Imperial War Museum E13077)

Acting Lieutenant-General W H E Gott (1897 -1942), 7th Armoured Division, in the Western Desert. (Imperial War Museum E2623)

Salvaged German petrol cans or 'jerricans' being inspected at a depot in the Western Desert, 21 April 1942. (Imperial War Museum E10905)

Although in the midst of battle, it is most difficult for these men to get accurate news of the fighting. They are RASC drivers who bring up ammunition and petrol to the fighting troops, a difficult and highly dangerous job. They eagerly crowd around a portable radio set to hear the latest news of the fighting in Libya … from London via the BBC! (Imperial War Museum E12950)

The Axis retreat and the Tunisian campaign 1942-1943: Forward patrols of the British First and Eighth Armies meet in the Gabes-Tozeur area. A wireless operator of the Special Air Service, Eighth Army with men of the 6th Armoured Division, First Army. (Imperial War Museum NA684)

The crew of a Humber Mk II armored car open fire against enemy aircraft. Bombs can be seen exploding in the distance, 4 January 1943. (Imperial War Museum E20919)

Matilda tanks on the move outside the perimeter of Tobruk, Libya, 18 November 1941. (Imperial War Museum E6605)

The mail being unloaded from an Army Post Office lorry at one of the many post offices in the Western Desert, 16 July 1941. (Imperial War Museum E4175)

A Sherman tank advances at speed in the Foudouk Pass, Tunisia, 8 April 1943. (Imperial War Museum NA1899)

Sherman tanks of the Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards) advance through the Gabes Gap, Tunisia, 7 April 1943. (Imperial War Museum NA1809)

Churchill tank and infantry of 1/4th Battalion Essex Regiment advance near Medjez-el-Bab, Tunisia, 8 May 1943. (Imperial War Museum NA2578)

Crusader tanks moving to forward positions in the Western Desert during Operation Crusader, 26 November 1941. (Imperial War Museum E6724)

The Special Air Service (SAS) in North Africa during the Second World War: a close-up of a heavily armed patrol of 'L' Detachment SAS in their Jeeps, just back from a three-month assignment. The crews of the jeeps are all wearing 'Arab-style' headdress, as copied from the Long Range Desert Group. (Imperial War Museum E21337)

A Churchill tank fitted with a Crocodile flamethrower in action. This flamethrower could produce a jet of flame exceeding 150 yards in length. August 1944. (Imperial War Museum TR 2313)

Churchill tanks of A and B Squadrons, 43rd Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment, 33rd Brigade negotiate obstacles during training, October 1942.

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf D from the 4th Company, 3rd Platoon, 2nd vehicle (“432” on turret sides in small numbers) of the 9th Panzer Division. In the foreground is a Wehrmacht DKW NZ350 motorcycle. Circa 10-15 May 1940.

Marder III.

PzJäg I, North Africa.

Opel 3-ton Blitz truck with a twin MG 34 machine gun anti-aircraft mounting, on the coast of North Africa.

German motorcycle unit stops for a short rest.

Machine gun crew utilizing a motorcycle to transport their heavy machine gun and cases of ammunition during pre-war training.

The drivers of these motorcycle sidecar combinations take cover behind their mounts as an enemy sniper fires at them. Unit insignia on rear of sidecar is of 24th Panzer Division.

Motorcycle sidecar combinations move through a Russian village as the locals line the side of the road to watch.

Motorcyclist pauses to quench his thirst on a hot, dusty day. Unit insignia on side of motorcycle—24th Panzer Division?

Luftwaffe motorcycle with sidecar combination getting ready to deliver important messages.

German troops get ready to mount their motorcycle sidecar combinations, some armed with MG34 machine guns on the sidecars, during training.

A German motorized column comes under attack by Soviet aircraft during the early weeks of the war on the eastern front.

The Wehrmacht enters Aleksandriya, to the south and beyond Kiev; these are an advance guard of Rundstedt's Army Group South. In addition to the motorcycle troops, a PzKpfw III is at left.

The lead motorcycle of a column halts traffic and guides the column to make the turn as they move through a village.

The 1-ton leichter Zugkraftwagen (SdKfz 10) (1-ton light prime mover) was built by the firm of Demag AG, Wetter/Ruhr. A prototype was first tested in 1934-35 and over 17,500 vehicles had left the assembly line when production ceased in 1944. A unit of the 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich” spearheading the drive on Moscow in conjunction with Panzergruppe Guderian, Army Group Middle. The 1-ton Zgkftwg is followed by a Krupp L2H 143 Protze prime mover for light flak and anti-tank guns. The passenger car is an Opel Olympia.

Former RAF Commer Q2 in use with German forces in Russia.

Rommel in his staff car, North Africa.

Uniform Diesel.

Uniform Diesel Kfz 63.

Krupp Protze.

Krupp Protze crossing a small stream.

A German supply truck gets a tow after getting stuck on a muddy road in Russia.

A member of a Waffen-SS supply unit with his truck. Getting supplies to the front was difficult under the best of conditions, but the lack of good roads, together with bad weather conditions, hampered the German lines of supply to the point where capturing enemy supplies was a top priority for all combat units.

Kfz 31 (Phänomen Granit 1500A) ambulance.

PzKpfw V Ausf A in Normandy.

Knocked-out Panzerkampfwagen V Ausf. G.

Panzerkampfwagen V, 1st SS Panzer Division. Belgium.

Driver of a Panzerkampfwagen V.

Loader of a Panzerkampfwagen V in the turret rear hatch, Italy.

Replacing an engine in a Panzerkampfwagen V Ausf. G with the help of a SdKfz 9 FAMO half-track crane.

PzKpfw V Panther, Eastern front.

PzKpfw V Panther tank of I./Panzer Regiment 27 of the 19th Panzer Division at the intersection of ul. Powązkowska and ul. Elbląska.

PzKpfw V Panthers.

Commander of a PzKpfw V Panther tank.

PzKpfw V Panther Ausf D getting turret fitted at the factory.

Two PzKpfw V Panther Ausf D’s in Rome, both with Ausf A cupolas.

PzKpfw V Panther Ausf D.

PzKpfw V Panther Ausf G of 5 Panzer Division in the Battle of Goldap.

Panther II hull and chassis prototype with PzKpfw V Panther Ausf. G turret.

Panther II on display at Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor, Fort Knox. The Panther G turret on display was not originally fitted to this hull and was installed later as a placeholder.

Panzerkampfwagen III in winter camouflage, Heeresgruppe Mitte, in a Russian village in the Moscow area, November 1941.

Sd.Kfz. 251 half-tracks of the IV. SS Panzer Korps make their way past a ruined Russian column.

Soviet troops with captured PzKpfw V Panther.

Soviet troops with captured Sd.Kfz. 165 Hummel self-propelled gun.

Wrecked German vehicles on display in Soviet city, 1942.

SdKfz 250/10 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK) of a Großdeutschland reconnaissance unit. Reconnaissance platoon leader's variant with 3.7 cm PaK 35/36.This was the same as the antitank gun used in a towed mode early in the war. Occasionally, the gun was fitted with a small shield to protect the gunners.

SdKfz 250/10, Russia, August 1942.

Crew using branches to camouflage their SdKfz 250 half-track, Russia, March 1944. Note the horseshoe attached to the front of the right fender.

SdKfz 232 (8-rad) in the Ardennes forest (Battle of France) in May 1940.

SdKfz 222 interior.

"The maps we were given were all wrong," Rundstedt wrote of the Russian invasion. "The roads that had been marked nice and red and thick on a map turned out to be tracks… Even railroads which were to be used by us simply did not exist… I realized soon after the attack had begun that everything that had been written about Russia was nonsense."

PzKpfw II mounting a 50mm gun conversion performed by the Pz.Jg.Abt.128, 23rd Panzer Division.

75mm PaK auf Light Tank Mk.VI (Mk736(e)), a British Mk. VI light tank mounting a German 75mm PaK.

sIG 33 auf Geschützwagen I Ausf B.

The ubiquitous PzKpfw 38 (t) was also used to provide mobility for the 150mm sIG 33 infantry gun for the support of panzergrenadiers. The first “Bison” was as usual something of a makeshift utilizing the basic tank chassis but nevertheless these vehicles proved very useful in the direct infantry support role and saw widespread use.

Brummbär.

VK 30.02 (DB)/Panzer V (DB) Medium Tank. The VK 30.02 (DB) was a German tank project leading to the creation of the Panzer V Panther. The vehicle was cancelled in favor of the VK 30.02 (MAN), the vehicle was heavily influenced by the Soviet T-34.

SS-Obersturmführer Karl Nicolussi-Leck in his Wiking Division Panther Ausf. A with a Sd.Kfz. 251/3 Ausf. D outside Warsaw, 1944.

A soldier inspects a burnt out Panther near Trarivi in the Adriatic sector, 18 September 1944.

British soldiers examine a knocked-out Panzer III, 1942. The Panzer Mark III was the main German battle tank for the first two and a half years of the war and a mainstay of Rommel's Afrika Corps in the Western Desert. Fast and maneuverable, it was well suited to desert conditions. It could be fitted with either a 37 mm or 50 mm cannon.

An 8.8 cm Flak 18 (Sfl.) auf Zugkraftwagen 18t in firing position.

The designation Sd. Kfz. 10/5 für 2cm Flak 38 appeared first in October 1943. Possibly this designation was introduced to separate the vehicles armed with the 2cm Flak 30 from the vehicles armed with the 2cm Flak 38. A broader platform was developed for the 2cm Flak 38. As a result, the mudguards over the tracks were now boarder at the rear edge. The trailer is a Sd. Ah. 51 with equipment and ammunition box.

Sd. Kfz. 10/5 für 2cm Flak 38.

Steyr ADGZ (M35 Mittlere Panzerwagen) in the Sudetenland, October 1938. The Austrian army was using the ADGZ armored car at the time of Anschluss. 12 were used by the army and 15 were used by the police. The Germans used them for police work and some were taken on by the Waffen-SS and used on the Eastern Front and in the Balkans for anti-partisan activity and other usages. The SS ordered an additional 25 ADGZ which were delivered in 1942. An interesting feature of this vehicle was that there was no "rear:" either end was capable of driving the unit. As part of the initial operations of the invasion of Poland, the SS Heimwehr Danzig used three ADGZ armored cars during the attack on the Polish Post Office in Danzig, but one was lost during the battle. Some ADGZ were also supplied to the Army of the Independent State of Croatia.

Steyr ADGZ (M35 Mittleren Panzerwagen).

ADGZ.

ADKZ. The chassis for the new armored vehicle was created on the basis of developments in civilian vehicles. The three-axle chassis had wheels with bullet-resistant tires. Driven single-pitch wheels were mounted on the front axle, dual rear wheels on the two rear axles. In the stern of the chassis, the Daimler M650 petrol engine with 105 horsepower was installed.

ADKZ. For the ADKZ armored car, an original armored hull of characteristic shape was developed. To improve a number of parameters, the Austrian designers decided to move the engine to the rear, and move the turret with weapons forward. All this affected the appearance of the hull and the armored car as a whole. The body was proposed to be welded from armor plates of different thickness. Thus, the details of the hull forehead had a thickness of 14,5 mm, the bead and stern were 11 and 9 mm, respectively. The roof and the bottom of the armored car had the same thickness, 6 mm. The tower was made of sheets 11-14,5 mm thick. An interesting feature of the armored steel body attachment for additional rollers provided in the lower part of the front sheet. Two small additional "wheels" were intended to more easily overcome ditches, etc. obstacles.

ADKZ, The layout of the internal space of the ADKZ armored car is a bit similar to the one used on the ADGZ. In the front and middle part of the interior there was a fighting compartment with a crew of four. At the front was located the front control post. In accordance with the views of that time, a new armored car received two control stations, the second was placed at the rear of the crew compartment. Two mechanics had to drive the armored car, but if necessary, one of them could be excluded from the crew.

ADKZ.

ADGZ, Memel.

ADSK.

Saurer ADMK dummy training tank.

Saurer ADMK.

ADGZ, 7th SS Division.

Saurer ADMK.

SdKfz 254 (left).

SdKfz 254.

Steyr 250.

Infantry advance in the distance, past the wreck of a German PzKpfw III tank, North Africa, October 1942. (Imperial War Museum E18787)

The wreckage of a German PzKpfw III tank, blown up by British sappers to prevent it being recovered by the enemy, 6 November 1942. (Imperial War Museum E19110)

Posed photograph of a German soldier surrendering to British infantry after his PzKpfw III tank was knocked out during fighting in the Western Desert, 29 October 1942. (Imperial War Museum E18655)

A disabled German PzKpfw III tank is blown up by the Royal Engineers to prevent it being recovered by the enemy, 31 October 1942. (Imperial War Museum E18789)

Panzer III during Operation Sonnenblume, April 1941. (Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-783-0150-28)

Captured Tiger I tank #712 of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501, near Tunis, 1943. Shipped to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, where it resides in a museum.

A German SdKfz 251 half-track of a signals reception unit in the desert, near Bir Hacheim, 1 June 1942.

Panzer II of the 15th Panzer Division in North Africa modified for use as an artillery observation tank. Main gun replaced by mockup to create room for observer. April 1941. (Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-783-0110-12)

Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim welcomes General der Panzertruppe Gustav von Vaerst. Rades near Tunis, North Africa, 7 May 1943. (Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-787-0502-34A)

General der Panzertruppe Gustav Fritz Julius von Vaerst, Ritterkreuz (left), discusses the situation on the North African front with an officer, February 1942. (Wydawnictwo Prasowe Kraków-Warszawa 2-2035)

Panzerjäger-Abteilung 39 (part of "Kampfgruppe Gräf", part of the 21. Panzer Division) of the Afrika Korps on the move. 1942. (Georg Weber)

21st Panzer Division order of battle.

Car, Light, 4 × 2, Siren (Opel P4). The basic vehicle was also used as a basis for dummy tanks.

Car, Light, 4 × 2, Kfz 1 (BMW 303).

Car, 4 × 2, Small Repairs, Kfz 2/20 (Mercedes-Benz 170V).

Car, Light, 4 × 2, Sedan (Volkswagen).

Car, Light, 4 × 2, Kfz 1 (Tatra 1.3/57K).

Car, Light, 4 × 2, Kfz 1 (Skoda Popular 1100).

Mercedes-Benz 320 convertible, one of various types of Mercedes-Benz civilian cars used by German officers, shown here in use by the Kriegsmarine.

Ford cargo truck. Illustration from German wartime advertisement.

Borgward LKw 3t.

Daimler-Benz Type G3 Kfz 64.

Daimler-Benz Type L1500S.

Daimler-Benz Type L3000S, 3 ton.

Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) mit 2cm KwK38.

Bergepanzer 38 armored recovery vehicle version of the Jagdpanzer 38(t) of which 170 were produced.

Rheinmetall’s Grosstraktor II prototype, 75mm gun and machine gun turret at the rear. Grosstraktor ("large tractor") was the name given to six prototype medium tanks built (two each) by Rheinmetall, Krupp and Daimler, for the German Weimar Republic, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Constructed in secret they were tested in the Soviet Union. They were used for training and retired as monuments after the Nazi party came to power.

Grosstraktor I heavy tank built by Daimler-Benz and tested at Kazan, USSR.

Daimler Benz’s Grosstraktor I as a monument at the barracks of Panzer Regiment 1 in Erfurt.

Krupp’s Grosstraktor III as a monument at the barracks of Panzer Regiment 5 in Wunsdorf, 1937.

Grosstraktor III heavy tank built by Krupp.

The "Bumble Bee" was a German self-propelled 150mm howitzer on a PzKpfw IV chassis. It was built by Krupp-Alkett for use as a medium artillery weapon in armored divisions. Introduced in 1942, it had a crew of five, a weight of 25.4 tons, and armament consisting of a 150mm sFH 18/1, caliber length 30, one 7.9mm MG 34 machine gun, and two 9mm MP 38 submachine guns. The full designation was Panzerfeldhaubitze 18M auf Geschützwagen III/IV (Sf) Hummel, Sd.Kfz. 165. On 27 February 1944, Hitler ordered the name Hummel to be dropped as it was inappropriate for a fighting vehicle.

A knocked out Jagdpanther tank destroyer in the Reichswald area. It was hit by artillery fire from the 6th anti-tank regiment of the Royal Canadian Army. March 1945. Note one of the vehicle's rounds is standing in front of the vehicle.

Jagdpanzer 38(t). The Jagdpanzer 38 (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), later known as Hetzer ("baiter"), was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis. The project was inspired by the Romanian "Mareşal" tank destroyer.

Jagdpanzer 38(t). The name Hetzer was at the time not commonly used for this vehicle. It was the designation for a related prototype, the E-10. The Škoda factory for a very short period confused the two names in its documentation and the very first unit equipped with the vehicle thus for a few weeks applied the incorrect name until matters were cleared. However, there exists a briefing paper from Heinz Guderian to Hitler claiming that an unofficial name, Hetzer, had spontaneously been coined by the troops. Post-war historians basing themselves on this statement made the name popular in their works, though the vehicle was never named as such in official documents.

Jagdpanzer 38(t). The Jagdpanzer 38 was intended to be more cost-effective than the much more ambitious Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger designs of the same period. Using a proven chassis, it avoided the mechanical problems of the larger armored vehicles.

Jagdpanzer 38(t). Hetzer was built on the Panzerkampfwagen 38(t)‘s widened and lengthened chassis with modified suspension (larger road-wheels from Praga TNH n.A prototype reconnaissance tank) and up-rated engine. The new engine was 160hp Praga AC/2 6-cylinder engine controlled by Praga-Wilson gearbox (5 forward and 1 reverse gear). Chassis was modified in order to accommodate larger gun and thicker armor than regular Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) tank. Its combat weight was 16 metric tons (verses 9.8-tons for the Pz 38(t)) and it could travel at maximum speed of some 42km/h.

Jagdpanzer 38(t). It was better armored than the thinly armored earlier Panzerjäger Marder and Nashorn with a sloped armor front plate of 60 mm sloped back at 60 degrees from the vertical (equivalent in protection to about 120 mm), carried a reasonably powerful 75mm gun, was mechanically reliable, small and easily concealed. It was also cheap to build.

Jagdpanzer 38(t). The Jagdpanzer 38 succeeded the open-top Marder III (based on the same chassis) in production from April 1944; about 2584 were built until the end of the war. The older Marder III Panzerjäger series retained the same vertically sided chassis as Panzer 38(t). In the Jagdpanzer 38, the lower hull sides slope 15 degrees outward to make roughly hexagonal shape when viewed from front or rear. This increased the available interior space and enabled a fully enclosed casemate-style fighting compartment. Because of the fully enclosed armor, it was 5 tons heavier than the Marder III. To compensate for the increased weight, track width was increased from 293 mm to 350 mm.

Jagdpanzer 38(t). The Jagdpanzer 38 equipped the Panzerjägerabteilungen (tank destroyer battalions) of the infantry divisions, giving them some limited mobile anti-armor capability.

American soldiers examine a knocked out Jagdpanzer 38, with ambush camouflage, Holloville, France, November 1944.

Captured Flammpanzerwagen 38. The American soldier is holding the dummy gun barrel which was removed to show the flamethrower projector. By order of Adolf Hitler in November 1944, a number of Jagdpanzer 38s were refurbished straight from the factory with a Keobe flamethrower and accompanying equipment instead of the normal gun. The flame projector, encased in a metal shield reminiscent of that of a gun barrel, was easily prone to damage. Fewer than 50 of these vehicles, designated Flammpanzer 38, were completed before the end of the war, but they were used operationally against Allied forces on the Western Front.

The mounting (minus its gun) for the remotely-controlled overhead 7.92mm machine gun on a Jagdpanzer 38(t).

American soldier with a 2.36-inch M9 rocket launcher advances past a knocked out Jagdpanzer 38(t).

Jagdpanzer 38(t) interior.

Jagdpanzer 38 interior visible after removal of the roof, displaying the 7.5cm PaK 39 L/48 gun.

Hetzer wreck, Saarlautern.

The prototype Panzer T-15 light tank looks like an improved Panzer II tank but there were many differences. Its factory designation was the Škoda T-15. The first two prototypes were only built in mild structural steel. Dimensions (L-W-H) 4.58 x 2.17 x 2.16 meters.

A knocked-out PzKpfw III tank, with the body of one of its crew lying on the hull, 24 February 1943.

PzKpfw IIIs and SdKfz 250 half-tracks, Russia.

PzKpfw III Ausf G, North Africa.

PzKpfw III, North Africa.

PzKpfw III Ausf E.

British soldier inspects a makeshift grave, destroyed German Panzer III in background.

An SdKfz. 303, the petrol powered version of the Goliath.

Sd.Kfz. 303 Goliath interior.

German soldiers with a Goliath and the remote control, 19 April 1944.

Goliath demolition vehicle.

A German "Goliath" remote-controlled miniature tank, photographed on one of the invasion beaches (probably "Utah" Beach) shortly after the initial Normandy landings, June 1944. These small tracked vehicles, powered by two electric motors and stuffed with high explosives, were designed to attack landing craft as they came ashore. Note the concrete seawall in the background.

Goliath, Crimea, Russia, June 1942.

The first pay day for an RAF beach unit in Normandy. A captured German 'Beetle' tank serves as a desk as the Adjutant, Flight Lieutenant W S Smith, accompanied by his pay clerk, Corporal C Woodbridge, hands Flight Sergeant F W Riches his money, circa 1944.

German soldier with Goliath.

Goliath on its transport trailer being moved into position.

The Goliath is sent on its way.

Goliath.

Canadian soldiers inspect a captured German Goliath remote controlled tracked mine. Apeldoorn, Netherlands. 12 June 1945.

Sd.Kfz. 302 Goliath (E-Motor).

Russian soldier inspects disabled PzKpfw IV Ausf H or J.

PzKpfw 38(t) Aufklarungspanzer 38 with 20mm gun in turret, SdKfz 140/1.

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf J, 111th Panzer Brigade, 2111th Panzer Abteilung, Staff Company, Lorraine, France, September 1944.

German PzKpfw II Ausf B and staff car among the ruins, France, June 1940.

Pz.Kpfw. V "Panther" from the 8th company of the 2nd battalion of the 5th SS Panzer Regiment of the 5th SS Panzer Division "Viking" (8.II. / SS-Pz.Rgt.5) during the battles near Warsaw. Poland, August 1944.

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II tank near Vimoutiers, France, June-July 1944.

Jagdtigers with Henschel undercarriage in the process of being assembled at the Nibelungenwerke factory. The Jagdtiger on the left will subsequently enter service with the 512th battalion.

Jagdtigers with Henschel undercarriage in the process of being assembled at the Nibelungenwerke factory.

Jagdtiger with Henschel undercarriage in the process of being assembled at the Nibelungenwerke factory. This Jagdtiger will subsequently enter service with the 512th battalion.

Jagdtigers with Henschel undercarriage in the process of being assembled at the Nibelungenwerke factory.

A motorcycle detachment of a reconnaissance battalion skirting a shell hole in a street on the outskirts of Aire.

Pontoon bridge over La Bassee Canal. German PzKpfw 38(t) crossing.

A group of German soldiers smile and wave for the camera after hearing the request from France for an Armistice. The men are riding on horseback or are seated in a horse-drawn open-topped carriage. A small dog can also be seen on the carriage. The original caption states that this photograph was published on 26 June 1940.