World War II Album: Wheels & Tracks #9: German

PzKpfw VI Tiger II heavily camouflaged with local foliage.

PzKpfw III, Voronezh, Russia, summer 1941.

This photo from the German Army publication Signal depicts the Nazi advance during the Battle of Moscow, c. January 1942. In the foreground is the front of the top of the turret of a PzKpfw III.

Ex-British Stuart Light Tank captured in November 1941 during Operation Crusader. Several were captured intact and repainted in overall sand color. They were then used to guard Rommel’s headquarters.

In German service they were known as Infanterie Panzerkampfwagen Mk III 749 (e). Being loaded on to flarcars for transport.

Ex-British Stuart III Light Tank in German service.

Sd.Kfz.9 18t Famo towing a Panzer III on a Sd.Ah 116 transport trailer.

Ex-British Stuart III Light Tank in German service. This Stuart was abandoned by the 2nd Armoured Brigade in July 1942 and put into service by Beutepanzerkompanie AOK Afrika.

Ex-British Stuart III Light Tank in German service.

M3 Light Tank captured from Soviets and in German service when knocked out by Soviet forces. Estonia, Saarema Island, 1944.

German soldiers move a horse-drawn vehicle over a corduroy road while crossing a wetland area, in October 1941, near Salla on Kola Peninsula, a Soviet-occupied region in northeast Finland.

PzKpfw III. Western Desert.

This view of a standard production PzKpfw III Ausf G shows the 5 cm gun, turret side vision ports, and the ribbed drive wheel, all characteristics of the Ausf E to G series. This particular vehicle lacks the turret stowage box but has scaling flaps for the engine cooling intakes seen raised in this view. This was one of the waterproofed vehicles earmarked but not used for amphibious operations, and a frame for a waterproof cover is visible around the hull machine gun mount.

Panzerkampfwagen III, Eastern Front.

PzKpfw III, left, and PzKpfw II, right, North Africa.

PzKpfw III, Russia.

PzKpfw III and supporting SS panzergrenadiers near Stalingrad during the final days of the battle, 1943.

Disabled PzKpfw III offers some protection for British soldiers.

PzKpfw III.

PzKpfw III, Russia.

Crew of a PzKpfw III, Afrika Korps, North Africa, pause for a meal. They are wearing tropical shirts and shorts; two of them are still wearing the black Feldmütze of the continental uniform, the others are wearing peaked tropical caps. The man at left is wearing high laced boots; he is sitting over a South African pith helmet which has been badged with German insignia. Note the aircraft silhouette on the tank’s main gun, indicating their claim for shooting down an enemy aircraft.

PzKpfw III, North Africa.

A PzKpfw III for one of Rommel’s panzer divisions being unloaded at Tripoli.

PzKpfw III (SdKfz 141) medium tank with short-barreled 50mm gun.

PzKpfw III (SdKfz 141) medium tank with long-barreled 50mm gun.

PzKpfw III passes a destroyed Russian rocket launcher truck (Katyusha) on the Eastern Front.

A United States soldier advances cautiously at left with a submachine gun to cover any attempt of the German tank crew from escaping their fiery prison inside their tank following a duel with U.S. and British anti-tank units in Medjez al Bab area, Tunisia, on January 12, 1943.

A column of PzKpfw IVs advance along a road in Tripoli, the Libyan capital in April 1941.

A huge Panzer IV German tank, part of the German expeditionary force in North Africa, halts in the Libyan Desert on April 14, 1941.

PzKpfw IV.

The charred remains of a Panzerkampfwage IV number 532 being bulldozed by a Caterpillar D7 into a heap amongst the rubble. St Gilles, Normandy, France, July 1944.

Knocked out PzKpfw IV, North Africa, 1940-41.

PzKpfw IV. Western Desert.

PzKpfw IV. Looks like a British Ford truck in the background. Western Desert.

A PzKpfw IV Ausf G of the 10th or 21st Panzer Division in Tunisia, 1943.

A PzKpfw IV Ausf G of the 10th or 21st Panzer Division in Tunisia, 1943. One member of the crew has marked out the profile of a girl in the dust on the right mud guard.

A PzKpfw IV on the road in Belgium.

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf F medium tank.

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf F2 medium tank. Vehicle recovered from Tunisia. Note cutaway turret and hull.

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf H medium tank with experimental hydraulic transmission. Not used in combat, the vehicle was recovered from a factory.

Soviet troops move past a burning PzKpfw IV, Stalingrad, 1942.

PzKpfw IV Ausf C.

PzKpfw IV Ausf B/C turret.

PzKpfw IV Ausf F1.

PzKpfw IV Ausf F1 with radio antenna deflector.

PzKpfw IV Ausf D showing rear smoke emitters and exhaust pipe. Tank carries single digit call sign and 15th Panzer Division symbol ‘arrow.’

PzKpfw IV Ausf D idler wheel.

PzKpfw IV Ausf D up-gunned and re-worked, NSKK, late 1942, showing the extra armor plating, the ‘skirt’ around the turret, and the KwK 40 L/43 gun.

Experimental conversion of a PzKpfw IV Ausf H done by Zahnradfabrik of Augsburg. The standard mechanical transmission was replaced with a hydrostatic drive known as ‘Thoma.’ The main motor (a 12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM) was linked directly to a pair of high performance hydraulic pumps. These pumps drove two hydraulic motors which in turn drove the rear drive sprockets through reduction gearing. The drive system also provided hydraulic power for the turret traverse and main armament elevation.

PzKpfw IV medium tanks loaded with infantry, on the move in Russia during winter.

Panzerkampfwagen IV undergoing maintenance.

Panzerkampfwagen IV.

Panzerkampfwagen IV with additional armor on the turret and brackets for side skirts on the hull. A Marder III self-propelled anti-tank gun is in the background.

PzKpfw IV (SdKfz 161) medium tank with long-barreled 75mm high-velocity gun (equipped with double-baffle muzzle brake).

Dead German soldiers and burning PzKpfw IV tank, Operation Zitadelle, 1943.

PzKpfw IV, Russian front.

Waffen-SS soldier helping to reload a PzKpfw IV.

The ‘workhorse’ of the panzer divisions was the PzKpfw IV which was the only German tank in production throughout the war. These Ausf Es are in action at Marsa El Brega during Rommel’s first campaign in the Western Desert, 1941.

The PzKpfw IV Ausf D was built in quantity for issue to the heavy companies of panzer units. Externally very similar it had an uprated motor and thicker armor, particularly in front of the driver’s compartment.

The first production model of the PzKpfw IV, the Ausf A, set the basic pattern for hull and suspension which continued in all models. The eight small road wheels, sprung in pairs, with four return rollers and a low-set driving sprocket were characteristic of all variants as was the general turret shape. Armament was the 7.5 cm L/24 gun and the vehicle was intended as a support tank. Only 35 were built. Note the dustbin type cupola (turret is traversed) with vision slits. Note also the stepped superstructure front.

The PzKpfw IV Ausf D introduced an external mantlet and had a staggered front superstructure with the driver slightly forward of the hull machine gunner (as in the Ausf A). The earlier Ausf B and C differed in having a straight superstructure front, as is well shown in this view of a PzKpfw IV Ausf C in Flanders during May 1940. Ausf B and C were built in 1937-38, a total of less than 200. A more powerful engine, new armored cupola, thicker front armor, and elimination of the hull front machine gun were distinctive features.

Later PzKpfw IV Ausf F2 with double baffle muzzle brake. Later versions of the PzKpfw IV, especially the Ausf H and J machines which became standard later in the war, had longer L/48 guns and were externally very similar to each other.

Next major PzKpfw IV version, with a basic 50 mm frontal thickness was the Ausf F1 whose recognition feature was the big stores bin hung on the turret rear. This vehicle also had a short 7.5 cm gun, plus a ball mounted hull machine gun, pistol ports, and new sprocket wheel.

An early PzKpfw IV Ausf F2 with single baffle muzzle brake. The PzKpfw IV Ausf F2 was essentially similar so far as hull and armor were concerned but mounted the L/43 high velocity 7.5 cm gun in a modified turret. This was the first really effective battle tank version and appeared in 1942. It represented an attempt to meet the firepower of the T-34 on the Russian Front and gave the Afrika Korps superiority in the Western Desert.

The PzKpfw IV Ausf J did not have full skirts since steel was in short supply by 1944 and even wire mesh would detonate the missile. Like the Ausf H it had the 7.5 cm L/48 gun and, typically, spare bogie wheels stored two by two in racks at each side of the hull. The Ausf J had extra internal fuel tanks replacing the power traverse gear. There was also a new exhaust system.

This PzKpfw IV Ausf H model shows the characteristic armor skirts (Schürtzen) applied to turret (and hull) sides on these machines as a protection against hollow-charge projectiles. The flimsy 5 mm thick plates were intended only to detonate missiles prematurely and often got damaged or torn off in the stress of battle.

The PzKpfw IV Ausf G was in essence a refined F2. It had thicker turret roof armor (15 mm) and turret side vision ports were omitted.

This top view of a PzKpfw IV Ausf H shows exactly how the supplementary skirt armor was arranged around the hull and turret, held by rails and supports. Driver’s and wireless operator’s hatches are shown open. The Ausf H and J were 1943-44 production models, the Ausf J remaining in service until the war’s end.

PzKpfw IV.

PzKpfw IV Ausf H, 12th SS Panzer Division, 1944.

PzKpfw IV.

PzKpfw IV Ausf A.

PzKpfw IV Ausf C.

PzKpfw IV.

PzKpfw IV Ausf D, 1943.

PzKpfw IV Ausf E.

PzKpfw IV Ausf F.

PzKpfw IV Ausf F2.

PzKpfw IV Ausf F2, 1942.

PzKpfw IV Ausf G.

PzKpfw IV Ausf G, 1943.

PzKpfw IV Ausf G.

PzKpfw IV Ausf H, 2nd SS Panzer Division.

PzKpfw IV Ausf H.

PzKpfw IV Ausf H, 12th SS Panzer Division, 1944.

PzKpfw IV Ausf H.

PzKpfw IV.

PzKpfw IV Ausf J.

PzKpfw IV Ausf D.

PzKpfw IV captured and ready to be shipped to the U.S. for evaluation.

PzKpfw IV Ausf D.

PzKpfw IV Ausf D, 21st Panzer Division, North Africa, 1942.

PzKpfw IV, knocked out, Tunisia, April 1943.

PzKpfw IV Ausf F2, captured in North Africa, seen here at Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts, October 1945.

“General Winter” in Russia was an indifferent foe and quickly froze the fallen, Russian or German. A rigid German tank crewman lies in the snow.

50mm PaK38 auf Brückenleger IVc, conversion of a bridgelayer PzKpfw IV. The tank was allegedly serving with the 18th Panzer Division and the 3rd Panzer Division and was photographed in winter 1941/1942 near Kharkov.

Something of a rarity, this Bergepanzer IV recovery vehicle was knocked out in North Africa. Indeed, this may well have been the only PzKpfw IV chassis, an Ausf D, so modified. An extra weapon, possibly a flamethrower, appears to have been added in the driver’s visor, giving this specialized vehicle a useful combat capability.

Mr. John J. McCloy, U.S. Assistant Secretary of War inspecting a knocked out German PzKpfw. IV at Kasserine Pass, March 3, 1943. This PzKpfw. IV appears to be a late F2 model with the muzzle brake removed. Possibly the muzzle brake was of the double baffle variety and would therefore have been of great interest to the U.S. Ordnance men. Also of note is the “spade” marking on the turret side. Both black spades and red diamonds were used by the Germans on their tanks at this time, but no qualified information on their meaning or extent of usage has materialized to date. We might also assume that the “7” refers to Panzer Regiment 7 which was part of the 10th Panzer Division at this time.

PzKpfw IV Ausf G and PzKpfw II Ausf J, 1./Pz.Abt.z.b.V.66.

PzKpfw IV.

The biggest producer of the Pz.Kpfw.IV was in Austria, not Germany.

SdKfz 6 half-track.

SdKfz 6/3. North Africa.

SdKfz 8 half-track.

Three Sd.Kfz.9 18t Famos towing a 38-cm gun barrel for Batterie Todt in a double composition of Culemeyer-Strassenroller 24 wheel heavy trailer, Calais, France.

SdKfz 9 Famo at the factory.

SdKfz 9 half-track. Western Desert.

SdKfz 9 half-track towing trailer with StuG III.

SdKfz 10 half-track. Western Desert.

Sd. Kfz. 10/5 für 2cm Flak 38.

Beginning in 1942, some Sd. Kfz. 10/5 received armor protection in front of the radiator and the driver’s compartment. This made combat against enemy ground forces easier. The photo was made in winter 1943/44.

Sd. Kfz. 10/5 für 2cm Flak 38.

SdKfz 11 half-track. Western Desert.

SdKfz 234/3.

SdKfz 234/1.

SdKfz 234/2 Puma armored car, “1111”, 1st troop, 11th company (the unusual number being the result of panzergrenadier or SS divisions having additional heavy companies with “10” and “11” company numbers).

SdKfz 234/2.

SdKfz 234/4 with 7.5 cm Pak 40.

SdKfz 234 with infrared device.

An Sd.Kfz. 250 half-track in front of German tank units, as they prepare for an attack, on July 21, 1941, somewhere along the Russian warfront, during the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

German mechanized troops rest at Stariza, Russia on November 21, 1941, only just evacuated by the Russians, before continuing the fight for Kiev. The gutted buildings in the background testify to the thoroughness of the Russians “scorched earth” policy.

SdKfz 253 half-track, Russia.

German soldiers, supported by armored personnel carriers, move into a burning Russian village at an unknown location during the German invasion of the Soviet Union, on June 26, 1941.

Panzerkampfwagen V Panther “800” with SdKfz 251.

A German half-track driver inside an armored vehicle in Russia in August of 1941.

Sd.Kfz. 251/21 half-track. The Sd.Kfz. 251/21 was armed with triple 15-20 mm (caliber varied by weapon variant) MG 151 autocannons. Although the triple cannons were technically quite effective, their high rate of fire meant they used up their ammo very quickly.

Schützenpanzerwagen SdKfz 251/1 Ausf C. Western Desert.

SdKfz 254 wheel-cum-track vehicle, 7th Panzer Division. "The Sd.Kfz. 254 was a German fully tracked armored scout car planned in 1936. It was as the "RR-7" by Saurer (Austria), as an artillery tractor first, and for the Austrian army. Tested in 1937 it was approved for production in 1938, but only 12 were out of the factory Austria was occupied (Anschluss). The German took interest of this vehicles and started to relaunched the production for their own needs, after some minor modifications by the Waffenamt. Factory records established that 140 units were delivered, under the designation "RK-7" for "Räder-Kettenfahrgestell". The waffenamt later attributed the Sd.Kfz. 254 special vehicle designation. This wheel-cum-track armored vehicle was unique among the axis and its diesel motor ensured long range. They saw action in the Afrika Korps, used as artillery observation vehicles due to their excellent mobility on all terrain, fitted with a radio.

SdKfz 254.

SdKfz 254, 7th Panzer Division.

SdKfz 254.

SdKfz 254, 11th Panzer Division.

SdKfz 254.

SdKfz 254, 7th Panzer Division.

SdKfz 254.

SdKfz 254 in foreground.

Captured Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II being loaded onto a German vehicle trailer being towed by a 12-ton 6x4 M20 Diamond T Model 980 truck. The truck was the tractor portion of the M19 Tank Transporter which consisted of the truck and its companion 12-wheel M9 trailer. The M9 trailer would not have been able to handle the Tiger II.

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.

Warsaw Uprising: German units on Piaskowa Street, prepare "Goliaths" for attack. View from Powązkowska street. 11 August 1944.

Another view of German units on Piaskowa Street, preparing "Goliaths" for attack. Warsaw Uprising. 11 August 1944.

Another view of German units preparing "Goliath" for attack. Warsaw Uprising. 11 August 1944.

SdKfz 303 “Goliath,” Warsaw, 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).


	Goliath 303a captured by the Polish troops during Warsaw Uprising on display in the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw.

An SdKfz. 302, electric powered version, displayed at the Deutsches Panzermuseum, Munster (2005).

Slovenian partisan with a captured Pz.Kpfw L6(i) light tank.

Landwasserschlepper. The Landwasserschlepper was developed in the late-1930s into 1940. Designed by Rheinmetall-Borsig, it was intended for both land and water use, operating around bridges, rivers, or towing trailers. The vehicle had a boat-like hull, mounted on tracks. Two propellers were mounted at the back for travel in the water. It was hoped that Landwasserschleppers could be used in Operation Sea Lion, planned for September 1940. This was the Axis invasion of England across the English Channel. Production issues, as well as the cancellation of Sea Lion, meant that the vehicle never saw service in 1940. It was only until 1942 when the Landwasserschleppers first saw service—in North Africa and the Eastern Front. The vehicle stayed in service until 1945.

15 cm sFH 13/1(Sf) auf Gw Lorraine Schlepper(f) (SdKfz 135/1). In May 1942, 40 Lorraine Schlepper chassis were converted to mount a 15cm sFH for use in North Africa. The superstructure came from Alkett and assembly was done in Paris. In July, 78 more were made available and 30 were fitted with the 15cm SFH at Krefeld while the remainder were to become Panzerjäger and 15cm sFH. In May 1942, 60 10.5cm le FH18/4 were ordered to be mounted on the Lorraine Schlepper, but only 12 were completed. The 150mm had a range of 9,432 yards. The 90 lb HE shell had a muzzle velocity of 1,250/sec.

Soldiers with a Marder III of the 1st SS Panzer Division near Kharkov, February 1943.

Nashorn, with captured T-34 in background.

Panzer-Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf gepanzerte Munitionsschlepper (VK 3.02).

Panzer-Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf gepanzerte Munitionsschlepper (VK 3.02) 4.

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

Т-34, 2 SS Panzer Division “Das Reich,” Operation “Zitadelle,” 1943. All the wheels on this tank are cast with rubber tires. On the left side frontal plate is a Notek light.

Т-34, 10 company 3 Pz.Jg.Abt. 2 Pz.Gr.Div. SS “Das Reich,” Operation “Zitadelle,” 1943. Tank has red number with white outline 1023. On the right turret hatch white circle with black swastika. 1, 2, 4, 5 wheel are stamped, 3 is cast with rubber tire. On the left side frontal plate is a Notek light mount. This tank had side screens. Camouflage - Dunkel Gelb with Olive Grun spots.

T-34 tank probably from 2 SS PzGrDiv “Das Reich” with PzKpfw IV stowage box on the turret, stowage boxes on the hull sides.

T-34 m 42/43 from 2 SS Pz.Div. “Das Reich.” The four digit turret number seen on the turret side is 923c ( c = command tank ).

T-34 from 3 Pz.Jg.Abt. 2 Pz.Gr.Div. SS “Das Reich” with side skirts.

Waffen-SS troops with captured French Hotchkiss tanks occupy Split in Croatia following the Italian capitulation in September 1943.

Steyr 250.

Steyr 250 (right).

Steyr 250.

Leichter Einheits Waffenträger 38(t) Ausf D ARDELT with 8.8cm Pak43/2 L/71.

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.

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.

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

Grosstraktor III.

Marder III.

SdKfz 232 (8 Rad).

SdKfz 232 8-rad on the SS-Division “Wiking,” Russia, 21 June 1941.

SdKfz 233 (8 Rad).

SdKfz 233 with 7.5 cm StuK 37, North Africa.

SdKfz 263 (6 Rad).

German Z.W.40 tank.

PzKpfw IV Ausf F2, Russia.

A soldier examines a captured German Goliath radio-controlled tracked demolition vehicle, Italy, 12 April 1944.

Goliath.

German “doodle bug” (Goliath) in small covered beach revetment is examined by a Seabee and an engineer officer. It was operated by wires from a dugout in the road behind the anti-tank wall. St. Raphael, France. 16 August 1944.

Disabled German remote controlled Goliaths being examined by 2nd Naval Beach Battalion personnel, Utah Beach, 6-7 June 1944.

A 15 cm sIG 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) "Grille" self-propelled gun is ready for the attack near ruined Carroceto, Italy. A knocked out American M4 medium tank is in the background alongside a German SdKfz 251 half-track.

15 cm sFH 13/1(Sf) auf Gw Lorraine Schlepper(f) (SdKfz 135/1).

10.5 cm le.FH 18/4 auf Geschützwagen Lorraine Schlepper(f).

10.5 cm le.FH 18/4 auf Geschutzwagen Lorraine Schlepper(f). Baukommando Becker (21. Panzer-Division). Note the presence of numerous Renault UE chassis and a conversion based on this chassis, the Beobachtungspanzer Renault UE (f). All other vehicles are based on the Schlepper Lorraine 37L (f).

Marder I.

Marder II.

Marder III Ausf. H.

3.7 cm Flak auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen IV (sf) (Sd.Kfz. 161/3), nicknamed Möbelwagen ("Moving Van") self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the PzKpfw. IV, seen at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, on 2 December 1946.

Flakpanzer IV self-propelled anti-aircraft guns of the 9th SS Panzer Division during the battle. The presence of the II SS Panzer Corps would have a significant effect on the battle.

10.5 cm LG 5.240 auf Gepanzerter Munitionsschelepper VK 3.02. This is a project from September 1941 by Rheinmetall-Borsig (gun) and Krupp (turret) to arm the VK 3.02 ammo carrier with a 105mm recoilless gun. Only a mock-up was ever built.

10.5 cm LG auf gepanzerte Munitionsschlepper (VK 3.02).

Panzer-Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf gepanzerte Munitionsschlepper (VK 3.02). Another conversion conceived in 1941 included a 50mm PaK 38 cannon on the same platform, which was conceived as a light tank destroyer for infantry and parachute forces. The development however got delayed and only two prototypes were built and sent on July 1, 1942 to the 19th Panzer Division for testing. However, their performance remains a mystery, as the relevant paperwork disappeared.

Panzer-Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf gepanzerte Munitionsschlepper (VK 3.02).

15cm SiG33/2 (Sfl) auf Jagdpanzer 38(t).

British soldiers charge a German tank crewman surrendering from the turret of his PzKpfw III during the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt on October 25, 1942.

Panzer Selbstfahrlafette IV Ausf. C, or Pz. Sfl. IVc. also known as Grille 10, the 8.8cm Flak 37 auf Sonderfahrgestell ("on special chassis"), was a German mobile gun platform for the widespread 8.8 cm anti-aircraft/anti-tank gun, built in 1941.

10.5cm leFH 18/3 (Sf) auf Geschützwagen B2(f).

4.7 cm PaK(t) (Sf.) auf Panzerkampfwagen 35R 731(f).

French Renault UE trailer in German service, as British troops search for stragglers in Aquino, six miles west of Cassino, Italy.

10.5cm leFH 18/3 (Sf) auf Geschützwagen B2(f).

Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 15, 1940.

A pre-war photo of German Panzer troops posing around a 6 Rad SdKfz 231. Circa 1934.

The crew of a Tiger I shows its ability to climb a hill.

Waiting for the next attack, a well-camouflaged PzKpfw IV of the 12th SS-Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" in position north of Caen in June 1944.

The pressure and stress of the Allied aircraft that subjected the German soldiers during the battle for Normandy are evident on the face of this young anti-aircraft gunner.

A Hummel self-propelled gun on the Eastern Front.

Soldiers of the 25th Panzer Division firing its 20 mm anti-aircraft gun mounted on a SdKfz. 10/4, against Soviet troops crossing the Vistula River near Warsaw in September 1944.

A German supply convoy of the Ninth Army attacked by Soviet aircraft during the Battle of Kursk, July 11, 1943.

German Z.W.40 tank.

German Z.W.40 tank pulling armored sled with infantrymen.

German Z.W.40 tank.

The Minister of Armament and Munitions, Albert Speer, driving the VK 36.01 (H) “Kleine Tiger.” The VK 36.01 (H) was an experimental German heavy tank, developed during World War II. The VK 36.01 H was further development of the VK 30.01 H experimental medium tank. There were only eight chassis and one complete prototype built, all by Henschel. At the time Henschel was assigned with developing a breakthrough weapon that would help defeat the Soviet Union. Other experimental heavy tanks and super-heavy tanks were built, designed, and tested by Henschel. The development of the V.K. 36.01 H lead to the development of the Tiger I, the main German heavy tank from 1942 to 1944 World War II. The VK 36.01 project was stopped in 1942, in favor of the VK 45.01.

Panzerkampfwagen V Ausf G heavy tank. Modified utilizing Tiger II type suspension. Vehicle recovered from France.

Panther, LSSAH, 1944.

Panther tank.

PzKpfw V Panther.

Destroyed PzKpfw V Panther medium tank, France.

American soldier peers inside the turret of a PzKpfw V Panther medium tank, France.

American soldiers during familiarization with the Panther medium tank, France.

Repairing a PzKpfw VI Tiger I.

PzKpfw VI Tiger I undergoing repair.

Repairing a Tiger I.

The lead Tiger has gotten bogged down and the two rear vehicles are getting ready to pull it out.

Tiger I on railroad with transport tracks. Note the outer roadwheels have been removed and stacked behind the vehicle.

Clear view of the Tiger I’s Schachtellaufwerk overlapping and interleaved road wheels during production.

Tiger I tanks on railroad flatcars being readied for shipment. Note they retain their full battle tracks. First tank has late style commander’s cupola while other two visible have early style.

An impressive front view of the Tiger I showing the very wide tracks and the side panniers of the superstructure overhanging the track. This allowed a large diameter turret and hence a big gun.

Tiger I tank bivouacked alongside a road.

Commander of a Tiger I tank views the scene with his binoculars from the turret cupola (note the later style swing-out hatch). The tank has been given an overall coat of whitewash for winter camouflage and the commander is wearing white winter camouflage uniform.

Tiger I tanks moving across a dusty Russian field. Note early style commander’s cupola on turret.

The crews of Tiger I tanks, other German vehicles and a 3.8 cm Flak gun keep a watchful eye out for the enemy.

Tiger I tanks move along a dusty road, passing infantry.

Tiger I tank of Waffen-SS armored division moves across Russian field and past Waffen-SS infantrymen during Kursk battle.

The crew of a Tiger I tank performs maintenance on their vehicle. Note early style commander’s cupola and hatch.

Crew of a Tiger I tank relaxes with other soldiers in North Africa.

Tiger I “142” in North Africa (?) with camouflage netting draped along its hull sides. The crew with other soldiers are at left, with a motorcycle in the foreground.

As the crew of a disabled Tiger I tank work on their machine, a Brummbar moves past it on a road. Both carry a considerable amount of foliage for camouflage purposes.

Tiger I, sPzAbt 501, Tunisia.

Tiger I, Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Russia.

Tiger I heavy tank and PzKpfw IV Ausf H medium tank, outside Kharkov.

Tiger I heavy tank after an attack by Allied rocket-firing aircraft. Part of the turret can be seen up-ended in the foreground.

PzKpfw VI Tiger I.

Tiger I, Normandy, circa 1970s.

Tiger I tank in Russian snow-swept field with German infantry support.

Tiger I.

Tiger I tank parked in woods with German infantry support taking a break with the tank crew.

Tiger I tank moves past burning Russian farmhouse.

Tiger I.

Tiger I, Grossdeutschland Division.

British troops examine a knocked out Tiger I.

Maus.

PzKpfw 38(t) light tank in Belarus.

PzKpfw 38(t) passing dispatch riders, Russia.

PzKpfw 38(t), “841.” Note divisional marking on turret rear next to national marking.

PzKpfw 38(t).

PzKpfw 38(t) Ausf B.

German engineers building ponton bridge, Russia. Note mass of engineer support vehicles on the opposite side of the river.

German engineers using rubber raft to ferry motorcycle and driver across river in Russia.

Tiger I, Tschernivo.

Tiger I, 505 sPzAbt. The soldiers are carrying rolls of telephone cable.

Otto Carius (standing, left) with a Tiger I.

Otto Carius (second from right) on a Tiger I.

Tiger I "212" bogged down.

Halftracks towing a Tiger I, sPzAbt 503 at Kursk.

Tiger I "122", sPzAbt 501, Tunisia.

Tiger I barrel decoration.

Tiger I tanks advance with panzergrenadiers in support.

Panzer 38(t).

Heer officers with dressed up dog in military car.

Land-Wasser-Schlepper, captured by the British in North Africa 1943. Sent back to Britain for evaluation.

Le FH 18/1 (Sf) auf GW IVb (Sd.Kfz. 165/1) ; prototype of self-propelled gun, use of a shortened Panzer IV chassis.

Although unsuccessful as tanks, the PzKpfw II Ausf D and E chassis, with their special large wheel suspensions, found a new lease on life in 1942 as chassis for the captured Soviet PaK 36 (r). They were the forerunners of the large number of Marder II tank destroyers which utilized the more conventional PzKpfw II chassis.