The tanks of the Wehrmacht (the armed forces of Germany) were in perfect harmony with the then German concept of their use. When developing the first combat vehicles, combat power and mobility were paramount. The latter was planned to be provided due to the small thickness of the armor. However, the defense had to withstand armor-piercing bullets fired from rifle-caliber machine guns. During World War I, it was precisely because of machine guns that the front became static. Therefore, theorists believed that bulletproof protection would return troops proper mobility.
Violation of the Treaty of Versailles
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 vehicles. But the Germans secretly violated this restriction back in 1925 by launching the Big Tractor project. The result of this program was 6 tanks, which were fully assembled by early 1929. But it was impossible to conduct tests in Germany itself, so combat 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 light, medium and heavy tanks of the Wehrmacht 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 light. The simplicity of their design and low cost allowed to establish mass production. Only the path to the conveyor was not easy. The first tank went into development only in 1930 under the code name "Small Tractor". The 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 maintain secrecy, all details were purchased through intermediary firms. But in the end, German engineers did not wait for this suspension, having recreated it from the drawings and photos of the English analogue. The then global crisis greatly slowed down the production process, and the release of the first series took place only in 1934. Since that time, the Nazis have oriented German industry towards the creation of tanks for future conquests. Tank schools were actively opened to train drivers. Germany was preparing for World War II.
First modification
By the end of 1935, the Wehrmacht tanks, photos of which are attached to the article, reached a strength of 720 units. All of them went to equip the combat divisions formed in the same year. In 1936, three tank divisions were founded , which the Nazis brought to a state of full combat readiness.
However, the tank Pz.I needed to be modified. Engineers revealed a lack of specific power (only 11 liters. From. Per ton). This problem was resolved by replacing the old motor with a new engine (100 hp) from the Maybach company. Instead of a road roller, an ordinary sloth was added to the tank suspension. The new model received the designation Pz.I Ausf.B. Its release began in mid-1936, and after twelve months, the new tank division totaled 1,175 modified units.
Pz.II
Back in 1933, the German leadership realized that the acquisition of divisions would be hopelessly late. In order for the Wehrmacht tanks to arrive in sufficient quantities, the engineers were ordered to work on the creation of a new light model. She got the name La.S. 100, but after it came into service with the division, it was renamed Pz.II. The Nazis did not become original and took the Pz.I. tank as a prototype. The main difference of the new car is a spacious tower. This significantly strengthened the armament of the tank: the left machine gun was replaced by an automatic gun in 20 mm. They wanted to install it on the model of the first generation Pz.I, but that one was too close for it.
Of course, the main purpose of cannon weapons is to fight against enemy tanks. But the most important thing is that the enemy artillery shields were powerless against cannon fires. Rapid-fire anti-tank gun was the most dangerous weapon of the time. Her ammunition was equipped with high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing shells.
Pz.III
The development of the medium tank Pz.III began in 1933. And at the end of 1935, the Daimler-Benz company won the 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 knowledge of the design of the combat vehicle became apparent. Wehrmacht tanks needed improvement. It took the engineers three years to complete it.
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 tank. The machines were equipped with only 14.5 mm bulletproof armor. And imperfect suspensions reduced mobility on rough terrain. In general, each new Pz.III modification brought the Germans closer to a tank suitable for mass production.
The most successful of them was the Pz.III Ausf.E. Due to the fact that the chassis was developed by Daimler-Benz, this tank had the best driving characteristics in the world and the highest speed - 68.1 km / h. A reinforced armor (6 cm) and a powerful 50 mm cannon made it the most formidable combat vehicle of the time. This fact will be confirmed after many years, when researchers will study in detail the captured tanks in the Wehrmacht.
Pz.IV
Developed by Krupp to support light and medium Pz.III. For this, the tank was armed with a 75-mm 24-caliber gun and two machine guns. Engineers paid special attention to its suspension. They experimented for a long time with leaf springs and track rollers until they got an almost perfect damping. In this case, even the installation of shock absorbers was not required.
Wehrmacht tanks Pz.IV became the most massive in the history of Germany. Not a single German combat vehicle received the same distribution either before or after the war.
Conclusion
Since mid-1943, the Wehrmacht tanks on the Eastern Front began to occupy a defensive position. Basically, all battalions consisted of “fours” (Pz.IV). The Germans suffered serious losses, and the situation with equipment was becoming more complicated every day. It got to the point that instead of tanks began to use assault guns. In 1944, whole battalions were armed with them. Of course, the assault guns were perfect for fire support, but could not work together with the linear tanks due to the limited firing sector. As a result, the entire organizational structure of the tank battalions went to dust. In the last months of the battles, one-day battle groups were created from several assault guns and combat vehicles. After the defeat of the Nazis, the tanks of the Wehrmacht of World War II were destroyed. And those that remained were placed at the disposal of the Soviet troops.
Today we described all the main tanks of the Wehrmacht 1941-1945. Of course, they did it briefly, since it is impossible to put the entire amount of information in the narrow framework of a short article. For a more detailed acquaintance with the mentioned equipment, it is better to turn to the materials of military encyclopedias.