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Der Panzerwaffe - UK Trip Photographs


NewCalamity

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Finally getting around to showing a few photographs from my adventures in the UK. These photos are primarily from Bovington, but there are a few from the Imperial War Museum as well.

 

Each photo will come with a blurb on a little about that particular machine, I'll keep it relatively brief to hopefully ensnare some interest.

 


 

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Jagdpanther - A rather powerful panzerjäger ("Tank-hunter", typically a turret-less tracked vehicle specifically designed to knock out enemy tanks) based on the chassis of the Panther. This late-war machine saw most of its action on the Eastern Front and also when the Western Allies landed upon Normandy. It sported the deadly 88mm PaK 43, a gun that could pierce any Allied armour with ease and at extreme ranges while the Jagdpanther would remain concealed behind foliage and brush.

 

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Pzkpfw II - A light tank developed early in the war that was one of the machines involved in the Blitzkrieg of Western Europe. Armed with a 20mm cannon and sporting very little armour, just enough to survive Allied small-arms fire. Its advantage over the superior French armour of the early days were fast-paced and coordinated wolfpack attacks, flanking and encircling the enemy.

 

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Pzkpfw VI 'Tiger I' - The legendary machine often known as the 'Tiger' was a heavy tank that was first fielded on the Eastern Front at the Battle of Leningrad, 1941. The morale-crushing machine wielded the famous KwK 36 L/56 88mm gun and was extremely effective against any Allied armour from ranges of over 1 kilometer. There were a large number of tank commanders that wielded this machine and ended the war with kills in excess of 100. (Otto Carius is a good example, with approximately 150 enemy tanks)

 

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Pzkpfw V Panther - Mid-war medium tank based off of what the Wehrmacht learned from the Soviet medium tank T-34. Sloped armour at 80mm of thickness, decent mobility and the elongated 75mm cannon allowed for successful hits at extreme ranges.

 

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Sturmgeschutz III - Tank destroyer based on the chassis of the Pzkpfw III, carrying a 75mm gun designed for knocking out enemy tanks. It was the most numerous type of vehicle ever fielded by the Panzerwaffe due to the relative ease of configuring the already decently numerous Panzer III medium tank.

 

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Pzkpfw IV - Medium tank that formed the backbone of the Panzerwaffe. Very balanced, having good armour, a good 75mm cannon and mobile - the definition of a medium tank. It began the war as an infantry support tank, with a stubby 75mm gun designed to fire HE (High-explosive) shells at enemy emplacements and infantry. As the war developed, so did the Panzer IV and it was given longer and longer 75mm weapons and thus it was transformed into a tank-on-tank fighter.

 

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Pzkpfw VI Ausf. B 'Tiger II' - This monster is more commonly known as the "King Tiger" or "Royal Tiger" due to its German nickname "Königstiger". (The English interpretation however is a mistranslation as the German word refers to the Bengal Tiger) The Tiger II weighs in at around 75 tons and carries the same PaK 43 88mm as the Jagdpanther, only due to its immense size, can be mounted on a turret. The armour is legendary and is sloped frontally at 150mm thick. The frontal armour was recorded to have never been penetrated during the war. In fact, the worst enemy of this machine was itself; due to the immense weight and strain on the engine and suspension, break-downs were common and most Tiger IIs were lost because of mechanical failure, rather than defeated by enemy fire.

 

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Jagdpanzer 38(t) - A relatively small-sized tank destroyer based on the chassis of the Pzkpfw 38(t), a Czechoslovakian tank. (the (t) standing for "Tschechoslowakei", "Czechoslovakia" in German) Mid-war, it was decided to convert the outdated Panzer 38(t)'s into tank destroyers and putting their chassis to use by mounting a proper weapon on them, the PaK 39 L/48 75mm gun. (The same weapon as the final gun of the Panzer IV) This machine was effective due to its low cost, low-profile making it easy to conceal, and mechanical reliability. Though it had poor gun-traverse and was a very tight fit for the crew inside.

 

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Pzkpfw II Ausf. L 'Luchs' - The Luchs (Lynx) was a late variation of the Panzer II, designed specifically for reconnaisance purposes. Having six forward-gears, it could reach speeds of 60km/h and still carried the 20mm cannon and 7.92mm machine guns.

 

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Jagdpanzer VI 'Jagdtiger' Ausf. B - The 'Hunting Tiger' was the largest and most powerful tank destroyer in service of the Panzerwaffe. It was based on the Tiger II's chassis and was armed with the PaK 44 L/55 128mm gun, which was originally intended to be mounted on the failed prototype, Maus. It shared the same problems as the Tiger II due to its immense weight and size. Only 85 were ever produced and they were used for defensive roles in 1944-45.

 


 

I hope you enjoy the descriptions I've written and photographs I've snapped. If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to leave a comment below! Thanks!

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World War II Tank warfare. Such a rather interesting area to learn about. I must ask, since you focused on what I presume are all German tanks, did you see any allied armor as well?

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World War II Tank warfare. Such a rather interesting area to learn about. I must ask, since you focused on what I presume are all German tanks, did you see any allied armor as well?

Plenty of it! Bovington Tank Museum, being the largest single collection of armour in the world has all sorts of examples from the dawn of the tank to late-Cold War era.

 

My main field of knowledge comes from the German Panzerwaffe, which would be why this entry is the first. I may make an entry focusing on American or British/Commonwealth armour in the near future!

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Well, I shall certainly be looking forward to your next updates then. I always enjoy hearing others explain or give insight on topics such as these. Oh and by the way, I must commend you on the pictures themselves. It is unknown to me if you were trying, but they look splendid. :)

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Thank you for sharing these! I'm a military history novice, but I have a feeling that you and my grandfather would get along very well. Thank you for the descriptions and for the interesting info. Sounds like you had a great time :)

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The Jagdpanzer 38(t), at the angle it is at, looks kinda like the Hetzer from WoT...

Edit: I just saw... It is the Hetzer. XD I fail. Never the less, it is an amazing tank.

 

And I recognize a few others from WoT. Tanks are awesome in general.

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Thank you for sharing these! I'm a military history novice, but I have a feeling that you and my grandfather would get along very well. Thank you for the descriptions and for the interesting info. Sounds like you had a great time smile.png

I'm very glad you enjoyed what you read! I'll be sure to come up with a sequel in the very near future.

 

The Jagdpanzer 38(t), at the angle it is at, looks kinda like the Hetzer from WoT...

Edit: I just saw... It is the Hetzer. XD I fail. Never the less, it is an amazing tank.

 

And I recognize a few others from WoT. Tanks are awesome in general.

Ahah, yes. Despite how loved it is in-game, the crews were rather upset with the tight space they had to work in.

 

can't choose a favorite! *.*

xD I'm very happy to hear that you enjoyed it so much to the point of needing a favourite! ^^
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I find it interesting that the Germans chose quality over quantity, while the Russians and Americans were more on the Quantity end.

 

But come on lad, no Panzer Mk 4? XD

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But come on lad, no Panzer Mk 4? XD

It's right there actually. The sixth photograph and paragraph text underneath it.

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