The idea of using German tanks in warfare was introduced by Heinz Guderian, a famous German army officer. Adolf Hitler gave a lot of importance to the idea of Guderian. Under his guidance, Germany made many powerful tanks. From 1933 to 1945, many tanks of Germany were produced. These types of tanks were referred to as “Panzerkampfwagen”, which meant “Armored Fighting Vehicle”. These tanks were popularly known as “Panzer”.
The different types of German Tanks are:
- Panzer I: Panzer I is a small light weight tank. It weighs about six tons. It can carry two people, a commander and a driver carrying two light weight machine guns (0.3”). Panzer I was introduced in the middle of 1930s. It was mainly used for training. In 1935, 800 tanks were developed. The German army used these tanks in Spanish civil war. At the time of World War II, the country had over 1500 Panzer I. These Panzer I tanks were used in 1939 when Blitzkrieg invaded Poland. About 500 tanks were used at the time Blitzkrieg invaded France.
- Panzer II: It is a light weight tank weighing about 10 tons. It can carry three people, introduced in the middle of 1930s. Panzer II was used when Blitzkrieg invaded France and Poland. In these battles about 1000 Panzer II took part. In 1941 it was used when Russia was invaded. This tank is equipped with 20mm gun and machine gun (0.3”)
- Panzer III: It is a medium tank weighing about 22 tons. It can carry five members of crew. During 1940 to 1942, it became one of the important tanks. It contained 37mm gun. These tanks were used when Poland was invaded. The production of these tanks increased after World War II. The new production includes 50 mm gun later it was again equipped with 75 mm gun.
- Panzer IV: It is a medium sized tank weighing 25 tons. Its production began in the year 1936.
