Evolution of German Tanks | Animated History

Hi, I'm Griffin Johnson, the Armchair Historian. Given the sheer amount of vehicles designed by Germany during the 20th century, we're only going to be featuring the tanks that were produced in large numbers as well as a couple of significant interwar prototypes. If you want to see more videos covering different German tanks like self-propelled guns and tank destroyers, don't hesitate to let us know in the comments below. Now, enjoy my horrible attempts at First, I'd like to thank our sponsor. Conflict of Nations is a free online PvP strategy game that lets you fight up to 128 other players in weeks-long real-time matches, build an army with dozens of different units from tanks such as the T-80 or the 25-25 Sprut SD and infantry to jets and nuclear submarines, then deploy them all to conquer the world, fighting alone or as part of an alliance. I especially like the strategic depth and unit variety that makes every battle unique. The game's also cross-platform and allows you to use the same account on both PC and mobile devices. Use the link in the description within 30 days to get 13,000 gold, one month of premium subscription and the chance to enter a special game setup for viewers. More on that at the end of this video. Germany's first foray into armored warfare began during the Great War with the Sturmpanzerwagen A7V or Sturmpanzerwagen A7V. Created in response to the British tanks that had started appearing on the Western Front in September of 1916, the A7V was quickly prototyped and entered production almost exactly one year later. Due to being manufactured by hand, no two A7Vs were entirely alike. Although arguably just as effective as the British Mark IV, the A7V was only built in very small numbers and saw action in a mere handful of engagements before the end of the war. Following its defeat at the hands of the Allies in the First World War, Germany was forced to cease all domestic tank production until the Treaty of Rapallo in 1922 enabled the creation of the Kama Tank School near Kazan in the Soviet Union. Safely away from prying eyes, various German companies began competing to produce new tank designs under a veil of absolute secrecy. The first major entry of this program was the Großtraktor or Gross Tractor, which translates directly to a codename designated for a 16-ton tracked vehicle with two turrets, one equipped with a 75mm cannon and the other mounting a 7.92mm machine gun. Six prototypes were built and underwent testing but were rejected for mass production. If anything, it was the Soviets who gained most from the Großtraktor, using it as inspiration for their own multi-turreted tanks such as the T-28. During this same period, several prototypes of a second, much lighter vehicle codenamed the Leichttraktor were built by Krupp and Rheinmetall. Armed with a 37mm cannon and capable of speeds up to 19 miles or 30 kilometers per hour, the prototypes provided crucial insights into the development of new and better vehicles with improved ergonomics and crew layouts. Despite the obvious shortcomings of the Großtraktor, some German officers still clung to the outdated concept of the tank as a land battleship. Therefore, in 1934, the enormous three-turreted Neubefahrzeug was constructed. This lumbering behemoth was an effective propaganda tool and took center stage during Berlin's International Automobile Exposition in 1939. Unfortunately, it proved totally useless on the battlefield due to its slow speed and weak armor that could easily be pierced by rifle-caliber ammunition. Fortunately for the Wehrmacht, much more practical designs were already in the works. The first of these was the Panzer I, infantry support tank, or Panzer I, armed with twin light machine guns. Over a hundred Panzer I's participated in the Spanish Civil War, the first time German tanks had seen combat since the First World War. This combat experience proved vital to the development of Germany's armored doctrine, and the Panzer I would go on to see combat in just about every theater of the Second World War. Its chassis was also used by a number of early tank destroyers and self-propelled guns. Although German tank doctrine was already shifting towards the use of heavier vehicles, delays in their production led to the creation of an interim design, the Panzer II. Armed with a magazine-fed 20mm autocannon, this light tank could punch above its weight class. Panzer II's formed the bulk of the Wehrmacht's armored divisions during the invasion of Poland, and gave a good account of themselves in most engagements. The Panzer II saw service right up to the end of the war, with the chassis serving as the basis for many specialized vehicles, such as the Marder II tank destroyer and Wesp self-propelled artillery piece. By 1937, production of heavier vehicles had finally gotten underway, starting with 10 medium tank. Thanks to its superior ergonomics, the crew of a Panzer III could operate much more efficiently than their French or British counterparts. The prototype saw limited combat during the invasion of Poland, but these encounters gave valuable insight into both the strengths and weaknesses of the design. By the time of the invasion of France, the Panzer III had been upgraded to the Aspiron E, or Variant E, which had thicker armor and improved suspension. Thanks to their excellent leadership, coordination, and usage of radio communication, the Panzer III was able to run rings around many of the slow lumbering French tanks they encountered, despite often being substantially outgunned by them. The Panzer III continued to rapidly evolve after the invasion of France, and by the time of the North Africa campaign, most were equipped with the short-barreled 50mm cannon, which would be standardized with the Variant H. But the fighting in North Africa also brought the Germans into contact with their first American tanks, whose long-barreled 75mm guns could easily pierce the armor of any Panzer III. Additionally, the short 50mm cannon proved inadequate against Russian tanks such as the KV-1 and T-34. Seeing this weakness, Adolf Hitler ordered an upgrade, resulting in the Variant L, which included spaced armor around the turret mantlet and upper hull. Soon afterwards, the Panzer III reached its ultimate evolution with the Variant M, which added a deep wading exhaust for river crossings and Schürzen armor panels for protection against man-portable anti-tank weapons. Of course, the Panzer III was not the only medium tank that began production in the 1930s. Following an extensive series of prototype designs by multiple companies, the first Panzer IVs began to roll off the production line, just in time for the invasion of Poland. These were initially infantry support tanks lobbing high explosive shells from their short 75mm cannons to destroy enemy bunkers and machine gun nests, a job they excelled at. The cannon was also more than adequate to deal with the lightly armored vehicles used by the Polish army. Just like its smaller counterpart, the Panzer IV received extensive upgrades just prior to the resulting in the Variant D, which had better suspension and improved armor protection. The Panzer IV proved an excellent vehicle during the early stages of the war, but it was outgunned by most British and American tanks, and still vulnerable to even low-caliber anti-tank guns. In early 1941, the Panzer IV was upgraded further with the Aspyrung F1, or Variant F1, which increased the frontal armor thickness to 50mm and improved the turret armor thickness by 30mm. The tracks were also widened and the suspension redesigned. But just like the Panzer III, the short-barreled cannon was never powerful enough at a long range. A solution was found in November of 1941, when the Panzer IV received a long-barreled 75mm cannon that could penetrate all but the thickest armor. This transitional model was initially known as the Variant F2, and was later renamed the Variant G, after receiving additional armor plating. By 1944, the Panzer IV had reached its full potential in the form of the Variant H, which featured shirts and panels similar to those on the Panzer III. However, it would be all downhill from here, as supply shortages forced the Wehrmacht to simplify the design with the Variant J, which removed the turret motor and replaced the shirts with wire mesh. Even so, the Panzer IV continued serving the Wehrmacht faithfully right up until the end of the war. As useful as the Panzer III and IVs were, plans for larger and more powerful vehicles had been floating around since as early as 1935. After the total failure of the Neubefahrzeug, German engineers went back to the drawing board and came up with a series of prototypes that slowly but surely evolved into arguably the most iconic tank of all time. The Tiger I. With its thick armor, devastating 88mm cannon, and surprisingly good mobility, the Tiger I was a terrifying force on the battlefield, exemplifying the German idea of quality over quantity. As such, production figures were very low, fewer than 2,000 units overall. During its operational lifespan, the Tiger I received minor upgrades, including a new periscope cupola, various internal modifications, and a new exhaust system. While expensive, the Tiger I was effective in its intended role, with its only real shortcoming being the lack of units available for deployment. But Hitler was convinced that the problem lay not in the number of Tiger tanks on the battlefield, but instead with their size and armament. His solution was the Tiger Ausführung B, a massively oversized and overloaded vehicle seemingly built from the ground up to devour Germany's resources as fast as possible. To make matters worse, it was later discovered that many Tiger IIs had inferior welding to their older counterparts, and even shells unable to penetrate the armor could slowly crack and deform the chassis to the point of breakdown. German supply shortages eventually reached a point where as many King Tigers were being abandoned due to the lack of spare parts and fuel, as were being destroyed by enemy fire. In the end, the Tiger II caused far more panic among its own mechanics and quartermasters than it did among enemy troops. Not all of Germany's late-war tank designs were as impractical as the Tiger II, however. In 1943, the Allies would encounter the Wehrmacht's second big cat, the Panther. Envisioned as a replacement for the Panzer IV, the Panther boasted well-sloped frontal armor, a mighty 75mm gun, and on-road speeds of up to 55km or 34mph. While much larger and more advanced than the Panzer IV, the Panther was not especially difficult or expensive to produce compared to the Tiger, and around 6,000 were built between 1943 and 1945. The initial version was called the Variant D, and was modified partway through production to mount a new cupola and eliminate weak spots created by the driver's vision slit and hull machine gun port. Side armor panels were also added after the Panther was proven vulnerable to the 14.5mm anti-tank rifles used by Russian infantry. Overall armor thickness was further increased with the Variant A, though the design remained the same except for minor details. Unfortunately, the Panther suffered from the reliability problems and parts shortages as the Tiger II. The suspension system in particular was overcomplicated, while the transmission was prone to failing in the heat of combat. The turret was well-armored, but the mantlet was eventually redesigned with the Variant G, eliminating the tendency for it to deflect rounds straight downwards into the hull. The Panther served until the fall of the Third Reich, and despite its issue, remains one of the best late-war tanks fielded by the German military. In the end, not even the Tiger and Panther were able to save the Nazi regime for destruction, and for many years the divided German nation had to make do with equipment borrowed from either the Americans or the Soviets. But in 1956, the Bundeswehr received permission to begin fielding tank designs once again, resulting in the birth of the Leopard 1, a main battle tank that gave up thick armor plating in favor of superb mobility. The Leopard 1 was soon recognized as one of the best tanks on the market, and orders flooded in from all around the world. German engineers quickly improved the base design, adding a thermal jacket to the barrel and side skirts for better track protection. But despite rave reviews by operators across the world, the Leopard 1 would not see sustained combat until the Bosnian War, where Leopard 1A5s were used by peacekeeping forces during several operations. Still not wholly content with their design, German engineers continued to work with their American counterparts during the Cold War to produce an even better armored fighting vehicle. But this supertank, codenamed the MBT-70, or MBT-70, was eventually cancelled, and the Bundeswehr struck out on their own with the Leopard 2, or Leopard 2. Built to take advantage of new advances in armor and fire control technologies, the Leopard 2 swiftly came to be regarded by most operators as the best tank in Europe, easily competitive with the American M1 Abrams. The Leopard 2 remains Germany's primary MBT, and a whole seven different versions have been produced domestically.