What is Panzer? – Learn the meaning of the Panzer and its function
The tanks in the Second World War became the best allies of the armies, since they represented sure destruction and certain protection. So, in this article we explain what is a Panzer, a German weapon that favored the Nazis to execute the blitzkrieg. In the same way, it talks about its history and the different models that were created during the battle.
What does Panzer mean?
The Second World War represents one of the worst conflicts in human history. During that time many innocent people died. However, in this war there were also important technological and knowledge advances in various fields. Well, both the axis powers and the allied army were desperately looking for any innovation that would allow them to defeat their enemies.
In this sense, being in constant combat, the arms sector developed rapidly. One of the inventions of Nazi Germany was what is known in Spanish as the panzer, but in reality it’s called panzerkampfwagen. It is the abbreviated name of armored fighting vehicle in German.
The panzer was one of the tanks that received the most use during the war. Second World War, a time when they were mass-produced. These vehicles gained popularity and fame in the German attacks on the French army due to the damage they generated. Although later they were assigned to fight the Russian troops.
When was the Panzer created? . History
The word panzer comes from the French pancier, which means battleship. It is possible to affirm that the first tank with this denomination was created during the First World War. Well, around this time a slow vehicle known as the A7V took to the field, but its name was sturmpanzerwagen. From there, the word panzer began to be used in the assault tanks, as opposed to the British tank.
The restrictions and sanctions dictated by the Treaty of Versailles did not stop Nazi Germany from developing more weapons. So, after trench warfare, they began secretly planning the evolution of the main battle tank. In 1928 a plan was developed that had as working name the traktor, a vehicle that had artillery, in addition to being armored. Then it appeared on the market under the name Grosstraktor, a light tank.
From that moment on, the main battle tank or assault vehicle was improved according to the characteristics that the Germans wanted. So they developed more models with different characteristics, some with more speed, others with weapons ranging from 10 to 20 mm. However, the popularity of the panzer did not emerge until the start of World War II.
The Panzer IV was the fundamental tool of the German army to execute its technique called the Blitzkrieg or lightning war in Spanish. The idea was a combination of the defense that the Frenchman Charles de Gaulle wanted to execute with the ideas of Nazi attack. This method consisted of attacking a specific point with great force in the fastest possible way. So, they used an army of infantry behind the panzer vehicles. In addition, they sent planes to bomb the place minutes before the arrival of the artillery.
This is how they created the famous panzerdivision, that is, large divisions full of these cars. These groups managed to invade Netherlands, French territory and Belgium in just two months. Which made the allies withdraw to the island of Great Britain. By this point in the war, the panzer already had several models, the most lethal being the panzer IV.
So, Nazi Germany sent its army into Russia, including the panzer division. It was believed that the terrain there was perfect for carrying out the blitzkrieg, but they had supply complications and lack of troops. So, In addition, the Russians surprised with the use of the T-34, another armored tank of superior capacities.
After the defeat at Stalingrad, the panzers found themselves outclassed by the Soviet main battle tank. So, Nazi Germany went from attacking to defending and retreating. The last move with the panzers was the battle of the bulgea lightning strike that had no effect.
Main Panzer models
Before the year 1934, Germany already had some types of tanks with the two versions of the traktor and Neubaufahrzeug. However, these were test models and no more than 20 units were developed between the three vehicle classes. Then the Panzer I was born, which was not a vehicle to fight with another, but to make way for the army. I had a couple of 7mm machine gunsa rifle of the same size and the chassis of a cannon captured from the Czechs.
The Panzer II had more qualities for war, since it had 20 mm cannons and was armored. It was mounted on a Soviet tank chassis and had many weapons, different variants were made, but all receive the Spanish classification of Panzer ll. Then they saw some cars called like 35T and 38Tthe letter represented that his origin was Czechoslovakian.
The Panzer III had some modifications, since it could be submerged in water, they had flamethrowers and the guns were 50 mm. The Panzer IV was the largest and heaviest of all, it was intended for attack enemy position in the blitzkrieg Its guns were 75 mm, robust and improved chassis, it was created with the intention of invading Great Britain.