 History, datas and pictures of German, Italian and Japanese tanks of WW2.
Most of this tanks are used or will be used with the PC game WW2 Total.
Although Italy and Japan produced
significant numbers of
tanks before and during WW2, it is the German tanks which
are best known. At the outbreak
of the war the Panzerkampfwagen
(PzKpfw) I and PzKpfw II were
the most common models, but
within a few years these had been
phased out of service and
replaced by the PzKpfw III and
PzKpfw IV. The latter had the distinction
of remaining in production
throughout the war. It was an
excellent design that proved to be
capable of being upgunned and
up-armoured to meet the changing
battlefield threat.
Additional,
many Czech tanks were subsequently taken
over by the Germans during the
occupation in 1939 and
remained in production in
Czechoslovakia.
The Panther
and Tiger arrived on the scene
towards the end of the war, but
these could not be produced in
anything like the required numbers
as a result of shortages in
materials and manpower and of
the effectiveness of Allied bombing
on German plants, even
though many of these had been
dispersed early in the war. The
Panther and Tiger were rushed
into production without proper
trials, however, and many were
lost during their initial deployments
as a result of mechanical
breakdown rather than direct
enemy action. The Tiger was, in
particular, a very heavy tank and
lacked mobility on the battlefield.
Its armour protection and guns
were first class, and this tank
proved a difficult one to destroy
on both the Eastern and Western
Fronts. Often four Shermans
would be required to neutralize
just one Tiger: two would try to
draw its fire, often being knocked
out in the process, while the others
worked round its flanks and
attacked it from its more vulnerable
sides.
Towards the end of WW2 Germany turned its
attention to producing more and
more tank destroyers as by that
time the German army was on the
defensive, and these vehicles were
quicker, easier and cheaper to
produce than tanks, such as the
Panther and Tiger.
While some of the Italian tanks
were fairly modern in 1939, by
the early part of Italy's war they
had become completely obsolete.
The better armed and armoured
P 40 heavy tank never entered
service with the Italian army,
although a few were taken over
by the Germans.
Japan used tanks during the
invasion of China before WW2 as well as during the Far
Eastern campaigns from 1941.
As few Allied AFVs were available
at that time the Japanese vehicles
were quite adequate, the more so
as their primary role was infantry
fire support rather than tank-against-
tank operations.
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