Category: Germany
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Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf. G (Sd.Kfz. 171)
Type: Medium Tank Nation: Germany Period: World War 2 Location: Restaurant “Le Tank”, Celles, Belgium Gaining weight Although the Germans classified the Panther as a medium tank, its 45-ton weight was more comparable to contemporary Allied heavy tanks like the Soviet KV-1 or the American M26 Pershing. Originally the Panther had been designed to weigh…
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Panzerkampfwagen V Befehlspanther Ausf. A (Sd.Kfz. 171)
Type: Medium Tank Nation: Germany Period: World War 2 Location: Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany Complacent conquerors The first predecessor of the Panther programme had been the VK 20 design series (Vollkette = fully tracked) which had been initiated in 1938. But since Nazi Germany seemed to be able to conquer large parts of Europe with…
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Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf. G (Sd.Kfz. 171)
Type: Medium Tank Nation: Germany Period: World War 2 Location: Oorlogsmuseum Overloon, Netherlands Another wonder weapon In 1943 Hitler and the Wehrmacht had very high hopes for the brand-new Panther tank, which they had wanted to be ready for Operation Zitadelle – their large-scale summer offensive in the East. This operation had already been delayed…
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Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf. D (Sd.Kfz. 171)
Type: Medium TankNation: GermanyPeriod: World War 2Location: Breda, Netherlands A common enemy While the expensive Tiger was only built in small numbers and deployed in specialised heavy tank battalions, the Panther was intended to become the new backbone of the regular Panzer Divisions. Although this would never be fully achieved, the Panther was a much…
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Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf. A (Sd.Kfz. 171)
Type: Medium Tank Nation: Germany Period: World War 2 Location: Overlord Museum, Colleville-sur-Mer, France Debut debacle The Panther was a major leap forward in tank design for Nazi Germany, representing a good balance of the „iron triangle“: Mobility, protection and firepower. However, it was rushed into production and especially the early Ausf. D and Ausf.…
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Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf. G (Sd.Kfz. 171)
Type: Medium Tank Nation: Germany Period: World War 2 Location: Grandmenil, Belgium A panic reaction? The Panther was considered one of the best medium tanks of World War 2, but it had to go a very long way to earn this reputation. Its origins date back all the way to 1938, when a project was…
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Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS)
Type: Self-Propelled Artillery Nation: USA/UK/France/Italy/Germany Period: Cold War Location: Nationaal Militair Museum, Soesterberg, Netherlands Arms race at a snail‘s pace The MLRS was a joint American, British, French, Italian and West German cooperation to develop a highly mobile self-propelled artillery system for attacking a target area with large amounts of firepower. Compared to the pinpoint…
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Schützenpanzer Marder 1A3
Type: Infantry Fighting Vehicle Nation: Germany Period: Cold War Location: Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany Armoured battle taxi The Marder was developed in the 1960s as a replacement for the Bundeswehr‘s scandal-ridden Schützenpanzer (lang) HS 30. Being the first German-designed infantry fighting vehicle after World War 2, it could carry a troop of six Panzergrenadiere (=…
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Panzerhaubitze 2000
Type: Self-Propelled Artillery Nation: Germany Period: Cold War Location: Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany State of the art The Panzerhaubitze 2000 is Germany‘s most modern gun-based self-propelled artillery system. Development had started in 1987, but it took until 1998 for the first vehicles to be issued to the Bundeswehr as a replacement for the venerable M109.…
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Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer 1 Gepard B2L
Type: Anti-Aircraft Vehicle Nation: Germany Period: Cold War Location: Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany An expensive piece of kit The Gepard was Post-War Germany‘s only indigenous gun-based anti-aircraft vehicle. In 1976 the Bundeswehr received the first of about 400 units. The system was based on the lengthened chassis of the Leopard 1, but because of its…