Panzer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Panzer refers to an armoured tank or other vehicle, usually a Second World War German model. The term is usually not used outside this context, although it can refer to modern German tanks or be used as an adjective describing other German units (i.e. panzergrenadier - armored infantry). Panzer also describes armoured forces, as in "panzer division".
Panzer is a loanword from German. The German noun Panzer (plural: Panzer) means armour in the sense of protective equipment such as Plattenpanzer (plate armour) or Schutzpanzer (protective armour), or armoured forces (today, tank organizations and the tanks themselves). The term gained infamy in English during Germany's successful Blitzkrieg armoured advances of World War II. It is derived from the French pancier ("breastplate", compare English paunch). German pronunciation [ˈpanʦer] (listen ), English [ˈpænzɝ]. The word has been calqued in many languages, such as Swedish "pansarvagn" or Finnish "panssarivaunu" for any tracked armoured fighting vehicle.
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[edit] German panzers
Panzer is also an abbreviation of the WWII German designation for tanks, Panzerkampfwagen ("armoured combat vehicle", abbreviated PzKpfW), used by the German Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht. German panzer models were given designations like Panzer I, or Panzer VI Tiger. For a list, see German armoured fighting vehicles of World War II. "PzKpfW" means literally the same as AFV (armoured fighting vehicle)*
Individual variations of these basic marks were given an Ausführung (version) letter, and consequently the field of Panzer recognition is extremely complex. Great lengths have been gone to explain the differences between a Pz.Kpfw III Ausf. E(U) and a Pz.Kpfw III Ausf. F(U), for example. The word panzer is occasionally confused with the name of the Pzkpfw V Panther tank.
Tank destroyers were Panzerjäger or Jagdpanzer ("tank hunters"), self-propelled infantry guns were Sturmgeschütze ("assault guns"), while self-propelled artillery pieces were usually referred to as Panzerhaubitze.
[edit] See also
[edit] Other uses
- In some forms of coalminers' jargon, a panzer is a type of underground conveyor belt for carrying coal, made entirely out of metal.
- Erik "Panzer" Hagen
- In Sweden the official name for a tank is pansarvagn or stridsvagn (stridsvagn literally meaning combat wagon), and a tank regiment is called Pansarregemente.
- In the MMORPG Rakion, the panzer is a creature summoned by players who resembles an armoured knight, and wields a halberd.
- Progressive rock band Amplifier wrote a song entitled Panzer from their self-titled debut album.
- It is included as part of the title of the games in the Panzer Dragoon video game series.
- In the PC game Civilization III and Civilization IV, the German civilization receives the special unit of a Panzer in place of the standard tank.
[edit] External links
- Detailed information about every aspect of the Panzerkampfwagen VI at the Tiger I Information Center
| German armored fighting vehicles of World War II | |
|---|---|
| Tanks | |
| Panzer I | Panzer II | Panzer III | Panzer IV | Panther | Tiger I, II | Panzer 35(t) | Panzer 38(t) | |
| Self-propelled artillery | |
| Wespe | Hummel | Grille | Panzerwerfer | sIG 33 | Wurfrahmen 40 | |
| Assault guns | |
| StuG III | StuG IV | StuH 42 | Brummbär | Sturmtiger | |
| Tank destroyers | |
| Panzerjäger I | Marder I , II , III | Hetzer | Jagdpanzer IV | Jagdpanther | Nashorn | Jagdtiger | Elefant | |
| Half-tracks | Armored cars |
| SdKfz 4 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 250 | 251 | 252 | 253 | 254 | Sdkfz 221/22/23 | Sdkfz 231/32/34/63 | ADGZ |
| Self propelled anti-aircraft | |
| Flakpanzer IV: Möbelwagen, Wirbelwind, Ostwind, Kugelblitz | Flakpanzer 38(t) | |
| Prototypes | |
| Maus | E- series | Panther II | Waffenträger | Neubaufahrzeug | |
| Proposed designs | |
| Panzer VII 'Löwe' | Panzer IX | Panzer X | Ratte | Monster | |
| German armored fighting vehicle production during World War II | |
