Panzer
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Panzer is a loanword from the German language. The term has been accepted in English as a colloquialism to refer to a main battle tank or other armored vehicle, usually a Second World War German model. The term is rarely used outside this context, although it can refer to modern German tanks. It is occasionally used as an adjective to imply a connection to the German WWII (Nazi) military, usually in a derogatory sense.
The German noun Panzer (plural: Panzer), German pronunciation [ˈpanʦer] (listen ), English [ˈpænzɝ], has a broad meaning translating as "armour" (in a military technical sense, and not usually used outside a martial context), or "shell" (as in thick protective animal hide, i.e. Schildkrötenpanzer means turtle shell). Besides meaning tank in the sense of a heavily armored vehicle, it can refer to medieval armour (Plattenpanzer literally translates as plate mail, Kettenpanzer as chain mail). The adjective gepanzert means "armoured" or "mailed".
It is derived from the French pancier ("breastplate", compare English paunch). The word has been calqued in many languages, such as Swedish pansarvagn or Finnish panssarivaunu for any tracked armoured fighting vehicle.
[edit] World War II
The Panzer in World War II came in a multitude of variations throughout the course of the war. The term gained infamy in English during Germany's successful Blitzkrieg armoured advances of World War II. As the war progressed, the size and capabilities of the German Panzer increased dramatically. For instance, the Panzer I weighed roughly 5.4 tonnes and had relatively light armament and armor as compared to some of the later series. The Tiger II tank weighed in at a whopping 68.5 tonnes, with very heavy armor and armament. To keep with this pace of development, many other nations were forced to field comparable tanks such as the Soviet JS-II, United States M4 Sherman, and British Churchill tank. Much of the Panzer's early successes can be attributed to training and organization, and not just numbers or quality[1].
Throughout the war, the Panzer was a key piece of the combined arms doctrines supporting the German Blitzkrieg. The tanks were used in every theater of German involvement. Their largest engagement occurred at The Battle of Prokhorovka, which saw approximately three hundred Panzers involved in a battle against five hundred Soviet models.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ White, B. T. (1983). TANKS and other Armoured Fighting Vehicles of World War II. New York: Exeter Books, pp. 5. ISBN 0-671-06009-0.
[edit] External links
- Detailed information about every aspect of the Panzerkampfwagen VI at the Tiger I Information Center
