Tanks in the German Army This article deals with the history of tanks serving in the German Army from World War I , the Interwar , and the Panzers of the German Wehrmacht during World War II , and into the Cold War and modern times . Overview . The development of tanks in World War I began as a solution to the stalemate which trench warfare had brought to the western front . While the British took the lead in tank development , the French were not far behind and fielded their first tanks in 1917 . The Germans , on the other hand , were slower to develop tanks , concentrating on anti - tank weapons . The German response to the initial successes of the British tanks forces on the Western Front in 1916 was the A7V tank and like several other tanks of the period , it was based on the American Holt Tractor , which provided the tracks . Despite suffering from many obvious flaws , the German general staff was aware that they did not have time to produce an improved design , and at the end of 1917 ordered 100 , but only one third were ever produced , so they did not have a great effect before the war ended . On 30 January 1933 , Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany . Although he initially headed a coalition government , he quickly eliminated his government partners . He ignored the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles ( 1919 ) and began rearming , approving the development of many German tank designs he was shown . The German Army first used light Panzer I tanks , along with the Panzer II , but the mainstays were the medium Panzer IIIs and IVs which were released in 1937 . The IV became the backbone of Germany ' s panzer force and the power behind the blitzkrieg . During the invasion of Russia in 1942 , the Germans encountered the famous and technologically advanced Soviet T - 34 tanks . This led Germany to develop the Panther or Panzer V in response . Its 75mm gun could penetrate the new Soviet tanks . Germany also develop the heavy Tiger Tank , released in 1942 . The Tiger could defeat any Allied tank and was soon joined by the Tiger II , also known as King Tiger , but too few were produced to turn the tide . One note of interest was the rates of breakdown of the German tanks , such as the Panther and Tiger tanks whose constant mechanical failures meant that there were rarely more than a few in each action . In the book " The Last Battle " by Cornelius Ryan , he makes mention of the 7 million foreign workers forcibly brought into Germany to work in the factories , and businesses . Many of them worked in the military industries , and Ryan specifically writes about these foreign workers in the German tank manufacturing , who sabotaged every part they could and may have contributed to the rate of breakdown of German tanks in the field . The tanks built later in the war , when forced labor had replaced German manpower in their manufacture , the Panther and Tiger tanks and variations , seemed to have been the most affected . In the Battle of Kursk , when the newly arrived Panther tanks moved into their assembly areas , 45 out of 200 experienced mechanical problems requiring repair . A good example was the Großdeutschland Division , which had a brigade of two battalions of new Panther Ausf . D tanks come under its operational control before the battle . After the launch of Operation Citadel , the new Panthers were plagued by technical problems , suffering from engine fires and mechanical breakdowns , many before reaching the battle , in which the division was heavily engaged . Also it may have affected the Großdeutschland Division ' s non - role in the ensuing epic tank Battle of Prokhorovka , in which it was held in reserve , its Panther tanks not engaging as most were broken down by the time the battle started . It also may have been an issue with the Tiger tanks . The Tiger ' s reliability problems were well known and documented ; Tiger units frequently entered combat understrength due to breakdowns . It was rare for any Tiger unit to complete a road march without losing vehicles due to breakdown . The Jagdtiger , built on a lengthened Tiger II chassis , suffered from a variety of mechanical and technical problems and had frequent breakdowns ; ultimately more Jagdtigers were lost to mechanical problems or lack of fuel than to enemy action . German factories and industry was devastated by the end of World War II , but by the 1950s , the nation began to look at designing new tanks . The next tank design started as a collaborative project between Germany and France in the 1950s , but the partnership ended , and the final design was ordered by the Bundeswehr , production of the German Leopard I starting in 1965 . In total , 6 , 485 Leopard I tanks were built , of which 4 , 744 were battle tanks and 1741 were utility and anti - aircraft variants , not including eighty prototypes and pre - series vehicles . The Leopard quickly became a standard of European forces , and eventually served as the main battle tank in Germany . It was superseded by the Leopard 2 . German Design and Development . German tank development can be traced back to 1911 , when Austrian Oberleutenant Gunther Burstyn proposed a design for " motor vehicle gun " ( " Motorgeschütz " ) with a turret . He patented his design in 1912 in Germany but it never progressed beyond paper . World War I . After British tank s went into action on 15 September 1916 , the German Army immediately demanded their own landships . Following the appearance of the first British tanks on the Western Front , the " Allgemeines Kriegsdepartement , 7 . Abteilung , Verkehrswesen " ( " General War Department , 7th Branch , Transportation " ) , was formed in September 1916 . The German High Command appointed a committee composed of experts from leading engineering companies . The project to design and build the first German tank was placed under the direction of Joseph Vollmer , a Reserve Captain and engineer . He was chosen to design the World War I German tanks A7V , and the Großkampfwagen or K - Wagen . The K - Wagen was a German super - heavy tank , two prototypes of which were almost completed by the end of World War I . The A7V tank which actually got into the war , was known as the Schwerer Kampfwagen A7V , named after the committee that oversaw its development . It was to mass around 30 tons , be capable of crossing ditches up to 1 . 5 metres wide , have armaments including cannon at front and rear as well as several machine - guns , and reach a top speed of at least 12 km / h . The running gear was based on the Holt tractor , parts for which were obtained from the Austrian arm of the Holt - Caterpillar Company . After initial plans were shared with the Army in December 1917 , the design was extended to be a universal chassis which could be used as a base for both a tank and unarmoured " Überlandwagen " ( " Over - land vehicle " ) cargo carriers . Powered by two Daimler engines , the tank was first demonstrated in the Spring Offensive of 1918 . Internally , the Sturmpanzerwagen was cramped , smelly and noisy . No fewer than 18 men were called upon to man the machine to full potential . With the 57 mm main gun at front , internal operators had access to two 7 . 92 mm machine guns at the rear along with a further four along the sides of the steel beast - two to a side . Each machine gun would need to be addressed by a further two personnel per gun - a firer and an ammunition re - supplier . The engine sat in the lower - middle of the design with the main gear components resting under the rear . A crew of two would man the front 57 mm main gun , one firing whilst the other loading the weapon . Two drivers sat in the upper center budge area operating a steering wheel and lever controls . Stowage was allotted for individual crew weapons in the form of rifles . During final design the rear - facing cannon was removed and the number of machine - guns was increased to six . Grab ropes were provided throughout as the design had plenty of headroom space for the average soldier , though travel made for an uneasy and overall bumpy ride . In theory , the idea of an armored box bristling with all types of deadly hardware seemed sound . In practice , however , the large design was far from perfect . The vehicle was excessively heavy , making it impractical to be used on uneven terrain . The system was slow as well , often meaning that it could be outpaced by the very infantry it was to assist . The short tracks of the tractor system also made the vehicle relatively unsafe and uncontrollable in some cases . If the A7V has one saving grace , it was that the all - around armor protection for the crew was second to none - even when compared to the British designs - over an inch in some areas . A hundred of these tanks were ordered although only 20 were ever produced , and the first of these were ready in October 1917 . The Schwerer Kampfwagen A7V was first used at St Quentin on 21 March 1918 . Although some of its features , such as the sprung tracks and the thicker armour , made it better than British tanks at that time , the A7V was less successful as a battle vehicle . The main problems concerned its mechanical reliability and the difficulty it encountered crossing enemy trenches . By the time of the arrival of the Sturmpanzerwagen , the Germans had already successfully developed their own brand of armor - piercing projectile as well . Near the end of the First World War it was clear that the A7V was a failure , being too slow and clumsy in action and slow to build . Therefore it was decided that a lighter tank was required which could spearhead assaults and which could be mass - produced , and was called the Sturmpanzerwagen Oberschlesien . Thirteen companies bid for the contract and in the middle of 1918 construction of a design by Captain Müller was assigned to the Oberschlesien Eisenwerk of Gleiwitz , which had partially completed two prototypes by October 1918 . Neither the ordered test models nor the improved " Oberschlesien II " already planned were finished before the end of the war . In the end , time running out on the new designs and the limitations of the A7V design , and being a part of the losing side of a war and fighting on the defensive , all led to a very average first try in the realm of tank design for the Germans . Interwar period . The post - World War I Treaty of Versailles of 1919 prohibited the design , manufacture and deployment of tank s within the Reichswehr . When Imperial Germany fell to the Allies , the victors pushed for severe restrictions on the country ' s war - making capabilities and Germany took the brunt of the blame to the west and was forced into signing the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919 . Limitations for the land army included a 100 , 000 - strong infantry army , absolutely no tanks of any kind and just a few armored vehicles for spot duty . The German Army became a shell of its former self . Paragraph Twenty - four of the treaty provided for a 100 , 000 - mark fine and imprisonment of up to six months for anybody who " [ manufactured ] armoured vehicles , tanks or similar machines , which may be turned to military use " . Despite the manpower and technical limitations imposed upon the German Army by the Treaty of Versailles , several Reichswehr officers established a clandestine General Staff to study World War I and develop future strategies and tactics . One such Reichswehr officer , Hans von Seeckt , became Commander - in - Chief . Seeckt took to heart the lessons learned in the Great War and set about in rewriting the foundation of the German Army . Infantry still remained the heart and soul of any planned offensive , but the tank would become the spearhead of actions that could shatter enemy defenses through speed , force and firepower . Tactics involved the splitting up of enemy formations and counteractions involving pincer movements to surround and ultimately decimate the enemy in whole . By 1926 , German Army doctrine was all rewritten to fulfill this vision . Although at first the concept of the tank as a mobile weapon of war met with apathy , German industry was silently encouraged to look into tank design , while quiet cooperation was undertaken with the Soviet Union . In late 1920s and early 1930s , Germans closely co - operated with Russians in the development of armored vehicles at Kama , near Kazan in USSR . There was also minor military cooperation with Sweden , including the extraction of technical data that proved invaluable to early German tank design . As early as 1926 various German companies , including Rheinmetall and Daimler - Benz , produced a single prototype armed with a large 75 - millimeter cannon ( the " Großtraktor " , " large tractor " , was so codenamed to veil the true purpose of the vehicle ) . Only two years later prototypes of the new " Leichttraktor " ( " light tractor " ) , were produced by German companies , armed with 37 - millimeter KwK L / 45 guns . The " Großtraktor " was later put into service for a brief period with the 1 Panzer Division ; the " Leichttraktor " remained in testing until 1935 . In the late 1920s and early 1930s German tank theory was pioneered by two figures : General Oswald Lutz and his chief of staff , Lieutenant Colonel Heinz Guderian . Guderian became the more influential of the two and his ideas were widely publicized . Like his contemporary Sir Percy Hobart , Guderian initially envisioned an armored corps ( " panzerkorps " ) composed of several types of tanks . This included a slow infantry tank , armed with a small - caliber cannon and several machine guns . The infantry tank , according to Guderian , was to be heavily armored to defend against enemy anti - tank guns and artillery . He also envisioned a fast breakthrough tank , similar to the British cruiser tank , which was to be armored against enemy anti - tank weapons and have a large 75 - millimeter ( 2 . 95 in ) main gun . Lastly , Germany would need a heavy tank , armed with a massive 150 - millimeter ( 5 . 9 in ) cannon to defeat enemy fortifications , and even stronger armor . Such a tank would require a weight of 70 to 100 tonnes and was completely impractical given the manufacturing capabilities of the day . In the early 1930s , the German Army called upon a few German firms to put together some funded prototype light and medium tanks . At this time , the Army did not have a formal plan of action in terms of what it realistically needed . Light tanks could be made available in large quantities for a relatively low price while medium tanks afforded firepower but came at a price . At any rate , the German industrial infrastructure - both the post - war limitations and the economical hit caused by the crash of 1929 - made the call easy for the Germany Army - the pursuit would be for the development of light tanks to start with . In 1931 , Major - General Oswald Lutz was appointed the " Inspector of Motor Transport " in the German Army ( Reichswehr ) with Heinz Guderian as his Chief of Staff and they began building the German Armored Forces and a program of light training tank to train future personnel of Panzer Divisions . In 1932 , specifications for light ( 5 - ton ) tank were made and issued to Rheinmetall , Krupp , Henschel , MAN and Daimler Benz . Soon after rising to power in Germany , Adolf Hitler approved the creation of Germany ' s first panzer divisions . Simplifying his earlier proposal , Guderian suggested the design of a main combat vehicle which would be developed later into the Panzer III , and a breakthrough tank , the Panzer IV . No existing design appealed to Guderian . As a stopgap , the German Army ordered the preliminary vehicle to train German tank crews . This became the Panzer I . The Panzer I ' s was intended not just to train Germany ' s panzer troops , but to prepare Germany ' s industry for the mass production of tanks in the near future : a difficult engineering feat for the time . In July 1932 , Krupp revealed a prototype of the " Landswerk Krupp A " , or LKA , with a sloped front glacis plate and large central casemate , a design heavily influenced by the British Carden Loyd tankette . The tank was armed with two obsolescent 7 . 92 - millimeter ( . 312 in ) MG - 13 Dreyse machine guns . Machine guns were known to be largely useless against even the lightest tank armor of the time , restricting the Panzer I to a training and anti - infantry role by design . A mass - produced version of the LKA was designed by a collaborative team from Daimler - Benz , Henschel , Krupp , MAN , and Rheinmetall , exchanging the casemate for a rotating turret . This version was accepted into service after testing in 1934 . Although these tanks were referred to as the La S and LKA well beyond the start of production , its official designation , assigned in 1938 , was " Panzerkampfwagen I Ausführung . A " ( ' model A ' or , more accurately , ' batch A ' ) . The first fifteen tanks , produced between February and March 1934 , did not include the rotating turret and were used for crew training . Following these , production was switched to the combat version of the tank . Its debut ( combat test ) was during Spanish Civil War ( 1936 – 38 ) . First 32 PzKpfw I along with single Kleiner Panzer Befehlswagen I arrived in October 1936 . Only 106 tanks , ( 102 Ausf A , Ausf B and 4 Kleiner Panzer Befehlswagen I ) saw service with " Condor Legion " ( Major Ritter von Thoma ’ s Panzer Abteilung 88 also known as Abteilung Drohne ) and General Franco ’ s " Nationalists " . Pz . Abt . 88 with its 3 companies was based at Cubas near Toledo , where German instructors trained future Spanish crews , while the unit was used for training duties and combat ( e . g . assault on Madrid ) . Panzerkampfwagen I tanks proved to be outclassed by Soviet T - 26 and BT - 5 provided to " The Republicans " . However the Panzerkampfwagen I was also a propaganda tool and as a show piece of the Third Reich and its military might in the years leading to beginning of World War II . Lesson learned from Panzerkampfwagen I provided the German designers and manufacturers with valuable experience in designing and producing next generation of new panzers that were soon to come . Although , Panzerkampfwagen I was not a superb combat tank , it proved to be an excellent training tank and most of the panzer crews were trained on Panzerkampfwagen I until the end of the war or operated it in combat as their first armoured vehicle . The Germans also built the SdKfz 265 Panzerbefehlswagen was the German Army ' s first purpose - designed command tank , converted from the Panzer I Ausf B , and was the primary German command tank in service at the beginning of World War II . In 1934 , delays in the design and production of the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks were becoming apparent . Designs for a stopgap tank were solicited from Krupp , MAN , Henschel , and Daimler - Benz . The final design was based on the Panzer I , but larger , and with a turret mounting a 20 mm anti - tank gun . The Panzer II came about in a German Ordnance Department requirement enacted in 1934 , this time proposing a 10 - ton light tank development with 20mm cannon and 7 . 92mm machine gun armament . As was the case in developing the Panzer I , it became common practice for the new Germany , now wholly under Hitler , to skirt the rules of the Versailles Treaty and develop its systems of war under various peaceful disguises such as farm equipment . As such , this new light tank design fell under the designation of " Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper 100 " ( or " LaS 100 " ) under the guise that it was a farm tractor . The Panzer II was designed before the experience of the Spanish Civil War of 1936 - 39 showed that shell - proof armor was required for tanks to survive on a modern battlefield as prior to that , armor was designed to stop machine gun fire and shell fragments . Production began in 1935 , and by July 1937 , the Panzer II was cleared and ready for production and by 1939 , some 1 , 226 Panzer IIs were in circulation . While the Panzer I proved the spearhead of these initial invasion assaults , the Panzer II formed the backbone of such early forays . The plan was to produce a better - armed and armored version of a light tank to shore up the limitations of the Panzer I as well as provide priceless training to tank crews . Underpowered , under - armored and lightly armed , the Panzer II experienced its hardships particularly against anti - tank weaponry at close ranges . Nevertheless , war was on the horizon so time was of the essence and the more lethal Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs were being developed and soon be mass - produced for the coming battles . World War II . During the war , German tank design went through at least three generations , plus constant minor variations . The first generation included such unbattleworthy prewar vehicles as the Mark , ( or Panzerkampfwagen ) I and II , which were similar to the Russian T - 26 and T series and to the British cruiser tanks . Panzerkampfwagen II ( Sd . Kfz . 121 ) was larger than Panzerkampfwagen I but as well as Panzerkampfwagen I , it did not prove very effective in combat , although it was the main battle tank of the Panzertruppen until 1940 / 41 . The main armament of 20mm cannon was adequate at the time of its introduction into service but soon proved to be an outclassed weapon . After the Fall of France , due to the poor cross - country performance , some of older Panzerkampfwagen II tanks were taken out of service and improved and modified version replaced them armed with newer 20mm KwK 38 L / 55 cannon . But from then on the Panzerkampfwagen II tanks was phased out and the remaining chassis were used as a base for Marder II ( Sd . Kfz . 131 ) tank destroyers and Wespe ( Sd . Kfz . 124 ) self - propelled howitzers . The second generation were the more heavily armored Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tank s . Ideally , the tank battalions of a panzer division were each to have three medium companies of Panzer III s and one heavy company of Panzer IVs . The Germans began to convert their tank battalions to a majority of Mark III and IV medium tanks soon after the 1940 French campaign , thereby stealing a march on the Soviets and British , who still possessed obsolete equipment . Panzer III was the first of German Panzers to be equipped with intercom system for in - tank communications . Later on all of Panzers were equipped with this device which , proved to be very effective during combat . Panzer III was designed as platoon commander ’ s vehicle ( Zugfuhrerwagen ) and was Germany ’ s first true main / medium battle tank . The Panzer III formed the bulk of the Panzer Divisions ’ strength during early years of war . Also , in 1940 / 41 , attempts were made to standardize the production of Panzer III and Panzer IV but soon after further development was halted . However , the appearance of a few of the new generation T - 34 and KV - 1 tanks in Russia during 1941 compelled the Germans to begin a race for superior armor and gun power . The third generation included many different variants , but the most important designs were the Mark V ( Panther ) and Mark VI ( Tiger ) tanks . First encountered on 23 June 1941 , the T - 34 outclassed the existing Panzer III and IV . At the insistence of General Heinz Guderian , a special " Panzerkommision " was dispatched to the Eastern Front to assess the T - 34 . Among the features of the Soviet tank considered most significant were the sloping armor , which gave much improved shot deflection and also increased the effective armor thickness against penetration , the wide track , which improved mobility over soft ground , and the 76 . 2 mm gun , which had good armor penetration and fired an effective high explosive round . Daimler - Benz ( DB ) and Maschinenfabrik Augsburg - Nürnberg AG ( MAN ) were given the task of designing a new 30 - to 35 - ton tank , designated VK30 . 02 which resembled the T - 34 hull and turret form . Like the T - 34 , the DB design had a rear drive sprocket . Unlike the T - 34 , the DB design had a three - man turret crew : commander , gunner , and loader . But as the planned L / 70 75 mm gun was much longer and heavier than the T - 34 ' s , mounting it in the Daimler - Benz turret was difficult . The two designs were reviewed over a period from January through March 1942 . " Reichminister " Todt , and later , his replacement Albert Speer , both recommended the DB design to Hitler but a review by a special commission appointed by Hitler in May 1942 ended up selecting the MAN design . Hitler approved this decision after reviewing it overnight . One of the principal reasons given for this decision was that the MAN design used an existing turret designed by Rheinmetall - Borsig , while the DB design would have required a brand - new turret to be designed and produced , substantially delaying the commencement of production . A mild steel prototype was produced by September 1942 and , after testing at Kummersdorf , was officially accepted . It was put into immediate production . The start of production was delayed , however , mainly because there were too few specialized machine tools needed for the machining of the hull . Finished tanks were produced in December and suffered from reliability problems as a result of this haste . The demand for this tank was so high that the manufacturing was soon expanded beyond MAN to include Daimler - Benz , Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen - Hannover ( MNH ) and Henschel & Sohn in Kassel . The initial production target was 250 tanks per month at MAN . This was increased to 600 per month in January 1943 . Despite determined efforts , this figure was never reached due to disruption by Allied bombing , manufacturing bottlenecks , and other difficulties . Production in 1943 averaged 148 per month . In 1944 , it averaged 315 a month ( 3 , 777 having been built that year ) , peaking with 380 in July and ending around the end of March 1945 , with at least 6 , 000 built in total . Front - line combat strength peaked on 1 September 1944 at 2 , 304 tanks , but that same month a record number of 692 tanks were reported lost . The Tiger differed from earlier German tanks principally in its design philosophy . Its predecessors balanced mobility , armour and firepower , and were sometimes outgunned by their opponents . The Tiger I represented a new approach that emphasised firepower and armour . While heavy , this tank was not slower than the best of its opponents . However , with over 50 metric tons dead weight , suspensions , gearboxes and other such items had clearly reached their design limits and breakdowns were frequent . Design studies for a new heavy tank had been started in 1937 , without any production planning . Renewed impetus for the Tiger was provided by the quality of the Soviet T - 34 encountered in 1941 . Although the general design and layout were broadly similar to the previous medium tank , the Panzer IV , the Tiger weighed more than twice as much . This was due to its substantially thicker armour , the larger main gun , greater volume of fuel and ammunition storage , larger engine , and more solidly built transmission and suspension . The development of one of the most famous tanks of World War II was not finished till after the war had started and the first massive Tiger I heavy tank emerged in July 1942 . The first production Tigers were ready in August 1942 and from July 1942 , 1 , 355 Tigers were manufactured till as late as August 1944 . Tiger ’ s production reached its highest point in April 1944 , when 105 were produced . The main reason for the number produced was Tiger ’ s difficult production and its cost . Out the entire number produced some 500 saw service with sSSPzAbts . On June 7 of 1943 , Japanese ambassador in Germany , General Oshima was shown a Tiger from sPzAbt 502 . Single Tiger was then sold to Japan in 1943 , but was never delivered due to the war situation and was loaned by Japan to the German Army ( sSSPzAbt 101 ) . Tiger I was armed with powerful 88mm gun ( originally developed from 88mm Flak 36 L / 56 gun ) that made it a very dangerous opponent for any Allied tank , and its thick ( but not shot deflecting ) armor made it virtually indestructible . Both Sherman with 76mm gun and T - 34 / 85 stood a chance against Tiger only at close range . The rule applied by the British concerning the engagement of Tigers was that five Shermans were needed to destroy a single Tiger , but only one Sherman was to return from the engagement . Tiger I heavy tank originally received the designation of Panzerkampfwagen VI H ( 8 . 8 cm ) Ausf H1 - Sd . Kfz . 182 , but then in March 1943 , was redesignated to Panzerkampfwagen Tiger ( 8 . 8 cm L / 56 ) Ausf E - Sd . Kfz . 181 . It was commonly referred to as Tiger , Tiger I and PzKpfw VI . Officially there was only type of Tiger tank produced , but during the duration of production improvements were carried on . Planning for the Tiger II started as early as May 1941 , a year before the Tiger I entered production . By the fall of 1942 / January 1943 , designers started work on a new heavy tank that would eventually replace the Tiger I . In January 1943 , Hitler ordered the new Tiger to be armed with a long 88mm gun and have 150mm frontal armor and 80mm side armor . Front and side plates were to be sloped and interlocked , resulting in a design similar to the then - new PzKpfw V Panther ( Sd . Kfz . 171 ) . It shared many components of the Panzer V Panther and Tiger II production began in January 1944 and ended in March 1945 with only 489 production vehicles . Unfortunately for the Germans , their emphasis on protection and gun power compromised the mobility and reliability of their tanks . In 1943 , for example , Germany manufactured only 5 , 966 tanks , as compared to 29 , 497 for the US , 7 , 476 for Britain , and an estimated 20 , 000 for the Soviet Union . The alternative to constant changes in tank design was to standardize a few basic designs and mass - produce them even though technology had advanced to new improvements . This was the solution of Germany ' s principal opponents . The Soviet T - 34 , for example , was an excellent basic design that survived the war with only one major change in armament , ( 76 . 2 - mm to 85 - mm main gun ) . Cold War . After the war , the Germans were given US equipment and the Panzerlehrbataillon armour forces established in April 1956 . The Leopard tank project started in November 1956 in order to develop a modern German tank , the Standard - Panzer , to replace the Bundeswehr ' s United States - built M47 and M48 Patton tanks , which , though just delivered to West Germany ' s recently reconstituted army , were rapidly growing outdated . Production was set up at Krauss - Maffei of Munich from early 1964 onward , with deliveries of the first batch between September , 1965 and July , 1966 . The Leopard was soon being purchased from Germany by a number of NATO members and other allies . After the first batch was delivered the next three batches were the Leopard 1A1 model , which included a new gun stabilization system from Cadillac - Gage , allowing the tank to fire effectively on the move . The 1A1 also added the now - famous " skirts " along the sides to protect the upper tracks , and a new thermal jacket on the gun barrel to control heating . A less important change was to use rectangular rubber blocks fastened to the treads with a single pin instead of the earlier two - pin " shaped " versions . The rubber blocks could be easily replaced with metal X - shaped crampons for movement on ice and snow in the winter . Between 1974 and 1977 all of the machines in the first four batches were brought to the same Leopard 1A1A1 standard , and given additional turret armor developed by Blohm & Voss . The PZB 200 image intensification system was mounted in a large box on the upper right of the gun , creating the Leopard 1A1A2 . A further upgrade with SEM80 / 90 all - digital radios created the Leopard 1A1A3 . In mid - 1976 a prototype called Leopard 2AV ( " Austere Version " ) because it had a simplified fire control system , was assembled and shipped to the USA . It arrived in the US by the end of August 1976 , and comparative tests between the Leopard 2 and the XM1 ( the prototype name for the M1 Abrams ) prototypes were held from 1 September at Aberdeen Proving Ground , lasting until December 1976 . The US Army reported that the Leopard 2 and the XM1 were comparable in firepower and mobility , but the XM1 was superior in armour protection . ( Today we know this was true as regards a hit by a hollow charge ; but against KE - attack the Leopard 2 was almost twice as well protected as the original M1 . ) In September 1977 1800 Leopard 2 were ordered , and the first batch of five was delivered on 25 October 1979 . The Leopard 2 was made in many variations and for export became very popular in the nineties , when the shrinking German army offered many of its redundant Leopard 2s at a reduced price . It became successful enough in Europe that the manufacturer started calling it the Euro Leopard , but with further non - European orders , the name " Global - LEOPARD " is now used instead . However , France , Britain , and Italy all have their own MBTs currently ( Leclerc , Challenger 2 and Ariete respectively ) . Post Cold War . In 1984 Germany planned to develop a new MBT called Panzerkampfwagen 2000 ( PzKW 2000 ) . In 1988 the requirements for this tank were published , it was designed not as a conventional tank , it should incorporate advanced digital technologies and a new 140 mm gun . For reaching a higher level of armour protection by having the same weight limit as the Leopard 2 , the crew of the PzKW 2000 was reduced to only two men , who were located within the hull . For testing this new two men crew concept , two Leopard 1 tanks ( called " VT - 2000 " ) were modified . The PzKW 2000 was canceled due to the political changes during 1989 and 1990 . The next German main battle tank project was part of the Neue Gepanzerte Plattform ( " new armoured plattform " ) programme , which was intended to develop a three versions of common plattform : the first for a tank , the second for an infantry fighting vehicle and the last was designed to be used for support vehicles like SPAAGS . The tank would be armed with a 140 mm gun , be manned by only two men and using modular composite armour . Therefore the weight of this vehicle would be between 55 tonnes and 77 tonnes . The project was canceled in 2001 . No real prototypes were created , only one Experimentalträger Gesamtschutz ( EGS ) , an armour test - bed , was built . The SPz Puma is based on some parts of the Neue Gepanzerte Plattform infantry fighting vehicle variant . Combat history . World War I . The A7V was first used in combat on 21 March 1918 . Five tanks under the command of Hauptmann Greiff were deployed north of the St . Quentin Canal . Three of the A7Vs suffered mechanical failures before they entered combat but the remaining pair helped stop a minor British breakthrough in the area , but otherwise saw little combat that day . The first tank against tank combat in history took place on the 24 April 1918 when three A7Vs ( including chassis number 561 , known as " Nixe " ) taking part in an attack with infantry incidentally met three Mark IV s ( two Female machine gun - armed tanks and one Male with two 6 - pounder gun s ) near Villers - Bretonneux . During the battle tanks on both sides were damaged . According to the lead tank commander , 2nd Lt Frank Mitchell , the Female Mk IVs fell back after being damaged by armour piercing bullets . They were unable to damage the A7Vs with their own machine guns . Mitchell then attacked the lead German tank , commanded by 2nd Lt Wilhelm Biltz , with the 6 pounders of his own tank and knocked it out . He hit it three times , and killed five of the crew when they bailed out . His Mark IV fired at the enemy tanks and moved , a tactic which became the classic one during the next 50 years . He then went on to rout some infantry with case shot . The two remaining A7Vs in turn withdrew . As Lt . Mitchell ' s tank withdrew from action , seven Whippet tanks also engaged the infantry . Four of these were knocked out in the battle , one of the A7Vs destroyed one Whippet and damaged three ones ( three more Whippets were destroyed by German artillery ) . Lt . Mitchell ' s tank lost a track towards the end of the battle from a mortar shell and was abandoned . The damaged A7V was later recovered by German forces . All 18 available A7Vs had been put into action that day with limited results ; two toppled over into holes , some encountered engine or armament troubles . After a counterattack , three ended up in Allied hands . One was unusable and scrapped , one used for shell testing by the French , and the third captured by the Australians . The A7V was not considered a success and other designs were planned by Germany , however the end of the war meant none of the other tanks in development , or planned ones , would be finished ( such as the " Oberschlesien " , K - Wagen , LK I or LK II ) . The final use in World War I of A7Vs was in October 1918 ; a number were scrapped before the war ended in November . The extremely limited production of twenty A7Vs made a very limited contribution , and most of the tanks ( less than a hundred in total ) that were fielded in action by Germany in World War I were captured British Mark IV tanks ( " Beutepanzer " ) . The A7V was something of a bane for German tank crews to the point that the Germans actually preferred to fight in captured British specimens instead of their own designs . The British tanks were repaired , overhauled at Charleroi and rearmed with 5 . 7 - cm Sokol gun and Belgian 57mm Maxim Nordenfeld guns in place of British 6pdr guns ( Male tanks ) and 7 . 92mm Maxim 08 machine guns ( Female tanks ) . Some French tanks ( including Renault FT - 17 light tanks ) were also captured during the German offensive in November 1918 , but no changes are known to have been done . Post World War I . After the war , many nations needed to have tanks , but only a few had the industrial resources to design and build them . During and after World War I , Britain and France were the intellectual leaders in tank design , with other countries generally following and adopting their designs . Germany was one of the countries which began to design and build their own tanks . The Treaty of Versailles had severely limited Germany ' s industrial output . Among the German proponents of mechanization , Gen . Heinz Guderian was probably the most influential . Guderian ' s 1914 service with radiotelegraphs in support of cavalry units led him to insist on a radio in every armored vehicle . By 1929 , when many British students of armor were tending towards a pure armor formation , Guderian had become convinced that it was useless to develop just tanks , or even to mechanize parts of the traditional arms . What was needed was an entirely new mechanized formation of all arms that would maximize the effects of the tank . The German tanks were not up to the standards of Guderian ' s concept . The Mark I was really a machine gun - armed tankette , derived from the British Carden - Loyd personnel carrier . The Mark II did have a 20 - mm cannon , but little armor protection . Germany , constrained by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles , was not allowed to produce tanks of any kind and only a few armoured cars . In 1926 an unofficial program of tank construction was initiaited by Von Seeckt , the commander of the Reichswehr . Built by Rheinmetall - Borsig the first grosstraktor was similar to the existing British Mk II medium tank , 20 tons with a 75 mm gun . This and other designs were tested with Soviet cooperation at a tank school in western Russia . In Germany proper dummy tanks were used in training , apparently at the instigation of then Major , Heinz Guderian , a staff tactical instructor . Guderian had read Fuller , Liddell - Hart and other tank warfare theorists and he had the support of his commanders to develop his theories into reality . In 1931 the German General Staff accepted a plan for two types of tank , a medium tank with a 75 mm gun and a lighter vehicle with a 37 mm gun . While design and then construction work was carried out the German army used a variety of light tanks based on the British Carden - Lloyd chassis . The early tanks were code - named Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper ( La S ) , a designation that lasted until 1938 . The first of these light tanks ran in early 1934 , a five ton Krupp design it was dubbed the LKA1 . The new government approved an initial order for 150 in 1934 as the 1A La S Krupp , around 1500 of these light tanks were built . Later German tanks received a new designation , Panzerkampfwagen ( PzKpfw or PzKw ) . The first machine to use this was the two - man PzKpfw I Ausf A , a 5 . 4 ton machine with a 3 . 5 litre petrol engine it had 13 mm of armour and was armed with twin 7 . 92 mm machine guns . The Panzer I light tank design began in 1932 and mass production in 1934 . The more common Ausf B was a trifle larger to accommodate a Maybach engine . Both models were sent to the Spanish Civil War for testing , along with other new German weapons . From Spain it quickly became clear that the next generation of tanks would need better armour , greater range and much heavier weapons . Experiences with the Panzer I during the Spanish Civil War helped shape the German armored corps ' invasion of Poland in 1939 and France in 1940 . The Panzer I ' s performance in combat was limited by its thin armor and light armament of two general purpose machine gun s . As a design intended for training , the Panzer I was not as capable as other light tanks of the era , such as the T - 26 . The PzKpfw II was around 50 % heavier than the I and added a 20 mm Solothurn cannon as main armament as well as increasing maximum armour to 30 mm . In 1934 , delays in the design and production of the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks were becoming apparent . Designs for a stopgap tank were solicited from Krupp , MAN , Henschel , and Daimler - Benz . The final design was based on the Panzer I , but larger , and with the turret mounting the 20 mm anti - tank gun making it a more formidable tank than the Panzer I . Production began in 1935 , but it took another eighteen months for the first combat - ready tank to be delivered . It was also sent to Spain from 1937 , and the PzKpfw II proved more capable against light infantry , but no better when faced with capable anti - tank guns or other tanks . Despite these weaknesses production continued until 1941 , at the outbreak of war the German Army had 955 PzKpfw IIs and almost 4000 were built in total . A major boost to German armour came with the acquisition of Czechoslovakia in 1938 , giving the entire Czech arms industry to Germany . The Czechs already had two main tank designs , the Skoda LT35 and the Cesko - moravska Kolben Danek ( CKD ) TNHP . The Skoda was a 10 ton machine with a 37 mm main gun and excellent cross - country capabilities ; the CKD was 8 . 5 tons and also fitted with a 37 mm gun - due to extensive tests it was an extremely reliable machine with a top quality chassis . Both were taken into the German panzer forces , as the PzKpfw 35 ( t ) and the PzKpfw 38 ( t ) , and further production was ordered . CKD was renamed Böhmisch - Mährische Maschinenfabrik AG ( BMM ) in 1940 and continued production until 1942 , providing the Wehrmacht with 1 , 168 PzKpfw 38 ( t ) ' s . In 1940 Czech tanks made up around a quarter of the entire German panzer force . Lighter tanks formed almost the entirety of the German forces , but the heavier tanks were at least in prototype . In 1934 a number of heavy prototypes were constructed , based around either 75 or 105 mm main guns . Designated Neubaufahrzeug ( NbFz ) and very similar to contemporary Russian and British designs six were built by Rheinmetall and Krupp . Useful for propaganda purposes these tanks did not enter production , their later designations of PzKpfw V and VI were transferred to the production Panther and Tiger types . With the knowledge of the NbFz and the experiences of the lighter tanks in Spain , German designers began to create their own designs . The PzKpfw III as the first German tank capable of firing armour - piercing rounds , although the 37 mm gun was considered underpowered but was used in the interests of standardisation with the infantry . The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III ( abbreviated PzKpfw III ) translating as " armoured battle vehicle " , and it was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicle s and serve alongside the infantry - supporting Panzer IV . Limited by existing bridges to a maximum weight of 24 tons , development contracts for the Zugkraftwagen were issued late in 1936 . Development work continued until 1938 when the Ausf D went into limited production , a 19 ton machine it was powered by a 12 litre engine , with a top speed of and fitted with 30 mm armour all round . By the outbreak of war around fifty had been completed and some saw service in Poland . Full - scale production did not begin until October 1939 as the Ausf E , around 350 PzKpfw IIIs in D and E variants were ready by the invasion of France . Spanish Civil War . On 18 July 1936 , war broke out on the Iberian peninsula as Spain dissolved into a state of civil war . After the chaos of the initial uprising , two sides coalesced and began to consolidate their position — the Popular front ( the Republicans ) and the Spanish Nationalist front . In an early example of a proxy war , both sides quickly received support from other countries , most notably the Soviet Union and Germany , who wanted to test their tactics and equipment . The first shipment of foreign tanks , fifty Soviet T - 26 ' s , arrived on 15 October . The shipment was under the surveillance of the German Navy and Germany immediately responded by sending forty - one Panzer I ' s to Spain a few days later . This first shipment was followed by four more shipments of Panzer I Ausf . B ' s , with a total of 122 vehicles . The first shipment of Panzer I ' s was brought under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma in Gruppe Thoma ( also referred to as Panzergruppe Drohne ) . Gruppe Thoma formed part of Gruppe Imker , the ground formations of the German Condor Legion , who fought on the side of Franco ' s Nationalists . Between July and October , a rapid Nationalist advance from Seville to Toledo placed them in position to take the Spanish capital , Madrid . The Nationalist advance and the fall of the town of Illescas to Nationalist armies on 18 October 1936 caused the government of the Popular Front ' s Second Republic , including President Manuel Azaña , to flee to Barcelona and Valencia . In an attempt to stem the Nationalist tide and gain crucial time for Madrid ' s defence , Soviet armor was deployed south of the city under the command of Colonel Krivoshein before the end of October . At this time , several T - 26 tanks under the command of Captain Paul Arman were thrown into a Republican counterattack directed towards the town of Torrejon de Velasco in an attempt to cut off the Nationalist advance north . This was the first tank battle in the Spanish Civil War . Despite initial success , poor communication between the Soviet Republican armor and Spanish Republican infantry caused the isolation of Captain Arman ' s force and the subsequent destruction of a number of tanks . This battle also marked the first use of the molotov cocktail against tanks . Ritter von Thoma ' s Panzer Is fought for the Nationalists only days later on 30 October , and immediately experienced problems . As the Nationalist armor advanced , it was engaged by the Commune de Paris battalion , equipped with Soviet BA - 10 armored cars . The 45 - millimeter ( 1 . 7 in ) gun in the BA - 10 was more than sufficient to knock out the poorly armored Panzer I at ranges of over 500 meters ( 550 yd ) . Although the Panzer I would participate in almost every major Nationalist offensive of the war , the Nationalist army began to deploy more and more captured T - 26 tanks to offset their disadvantage in protection and firepower . At one point , von Thoma offered up to 500 pesetas for each T - 26 captured . Although the Panzer I was initially able to knock out the T - 26 at close range — 150 meters ( 165 yd ) or less — using an armor - piercing 7 . 92 millimeter bullet , the Republican tanks began to engage at ranges where they were immune to the machine guns of the Panzer I . The Panzer I was upgraded in order to increase its lethality . On 8 August 1937 , Major General García Pallasar received a note from Generalísimo Francisco Franco which expressed the need for a Panzer I ( or " negrillo " , as their Spanish crews called them ) with a 20 - millimeter gun . Ultimately , the piece chosen was the Breda Model 1935 , due to the simplicity of the design over competitors such as the German Flak 30 . Furthermore , the 20 mm Breda was capable of perforating 40 millimeters of armor at 250 meters ( 1 . 57 in at 275 yd ) , which was more than sufficient to penetrate the frontal armor of the T - 26 . Although originally forty Italian CV . 35 light tanks were ordered with the Breda in place of their original armament , this order was subsequently canceled after it was thought adaptation of the same gun to the Panzer I would yield better results . Prototypes were ready by September 1937 and an order was placed after successful results . The mounting of the Breda in the Panzer I required the original turret to be opened at the top and then extended by a vertical supplement . Four of these tanks were finished at the Armament Factory of Seville , but further production was canceled as it was decided sufficient numbers of Republican T - 26 tanks had been captured to fulfill the Nationalist leadership ' s request for more lethal tanks . The Breda modification was not particularly liked by German crews , as the unprotected gap in the turret , designed to allow the tank ' s commander to aim , was found to be a dangerous weak point . In late 1938 , another Panzer I was sent to the Armament Factory of Seville in order to mount a 45 mm gun , captured from a Soviet tank ( a T - 26 or BT - 5 ) . A second was sent sometime later in order to exchange the original armament for a 37 - millimeter Maklen anti - tank gun , which had been deployed to Asturias in late 1936 on the Soviet ship A . Andreiev . It remains unknown to what extent these trials and adaptations were completed , although it is safe to assume neither adaptation was successful beyond the drawing board . Second World War . During the initial campaigns of the Second World War , Germany ' s light tanks , including the Panzer I , formed the bulk of its armored strength . In March 1938 , the German Army marched into Austria , experiencing a mechanical breakdown rate of up to thirty percent . However , the experience revealed to Guderian several faults within the German " Panzerkorps " and he subsequently improved logistical support . Germany also had some other tanks that were to prove useful in the early part of the war . In October 1938 , Germany occupied Czechoslovakia ' s Sudetenland , and the remainder of the country in March 1939 . The capture of Czechoslovakia allowed several Czech tank designs , such as the Panzer 38 ( t ) , and their subsequent variants and production , to be incorporated into the German Army ' s strength . It also prepared German forces for the invasion of Poland . On 1 September 1939 , Germany invaded Poland using seventy - two divisions ( including 16 reserve infantry divisions in OKH reserves ) , including seven panzer divisions ( 1 . , 2 . , 3 . , 4 . , 5 . , 10 . , " Kempf " ) and four light divisions ( 1 . , 2 . , 3 . , 4 . ) . Three days later , France and Britain declared war on Germany . The seven panzer and four light divisions were arrayed in five armies , forming two army groups . The battalion strength of the 1 Panzer Division included no less than fourteen Panzer I ' s , while the other six divisions included thirty - four . A total of about 2 , 700 tanks were available for the invasion of Poland , but only 310 of the heavier Panzer III and IV tanks were available . The Germans held some 1 , 400 of Panzer Is at the ready during the invasion . Furthermore , 350 tanks were of Czech design — the rest were either Panzer I ' s or Panzer II s . The invasion was swift and the last Polish pockets of resistance surrendered on 6 October . The entire campaign had lasted five weeks ( with help of the Soviet forces which attacked on 17 September ) , and the success of Germany ' s tanks in the campaign was summed up in response to Hitler on 5 September : when asked if it had been the dive bomber s who destroyed a Polish artillery regiment , Guderian replied , " No , our panzers ! " The Poles suffered almost 190 , 000 casualties ( including around 66 , 300 killed ) in the campaign , the Germans around 55 , 000 ( including around 35 , 000 wounded ) . However , some 832 tanks ( including 320 PzI , 259 PzII , 40 Pz III , 76 PzIV , 77 Pz35 ( t ) , 13 PzBef III , 7 PzBef 38 ( t ) , 34 other PzBef and some Pz38 ( t ) ) were lost during the campaign , approximately 341 of which were never to return to service . This represented about a third of Germany ' s armor deployed for the Polish campaign . During the campaign no less than a half of Germany ' s tanks were unavailable due to maintenance issues or enemy action , and of all tanks , the Panzer I proved the most vulnerable to Polish anti - tank weapons . Furthermore , it was found that handling of armored forces during the campaign left much to be desired . During the beginning of Guderian ' s attack in northern Poland , his corps was held back to coordinate with infantry for quite a while , preventing a faster advance . It was only after Army Group South had its attention taken from Warsaw at the Battle of Bzura that Guderian ' s armor was fully unleashed . There were still lingering tendencies to reserve Germany ' s armor , even if in independent divisions , to cover an infantry advance or the flanks of advancing infantry armies . Although tank production was increased to 125 tanks per month after the Polish Campaign , losses forced the Germans to draw further strength from Czech tank designs , and light tanks continued to form the majority of Germany ' s armored strength . The occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 had provided the German military with large amounts of high quality weapons at no cost , from the arsenal of the Czech military . There was enough equipment for about 40 army divisions the Germans integrated the Czech industry , mainly the Skoda factories , becaming part of the German military production machine and continued to produce tanks and other weapons for Germany . So when Germany invaded France , three full German Panzer divisions were equipped with Czech tanks . One division was equipped with the Czech type 35 light tank ( 10 tons ) renamed Panzer 35 , and two divisions were equipped with the type 38 light tank ( 10 tons ) renamed Panzer 38 . The Panzer 35 had a crew of four and carried a Czech 37mm gun ( with 72 rounds ) and two machine guns , one coaxial and remained in front line service until 1942 , when they were converted for other roles . The Panzer 38 had a crew of four and carried a Czech 37mm gun ( with 90 rounds ) and two machine guns , one coaxial and one in the front ( with 2550 rounds ) . 1400 tanks were produced for the German army in 1939 - 1942 and many variants used its chassis , including the Hetzer , a tank destroyer with a 75mm gun . Despite its obsolescence , the Panzer I was also used in the invasion of France in May 1940 . Of 2 , 574 tanks available for the campaign , no fewer than 523 were Panzer I ' s . Furthermore , there were only 627 Panzer IIIs and IVs . At least a fifth of Germany ' s armor was composed of Panzer I ' s , while almost four - fifths was light tanks of one type or another , including 955 Panzer II , 106 Czech Panzer 35 ( t ) , and 228 Panzer 38 ( t ) . For their defense , the French boasted up to 4 , 000 tanks , including 300 Char B1 , armed with a 47 - millimeter ( 1 . 7 in ) gun in the turret and a larger 75 - millimeter ( 2 . 95 in ) low - velocity gun in the hull . The French also had around 250 Somua S - 35 , widely regarded as one of the best tanks of the period , armed with the same 47 millimeter main gun and protected by almost 55 millimeters ( 2 . 17 in ) of armor at its thickest point . Nevertheless , the French also deployed over 3 , 000 light tanks , including about 500 World War one - vintage FT - 17 s . The two main advantages German armor enjoyed were radios allowing them to coordinate faster than their British or French counterparts and superior tactical doctrine . The last major campaign in which the Panzer I formed a large portion of the armored strength was " Operation Barbarossa " , 22 June 1941 . The 3 , 300 German tanks included about 410 Panzer I ' s . By the end of the month , a large portion of the Red Army found itself trapped in the Minsk pocket , and by 21 September Kiev had fallen , thereby allowing the Germans to concentrate on their ultimate objective , Moscow . Despite the success of Germany ' s armor in the Soviet Union , between June and September most German officers were shocked to find their tanks were inferior to newer Soviet models , the T - 34 and Kliment Voroshilov ( KV ) series . Army Group North quickly realized that none of the tank guns currently in use by German armor could penetrate the thick armor of the KV - 1 . The performance of the Red Army during the Battle of Moscow and the growing numbers of new Soviet tanks made it obvious the Panzer I was not suitable for this front . Some less battle - worthy Panzer I ' s were tasked with towing lorries through mud to alleviate logistics problems at the front . Italian setbacks in Egypt and their colony of Libya caused Hitler to dispatch aircraft to Sicily , and a blocking force to North Africa . This blocking force was put under the command of Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel and included the motorized 5th Light Division and the 15th Panzer Division . This force landed at Tunis on 12 February 1941 . Upon arrival , Rommel had around 150 tanks , about half Panzer III and IV . The rest were Panzer I ' s and IIs , although the Panzer I was soon replaced . On 6 April 1941 , Germany attacked both Yugoslavia and Greece , with fourteen divisions invading Greece from neighboring Bulgaria , which by then had joined the Tripartite Pact . The invasion of Yugoslavia included no less than six panzer divisions , which still fielded the Panzer I . Yugoslavia surrendered 17 April 1941 , and Greece fell on 30 April 1941 . The Panzer II was the most numerous tank in the German Panzer divisions beginning with the invasion of France , and was used in the German campaigns in Poland , France , the Low Countries , Denmark , Norway , North Africa and the Eastern Front . Originally , Panzerkampfwagen II was the main component of the early Panzer divisions being issued to company and platoon commanders . It was soon after issued to Panzer Battalions and in the Polish Campaign was used as a combat tank . Following the reorganization of the Panzertruppen in 1940 / 41 , it was relegated to the role of reconnaissance tank . During the Campaign in the West in 1940 and early stage of the Invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 , Panzerkampfwagen II served mainly as reconnaissance but were often used as combat tanks . But by 1942 a majority were removed from frontline service in 1942 . On June 22 of 1941 , 782 Panzerkampfwagen II tanks took part in the Operation Barbarossa , where many tanks were lost to Soviet tanks and anti - tanks . The Panzerkampfwagen II tanks were also used in North Africa , by the German Afrika Korps , with some success as the nature of the battlefield was more mobile and shortages of equipment forced Rommel to use them lacking updated replacements . It began to supplemented in the amoured forces by the Panzer III and IV in 1940 / 41 . Afterwards , it was used to great effect as a reconnaissance tank , and when removed from front - line duty , it was used for training and on secondary fronts . Despite increasing production of the medium Panzer IIIs and IVs prior to the German invasion of France on 10 May 1940 , the majority of German tanks were still light types . According to Heinz Guderian , the Wehrmacht invaded France with 523 Panzer Is , 955 Panzer IIs , 349 Panzer IIIs , 278 Panzer IVs , 106 Panzer 35 ( t ) s and 228 Panzer 38 ( t ) s . Around the time of Operation Barbarossa , the Panzer III was numerically the most important German tank . At this time the majority of the available tanks ( including re - armed Ausf . E and F , plus new Ausf . G and H models ) had the KwK 38 L / 42 cannon which also equipped the majority of the tanks in North Africa . Initially , the Panzer III ' s were outclassed and outnumbered by Soviet T - 34 and KV tank s . However , the most numerous Soviet tanks were the T - 26 and BT tank s . This , along with superior German tactical skill , crew training , and the good ergonomics of the Panzer III all contributed to a rough 6 : 1 favourable kill ratio for German tanks of all types in 1941 . The Panzer III was used throughout the war and a handful were still in use in Normandy and at Arnhem in 1944 , but most were replaced with Panzer IV or the newer Panther . In the early battles of Second World War , German forces had gained notoriety for the rapid and successful invasions of Poland , the Netherlands , Belgium and France , and the Soviet Union , in 1939 – 41 . Although the early - war Panzer II , III , and IV were clearly inferior to some of their French and Soviet counterparts , this blitzkrieg ( ‘ lightning warfare ’ ) was made possible by several factors : the German military experience in World War I , their excellent training , integrated communications , coordinated use of airpower , and , perhaps most famously , by the combined - arms employment of integrated infantry and armoured forces , the panzer divisions of the Germany Army and Waffen - SS . Although the Panzer IV was deployed to North Africa with the German Afrika Korps , until the longer gun variant began production , the tank was outperformed by the Panzer III with respect to armor penetration . Both the Panzer III and IV had difficulty in penetrating the British Matilda II ' s thick armor , while the Matilda ' s 40 - mm QF 2 pounder gun could knock out either German tank ; its major disadvantage was its low speed . By August 1942 , Rommel had only received 27 Panzer IV Ausf . F2s , armed with the L / 43 gun , which he deployed to spearhead his armored offensives . The longer gun could penetrate all American and British tanks in theater at ranges of up to . Although more of these tanks arrived in North Africa between August and October 1942 , their numbers were insignificant compared to the amount of matériel shipped to British forces . The Panzer IV was the only German tank to remain in both production and combat throughout World War II , and measured over the entire war it comprised 30 % of the Wehrmacht ' s total tank strength . In came into service by early 1939 , in time for the occupation of Czechoslovakia , but at the start of the war the majority of German armor was made up of obsolete Panzer I s and Panzer II s . The Panzer I in particular had already proved inferior to Soviet tanks , such as the T - 26 , during the Spanish Civil War . As the blitzkrieg began to stall on the Eastern Front , and a mobile war pushed back and forth across North Africa , Germany was quickly forced into an arms race in armour and antitank weapon s . 88 mm antiaircraft guns were used as antitank weapons , thousands of captured antitank guns were marshaled into German service as the 7 . 62 cm PaK 36 ( r ) , and new inexpensive tank destroyers such as the Marder series were put into production , while Panzer III & IV tanks & the Sturmgeschütz were hastily up - armoured and up - gunned . A new generation of big tanks , the heavy Tiger , Panther , and King Tiger tanks were developed and rushed into the battlefield . The Panther was a direct response to the Soviet T - 34 and KV - 1 tanks . First encountered on 23 June 1941 , the T - 34 outclassed the existing Panzer III and IV . The Panther tank were rushed to the front in January , 1943 and took part in Operation Zitadelle , and the attack was delayed several times because of their mechanical problems , with the eventual start date of the battle only six days after the last Panthers had been delivered to the front . This resulted in major problems in Panther units during the Battle of Kursk , as tactical training at the unit level , coordination by radio , and driver training were all seriously deficient . During Zitadelle the Panthers claimed 267 destroyed tanks . The Panther demonstrated its capacity to destroy any Soviet AFV from long distance during the Battle of Kursk , and had a very high overall kill ratio . However , it comprised less than seven percent of the estimated 2 , 400 – 2 , 700 total AFVs deployed by the Germans in this battle , and its effectiveness was limited by its mechanical problems . At the time of the invasion of Normandy , there were initially only two Panther - equipped Panzer regiments in the Western Front , and the majority of German " panzer " forces in Normandy – six and a half divisions , were stationed around the vital town of Caen facing the Anglo - Canadian forces of the 21st Army Group ; and the numerous battles to secure the town became collectively known as the Battle of Caen . US forces in the meantime , engaged mainly the " Panzer Lehr " Division , and the Panther tank proved to be most effective when fighting in open country and shooting at long range — its combination of superior armor and firepower allowed it to engage at distances from which the American M4 Shermans could not respond . The Tiger was first used in action on 23 September 1942 near Leningrad . Under pressure from Hitler , the tank was put into action months earlier than planned . Many early models proved to be mechanically unreliable ; in this first action many broke down . Others were knocked out by dug - in Soviet anti - tank guns . In the Tiger ' s first actions in North Africa , it was able to dominate Allied tanks in the wide - open terrain . The Tiger was originally designed to be an offensive breakthrough weapon , but by the time they went into action , the military situation had changed dramatically , and their main use was on the defensive , and their mechanical failures meant that there were rarely more than a few in each action . Tigers were usually employed in separate heavy tank battalions ( " schwere - Panzer - Abteilung " ) under army command . These battalions would be deployed to critical sectors , either for breakthrough operations or , more typically , counter - attacks . The first time Tiger saw action was on August 29 of 1942 and September 21 / 22 at Mga , southeast of Leningrad with 1st company of sPzAbt 502 . The unsuccessful engagements ended in the new Tiger being captured by the Soviets , who then examined it and exhibited during the captured equipment exhibition in Moscow ’ s Gorky Park in 1943 . The failure of Tigers was attributed to mechanical problems as well as poor terrain conditions , totally unsuitable for heavy tanks . In December 1942 , Tigers from sPzAbt 501 , saw action near Tunis in North Africa . During their combat service , Tigers destroyed large numbers of enemy tanks and other equipment , creating the myth of their invincibility and fearsome power - " Tiger - phobia " . Tiger also had tremendous effect on morale of both German and Allied soldiers , German felt secure , while Allies thought that every German tank , especially late model PzKpfw IV was a Tiger . On July 7 of 1943 , single Tiger tank commanded by SS - Oberscharfuehrer Franz Staudegger from 2nd Platoon of 13th Panzer Company of 1st SS Panzer Grenadier Division " LSSAH " engaged Soviet group of some 50 T - 34 tanks around Psyolknee ( southern sector of the Kursk salient ) . Staudegger used up his entire ammunition after destroying some 22 Soviet tanks , while the rest retreated . For his achievement , Franz Staudegger was awarded the Knight ’ s Cross . On August 8 of 1944 , single Tiger commanded by SS - Unterscharfuehrer Willi Fey from the 1st Company of sSSPzAbt 102 , engaged a British tank column destroying some 14 out of 15 Shermans , followed by one more later in the day using his last two rounds of ammunition . sSSPzAbt 102 lost all of its Tigers during fighting in Normandy but reported 227 Allied tanks destroyed during the period of 6 weeks . The first combat use of the Tiger II was by the 1st company of the Schwere Heers Panzer Abteilung 503 during the Battle of Normandy , opposing Operation Atlantic between Troarn and Demouville on 18 July 1944 ; losses were two from combat , plus the company commander ' s tank which became irrecoverably trapped after falling into a bomb crater made during Operation Goodwood . On the Eastern Front , it was first used on 12 August 1944 by the Schwere Heers Panzer Abteilung 501 ( s . H . Pz . Abt . 501 ) resisting the Lvov – Sandomierz Offensive . It attacked the Soviet bridgehead over the Vistula River near Baranów Sandomierski . The majority of King Tigers went to Wehrmacht units , while some 150 were assigned to the Waffen SS . The first Tigers II tanks reached schwere Panzer Abteilungen of both Wehrmacht and Waffen SS as early as February 1944 . Only two companies of Schwere Heers Panzer Abteilung 503 ( s . H . Pz . Abt . 503 ) , equipped with Tiger II tanks ( with Porsche turrets ) , were committed to the fighting in Normandy . Tiger II tanks of Schwere Heers Panzer Abteilung 506 ( s . H . Pz . Abt . 506 ) , saw combat during the " Market Garden " operation in Holland in September 1944 . On 15 October 1944 Tiger IIs of s . H . Pz . Abt . 503 played a crucial role during Operation Panzerfaust , supporting Otto Skorzeny ' s troops in taking the Hungarian capital of Budapest , which ensured that the country remained with the Axis until the end of the war . The Tiger II was also present at the Ardennes Offensive of December 1944 , the Soviet Vistula – Oder and East Prussian Offensive s in January 1945 , the German Lake Balaton Offensive in Hungary in March 1945 , the Battle of the Seelow Heights in April 1945 , and finally the Battle of Berlin at the end of the war . During the war , the mass of a panzer increased from the 5 . 4 tonnes of a pre - war Panzer I light tank , to the whopping 68 . 5 tonnes of the Tiger II . In the meantime , the Soviets continued to produce the T - 34 by the tens of thousands , and U . S . industry nearly matched them in the number of M4 Sherman tanks built and deployed in Europe after D - Day . Throughout the war , the panzer was a key piece of the combined arms doctrines supporting the German blitzkrieg . The tanks were used in almost every theatre of German involvement . Their largest engagement occurred at The Battle of Prokhorovka , which saw about three hundred panzers pitted against five hundred Soviet tanks . Cold War . After the war , the Germans were given United States - built M47 and M48 Patton tanks and in 1956 the Germans began development of the Leopard tank project to build a modern German tank , the Standard - Panzer , to replace the Bundeswehr ' s outdated tanks . The German Leopard ( or Leopard 1 ) tank first entered service in 1965 . The Leopard focussed on firepower in the form of the German - built version of the British L7 105 - mm gun , and improved cross - country performance that was unmatched by other designs of the era . The Leopard quickly became a standard of European forces , and eventually served as the main battle tank in over a dozen countries worldwide , but the German Leopards never saw combat . In the German Army , the Leopard 1 MBTs have been phased out in 2003 while Leopard 1 derived vehicles are still widely used . The Leopard 2 MBTs have taken over the MBT role and first entering service in 1979 . The Leopard 2 have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve other European countries , as well as several non - European nations . More than 3 , 480 Leopard 2s have been manufactured . The Leopard 2 first saw combat in Kosovo with the German Army and has also seen action in Afghanistan with the Danish and Canadian ISAF forces . KFOR . The German contingent of the Kosovo Force operated a number of Leopard 2A4s and 2A5s in Kosovo . Also Canadian Leopard C1A1s , served with Lord Strathcona ' s Horse ( Royal Canadians ) in the 1999 KFOR mission in Kosovo . Denmark also send some Leopard 1 tanks , which fought in Operation Bøllebank and Operation Amanda , which are believed to be the first combat engagements of the Leopard 1 tank . Overview per tank . A7V . The A7V was a tank introduced by Germany in 1918 , near the end of World War I . One hundred vehicles were ordered during the spring of 1918 , but only 21 were delivered . It was nicknamed " The Moving Fortress " by the British because of the shape of the hull . They saw action from March to October of that year , and were the only tanks produced by Germany in World War I to see operational use . The tank ' s name was derived from that of its parent organization , " Allgemeines Kriegsdepartement , 7 . Abteilung , Verkehrswesen " . In German the tank was called " Sturmpanzer - Kraftwagen " ( roughly " assault armoured motor vehicle " ) . Panzerkampfwagen I . The Panzer I was a light tank produced in Germany in the 1930s . The name is short for the German ( armored fighting vehicle mark I ) , abbreviated " " . The tank ' s official German ordnance inventory designation was SdKfz 101 ( special purpose vehicle 101 ) . Between 1934 and the mid - 1940s several variants of the Panzer I were designed , especially during the later years of its combat history . Because they were obsolescent from their introduction , incapable of defeating foreign armor , and outclassed by newer German tanks , the Panzer I chassis were increasingly repurposed as tank destroyer s and other variants . Panzerkampfwagen II . Panzer II was the common name of a German tank used in World War II . The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II ( abbreviated PzKpfw II ) . Designed as a stopgap while other tanks were developed , it played an important role in the early years of World War II , during the Polish and French campaigns . By the end of 1942 , it was largely removed from frontline service and production of the tank itself ceased by 1943 , but its chassis was used for several other armored vehicles . Panzerkampfwagen III . Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II . The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III ( abbreviated PzKpfw III ) translating as " armoured battle vehicle " . It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicle s and serve alongside the infantry - supporting Panzer IV . However , as the Germans faced the formidable T - 34 , stronger anti - tank guns were needed . Since the Panzer IV had a bigger turret ring , the role was reversed . The Panzer IV mounted the long barreled 7 . 5 cm KwK 40 gun and engaged in tank - to - tank battles . The Panzer III became obsolete in this role and for most purposes was supplanted by the Panzer IV . From 1942 , the last version of Panzer III mounted the 7 . 5 cm KwK 37 L / 24 , better suited for infantry support . Production of the Panzer III ended in 1943 . However , the Panzer III ' s capable chassis provided hulls for the Sturmgeschütz III until the end of the war . Panzerkampfwagen 35 ( t ) . The Panzerkampfwagen 35 ( t ) , commonly shortened to Panzer 35 ( t ) or abbreviated as Pz . Kpfw . 35 ( t ) , was a Czech - designed light tank used mainly by Nazi Germany during World War II . The letter ( t ) stood for " tschechisch " ( German : " Czech " ) . In Czech service it had the formal designation Lehký ( Light ) Tank vzor ( Model ) 35 , but was commonly referred to as the LT vz . 35 . Four hundred and thirty - four were built ; of these the Germans seized two hundred and forty - four when they occupied Bohemia - Moravia in March 1939 and the Slovaks acquired fifty - two when they declared independence from Czechoslovakia at the same time . Others were exported to Bulgaria and Romania . In German service it saw combat during the early years of World War II , notably the Invasion of Poland , the Battle of France and the invasion of the Soviet Union before being taken out of frontline units . Overall 424 were produced between 1935 and 1939 by Skoda ( approx . 340 ) and CKD ( approx . 84 ) . PzKpfw 35 ( t ) formed the bulk of the 1st Leichte ( Light ) Division during the Polish Campaign and then of 6th Panzer Division ( former 1st Leichte Division ) during the French Campaign and the Invasion of Russia . In late 1941 , Germans had better tanks in production and PzKpfw 35 ( t ) was relocated to second line duties such as policing and antipartisan units . Panzerkampfwagen 38 ( t ) . The Panzerkampfwagen 38 ( t ) was a Czech tank used by Germany during World War II . The ( t ) stands for " tschechisch " , the German word for Czech ; the Czechoslovak military designation was LT vz 38 . Manufacturer ' s designations included TNH series , TNHPS , LTP and LTH ) . The special vehicle designation for the tank in Germany was Sd . Kfz . 140 . Ordered into production in 1938 as the Czech LT - 38 , the design drew on the experience from earlier Czech LT - 35 and was made in different variants . The 1938 / 39 , German take - over of the Czechoslovak state resulted the tanks incorporated into the German Army as PzKpfw 38 ( t ) Ausf A - Sd . Kfz . 140 . PzKpfw 38 ( t ) s were built under German supervision and they saw extensive service in Poland ( 3rd Leichte Division ) , Norway ( XXXI Armee Korps ) , France ( 6th , 7th and 8th Panzer Division ) , Balkans ( 8th Panzer Division ) and Russia ( 6th , 7th , 8th , 12th , 19th and 20th Panzer Division ) . During the fighting in Russia , the need for heavier armour and armament made PzKpfw 38 ( t ) inadequate and in 1942 , it was relegated to other duties ( e . g . reconnaissance and service in armored trains ) . Overall , the most successful design built on the base of PzKpfw 38 ( t ) was Jagdpanzer 38 Hetzer ( tank destroyer ) . Panzerkampfwagen IV . The " Panzerkampfwagen " IV ( Pz . Kpfw . IV ) , commonly known as the Panzer IV , was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War . Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd . Kfz . 161 . Designed as an infantry - support tank , the Panzer IV was not originally intended to engage enemy armor — that function was performed by the lighter Panzer III . However , with the flaws of pre - war doctrine becoming apparent and in the face of Soviet T - 34 tank s , the Panzer IV soon assumed the tank - fighting role of its increasingly obsolescent cousin . The most widely manufactured and deployed German tank of the Second World War , the Panzer IV was used as the base for many other fighting vehicles , including tank destroyers and self - propelled anti - aircraft guns . Robust and reliable , it saw service in all combat theaters involving Germany , and has the distinction of being the only German tank to remain in continuous production throughout the war , with over 8 , 800 produced between 1936 and 1945 . Upgrades and design modifications , often made in response to the appearance of new Allied tanks , extended its service life . Generally these involved increasing the Panzer IV ' s armor protection or upgrading its weapons , although during the last months of the war with Germany ' s pressing need for rapid replacement of losses , design changes also included retrograde measures to simplify and speed manufacture . Panzerkampfwagen V Panther . The Panther ( ) was a tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid - 1943 to the end of the European war in 1945 . It was intended as a counter to the T - 34 , and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV , and , while never replacing the latter , it served alongside it as well as the heavier Tiger tanks until the end of the war . The Panther ' s excellent combination of firepower , mobility , and protection served as a benchmark for other nations ' late war and immediate post - war tank designs , and it is frequently regarded as one of the best tank designs of World War II . Until 1944 , it was designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V " Panther " and had the ordnance inventory designation of Sd . Kfz . 171 . On 27 February 1944 , Hitler ordered that the Roman numeral V be deleted from the designation . The Panther tank was a compromise of various requirements . While sharing essentially the same engine as the Tiger I tank , it had better frontal armor , better gun penetration , was lighter overall and thus faster , and could handle rough terrain better than the Tigers . The tradeoff was weaker side armor ; the Panther proved to be deadly in open country and shooting from long range , but vulnerable to close - quarters combat . Also , the 75 mm gun fired a slightly smaller shell than the Tiger ' s 88 mm gun , providing less high explosive firepower against infantry , though it was still quite effective . The Panther was also far cheaper to produce than the Tiger tanks , and only slightly more expensive than the Panzer IV , as its design came to fruition at the same time that the Reich Ministry of Armament and War Production was making great efforts to increase war production . Key elements of the Panther design , such as its armor , transmission and final drive , were compromises made specifically to improve production rates and address Germany ' s war shortages , whereas other elements such as its highly compact engine and its complex suspension system remained with their elegant but complicated engineering . The result was that Panther tank production was far higher than what was possible for the Tiger tanks , but not much higher than what had been accomplished with the Panzer IV . At the same time , the simplified final drive became the single major cause of breakdowns of the Panther tank , and was a problem that was never corrected . The Panzerkampfwagen V Panther , next to the PzKpfw VI Tiger , is the best - known German tank of World War II . The Panther and the Soviet T - 34 are considered to be the best tanks of World War II . Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger I . The Tiger I was a German heavy tank used in World War II , produced from late 1942 as an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of Operation Barbarossa , particularly the T - 34 and the KV - 1 . The Tiger I design gave the Wehrmacht its first tank mounting the 88 mm gun , which had previously demonstrated its effectiveness against both aircraft and tanks . During the course of the war , the Tiger I saw combat on all German battlefronts . It was usually deployed in independent tank battalions , which proved to be quite formidable . While the Tiger I was feared by many of its opponents , it was over - engineered , expensive and time - consuming to produce . Only 1 , 347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944 . The Tiger was prone to mechanical breakdowns and in 1944 , production was phased out in favour of the Tiger II . The tank was given its nickname by Ferdinand Porsche , and the Roman numeral was added after the later Tiger II entered production . The initial official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H ( ‘ Panzer VI version H ’ , abbreviated " PzKpfw VI Ausf . H " ) , but the tank was redesignated as " PzKpfw VI Ausf . E " in March 1943 . It also had the ordnance inventory designation " SdKfz 181 " . Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II . Tiger II is the common name of a German heavy tank of the Second World War . An official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf . B , often shortened to Tiger B , with the ordnance inventory designation " Sd . Kfz . " 182 . It is also known under the informal name Königstiger ( the German name for the " Bengal tiger " ) , often translated as King Tiger or Royal Tiger by Allied soldiers . The design followed the same concept as the Tiger I , but was intended to be even more formidable . The Tiger II combined the thick armor of the Tiger I with sloped armor as used on the Panther medium tank . The tank weighed almost seventy metric tons , was protected by of armor to the front , and was armed with the long barrelled 8 . 8 cm " Kampfwagenkanone " 43 L / 71 gun . The chassis was also the basis for the Jagdtiger turretless tank destroyer . The Tiger II was issued to heavy tank battalions of the Army ( " Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung " - abbreviated " s . H . Pz . Abt " ) and the Waffen - SS ( s . SS . Pz . Abt ) . It was first used in combat with s . H . Pz . Abt . 503 during the Normandy campaign on 11 July 1944 ; on the Eastern Front the first unit to be outfitted with Tiger IIs was s . H . Pz . Abt . 501 which by 1 September 1944 listed 25 Tiger IIs operational . ; The Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II Ausf . B " Königstiger " ( Sd . Kfz . 182 ) / VK4503 ( H ) was the most powerful combat tank of World War II . Up to the end of the war , the Allies did not introduce anything that could effectively counter it . The Tiger II combined a powerful and effective gun with armor that was virtually impervious to any Allied tank or anti - tank gun . Leopard 1 . The Leopard ( or Leopard 1 ) is a tank designed and produced in Germany that first entered service in 1965 . Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought to make conventional heavy armour of limited value , the Leopard focussed on firepower in the form of the German - built version of the British L7 105 - mm gun , and improved cross - country performance that was unmatched by other designs of the era . The design started as a collaborative project between Germany and France in the 1950s , but the partnership ended and the final design was ordered by the Bundeswehr , production starting in 1965 . In total 6 , 485 Leopard tanks have been built , of which 4 , 744 were battle tanks and 1741 were utility and anti - aircraft variants , not including eighty prototypes and pre - series vehicles . The Leopard quickly became a standard of European forces , and eventually served as the main battle tank in over a dozen countries worldwide . Since 1990 , the Leopard 1 has gradually been relegated to secondary roles in most armies . In the German Army , the Leopard 1 MBTs have been phased out in 2003 while Leopard 1 derived vehicles are still widely used . The Leopard 2 MBTs have taken over the MBT role . Leopard hulls have been re - used in a wide variety of roles . Leopard 2 . The Leopard 2 is a German main battle tank ( Kampfpanzer ) developed by Krauss - Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979 . The Leopard 2 replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army . Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve other European countries , as well as several non - European nations . More than 3 , 480 Leopard 2s have been manufactured . The Leopard 2 first saw combat in Kosovo with the German Army and has also seen action in Afghanistan with the Danish and Canadian ISAF forces . There are two main development batches of the tank , the original models up to Leopard 2A4 which have vertically faced turret armour , and the " improved " batch , namely the Leopard 2A5 and newer versions , which have angled arrow - shaped turret appliqué armour together with a number of other improvements . All models feature the Rheinmetall 120 mm gun , digital fire control systems with laser rangefinders , a fully stabilized main gun and coaxial machine gun , and advanced night vision and sighting equipment ( first vehicles used a low - light level TV system or LLLTV ; thermal imaging was introduced later on ) . The tank has the ability to engage moving targets while moving over rough terrain .