Kinderpanzer

A **Kinderpanzer** is a 1:3 scaled replica of a vehicle meant for children to use and play with. Originally the term is a connotation to the Pionierpanzers, miniature armored vehicles meant for children between 6-14 as a means for activities of the *pionierpanzerverein*, a club attached to the German Young Pioneer movement. But today, the term refers to all 1:3 replicated tracked vehicles, with Miniaturpanzers referring to all 1:2 sized replicas, followed by the Model Panzers, a 1:1 mockup that became the chassis of all sport-legal vehicles in the Recrelympics.

## Pionierpanzers

**Pionierpanzers** are miniature vehicles created for the pioneers of the Free German Youth, but it was used extensively by the Thälmann Pioneers, a subdivision of the German Youth meant to accommodate between 6-14 years old pioneers. First manufactured in the year 1966 by a subdivision from the *People's Nitrogene Plant Piesteritz* in Wittenberg, creating the first batch of five tanks by only using welded boilerplates, a Trabant 601 Engine, and leftover tracks from decommissioned tractors nearby. The results led them to be used as advertisement for the company, instantly becoming a celebrity overnight and even catching the attention of Germany's Socialist Party a week later. After the SEB contacted the factory and through negotiations, contracts of future 1:3 panzers will be given to the subdivision that manufactured the first batch, which evolved into the VEB Stahl Piesteritz.

These new regulated 1:3 replicas are known as ***Kinderpanzers*** or Children's Tanks. The quality of their replica tanks also changed that suited for safety and functionality, with the latter introducing a functional low-powered pneumatic barrel that fires custom ammunition, this exchanged its predecessor where the barrel was equipped with only a flash device attached to its muzzle to simulate firing. These new batch of tanks were then given to all chapters of Thälmann across the country during its first few years of production.

But while the VEB SP is heavily invested towards arming the children with these small vehicles, the SEB decided in 1968 that pioneers of the Free German Youth should also be dedicated with these vehicles, and so in January of 1969 plans were made that ultimately led with the introduction of ***Miniaturpanzers***, 1;2 scaled replicas that better suited for the older pioneers. The VEB SP also introduced a remote controlled vehicle and even a racing-panzer, the *Stahlrennwagen* or Steel-Racing Wagon.

Both the Kinder and Miniaturpanzers were first used by the Free German Youth and its associated subdivisions and chapters. Under the heavy influence of the SED's mindset of hammering them the socialist values and comradery, they built clubs, offered exhibitions, and even hosted tournaments to encourage them in becoming reliable assets for the country's growth. During the mid to late 1970s, military education became fundamental, almost attached with these vehicles, with weapon familiarization, basic military tactics, and maintenance were performed as part of their daily activities, and eventually, these youths would inevitable join the military as tank operators as a result of their honed development.

## Across the Eastern Bloc

As Kinderpanzers continued to spread across East Germany, other communist nations were interested with the idea of miniatured military vehicles to be integrated with their own youth organizations. This trend begun with the Soviet Union's Komsomol approached the Free German Youth and asked about the details of their Kinderpanzers, which the Germans obliged. The story behind this approach was because of Mikhail Prokofiev, the Minister of USSR's Education. He was interested by the Thälmann's approach in familiarizing the youth with Military, so, he approached the director of the Komsomol, Boris Pastukhov, and prompted the director to create a Soviet-made and oriented kinderpanzer activities within the structure of youth organization. This led the creation of the Zhukov Youths, a youth organization oriented for developing enthusiastic young tankers.

Once it became popular in the country, the Soviet Union begun accelerating the influence of kinderpanzers across the Eastern Bloc, slowly letting this militaristic projection of power to highlight themselves as the superior side in the ongoing Cold War. Surely enough, the Czechoslovak Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and even Yugoslavia were starting to develop their own domestic kinderpanzers and incorporate them to their respective youth organizations. Due to this successful wave of interest, East Germany then approached the Soviet Union in creating a "league of friendship" between the pioneertankers across Eastern Bloc, this led to the formation of the *League of Pioneer Tankers*, responsible for the **Trabant Games**.

## Into the Western Sphere

Kinderpanzers were exclusive to the Eastern Bloc only, but it wasn't until in 1986 where through the town twinning of Eisenhüttenstadt and Saarlouis, West German would have the hands of the renowned kinderpanzers of East Germany. And through the German-German Cultural Agreement in that same year, the VEB SP begun to export its products outside the Eastern Bloc and directly into the hands of West Germany as a friendly gesture.

Using these kinderpanzers were an easy integration by the west Germans as existing Panzer sports were already a thing in the country. Tracked Roadshows, German Equestrian, and the NATO-exclusive Sherman Games. Even though the use of mini-tanks were seen as unethical in the eyes of others, due to the innate nature and long history of the Germans with tanks, they accepted and even spread the influence of these panzers outside Germany and into NATO itself.

In return, NATO retorted West Germany's attempt to spread the influence of Kinderpanzer and was criticized by it too. West Germany retorted the "cherry-picked criticism" by highlighting the origin of the other Military Sports, showcasing the current situation and their development history of other sports such as Military Dueling, Wargames, and promotion towards military toys.

In the US, Tracked Racing evolved into an American sport through the introduction of the Unlimited Class 100, this ongoing popularity sparked the military's interest to used this opportunity to review and showcase their developed tanks and wheeled-vehicles. The nature and exotic-ness of this sport caught the attention of many, and so it begun to branch out even before the development of the kinderpanzers in Germany, where **mini-tracks** were used in small-scaled tracks for kids to ride around, though it isn't classified as a kinderpanzer due to its just a having an engine strapped in a hull with tracks.

## League of the Pioneer Tankers

With the introduction and full adaption of the kinderpanzers across the Eastern Bloc, the **League of the Pioneer Tankers** was born as a result of it. With a total of eight members, it's aim is to rank the proficiency of pioneer tanks across the region through the **Trabant Games**. The LPT was created as the response of the growing popularity of NATO's Sherman Games, a similar regional event but it was mostly hosted by the Military, with majority of them are Adults and not teenagers nor children, which is the opposite for the Eastern Bloc.

Participating Kinderpanzers would start to remove and install the engine and tracks of their preferred vehicle, and once that is completed, they'll start the course. The course consists a shooting range, for both stationary and on the move. There's another part of the course where members of the team would ran towards the ammunition bin and carry ammunition back to their team in order to continue their lap. The match will end once the team completed the course.