Panzer II: Workhorse of "Blitzkrieg"
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
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The Panzer II is quite surprising although only equipped with a 2 cm auto-cannon it was intended to give the Panzerwaffe a tank with anti-tank capability. Although even in 1940 the 3.7 cm guns turned out to be too weak against various tanks. Fact is the Panzer II was a stopgap solution, until the Panzer III and Panzer IV could enter mass production. There several more surprising facts about the Panzer II in this video, many taken from the German Army Field Regulations (Heeresdruckvorschriften). Additionally, we also look at how many Panzer II were used in the early to mid campaigns, namely Case White - Poland (1939), Case Yellow - France (1940) and Operation Barbarossa - Soviet Union (1941).
Disclaimer: This video was sponsored by the free-to-play game War Thunder.
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» SOURCES «
H. Dv. 470/5b: Die Ausbildung am Panzerkampfwagen II (2 cm), Sonderkraftfahrzeug 121 (Sd. Kfz. 121). Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, Buchdruckerei: Berlin, 1939.
BAMA: RH 1/1881: H.Dv. 470/22a: Schulschießübungen vom Panzerkampfwagen II. Berlin, 1942.
Jentz, Thomas L.: Panzertruppen 1 - The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany’s Tank Force - 1933-1942. Schiffer Military History: Atglen, USA, 1996.
Pöhlmann, Markus: Der Panzer und die Mechanisierung des Krieges: Eine deutsche Geschichte 1890 bis 1945. Ferdinand Schöningh: Paderborn, 2016.
Kast, Bernhard; Bergs, Christoph: German Army Regulation on the Medium Tank Company H. Dv. 470. Austria & UK, 2019.
H. Dv. 470/6: Die leichte Panzerkompanie. Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, Buchdruckerei: Berlin, 1940.
H. Dv. 470/7: Die Mittlere Panzerkompanie. Reichsdruckerei: Berlin, 1941.
Mueller-Hillebrand, Burkhart: Das deutsche Heer 1933-1945. Band I. E. S. Mittler & Sohn: Frankfurt am Main, 1954.
Mueller-Hillebrand, Burkhart: Das deutsche Heer 1933-1945. Band II. E. S. Mittler & Sohn: Frankfurt am Main, 1956.
#panzer2 #sponsored #ad
Join me in War Thunder for free by using this link gjn.link/MilitaryHistoryVisualizedWT and get a premium tank or aircraft and three days of premium time as a bonus.
you should make more videos using war thunder models and footage, great videos btw
I'm sure there are a few of us that play WT and watch your videos. maybe organise an event through discord and the game that we could discuss these vehicles, while also using them. Im assuming you run on the EU servers, which is unfortunate as I probably won't face you in a game in that case. (US/SA server)
The link isn't working?
Have fun but can't play games like that as live in a very rural area and the only net access is satellite down link and does not support games like War Thunder.
I like that you are doing partnerships like this. I think you deserve the support especially being that mostly everyone here consumes ur content for free. Keep up the great work!
"Farming in 1930s must have been quite a dangerous job"
Not just then!
The Soviet news agency published the news:
“Near the Sino-Soviet border, a Chinese tank attacked a peacefully plowing Soviet tractor driver.
The tractor returned the fire and flew back to base."
How dangerous it was that the tractors were actually capable of flying?
That must've been a very capable "tractor" then !
@@rasdread0989 The Vodka was in danger
In the same time frame the Germans were using high explosives to mash potatoes, so yeah farming mush have been quite dangerous.
"Okay why do you need a 20mm machine gun with your agricultural tractor vehicle?"
The inspector guy: "uhh.. The weeds are evil"
"Also Karl said he saw giant frogs, better safe than sorry."
"Also Karl said he saw giant frogs, and did i mention both are man-eating?"
the weed with roots in hell! 😳
@@arya31ful And giant frogs is a good code name for the French Char B1
"Also Karl said we don't have our own giant frog slaying Kazuma."
"Welsh names are too long"
*laughs in German*
German to Welshman, "Hold my cold bier."
@@douglasstrother6584 Yes, but don't forget the german town of Dürrröhrsdorf-Dittersbach! (Don't forget to pronounce all the Umlauts, Rs and fricatives.)
@@untruelie2640 at least you dont really need to pronounce the last r in dürrohr and the r in ditters
@@douglasstrother6584
That one is a classic but this is great too: ruclips.net/video/I8NVPe_gfZQ/видео.html
Also fits the topic better.
@@_DeadEnd_ Yes, but the "ü" is quite different from the "u". Many English speakers seem to have problem with the pronounciation Umlauts. (or rather: Umlauten) Perhaps some of them confuse the dots with a Trema?
"Knock-over capability" - All cars should have this listed in the owner's manual.
There were times when I wished my car had an artificial horizon.
I’ve actually used this ability with my work truck when I realized it would take me two days with a shovel. I just hooked up the trailer and backed into the tree and rock wall it was imbedded in and rammed it a couple of times. Then pulled out the chains and pulled the bigger out. Crazy thing was the tree fell right into the trailer. I chopped off the root ball and made two quick runs to the dump. Done in 4 hours instead of 20! I now know what the knock down power of my vehicle is. Maybe I should add it to the owners manual. 😊
Welp Ford mustang's knock over capability should be at least 5 average height human adults
Borat was a guy who was very interested in whether a car could maim a particular ethnoreligious group.
lol
Ah yes, the inspector of the motorized combat troops - *Herr Kraftfahrkampftruppen und für Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän und Bezirksschornsteinfegermeister*
I know that guy
AKA Otto, the fat baldy man
Jingles: "let's call him Dave."
Ok, that’s gonna be my next wi-fi password
That´s right. And you will use my full title when reporting to me.
This user name is too short. Please select another.
I just finished the book of a French tanker that fought Pz II in Belgium in 1940 with his H35.
He says that during an assault the Germans used to fire blindly with their machine guns at distances over 1000m in order to cover their movement. He also says that the "20 mm autocannon" of the Pz II was often used with tracers for psychological effects.
RouGeZH what was the book?
Also commenting for the book name.
We need that name.
*Angry Cpt. Price voice*
A name! I want its name!
@@Atesz222 "Une vie de char" by Robert Le Bel (1984)
I saw an ad for World of Tanks, then a sponsorship for War Thunder in the same video. 2020 really is wild.
I like how they all say that they're free to play when they're pay to not get an aneurysm
They're free to play but then i'd really call you badass if you didn't spend a cent on either game while still maintaining a steady grind and sanity
Well, I'm only interested in WWII vehicles so theres little grind for me. I will own every WWII vehicle in the game before you get the Abrams.
@@rasdread0989 I dont pay for the game and I still play. It would take forever to get to tier 10 with all nations
@@calebr908 not if you play
Fascinating video. I had always assumed the PzKpfw II was a deliberate, doctrinal decision to have a light tank, like the M3 Stuart, or Soviet T 50/60/70. Almost this whole video was new material for me. Thank you.
No, IMHO it existed & performed those light tank functions so well it created that 'doctrinal' role for itself... also I think Thoma in or after Spanish Civil War was enthused at the idea of having about a 1 third light tank composition - I don't know but may have been some kind of advocate for that based upon some kind of experience there of mixing Pz Is with captured T-26s or something... interesting.
do you have any respurces on soviet nomenclature? I always wondered why soviet light tanks had such high numbers when medium tanks were named after the year of its introduction. and that doesn’t even cover the tanks not designated with T-[number]!
Germany needed this tank to guard its potatoes!!!
Not potatoes. Asparagus.
Neither potatoes nor asparagus! Barley and hops for their beer!
Ah yes,the "Reichskartoffelschützer"
Great at mashing them...
The Warthunder visuals help. I liked how when you talked about knocking over trees, then you showed the Pz II hitting trees of different sizes.
Military History Visualized when full circle. Before Bismark used to play War Thunder/Sim games and then he transitioned his channel to purely history. Now he got sponsored by War Thunder.
Original Quote 5:32
„46. Als Nachrichten- und Führungsmittel werden angewandt:
a) zu anderen Fahrzeugen:
das Funkgerät,
die Flaggen,
die Führungszeichen nach H. Dv. 472,
die Leuchtpistole,
die Taschenlampe;
b) innerhalb des Panzerkampfwagens:
Kommandos durch den Sprechschlauch,
Berührungszeichen.” (H.Dv. 470/5b: Die Ausbildung am Panzerkampfwagen II (2 cm), Sonderkraftfahrzeug 121 (Sd. Kfz. 121). Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, Buchdruckerei: Berlin, 1939, S. 32)
Original Quote 6:09
„67. Zum Anfahren ist vorheriges Anlassen und Durchwärmen des Motors erforderlich (im Sommer nach etwa 5, im Winter nach 10 Minuten).
Auf das Ankündigungskommando (z.B. Erscheinen des Flaggen- oder Handzeichens) kuppelt der Panzerfahrer aus und schaltet je nach der Fahrbahn auf Straßen und im ebenen Gelände den dritten, in schwierigem Gelände den ersten oder zweiten Gang ein.“ (H.Dv. 470/5b: Die Ausbildung am Panzerkampfwagen II (2 cm), Sonderkraftfahrzeug 121 (Sd. Kfz. 121). Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, Buchdruckerei: Berlin, 1939, S. 40)
Original Quote 6:35
„69. Geschwindigkeitsstufen sind: 10, 20 und 30 km/h. Der Panzerfahrer hat stets den größtmöglichen Gang zu wählen. Falls Gelände und Feindlage nichts anderes erfordern, wird grundsätzlich ohne besonderes Kommando mit 20 km/h gefahren. Andere Geschwindigkeiten müssen ausdrücklich befohlen werden, z.B.: ‚30 km!‘“ (H.Dv. 470/5b: Die Ausbildung am Panzerkampfwagen II (2 cm), Sonderkraftfahrzeug 121 (Sd. Kfz. 121). Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, Buchdruckerei: Berlin, 1939, S. 41)
Original Quote 7:15
„77. Das Maschinengewehr ist als Waffe mit großer Schußfolge, guter Treffleistung und moralischer Wirkung der Hauptträger des Feuerkampfes. Es wird eingesetzt gegen lebende Ziele, wie Schützen, M.G.-Nester, Panzerabwehrwaffen, Artillerie u.a. Besonders gegen Massenziele (Kolonnen, Reserven, auffahrende Geschütze) hat es große Wirkung.“ (H.Dv. 470/5b: Die Ausbildung am Panzerkampfwagen II (2 cm), Sonderkraftfahrzeug 121 (Sd. Kfz. 121). Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, Buchdruckerei: Berlin, 1939, S. 47)
Original Quote 7:45
„79. Die Kanone (2 cm Kw. K. 30) dient als Waffe mit hoher Durchschlagsleitung und Schußfolge in erster Linie zur Bekämpfung von Panzerzielen. Die Bekämpfung von feindlichen Panzerkampfwagen erfolgt in der Regel vom stehenden Wagen ab 600 m. Die Kanone dient außerdem zur Bekämpfung von Panzerabwehrwaffen auf Entfernung von über 500 m, wenn ein flankierendes M.G.-Feuer nicht möglich ist.“ (H.Dv. 470/5b: Die Ausbildung am Panzerkampfwagen II (2 cm), Sonderkraftfahrzeug 121 (Sd. Kfz. 121). Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, Buchdruckerei: Berlin, 1939, S. 49)
Original Quote 8:51
„Sie [2 cm Kw. K. 30] dient gleichzeitig, vom Zug- oder Gruppenführer angewandt, zur Zielanweisung für den Zug oder die Gruppe. Kurze Feuerstöße von 2 bis 3 Schuß bilden die Hauptfeuerart vom stehenden oder fahrenden Wagen. Befinden sich dicht neben den Schutzschilden von Panzerabwehrwaffen oder Batterien noch Ziele (z.B. Bedienungen oder Ansammlungen), so werden Kanone und M.G. zusammen angewandt.“ (H.Dv. 470/5b: Die Ausbildung am Panzerkampfwagen II (2 cm), Sonderkraftfahrzeug 121 (Sd. Kfz. 121). Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, Buchdruckerei: Berlin, 1939, S. 49)
Ah yes 5 days ago
Bruh lmao how
As we say in French: Gesundheit.
I dislike not seeing the original quote in the video. Your translations are not always perfect so beeing able to see the original right away improves the video. I can really not be bothered to navigate the comment section while simultaiously watching the video.
When you have an austrian discussing deutsch with with 2 germans, and the correct meaning is probably something only Herr von Goethe would really understand😂
Stopgap to the stopgap to victory: Panzer I
Listen dude, when i saw the notification that u posted a fresh one, it made my day. Thanks for all your hard work on these videos. I hope in the near future I'll be able to join ur patreon.
Using Warthunder to illustrate the kind of trees the Pz.II could deal with was a genuinely great little detail.
Adding War Thunder footage made this video so much more engaging to watch. I think you should do this kind of a thing much more often :-)
Capturing this kind of cinematic footage in War Thunder is difficult, I don't think this level of cinematic footage is sustainable. Although, simple gameplay footage might do just fine too. I suggest turning the UI off for recording of the footage (Alt + z, if I remember correctly).
I'm pretty sure they named it as an agricultural tractor to get around the treaty of versailles.
r/woooosh
The panzer two was an underrated tank and was really good for the time
Great video this is keeping me sane at the moment
Love the humor in the videos, I love the research & sourcing, but legit makes it so much more fun!
A most informative look at a very misunderstood vehicle. I must say, the War Thunder visuals helped in describing what you are reading immensely. Adding a very good visual element that is also very descriptive and illuminating.
Really love the scenes from the game in the video. Makes it so much more alive, especially given that the vids showcase exactly what's being discussed. Wish you'd use more of those!
People use to minimize and forget the Panzer II. Panzer II was a exceptional design in the early of war, when the thick armour had not appear yet and its auto cannon was a tremendous advantage in this stage of the war, when mostly the combats occured at less 500 m. The 20 mm KwK 30 at 30° angle could penetrate easily 24 mm at 500 m distance and up to 40 mm 100 m/90° with the PzGr 40, considering the woodpecker effect with auto cannon, it was fatal against any tank. In 1939/1940 the max. armour of the most tanks in this stage of the war was less than 20 mm like the 7TP (17 mm), TKS/TK3 (10 mm), Renault FT (8 - 22 mm), Lorraine 37L (12 mm), AMR 35 (14 mm), BT5 / BT7 (20 mm), T26 (15 mm), Mk VI (14 mm) and Cruiser Mk 1 (14 mm). The only exception are some french, who, unlike other countries, opted for the doctrine of heavier tanks like the Somua S35 (40 - 47 mm), Renault R35 (43 mm) and Char Bis (40 - 60 mm). Really have you ever asked yourselves why Germany was so victorious at the beginning of the war? Panzer II was one of reason.
The game footage lined up really nice. The platoon formation ingame was a really nice visualization.
Data packed. Provides continuity of concept. A good perspective of what and why. Thanks for posting.
Not even using your own gameplay for the sponsorship footage smdh XD
On a serious note, excellent video. I love the integration between WT and the information such as the formation footage.
I remember spawning in a tiger (P) on the abandoned factory map in War Thunder and right when the round started I said in team chat “I’m driving one funky looking tractor :3” and somebody replied with something around the lines of “Same here but she till the ground just fine.”
There actually were 35t's in the inventory in June of '41, operating w/army group north; not sure of the division. Granted they were few in number, but they were there.
The 6th armoured division used about 150 Pz. 35 (t) until they ran out of them and got refittet in 1942 with more modern tanks.
@1:40 They probably used the Panzer IIs as protection from the Wehr-wolves
Awoo mistoh farmer *nuzzles you* DEBORAGH GET THE 2CM TRAKTOR
@@memecat57 what language is that lol
@@callidusvulpes5556 Furry
@@memecat57 Not surprised lol.
I really like the video, always nice to hear something about the unexpectedly good workhorses of the war. Speaking of Your warthunder ad, well I fully respect that You need to get the money from somewhere and knowing how good source of info You are when it comes to ww2 stuff I can easily tell that Your comment on the game being "as historically accurate as possible" was just You following the script provided by them, I bet I am not suprising anyone though. Great video, always waiting for more.
> being "as historically accurate as possible" was just
you might want to listen again:
"War Thunder models in general aim to be visually as historically accurate as possible."
they keyword is visually ;)
@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized Oh yeah I caught this one really well, and I was originally quoting with the word as there are many errors in visual models but then I realized I would take away from the fact that overall their attention on being accurate dropped in every sector over time and they dont really seem to care as most players cant or wont question them at all. Big example of visual errors would be the cockpits in majority of planes and "german" p47. Also thanks for answer, cheers.
Regarding your figures for Panzers in the Field Army in June 1941, I think you have made an error.
You say that there were 180 Panzer I’s, and 0 Panzer 35(t)’s.
I think that it was the other way around.
0 Panzer I’s (no longer considered a front line tank, used only for rear area security duties) and 180 Panzer 35(t)’s (all of the latter in the 6th Panzer Division assigned to Army Group North).
(Note: I’m assuming that the Panzerbefehlswagen I (radio command vehicle with high superstructure, no turret and only 1 MG) on the Panzer I chassis) is not considered as a Panzer I tank. Because in WW2 all tanks had turrets, and anything without a turret was either a tankette, a self propelled gun or a tank destroyer.)
"farming must been a quite dangerous job..." man that joke hit so hard i laughed enough to wake my room mate
Die Differenzierung in "Gehölze" und "Bäume" kommt aus dem forstlichen Fachbereich. Der Begriff Baum ist selbsterklärend - das was aussieht wie ein Baum und eine Mindesthöhe übersteigt ist ein Baum. Der Begriff Gehölz umfasst alles was aussieht wie ein Baum aber niedriger ist und zum Stockausschlag neigt (also umgangssprachlich in engen Gruppen wächst). Haselnusssträucher zB. Diese Pflanzen müssen aber verholzt sein, also einen harten "Stamm" haben - ein Farn mit 5m Höhe wäre kein Gehölz, da er nicht verholzt ist.
20mm with light armour and high mobility sounds like the ideal thing for chewing through hordes of troops. Seems like the ideal support tank for a heavy.
I love the wehr farming at 1:42
Serbia Stronk, We Has Panzer II in Muzeeum!!!
Of course we do...
we was bad at English grammar,and sheetz 😐
Could you do a small follow up of this video about the ausf L version, as it was a Pz 2 but very different on its design?
Please
Also, thanks for this awesome videos
One of my favourite light tanks of the war
It was my favorite tank in World of Tanks. Frontal armor was good enough in its tier if you just angled your tank and used cover. It was pretty good firing on the move up close as well.
1:39 "I don't know but farming in the 1930's must have been quite a dangerous job." had me LOLing. .
Got to find ways to handle the tax man.
Remember, early in the war, the main opponent of the tank was the anti-tank gun. Tank vs. tank combat did not become the norm until well into the Eastern Front and the Gazala battles in North Africa. --Bob Bailey in Maine, USA
Wow you might be one of the few people to have actually played war thunder when getting a sponsorship.
Haha I spent my entire afternoon today drawing a Panzer II and when I get to RUclips, then there's a video of the tank! 😂
Seeing the footage now I think I got some features wrong, I have to fix it. But the one I'm drawing is the F. This one seems to be ausf. C?
It is a C or earlier, but with the added coupola and gun mantle armor applied in 1941. The original C had a tow piece hatch and fewer vision devices.
Love your videos
I laughed and laughed at the war thunder footage as you tried to knock down trees. Been there done that. You really notice the difference with the bigger tanks later on in the game.
Grantos Maximus that first time you knock your crew out 😂
Love this video. Big fan of the Panzer II. Built a C model not long ago.
A "stopgap" vehicle helps conquer France and is used heavily in the USSR invasion. I think I've figured out why German engineering is so widely admired.
That's... Not why.
"German engineering" is admired because decades of erroneous praise was given to massively overrated tanks while peddling the myth that the Allies were somehow behind Germany technologically.
The Panzer II wasn't a great tank, but it was _all Germany had_ for some units. The Italians used CV33 tankettes extensively during the war in Africa, Russia, and Italy, does that mean the CV33 was a testament to superior Italian engineering? No, because the CV33 was less than ideal, same case for the Pz II.
I love the Panzer 2. It looks so adorable!
Cute isn't just about being smol, it's about having good proportions. The tanks of Italy look like their parents were siblings.
7TP is my personal favourite
Pz II L is my favourite
I did see this tank featured in the video game titled "Company of Heroes 2" as Vehicle Unit for certain faction named "Oberkommado West"
1:34 As I know after the WW1 the Versailles treties did not allow Germany to design and make tanks or any arms (+ limited the number of the army and navy etc. - officially similar, just a few years delayed regulations was applied also on France who just ignored them). So the Germans simply called their tank designs "agricultural tractor" which looks better in statistics :-)
Rather rare? Shame, I was about to take a visit to the supermarket and buy one :(
I heard Tescos is having a 3 for 1 special on Shermans.
@@allsoover Oh god, please no Italian tanks...
@@allsoover those are on sale at the dollar general
🤣,lol,you really are nice at making jokes
Yeah, it has been hard finding any "farmers" that happen to own these exotic "Agricultural Tractor 100s".
Very good presentation! You can hear them from miles away, and their coming for you. Who wouldn't find that that intimidating?
1:35 Yes, indeed, also The Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany to have tanks (or an air force) so they had to get creative.
I would love to use a Panzer II to remove trees and shrubberies from my garden.
It is pity that no one makes Pz II (F) replicas. You cannot realistically get an original vehicle. And much cheaper replica when done in small scale production could bring you even more fun. Moreover that 20 mm cannon in compressed-air version will be a perfect and deadly weapon in paintball against infantry and vehicles alike.
This is really great. Thanks. I've played a little bit of War Thunder, now I know that they are a sponsor I will certainly play more!
people: remember only panther, tigers, king tigers.*
Panzer II: *sad noise intensifies*
They were known as the lynx, a much smaller cat. Fitting name though.
I think a lot of Europeans fall under the spell of "bigger is better", even now. That is not really the case when it comes to Warfare. It has more to do with who is more resourceful and I believe that Germans had the resourceful Edge until they introduced the Tigers and the Panthers. Both of those tanks, in reality, wasted resources when they could have upgraded and improved upon what they already had. World War II proved, if nothing else, that Warfare is about numbers and resourcefulness.
"no rivets." Trying out an entirely new method of production let alone mass production.
Inspekteur der Kraftfahrkampftruppen und fur Heeresmotoisierung, brilliant
Best tank of that very early group; The panzer I Ausf. F.
If only they had retrofitted it with 20mm auto-cannon to make it even better.
Excellent. I play too much War Thunder myself. I'd sure dig having you in my squad.
A pasty boy can dream.
I dont understand why the pz2's 20 mm wasnt issued eith high explosive ammunition? Youd think it would be standard for anti infantry purposes.
Is it true that Hitler ordered all Pz III's to be fitted with the 5cm KwK before Barbarossa, and that this order was ignored, neglected?
There was nothing wrong with the panzer 2 except the main gun needed to be a 75mm to reduce anti-tank gun positions. It would have worked better with the old obsolete short barreled version to fit with the machinery better. If they had developed a recoiless 76mm even better just wouldn't work so well on the panzer 2. The main reason for the panzer 2 was correct thinking until the enemy had so many t34 tanks which meant it needed a long barrel.
Designation as an agricultural vehicle... like in that old joke: "One of our peacefully ploughing tractors came under fire by enemy guerilla units. The tractor returned fire then flew back to the base."
"The speed of a panzer is a weapon all its own" - Guderian
To hear reports of how French forces would panic at the mere sight (or report of sight) of a panzer battalion anywhere but directly in front of their prepared positions, one would think these tanks could have been effective completely unarmed. The tank is a terror weapon, if you know how to sell it as such. Most German tanks in 1940 were still Pz.I and Pz.II. Building them was useful for industry prep and tactical exercises. Having them available, however underarmed/armored, was critical for psychological warfare. The Pz.II was a perfect tank for classical cavalry purposes - surprise, raiding, and sowing panic among collapsing lines. To me, it is THE cavalry tank of WWII. The British Cruisers and Soviet BTs could have matched their effectiveness, had they been used better. But the only light tank to come close to the Pz.II in actual effectiveness is the Type 95 Ha-Go, a relatively weak tank. But its usage in Malaya to consistently out-flank the British demonstrated its potential as a cavalry tank much as the Germans did in France in 1940 and Cyrenaica in 1941. These were tanks that required audacity from their commanders, but they demonstrated they were up to the task. It's not all about penetration and armor. Just be where you need to be, when you need to be, and be capable of instilling surprise and panic with your presence. The Pz.II was plenty up to that task.
BT's chopped up Ha-Go's pretty well in 1939.
If you were farming in Flanders during the '30s, then you would certainly wish you had a tank instead of a horse. Thousands of unexploded shells lay in the soil, waiting for an unsuspecting plough blade... "Iron harvest" 😬
Could you talk about last instance of using Pz. I & II in WW2 [insert puppy eyes]?
I don't know about farming in the 1930's, but large scale farm machinery in the early 1900's with treads contributed to the design concept of the tank.
I always had a soft spot for the panzer II. I always imagined it conducting reconnaissance, pulling off lightning attacks on soft skinned vehicles, then melting away like a wraith.
Actually a very effective tank in penetration in large numbers. The 2cm was effective against a many light armoured vehicles and early tanks with a good rate of fire. Undervalued
One of my Favorite Tanks ever.
Very good thanks. Just to note that 6 Panzer Division used some 160 Panzer 35t for Operation Barbarossa. So I'm not sure why you have no 35ts listed in the table. I suspect that the 35t is included in the 38t total.
yeah, I used Müller-Hillebrand as a source there and he got those numbers wrong, didn't knew it back then.
Im olaying HOI and have been using a panzer 2 right up to the late 40s lol. Incredible tank. A division full of these things has won 98% of all battles its been involved in. Wanted to see if it really was as much of a beast as it is in HOI4
Love to see you review all ww2 tanks this way with War Thunder!
The tank in that game looks incredibly realistic, almost thought I was looking at the real thing briefly.
5:58 WWII tanks and other vehicles in terms of capability and reliability were long haul from our experience with modern cars or similar equipment - this statement is particularly relevant to transportation equipment designed and built by the Soviet Union :)
Not really
@Bernhard, on minute 10:53 the Panzer Orbat table shows the number of Panzer 35 (t) available in June 1941as 0, but it is my understanding that some were made available for the 6th Panzer Division.
Should be addressed in the pinned comment. Pz 1 and 35(t) are reversed.
@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized thank you for the clarification.
The german "clump of small trees" or what English speakers might call a "thicket" limits is nice to know. The invasion of France was done through heavy woods. Knowing what size brush you could drive through was useful making trails in trackless woods..
did they use panzers in the invasion of the Netherlands or did they know immediately that metal doesn't float?
would love a video on the invasion of the Netherlands from the German perspective!
A sinle Panzer-Division went into the Netherlands, the 9th, operated mainly in the South. Bulk of invasion was infantry supported by a massive airborne landing and some SS units.
Mg34 was still used because the barrel was replaced by the gun being turned 90 degrees. The tanks were made to accommodate that. So they kept using the mg34 so they would not need to change the way they made the tank.
Yeah, Gehölz is still a fairly common term for small groves or woods in Germany, so it probably meant how capable the vehicle is of pushing through a group of such trees.
The dates of the conflicting designations 1935/36, for the PzII MG or 2cm, etc. coincides with K-date and G-date Lugers. With letters replacing a numerical manufacturing date. This was deliberately done as the German's were trying to confuse international inspectors they were not breaking any arms treaties.
A suggestion for the second channel: The Germans quite often used other/cover names for their tanks - Did this tactic work out and covered up the use of these vehicles or did other nations nonetheless know about german tank projects?
from what I remember when I did my How Germany Cheated Versailles video, they pretty much didn't care and to a certain degree had no major objections - at least at a certain point. Also already in 1932 (so before Hitler came to power) there was an important agreement that allowed a partial rearmament of Germany.
ruclips.net/video/OSXrFgG2JLk/видео.html
Also I did a video on my second channel on "what the Allies knew": ruclips.net/video/NPP9sm9sGeQ/видео.html
I don't think the tank names etc. came up, but it was about 1-2 years
@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized Huh, thank you for your personal answer.
It surprises me on the casualness of all those conifer trees getting knocked down by the Panzers. I thought Germans had a reverence for trees and would take evasive measures to minimize the destruction of the trees.
Maybe the reason the Panzer s were called tractors was because Germany already had a fleet of 30-35,000 commercial tractors in Germany by 1935 , so sifting through gov files to find a few hundred panzer tractors would be a legal nightmare. Then theirs the "Semi Tractors ["Sd.Kfz." ...a couple hundred by 1935]......
Clearly I'm using my L6 Italian tanks wrong. Instead of using the MG as the main weapon, I've been using the 20mm. Thanks for the proper German doctrine! ;-) AVANTI!!!
I think the constant re-working of the Panzer II merits mention and may account for their rarity. Many were converted to Wespe (SPG) and Marder (AT), etc.
type vehicles.
I play Bolt Action and have been experimenting with a list consisting only of Panzer IIs specifically the Luchs variant
Realism be damned, the autocannons are fantastic at causing a mess of the enemy
The Panzers where given names like LaS because of the secrety for reamarment! The Allies should not have know that they where actualy tanks, because the closest thing to a tank these days was a tractor. By disguising them as such, they where able to build the Panzerarmy without getting into conflict with ze treaty of V.
There is one here in France in Saumur's "musée des blindés"! Along side the only working Tiger II!
If you are charging through the Ardennes in a surprise offense, the Panzer Zwei is your rig of choice (at least in 1940). Certainly not a Tiger II (in any year).
Blitzkrieg was carried out by light tanks. The famous big cats were few, unreliable and were used mostly in defense.
6:39
The 20 and 30 kph footage was filmed in such a way that the Panzers look as if they are moving with at least twice the speed indicated.
They named it "Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper 100" to disguise it as a farm tractor in order to cheat the rules of the Versailles Treaty
When you call a reservoir a tractor lest everyone figures out it's a landship.
My favourite tier 2 tank in World of Tanks, whose else's?
Such irony in the 1950ies was discovered that there are large tungsten occurences iun Austria. And those had been discovered in 1927.....