Protos Panzerauto

German Empire/United States of Mexico (1913-1914) Armored Car – 2 Built Before World War 1, armored vehicles had not yet come into fashion. Still early in their development, they could not yet prove their technical and tactical capabilities, but this did not prevent individuals and companies from building new vehicles. One of the companies that …

Gruson Fahrbare Panzerlafette / Fahrpanzer

German Empire (1880-1918) Mobile Artillery – 444 Built Introduction The Fahrpanzer served as a mobile artillery piece that was used in German border fortifications after its introduction into the German army in 1890. Prior to the First World War, the Fahrpanzer was sold to a plethora of countries. For that time, it was a very …

Leichter Kampfwagen II (LKII)

German Empire (1918) Light Tank – At Least 24 Built The German delays in developing their own tanks were due to a report following the examination of a knocked out Mk.II tank in 1917. The British Mk.II tank had been built as a training vehicle with a soft-metal armor plate. Nevertheless, instructions were given for …

Mannschaftstransportwagen Mannesmann-MULAG

German Empire (1916) Armored Personnel Carrier – 1 Built The Gepanzerte Mannschaftstransportwagen (Eng: Armored Troop carrier) was, as the name suggests, an armored personnel carrier, built by the company Mannesmann-MULAG in 1916 on their own initiative with the German Army in mind as a potential buyer. Not much is known about this vehicle, but it …

Sturmpanzerwagen A7V 506 ‘Mephisto’

This article was written by Queensland Museum, in partnership with Craig Moore. This Australian museum holds ‘Mephisto’, the only surviving A7V in the world. The Rarest Tank in the World: 506 ‘Mephisto’ A mere twenty German A7V Sturmpanzerwagen tanks were built during the First World War, in three production runs of 5, 5, and 10 …

Büssing A5P

German Empire (1915-1919) Armored Car – 1 Built The Büssing A5P is one of few armored vehicles built by the German Empire during the First World War. Its symmetrical design and great dimensions make it stand out from other designs of the time. With the order given to the company Büssing to design an armored …

Sturmpanzerwagen A7V

German Empire (1917) Heavy Tank – 20 Built High command scepticism In 1916, both the British and the French introduced tanks on the battlefield and gradually improved their performances and design through frontline experience. But still, even by 1917, the German high command still considered they could be defeated by using special rifle bullets and …

Flakpanzer A7V

German Empire (1917-1918) Anti-aircraft SPG – 3 Built The rise of a Flakpanzer In WW1, the Germans used the A7V chassis as a starting point to develop several other variations. Although most would be used for the A7V Überlandwagen rough terrain tracked supply vehicle, others were used to create unique vehicles, such as a trench digging …