Originally posted by Greyhound
pzvh:
Thanks, "merkabot" sounds interesting. A little bit like "merkavah", is this coincidence or is there a link between ancient Egyptian and Hebrew languages?
Actually, the Hebrew language is in the Semitic language group. while the Egyptian is in the Indo-European, which means there is no link.
I see... actually what I'm asking is really what the Germans would call "Panther"? I mean, "Panther" is English language, right? Surely the Germans have another name for it? dunno, just asking...
Actually, it's Panther and Tiger in German also.
Okay, let's do a quick run-through of all the German WWII tanks, just so everyone has a little background here...
Panzerkampfwagen I ausf a, b, c and f. (PzKpwf I, or just Panzer 1):
A very light tank, one of the first early Nazi models first made in 1933. Armed with only 2 7.92mm machine guns in the turret, all models were practically worthless as main battle tanks, and had little impact on the battlefield. Mainly saw action in Spain and Poland. Not the tank represented in Civ 3.
Panzerkampfwagen II ausf b, c, d, e, f, g, h, j and l. (PzKpwf II, or just Panzer 2): First produced in 1934, this tank was a slight improvement over the PzKpfw I tank, but not by much. It possessed a 20mm gun, and was slightly better armored, but still had neither the armor nor the gun calibre to take on larger allied tanks, such as the French Char B1 or the British Matilda II. Mainly used in Spain, Poland, and France, after those campaigns it was used only for reconaissance.
Panzerkampfwagen III ausf b, c, d, e, g, h, j, m and n. (PzKpwf III, or just Panzer 3): Germany's first 'real' main battle tank of World War II, it was moderately armored for the time, had a low-velocity 37mm gun, and a very long lifespan. First made in 1937, it fought in nearly every conflict of the war in one form or another. In 1941 the new g and h upgrades updated the gun from 37 to a slightly higher velocity 50mm gun. The j model had an even higher velocity 50mm gun, and further models were equipped with a low velocity 75mm gun for infantry support. This is most likely what the 'Panzer' unit in Civ 3 is trying to portray.
Panzerkampfwagen IV ausf b, c, d, e, f2s, g, h and j. (PzKpwf IV, or just Panzer 4): Released in 1937 along with the PzKpfw III tank, it was armed with moderate armor and a low-velocity 75mm gun for infantry support uses. Somewhat useful in tank VS tank bouts, beginning with the f2s model in 1942 it was upgraded with a higher velocity 75mm gun, making it Germany's first true fearsome MBT. However, it was quickly overshadowed by the Tiger tank, which came later that year, and the Panther tank, which came the year after that. Could be the Civ 3 Panzer unit, but the PzKpfw III looks more similar.
Panzerkampfwagen V ausf d, a and g (Panzer 5, or Panther): Work on this tank started early, but transitioning to a insanely high velocity 75mm gun led to production problems with the turret, and it wasn't until mid 1944 that a somewhat defective d model was released. Even so, it become the best tank on the battlefield, and further models improved upon an already superb tank. Not the tank represented in Civ 3, but it was very heavily armored (especially in the front), had a gun that could penetrate any allied tank easily (IS II/III aside, perhaps), had a very high top speed (for a German tank at the time), and was produced in the greatest numbers later in the war.
Panzerkampfwagen VI (Panzer 6, or Tiger): A very very very heavily armored German tank, with a powerful 88mm gun, the Tiger was released in December 1942 in very limited numbers. It became the most feared German tank, with its armor that could take numerous allied shots (a record of taking around 120 (!) shots and still being able to operate on the eastern front) and remain unscathed, whilst its 88mm gun decimated allied tanks. While somewhat slow, blitzkreig was done for the most part, and tank VS tank slugouts after 1942 were common, in which Tigers excelled. Their only weakness was their limited numbers, and vulnerability to allied aircraft.
Panzerkampfwagen VII (Tiger II, or King Tiger): The Tiger II was an improved 1944 Tiger tank, with even thicker armor, and an even more impressive 88mm gun. It easily outclassed any allied tank. However, there were only a limited number of these tanks produced, so their effectiveness wasn't as great as the original Tiger or Panther tanks.
Phew, that was rough.
There's plenty of other tanks to go over, but I'll leave it at that.
Hopefully I didn't deviate too much from the thread's path, but seeing all these arguments over the tanks, I just had to settle the issue.
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