Armour in Canada (5-3) Ontario: Canadian War Museum, Captured German Equipment (1939-1945)

Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles, Ontario, Ottawa,

Canadian War Museum, Captured German Equipment (1939-1945)

The data and photos found on this page has been compiled by the author, unless otherwise credited.  Any additions, corrections or amendments to the lists of Armoured Fighting Vehicles in Canada found on these pages would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.

(Author Photo)

German Panzer II Light Tank, Call Sign 112, 19, G, armed with a 2-cm KwK 38 L/55 auto-cannon and one 7.92-mm MG 34 machinegun mounted coaxially with the main gun.  The Panzerkampfwagen II (abbreviated PzKpfw II) was the most numerous tank in the German Panzer divisions at the beginning of the war.

The Panzer II had a crew of three men. The driver sat in the forward left hull with the gearbox on the right. The commander sat in a seat in the turret, and was responsible for aiming and firing the cannon and co-axial machine gun, while a loader/radio operator sat on the floor of the tank behind the driver. He had a radio on the left and several 20mm ammunition storage bins.

Germany developed the Panzer II in 1935 as an interim tank when it became apparent that the larger Panzer III tanks would not be available until 1938. The Panzer II was the tank that the Germans used to develop their theories on the use of armoured forces. Prototypes were sent to Spain to gain experience in action during the Spanish civil war. More than 1,000 Panzer II tanks were available for the invasion of Poland in 1939. By the time of the campaign in France in1940, it was obviously under-gunned and under-armoured, but remained an ideal reconnaissance tank. The 20-mm gun had a maximum range of 600 m (650 yd) and fired only armour-piercing ammunition that had indifferent performance. The tank was not well armoured, although the armour thickness was increased in later models. Still, despite its shortcomings, it was the backbone of the German panzer divisions in the first part of the Second World War, and approximately 860 were still in use in 1942.There were six main versions, generally increasing armour thickness and improving the gun. The Panzer II was also converted into self-propelled guns, command tanks, and flamethrowers. CWM 19590012-003.

(Vack Photo)

German PzKpfw II Aufs. C, with a 150-mm Sturmpanzer IV Brummbar behind it, Eastern Front, Feb 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3405774)

PIAT anti-tank gunners of The Regina Rifle Regiment who knocked out a German PzKpfW V Panther tank thirty yards from Battalion Headquarters, Bretteville-l'Orgeuilleuse, France, 8 June 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209158)

6 Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, the T17E1 Staghound is with the 12th Manitoba Dragoons, 18th Armoured Car Regiment, on the road to Vimoutiers, France. The crew and motorcycle rider are passing a destroyed German Tiger II [Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B], 22 August 1944. The Tiger II is number 132 1./s.Pz.Abt 503, destroyed by its own crew. A Bergepanther stands in front of the Tiger II, located in la Fauvetiere before Vimoutiers.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3401771)

German PzKpfW V Panther tank, being examined by Infantrymen of the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade, Authie, France, 9 July 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3226005)

German PzKpfW V Panther tank, being examined by Infantrymen of the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade, Authie, France, 9 July 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3226004)

German Panzerkampfwagen V Panther tank, being examined by Infantrymen of the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade, Authie, France, 9 July 1944.

(Author Photos)

German Panzerkampfwagen V (PzKpfw V) Panther Ausf A Main Battle Tank.  

The PzKpfw V Panther on display in the Canadian War Museum was acquired by Canadians in Northwest Europe sometime before 15 Nov 1944, and shipped to Canada from the UK on the SS Manchester Shipper, some time between 8 January and 29 March 1945.  The Panther took part in the Victory-in-Europe ( V-E) Day parade in Ottawa on 8 May 1945.   It was later sent to Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario, where it remained for 60 years.  DND’s Directorate of History and Heritage transferred the tank to the Canadian War Museum in 2005 where, after a two-year, 4,000-hour, restoration project, it was placed on public display in January 2008.  Another Panther V was shipped to Canada by Captain Mowat.  It was sent to Camp Petawawa, Ontario where it was destroyed on the range.  Parts of this tank's tracks were used in the restoration of the model in the CWM.

Germany developed the Panzer V in 1942 to cope with the T-34 tank, which had been a very unpleasant surprise for the Germans when they invaded The Soviet Union. Some German officers suggested that the T-34 be copied directly, but this was not acceptable for prestige reasons. The rushed development caused many problems, especially with the engine (which was over-stressed and tended to catch fire) and with the complicated suspension system. Forced into action at Hitler’s insistence at the battle of Kursk, the tank was a complete failure. Most of the Panthers broke down on the way to the battle. Later models corrected the faults, and it soon became very popular with its crews. More than 5,000 Panthers were eventually manufactured. With its sloped armour and the excellent 75-mm long-barrelled gun, it was superior to the T-34 and, arguably, a better tank than the Panzer VI Tiger. From the front (the thickest armour), the Panther could knock out the Allies’ Sherman tanks at more than 2,000 metres. The standard Sherman tank could not penetrate the Panther’s frontal armour at any range. CWM 20030358-017.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3329654)

Citizens of Conventello, Italy, salvaging from rubble; burnt out German Panther tank in background, 22 Jan 1945.

(US Army Photo)

German Jagdpanzer IV/70 tank destroyers, Germany, 25 March 1945.

(Author Photos)

German Jagdpanzer IV/70 Assault Gun, armed with 7.5-cm main gun.  This is an early 1945 production AFV.  It was captured by the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division near Wilhelmshaven in May 1945.  The Jagdpanzer IV, Sd.Kfz. 162, is a tank destroyer based on the Panzer IV chassis and was built in three main variants.  It is a casemate-style turretless Jagdpanzer (tank destroyer, literally "hunting tank") design.  

The Jagdpanzer IV served in the anti-tank sections of Panzer and SS Panzer divisions.  They fought against Western Allied forces in Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, and Soviet tanks and troops on the Eastern Front.  They were very successful tank destroyers due to their low overall profile, accurate gun and good armour protection, but performed poorly when used out of role as substitutes for tanks or assault guns to support infantry.  This was increasingly necessary in the later stages of the war from late 1944 to 1945, because there was often nothing else available to the badly-depleted German armoured units.

The Jagdpanzer IV was an improved and modified version of the Stug III assault gun. Design began in December 1942, with specifications calling for 100-mm frontal armour, the 75mm Pak42 L/70 gun, with the vehicle to be based on the PzKpfw IV chassis. Problems forced several variants to be developed. The heavy long-barrelled gun and thick frontal armour made the nose extremely heavy and caused mobility problems. This was partially fixed by fitting steel-rimmed wheels at the first two road wheels in IV/70(V) and on the first four road wheels in IV/70(A) instead of rubber ones that could not handle the weight. Another problem was the length of the gun, which vibrated and even got stuck in the ground while moving through rough terrain. This was fixed by installing a travel lock. The Jagdpanzer IV with its low profile, good mobility and firepower was popular with its crews. For the Allies, it was a difficult target and a dangerous opponent. Its main gun, a variant of the gun on the Panther tank, was able to destroy all Allied tanks except the Soviet JS-122 (JS-2)heavy tank at long ranges. Its main problem was that the lack of a turret forced the vehicle to face its target, requiring close cooperation between driver and gunner. The Jagdpanzer IV was a great defensive weapon, but was produced too late and in too small quantity (about 1,530 vehicles) to have a great impact on the war. CWM 19700171-001.

(World War Photos)

German Sturmgeschütz 40 Ausf G Assault Guns, ca 1944.

German Sturmgeschütz 40 Ausf G Assault Gun.  This AFV was brought to Canada by Captain Farley Mowat and his Intelligence Collection Team in 1945.  It was later placed on an artillery range where it served as a range target until it was recovered for the Canadian War Museum,

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3231598)

Privates M. Voske and H. Browne of the Calgary Highlanders examining a captured German radio-controlled Goliath tracked mine, Goes, Netherlands, 30 October 1944.  

German Goliath Tracked Mine. Goliath was a remotely controlled demolition vehicle. It was transported to the front line on a two-wheeled trailer. After being unloaded from the trailer, it was controlled to its target through the three-core cable, about 600 metres (2,000 ft) long, which unwound from the rear and was connected to the operator's control panel. The firing circuit ran through the two outer wires in the three-core cable. Throwing a switch on the control panel set off the explosives. The Goliath was expendable and was destroyed when its demolition charge was set off. Goliath's hull is divided into three compartments. The explosive charge is carried in the front compartment; the engine (in the gasoline driven version) and control gear are in the centre, and the drum carrying the coiled cable is in the rear compartment. Hinged steel covers give access to the cable compartment and the engine space. The vehicle is driven by front sprockets. There are four bogie wheels, mounted on lever arms with simple coil springing, and a rear idler. A small jockey wheel is mounted between the driving sprocket and the first bogie wheel on each side. There were two major variants: one with a gasoline engine and one with an electric motor. In the electrically driven type, the motors that drove each track were controlled individually. In the gasoline-driven model, the operator controlled the magnetic clutches that controlled the tracks. There was no provision for reversing the vehicle. The CWM Goliath has a gasoline engine.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No.  3204123)

Personnel at a 1st Canadian Army Headquarter's captured vehicle park, examining a Goliath remote control vehicle developed by Borgward for the German Army. Apeldoorn, Netherlands, 12 June 1945.  

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396197)

Soldiers of the South Saskatchewan Regiment in captured German Schwimmwagen amphibious car of the Wehrmacht, Rocquancourt, France, 11 August 1944.

(Author Photo)

VW Type 166 Schwimmwagen (Floating/Swimming Car) amphibious four-wheeled drive off-roader vehicle, used extensively by German ground forces during the Second World War.  The Type 166 is the most numerous mass-produced amphibious car in history.

The Schwimmwagen was an amphibious version of the Standard Volkswagen Type 82 Kubelwagen. It had a bath-shaped pressed steel body with a three-bladed propeller at the rear. It was designed for the Eastern Front, but also appeared in North-west Europe. On land, the vehicle was driven normally, but in the water the gears were placed in neutral, the propeller arm was lowered, a sprocket engaged the crankshaft end and drove a chain that turned the propeller. A total of 14,267 Schwimmwagen were produced. CWM 19500003-001.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3203485)

Private John Wojnowitch, standing beside a VW Type 166 Schwimmwagen (Floating/Swimming Car) amphibious four-wheeld drive off-roader vehicle, and other captured German equipment in NW Europe, June 1945.

(Author Photo)

German Mercedes-Benz 770 (W150), Staff Car.  The Mercedes-Benz 770, also known as the Großer Mercedes ("Grand Mercedes"), was a large luxury car built from 1930 to 1943.  It is probably best known from its use by high-ranking Nazi officials before and during the Second World War.

The Mercedes-Benz 770 (W150) on display in the CWM one of seven cars used by Hitler.  It was heavily modified with extensive armour plating, including 2.5-inch glass all round, and 1.6-inch steel armour plate in all metalwork surrounding the main passenger compartment, plus an additional raiseable plate between the driver and rear passenger compartment.  It weighs 4,100 kgs.  Further modifications allowed for the secure storage of three machine pistols.  The car's body also had additional vents to the side and on top of the hood.  There are twin hinges on the side doors, and four further air vents in the main scuttle.  In preparation of the fall of Berchtesgaden in April 1945, RSD and SS troops had loaded this car on a railway flat-car, where it was found in Laufen in May 1945 by a troops of the US Army 20th Armored Division.  Although it was found in damaged condition, a liberated Dutch forced-labour mechanic managed to get the car working.  He told the American troops that it had been Hermann Goering's state car.  It was repainted in US Army green with a star applied either side, and then served as the ranking officer's staff car during the post-war occupation period of Germany.  The car was shipped to American in late 1945, where it then toured the country as part of a continued effort to raise war bonds.  It was displayed as Goering's personal car.  Placed in storage, in October 1956 it was entered in a US Army surplus auction at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and sold to a Montreal-based businessman for $2,750.  It was then shipped for restoration to Rumble Motors in Toronto.  A research book was established to restore the car as Goering would have had it during the war, for a cost of Can$5,000, apart from leaving the bullet-damaged glass in place.  In 1970 as part of a tax settlement, the car was gifted to the Canadian War Museum, again displayed there as Goering's car.  In 1980, museum researcher Ludwig Kosha, born in Germany, began detailed research on the car, with assistance from Mercedes-Benz, the West German embassy to Canada and the West German foreign service.  Along with chassis, engine, paint and modification records, and the discovery of part of its original number plate 1AV148697, it was confirmed as one of Hitler's cars, delivered to the Reich Chancellery, Berlin on 8 July 1940.

(Deutsches Bundesarchiv Photo, Bild_101I-022-2925-17)

Raupenschlepper-Ost (Tracked-Tractor-East)

The Raupenschlepper-Ost (Tracked-Tractor-East) was an attempt to produce a vehicle that could cope with the Russian winter. It was fully tracked and had tank-like torsion bar suspension and tracks. The high ground clearance let it cope with mud and swamps. Special 600-mm wide tracks could be fitted for operation in snow or slush, but conventional narrow 340-mm wide tracks were normally fitted. The vehicle was rated for a 1.5 ton payload, and was frequently used to tow anti-tank guns and light artillery. Almost 28,000 were produced. In 1945, it was used in small numbers in North-west Europe. CWM.

(Author Photo)

German Panzer IA light tank.  This one was held by the Canadian War Museum, but was traded to Jacques Littlefield in California for six pieces of armour that were significant to Canada.  The Panzer I is very rare, but was not very relevant to Canada as it was obsolete by the time the majority of the Canadian Army came into contact with the German Wehrmacht.  The CWM acquired a Staghound Armoured Car, a type used by Canada, a Churchill tank, a type used by Canada, a Lee M3 tank, a type used by Canada, a Stuart M5A1 tank, a type used by Canada, and a Grizzly M4A1 tank, made in Canada.  A Ram ARV (hulk) was to be part of the deal but there was a problem and another vehicle was provided.  (Colin MacGregor Stevens)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3231053)

Lance-Corporal J.A. Thrasher (later Sergeant) of the Westminster Regiment (Motor), 5th Canadian Armoured Brigade, holding his Portable Infantry Anti-tank (PIAT) weapon with which he disabled this German Nashorn (Rhinoceros), near Pontecorvo, Italy, 26 May 1944.  The Nashorn, initially known as the Hornisse (Hornet) was a Panzerjager (tank hunter) armed with an 88-mm Pak 43 anti-tank gun.  Although it was lightly armoured, the Nashorn’s anti-tank rounds could penetrate an Allied tank at long range.

Sergeant James Alton Thrasher of The Westminster Regiment (Motor) was the son of James B. Thrasher, and Margaret Edith (née Hill) Thrasher, of Fort William, Ontario.  His civilian trade was bridge building and diesel engineering. He enlisted at Vancouver on 21 January 1943 and served in Canada with the Westminster Regiment (Motor), R.C.I.C. until he was shipped overseas to the United Kingdom where he trained from 27 August 1943 to 14 November 1943.  He fought in Italy from 15 November 1943 until his death on 11 Dec 1944.  He is buried at the Ravenna Cemetery, Italy.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3391742)

Another view of the German Nashorn (Rhinoceros) Panzerjager (tank hunter) knocked out by LCpl James Thrasher of the Westminster Regiment, 5th Canadian Armoured Brigade with his PIAT, at Pontecorvo, Italy, 26 May 1946.

(Author Photo)

German Kettenkrad tracked motorcycle.

(Author Photo)

German Zundapp KS 750 Motorcycle with sidecar.