Did Germany Use Amphibious Tanks

When people think of D-Day, one of the more unusual sights that comes to mind is the Allies’ use of floating tanks. These Duplex Drive, or DD tanks, famously took part in the Normandy landings, sometimes with success, other times with disastrous results. But the Allies weren’t the only ones experimenting with tanks that could swim. Across the battlefield, Germany was also testing its own amphibious machines.

Known as the Schwimmpanzer, these odd-looking vehicles relied on pontoons to keep them afloat. But the question is, did they actually work? We’ll delve into Germany’s efforts to develop amphibious tanks during the Second World War.

During WWII, Germany also used floating tanks, the Schwimmpanzer. This Third Reich design was much different from the Allied version.

The German development of this swimming tank came to light with the inevitable need to invade Britain. It was always a headache for the Germans to they can get their weaponry across the channel quickly and in mass since Germany hadn’t developed landing craft yet like the Allies.

This is essentially a subversive tank that would drive along the sea floor, and this would call for the lightest tanks, given that buoyancy would be the main issue. Starting with the Panzer II, the idea was to utilize a massive one-piece pontoon that had a large space in the middle for the tank. The pontoon had two arms on either side, which allowed it to be raised into the air when on land. The Panzer could then reverse into place, and the pontoon lowered around it.

Once in the water, propellers fixed to the back of the Pontoon were connected through the Panza’s engine, starting up the tank and allowing the propellers to move through the water and towards land. Once back on land, the pontoon would be raised on its arms again, allowing the tank to drive out and into combat.

For the 38T, the design was slightly different, with one single large pontoon; it would have several smaller flotation pieces. Two large pieces fixed on either side, a smaller float fixed to the rear, and a large one fixed to the front.

This is much more like a boat. The floats were fixed to the tank via steel poles to ensure the tank would stay afloat. Moreover, the 38T, like the Panza II, was sealed as much as possible to keep the water from seeping in.

Testing for both versions was quite successful, as both were able to move through the water and float easily. For the Panza II version, extra armor was added to the tank.

However, the downfall of these strange tanks was the decision to call off the invasion of Britain. With no need to cross the channel, most, if not all, of these tanks were sent to the Eastern Front. Reports suggest that a number were deployed for River Crossings, but for the most part, this was either done by the  way of barges or across engineer-built bridges. Still, it’s interesting to think about how these tanks might have performed if called upon to invade Britain, and another example of a lesser-known vehicle of WWII.