Reconnaissance tank Leopard somewhere in a bombed-out German town at the very end of the war. Background: internet (public domain), plastic model: Thomas Hartwig (www.panzer-modell.de), composite: Panzernet

The acronym VK stood for the German word Vollketten, meaning fully tracked. It was a designation the Germans used for tracked armoured vehicles – typically tanks – that were still in the development phase. The numerical code 16.02 represented the approximate planned weight in tonnes (16) and the project's sequential number within that weight class (02 – the second project in this category). The VK 16.02, however, became far better known under the more striking name Leopard.

Origins of the Project

Work on developing this modern, fast reconnaissance tank most likely began as early as mid-1941, at MAN. The vehicle only took on a concrete form in November of that year, however, after MAN received the Army's contract to develop another vehicle – the legendary medium tank Panther. The MAN engineers then decided to link the two projects and share common design elements. The first drawings of the Leopard were thus prepared at the end of November 1941. The Ordnance Office (Waffenamt) was satisfied with the proposal and work was allowed to continue. In January 1942, however, Waffenamt representatives began to worry that continued development of the Leopard at MAN would drain capacity needed for the development of the Panther. Since the Panther development was then the highest priority for the German Army, the Waffenamt decided to transfer the entire Leopard project from MAN to MIAG in Braunschweig. The fighting turret and its armament were to be prepared by Daimler-Benz.

The Heavier Variant

MIAG (Mühlenbau und Industrie AG) was therefore to take over MAN's initial design and carry its development through to series production. MIAG developed the original proposal into two variants: a lighter, faster one with weaker armour, and a heavier one with stronger protection but correspondingly lower speed. Both variants were to be armed with a 50 mm gun. In June 1942 both variants were presented to Hitler. The Führer came down firmly in favour of the more heavily armoured version. In his view, the tank's resistance to enemy fire was more important than its speed. In Hitler's vision, the Leopard was to be not only a reconnaissance vehicle but a combat tank as well – indeed, from July 1942 the project was officially designated Gefechtsaufklärer Leopard, literally "combat reconnaissance vehicle Leopard."

American soldiers walk through a German village past an abandoned Leopard tank. Background: internet (public domain), plastic model: Thomas Hartwig (www.panzer-modell.de), composite: Panzernet

The heavier variant as required by Hitler was to have 80 mm of front armour, 60 mm on the sides, and 50 mm at the rear of the hull. For the period in question, these were truly exceptional figures. Germany's then-primary battle tank, the Panzer IV, only received such strong frontal armour in its latest Ausf. G version, and armour of comparable thickness on the sides or rear remained a distant aspiration. Such a level of protection came at a price, however. The heavier Leopard variant was calculated to weigh a full 26 tonnes – 10 tonnes more than originally planned and nearly 2.5 tonnes more than the Panzer IV Ausf. G. For a reconnaissance tank, this was a great deal. Hitler, however, saw no problem with it.

The Lighter Variant

By the end of July 1942 the technical documentation was complete, and in September 1942 the series production plan was approved. The first production Leopard tanks were to roll off the line in April 1943. In September 1942, however, Armaments Minister Speer informed Hitler that all the combat units consulted had given a clear and unanimous preference for speed over armour protection in a reconnaissance vehicle. The soldiers simply had different priorities from the Führer. Speer further argued that in its heavy variant the Leopard would actually match the Panther in armour and speed, yet fall well short of it in firepower. Under those circumstances it would make more sense simply to increase Panther production and use those tanks as heavily armed reconnaissance vehicles instead of the Leopard. Hitler accepted the argument and reversed his decision in favour of the lighter variant.

MIAG therefore went back to work and prepared detailed documentation for the lighter version – though it quickly became clear that even this lighter variant would be no lightweight. The expected weight calculation settled at 21.9 tonnes. The front hull armour was to be 50 mm thick, the sides and rear 30 mm. The running gear was to consist of five road wheels on each side, of the same design as those on the Panther but of larger diameter (the Panther's road wheels were 860 mm in diameter; the Leopard's were to be 960 mm). The wheel arrangement and suspension were also identical to the Panther's. The front drive sprockets and rear idler wheels were likewise taken from the Panther, as were the 660 mm wide tracks. In its overall design the new tank's chassis and hull simply looked like a scaled-down Panther – except that the front section of the crew compartment was narrower, widening out to the sides only from around the level of the second road wheel.

Reconnaissance tank Leopard on patrol in the streets of an unidentified German town near the end of the war. Background: internet (public domain), plastic model: Thomas Hartwig (www.panzer-modell.de), composite: Panzernet

The use of wide tracks ensured very good weight distribution and low ground pressure. The short road-wheel section of the chassis also provided an excellent ratio of track contact length to vehicle width (approximately 1:1), which in practice meant superb manoeuvrability. The selected powerplant was a liquid-cooled petrol twelve-cylinder Maybach HL 157 P, producing 550 hp at 3,600 rpm. The gearbox was a Maybach OG 55 11 77. Maximum speed was to be 60 km/h, with a typical cruising speed of around 45 km/h on roads and 30 km/h cross-country. The expected range was approximately 500 km on roads and 300 km off-road.

The fighting turret resembled that of the heavy armoured car Puma in its general design, but was purpose-built for the reconnaissance tank. Compared to the Puma turret it was somewhat larger, had thicker armour and slightly more steeply angled walls. The turret front was 50 mm thick, the sides and rear 30 mm, and the roof 16 mm. The main armament was the KwK 39/1 L/60 gun of 50 mm calibre. An MG 42 machine gun was installed immediately to the right of the gun. Both weapons were protected in the front wall by a heavy cast mantlet. Standard Leopards were to be fitted with a Fu 5 radio set, while command vehicles would additionally carry a Fu 8.

The reconnaissance tank's crew was to consist of four men: a driver, a commander, a gunner, and a loader. Some sources suggest the loader was also to serve as radio operator, though this is quite possibly inaccurate. That the crew was split two in the hull and two in the turret is supported by several pieces of evidence: two access hatches in the compartment roof ahead of the turret, an observation port in the right side wall of the hull, and the turret's own dimensions, which would certainly not have accommodated three men. If the loader really was also the radio operator, what role would the second man in the hull alongside the driver have served? The more plausible arrangement is that the driver and radio operator sat side by side in the hull, while the loader and gunner – who also served as vehicle commander – occupied the turret.

End of the Project

Whatever the intended crew arrangement, it never came to matter. In January 1943 Hitler ordered the Leopard project cancelled, on the grounds that in his view the level of armour protection and armament did not meet the requirements of the coming years – even for a purely reconnaissance vehicle.

ARTICLE
CONTENTS:

ORIGINS OF THE PROJECT

THE HEAVIER VARIANT

THE LIGHTER VARIANT

END OF THE PROJECT