German Panzer Tanks, Tiger Tanks, Panther Tanks, WW2 Tanks, Guns and Firearm t shirts.

This t-shirt features the Russian assault rifle the AK-47. The phrase is from the movie "Heartbreak Ridge" where Clint Eastwood, Gunnery Sgt. Highway, ran ahead of his men and ambushed them with the

. After firing he said: "This is the AK-47, the preferred weapon of your enemy. It makes a distinct sound when fired." So I made a funny t-shirt from this inspiration. I really like the detail on the AK-47 and with white on black it has the stark contrast that looks cool.

Here is another color variation on the Jagdpanther t shirt in red and military green. This design sells well on black with just a white Jagdpanther design. My panzer tank t shirt designs are becoming more diverse on color and panzer models. Panzer tank t shirts are my biggest category in my ebay store: Achtung T Shirt and shop.achtungtshirt.com. Here is some info on the Jagdpanther. A heavy tank destroyer design based on the 88 mm Pak 43 gun and the Panther tank chassis was ordered in late 1942 as design SdKfz 173. Production started in early 1944; at the same time Hitler specified the Jagdpanther ("hunting panther") name. To accommodate the larger calibre gun, much as on previous Jagdpanzer style unturreted tank destroyers, the sides of the Panther tank were extended up into an integral, turret less fixed casement as part of the main hull itself to provide a roomy interior, while maintaining a very low profile. Both the Panther Ausf. G and  Jagdpanther had side armor of increased elevation to enhance this effect even further and to harmonize production. It was armed with an anti-tank version of the same long-barreled 88 mm gun as the Tiger II and a 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun in the front glacis plate for local defence. The Jagdpanther had a good power-to-weight ratio and a powerful main gun, which enabled it to destroy any type of Allied tank. The Jagdpanther's low profile[citation needed] meant that it was easily camouflaged. Because it was based on the existing Panther chassis, the vehicle did not suffer too many mechanical problems. It was manned by a crew of 5, a driver, radio-operator, commander, gunner, and a loader. Two variants can be distinguished, one with a welded steel band around the main gun mantle and the other with a bolted-on band. The versions with the bolted-on ring were equipped with Pak 43/4 gun. Early Jagdpanthers had a mono bloc gun barrel and two vision openings for the driver, whereas late versions had only one. Front of Zimmerit-coated Jagdpanther, Imperial War Museum. Roughly 392 Jagdpanthers were produced in 1944 and 1945. They equipped heavy anti-tank battalions and served mainly on the Eastern Front, although significant numbers were concentrated in the West for the Ardennes Offensive. They were first encountered in the west in very small numbers later in the Battle of Normandy, where the German 654th Heavy Anti-tank Battalion (schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung) deployed about 12 Jagdpanthers against British tank units. Same Jagdpanther  from above 3 surviving Jagdpanthers have been restored to running condition. The German museums in Munster Deutsches Panzermuseum and Koblenz (WTS—Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung) have one running Jagdpanther each. The SDKFZ Foundation in the UK has restored one Jagdpanther to running condition, using two wrecked Jagdpanthers to complete one tank destroyer.

Jagdpanther on Achtung T Shirt Blog

I designed this

with the idea of how a lot of Dungeons and Dragon games get started. The phrase "got dungeon" must have been said when a group of RPG's wanted to get a game together and started rolling up characters for a night of adventure. I haven't played D&D in years and would love to find a game. With all the computer mmorpg's to play just no time. I am currently involved in World of Warcraft (casual) and my older son is in a hardcore raiding guild. I started with Everquest and was consumed for years. These t shirts are perfect for expressing your passion for the old "pencil and paper" role playing. some info about D&D: Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD)[1] is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). The game is currently published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro. It was derived from miniature wargames with a variation of the Chainmail game serving as the initial rule system.[2] D&D's publication is widely regarded as the beginning of modern role-playing games and, by extension, the entire role-playing game industry.[3] Players of D&D create characters that embark upon imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting. A Dungeon Master (abbreviated as DM, also known as a Game Master or GM) serves as the game's referee and storyteller, while also maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur. During each game session, the players listen to descriptions of their character's surroundings, as well as additional information and potential choices from the DM, then describe their actions in response. The characters form a party that interacts with the setting's inhabitants (and each other). Together they solve dilemmas, engage in battles and gather treasure and knowledge.[3] In the process the characters earn experience points to become increasingly powerful over a series of sessions. D&D departs from traditional wargaming and assigns each player a specific character to play instead of a military formation. Miniature figures or markers, placed on a grid, are sometimes used to represent these characters. The early success of Dungeons & Dragons led to a proliferation of similar game systems, such as Tunnels and Trolls,[4] Traveller and RuneQuest.[5] Despite this competition, D&D dominates the role-playing game industry, enjoying a nearly unassailable market position.[6] In 1977, the game was split into two versions: the simpler Dungeons & Dragons and the more complex Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as AD&D or ADnD).[1][7] AD&D 2nd Edition was published in 1989. In 2000, the simpler version of the game was discontinued and the complex version was renamed simply Dungeons & Dragons with the release of its 3rd edition.[8] Dungeons & Dragons version 3.5 was released in June 2003, with a 4th edition in June 2008.[9] As of 2006, Dungeons & Dragons remains the best-known[10] and best-selling[11] role-playing game, with an estimated 20 million people having played the game and more than US$1 billion in book and equipment sales.[12] Dungeons & Dragons is known beyond the game for other D&D-branded products, references in popular culture and some of the controversies that have surrounded it, particularly a moral panic in the 1980s falsely linking it to Satanism and suicide. Dungeons & Dragons is a structured yet open-ended role-playing game. It is normally played indoors with the participants seated around a table-top. Typically, each player controls only a single character, which represents an individual in a fictional setting.[14][15] As a group, these player characters (PCs) are often described as a ‘party’ of adventurers, with each member often having his or her own areas of specialty.[16] During the course of play, each player directs the actions of his or her character and its interactions with the other characters in the game.[17][18] A game often continues over a series of meetings to complete a single adventure, and longer into a series of related gaming adventures, called a ‘campaign’.[19] The results of the party's choices and the overall storyline for the game are determined by the Dungeon Master (DM) according to the rules of the game and the DM's interpretation of those rules.[20] The DM selects and describes the various non-player characters (NPCs) the party encounters, the settings in which these interactions occur, and the outcomes of those encounters based on the players' choices and actions.[21][18] Encounters often take the form of battles with 'monsters'—a generic term used in D&D to describe potentially hostile beings such as animals or mythical creatures. The game's extensive rules—which cover diverse subjects such as social interactions,[22] magic use,[23] combat,[24] and the effect of the environment on PCs[25]—help the DM to make these decisions. The Dungeon Master may choose to deviate from the published rules[20] or make up new ones as he or she feels necessary.[26] Release 3.5 of the three core rulebooks The most recent versions of the game's rules are detailed in three core rulebooks: The Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Monster Manual. A Basic Game boxed set contains abbreviated rules to help beginners learn the game.[27] The only items required to play the game are the rulebooks, a character sheet for each player and a number of polyhedral dice. The current editions also assume, but do not require, the use of miniature figures or markers on a gridded surface, items that were optional in earlier editions.[28] Many optional accessories are available to enhance the game, such as expansion rulebooks, pre-designed adventures and various campaign settings.[29] Game mechanics Main article: Dungeons & Dragons game mechanics Main article: Character class (Dungeons & Dragons) D&D uses polyhedral dice to resolve random events. From left, d4, d6, d8, d12, d20 and two d10, the last of which are used together as a d100, d%, or percentile die. Before the game begins, each player creates his or her player character and records the details (described below) on a character sheet. First, a player determines his or her character's ability scores,[30] which consist of Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each edition of the game has offered differing methods of determining these statistics; as of 4th Edition, players generally assign their ability scores from a list or use points to "buy" them.[31] The player then chooses a race (species) such as Human or Elf, a character class (occupation) such as Fighter or Wizard, an alignment (a moral and ethical outlook which may have a Good or Evil component, a Lawful or Chaotic component, or something in between), and a number of powers, skills and feats to enhance the character's basic abilities.[32] Additional background history, not covered by specific rules, is often also used to further develop the character.[33] During the game, players describe their PC's intended actions, such as punching an opponent or picking a lock, and converse with the DM in character—who then describes the result or response.[34] Trivial actions, such as picking up a letter or opening an unlocked door, are usually automatically successful. The outcomes of more complex or risky actions are determined by rolling dice.[18] Factors contributing to the outcome include the character's ability scores, skills and the difficulty of the task.[35] In circumstances where a character does not have control of an event, such as when a trap or magical effect is triggered or a spell is cast, a saving throw can be used to determine whether the resulting damage is reduced or avoided.[36][37] In this case the odds of success are influenced by the character's class, levels and (with the 3rd edition) ability scores.[36][38] As the game is played, each PC grows and changes over time as they gain experience. Characters gain (or sometimes lose) experience, skills[39] and wealth, and may even change alignment[40] or add additional character classes.[41] The key way characters progress is by earning experience points (XP/EXP), which happens when they defeat an enemy or accomplish a difficult task.[42] Acquiring enough XP allows a PC to advance a level, which grants the character improved class features, abilities and skills.[43] XP can also be lost in some circumstances, such as encounters with creatures that drain life energy, or by use of certain magical powers that require payment of an XP cost.[44] Hit points (HP) are a measure of a character's vitality and health and are determined by the class, level and constitution of each character. They can be temporarily lost when a character sustains wounds in combat or otherwise comes to harm, and loss of HP is the most common way for a character to die in the game.[45] Death can also result from the loss of key ability scores[46] or character levels.[47] When a PC dies, it is often possible for the dead character to be resurrected through magic, although some penalties may be imposed as a result. If resurrection is not possible or not desired, the player may instead create a new PC to resume playing the game.[48] Adventures, campaigns and modules Main article: Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons) A typical Dungeons & Dragons game consists of an 'adventure', which is roughly equivalent to a single story.[49] The DM can either design an adventure on his or her own, or follow one of the many additional pre-made adventures (previously known as "modules") that have been published throughout the history of Dungeons & Dragons. Published adventures typically include a background story, illustrations, maps and goals for PCs to achieve. Some also include location descriptions and handouts. Although a small adventure entitled 'Temple of the Frog' was included in the Blackmoor rules supplement in 1975, the first stand-alone D&D module published by TSR was 1978’s Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, written by Gygax. A linked series of adventures is commonly referred to as a 'campaign'.[50] The locations where these adventures occur, such as a city, country, planet or an entire fictional universe, are also sometimes called 'campaigns' but are more correctly referred to as 'worlds' or 'campaign settings'.[51] D&D settings are based in various fantasy subgenres and feature varying levels of magic and technology.[52] Popular commercially published campaign settings for Dungeons & Dragons include Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Mystara, Spelljammer, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Planescape, Birthright and Eberron.[53] Alternatively, DMs may develop their own fictional worlds to use as campaign settings. Several Dungeons & Dragons miniature figures Miniature figures The wargames from which Dungeons & Dragons evolved used miniature figures to represent combatants. D&D initially continued the use of miniatures in a fashion similar to its direct precursors. The original D&D set of 1974 required the use of the Chainmail miniatures game for combat resolution.[54] By the publication of the 1977 game editions, combat was mostly resolved verbally. Thus miniatures were no longer required for game play, although some players continued to use them as a visual reference.[55] In the 1970s, numerous companies began to sell miniature figures specifically for Dungeons & Dragons and similar games. Licensed miniature manufacturers who produced official figures include Grenadier Miniatures (1980–1983),[56] Citadel Miniatures (1984–1986),[57] Ral Partha,[58] and TSR itself.[59] Most of these miniatures used the 25 mm scale, with the exception of Ral Partha’s 15 mm scale miniatures for the 1st edition Battlesystem.[60][61] Periodically, Dungeons & Dragons has returned to its wargaming roots with supplementary rules systems for miniatures-based wargaming. Supplements such as Battlesystem (1985 & 1989) and a new edition of Chainmail (2001)[62] provided rule systems to handle battles between armies by using miniatures. Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition (2000) assumes the use of miniatures to represent combat situations in play, an aspect of the game that was further emphasized in the v3.5 revision. The Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game (2003) is sold as sets of plastic, randomly assorted, pre-painted miniatures, and can be used as either part of a standard Dungeons & Dragons game or as a stand-alone collectible miniatures game.[63] Game history Sources and influences Main article: Sources and influences on the development of Dungeons & Dragons The immediate predecessor of Dungeons & Dragons was a set of medieval miniature rules written by Jeff Perren. These were expanded by Gary Gygax, whose additions included a fantasy supplement, before the game was published as Chainmail. Dave Arneson used Chainmail to run games where players controlled a single character instead of an army, an innovation that inspired D&D.[2] Developed with Arneson's help from his modified version of Chainmail for his Blackmoor campaign,[64] Gygax wrote "The Fantasy Game", the role-playing game (RPG) that became Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).[1][65] Many Dungeons & Dragons elements also appear in hobbies of the mid- to late twentieth century (though these elements also existed previously). Character-based role playing, for example, can be seen in improvisational theatre.[66] Game-world simulations were well-developed in wargaming. Fantasy milieus specifically designed for gaming could be seen in Glorantha’s board games among others.[5] Ultimately, however, Dungeons & Dragons represents a unique blending of these elements. The theme of D&D was influenced by mythology, pulp fiction, and contemporary fantasy authors of the 1960s and 1970s. The presence of halflings, elves, dwarves, half-elves, orcs, dragons, and the like, often draw comparisons to the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. Gygax maintained that he was influenced very little by The Lord of the Rings (although the owners of that work’s copyright forced the name changes of hobbit to 'halfling', ent to 'treant', and balrog to 'Type VI demon [balor]'), stating that he included these elements as a marketing move to draw on the popularity of the work.[67][68] The magic system, in which wizards memorize spells that are used up once cast (and must be re-memorized the next day), was heavily influenced by the Dying Earth stories and novels of Jack Vance.[69] The original alignment system (which grouped all players and creatures into ‘Law’, ‘Neutrality’ and ‘Chaos’) was derived from the novel Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson.[70] A troll described in this work also influenced the D&D definition of that monster.[68] Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, A. Merritt, H. P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, L. Sprague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt, Roger Zelazny, and Michael Moorcock.[71] Monsters, spells, and magic items used in the game have been inspired by hundreds of individual works ranging from A. E. van Vogt’s “Black Destroyer”, Coeurl (the Displacer Beast), Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” (vorpal sword) to the Book of Genesis (the clerical spell ‘Blade Barrier’ was inspired by the “flaming sword which turned every way” at the gates of Eden).[70] Edition history Main article: Editions of Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons & Dragons has gone through several revisions. Parallel versions and inconsistent naming practices can make it difficult to distinguish between the different editions. The original Dungeons & Dragons set. The original Dungeons and Dragons, now referred to as OD&D was a small box set of three booklets published in 1974. It was amateurish in production and written from a perspective that assumed the reader was familiar with wargaming. Nevertheless it exploded in popularity, first among wargamers and then expanding to a more general audience of college and high school students. This first set went through many printings and was supplemented with several official additions, such as the original Greyhawk and Blackmoor supplements (both 1975)[72], as well as magazine articles in TSR’s official publications and countless fanzines. Two-pronged strategy In 1977, TSR created the first element of a two-pronged strategy that would divide the D&D game for over two decades. A Basic Dungeons & Dragons boxed set was introduced[65] to clean up the presentation of the essential rules, make the system understandable to the general public, and placed in a package that could be stocked in toy stores. In 1978 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) was published,[65] which brought together the various published rules, options and corrections, then expanded them into a definitive, unified game for hobbyist gamers. The basic set directed players who exhausted the possibilities of that game to switch to the advanced rules. Unfortunately, almost from its inception, differences of design philosophy caused this dual marketing approach to go awry. Gygax, who wrote the advanced game, wanted an expansive game with rulings on any conceivable situation which might come up during play. J. Eric Holmes, the editor of the basic game, preferred a lighter tone with more room for personal improvisation. As a result, the basic game included many rules and concepts which contradicted comparable ones in the advanced game. Confusing matters further, the original D&D boxed set remained in publication until 1979, since it remained a healthy seller for TSR.[5] Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was designed to create a tighter, more structured game system than the loose framework of the original game.[7] While seen by many as a revision of D&D,[8] AD&D was at time declared to be "neither an expansion nor a revision of the old game, it is a new game".[7] The AD&D game was not intended to be directly compatible with D&D and it required some conversion to play between the rule sets.[73] The term Advanced described the more complex rules and did not imply "for higher-level gaming abilities". Between 1977 and 1979, three hardcover rulebooks, commonly referred to as the 'core rulebooks', were released: the Player’s Handbook (PHB), the Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG), and the Monster Manual (MM). Several supplementary books were published throughout the 1980s, notably Unearthed Arcana (1985) that included a large number of new rules.[65] Revised editions In 1981 Basic Dungeons & Dragons was revised by Tom Moldvay. However, the rules for the Dungeons & Dragons game continued to diverge and it became a separate and distinct product from TSR’s flagship game, AD&D. This game was promoted as a continuation of the original D&D tone, whereas AD&D was an advancement of the mechanics.[7] Although simpler overall than the 'Advanced' game, it included rules for some situations not covered in AD&D. There were five sets: Basic (1977, revised in 1981 and again in 1983), Expert (1981, revised in 1983), Companion (1983), Master (1985), and Immortals (1986, revised in 1991). Each set covered game play for more powerful characters than the previous.[74] The first four sets were later compiled as a single hardcover book, the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991). First edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, sometimes referred to as AD&D2 or 2nd Ed, was published in 1989,[65] again as three core rulebooks; the primary designer was David "Zeb" Cook. The Monster Manual was replaced by the Monstrous Compendium, a loose-leaf binder that was replaced by the hardcover Monstrous Manual in 1993. In 1995, the core rulebooks were slightly revised, although still referred to by TSR as the 2nd Edition,[75] and a series of Player’s Option manuals were released as optional core rulebooks.[65] The release of AD&D2 deliberately excluded some aspects of the game that had attracted negative publicity. References to demons and devils, sexually suggestive artwork, and playable, evil-aligned character types—such as assassins and half-orcs—were removed.[76] The edition moved away from a theme of 1960's and 1970's "sword and sorcery" fantasy fiction to a mixture of medieval history and mythology.[77] The rules underwent minor changes, including the addition of non-weapon proficiencies—skill-like abilities that originally appeared in 1st Edition supplements. The game's magic spells were divided into schools and spheres.[1] A major difference was the promotion of various game settings beyond that of traditional fantasy. This included blending fantasy with other genres, such as horror (Ravenloft), science fiction (Spelljammer), and apocalyptic (Dark Sun), as well as alternative historical and non-European mythological settings.[78] Wizards of the Coast In 1997, a near-bankrupt TSR was purchased by Wizards of the Coast. Following three years of development, Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition was released in 2000.[79] This game is referred to as D&D3 or 3E and is not to be confused with the 1983 edition of the basic D&D game. The new release folded the Basic and Advanced lines back into a single unified game. It was the largest revision of the D&D rules to date, and also served as the basis for a multi-genre role-playing system designed around 20-sided dice, called the d20 System.[80] The 3rd Edition rules were designed to be internally consistent and less restrictive than previous editions of the game, allowing players more flexibility to create the characters they wanted to play.[81] Skills and feats were introduced into the core rules to encourage further customization of characters.[82] The new rules also standardized the mechanics of action resolution and combat.[83] In 2003, Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5, also known as Revised 3rd Edition or D&D3.5, was released as a revision of the 3rd Edition rules. This release incorporated hundreds of rule changes, mostly minor, and expanded the core rulebooks.[83] Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition was announced at Gen Con in August 2007, and the initial three core books were released June 6, 2008.[9] 4th Edition brought many fundamental rules changes, including restructuring many character abilities into 'Powers'. This especially altered the spell-using classes by adding abilities that could be used at will or per encounter as well as per day, while in previous versions they were limited to a certain number of spells per day. It provided parallel sets of options for nonmagical classes that had previously had very limited options. In other respects, 4th Edition streamlined the game into a much more simplified form. In addition to printing the books, Wizards of the Coast is also releasing other supplements virtually through the Wizards website,[84][85] including the capability for online play via a virtual 3-D tabletop.[86] Acclaim and influence Beginning with a French language edition in 1982, Dungeons & Dragons has been translated into many languages besides the original English.[65][1] By 2004, more than US$1 billion has been spent on Dungeons & Dragons products, and the game has been played by more than 20 million people.[12] As many as 6 million people played the game in 2007.[86] The various editions of Dungeons & Dragons have won many Origins Awards, including All Time Best Roleplaying Rules of 1977, Best Roleplaying Rules of 1989 and Best Roleplaying Game of 2000 for the three flagship editions of the game.[87] Both Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons are Origins Hall of Fame Games inductees as they were deemed sufficiently distinct to merit separate inclusion on different occasions.[88] The independent Games magazine placed Dungeons & Dragons on their Games 100 list from 1980 through 1983, then entered the game into the magazine’s Hall of Fame in 1984.[89][90] Dungeons & Dragons was the first modern role-playing game and it established many of the conventions that have dominated the genre.[91] Particularly notable are the use of dice as a game mechanic, character record sheets, use of numerical attributes and gamemaster-centered group dynamics.[92] Within months of Dungeons & Dragons’s release, new role-playing game writers and publishers began releasing their own role-playing games, with most of these being in the fantasy genre. Some of the earliest other role-playing games inspired by D&D include Tunnels and Trolls (1975),[4] Empire of the Petal Throne (1975) and Chivalry and Sorcery (1976).[93] The role-playing movement initiated by D&D would lead to release of the science fiction game Traveller (1977) and fantasy game RuneQuest (1978), and subsequent game systems such as Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu (1981), Champions (1982), GURPS (1986)[94] and Vampire: The Masquerade (1992).[95][5] Dungeons & Dragons and the games it influenced also fed back into the genre’s origin—miniatures wargames—with combat strategy games like Warhammer Fantasy Battles.[96] D&D also had a large impact on modern video games.[97] Director Jon Favreau credits Dungeons & Dragons with giving him "...a really strong background in imagination, storytelling, understanding how to create tone and a sense of balance." [98] Licensing Further information: Variant Dungeons & Dragons games? Early in the game’s history, TSR took no action against small publishers' production of D&D compatible material. This attitude changed in the mid 1980s when TSR revoked these rights (even from publishers they had earlier officially licensed, such as Judges Guild),[99] and took legal action to prevent others from publishing compatible material. This angered many fans and led to resentment by the other gaming companies.[5] TSR itself also ran afoul of intellectual property law in several cases.[100][101] With the launch of Dungeons & Dragons’s 3rd Edition, Wizards of the Coast made the d20 System available under the Open Game License (OGL) and d20 Trademark License. Under these licenses, authors are free to use the d20 System when writing games and game supplements.[102] The OGL and d20 Trademark License also made possible new games, some based on licensed products like Star Wars, and also new versions of older games, such as Call of Cthulhu. During the 2000s, there has been a trend towards recreating older editions of D&D. Necromancer Games, with its slogan "Third Edition Rules, First Edition Feel"[103] and Goodman Games Dungeon Crawl Classics range[104] are both examples of this in material for d20 System. Other companies have created complete game systems based on earlier editions of D&D. An example is HackMaster (2001) by Kenzer and Company, a licensed, non-OGL, semi-satirical follow-on to 1st and 2nd Edition.[105] Castles & Crusades (2005), by Troll Lord Games, is a reimagining of early editions by streamlining rules from OGL[106] that was supported by Gary Gygax prior to his death.[107] With the release of the fourth edition, Wizards of the Coast has introduced its Game System License, which represents a significant restriction compared with the very open policies embodied by the OGL. In part as a response to this, some publishers (such as Paizo Publishing with its Pathfinder RPG) who previously produced materials in support of the D&D product line, have made the decision to continue supporting the 3rd Edition rules, thereby competing directly with Wizards of the Coast.[108][109] Controversy and notoriety Main article: Dungeons & Dragons controversies At various times in its history, Dungeons & Dragons has received negative publicity, in particular from some Christian groups, for alleged promotion of such practices as devil worship, witchcraft, suicide, and murder, and for naked breasts in drawings of female humanoids in the original AD&D manuals (mainly monsters such as Harpies, Succubi, etc.).[13][110] These controversies led TSR to remove many potentially controversial references and artwork when releasing the 2nd Edition of AD&D.[76] Many of these references, including the use of the names ‘devils’ and ‘demons’, were reintroduced in the 3rd edition.[111] The moral panic over the game also led to problems for fans of D&D who faced further social ostracism, unfair treatment and false association with the occult and Satanism, regardless of an individual fan’s actual religious affiliation and beliefs.[112] Dungeons & Dragons has also been the subject of rumors regarding players having difficulty separating fantasy and reality, even leading to psychotic episodes.[113] The most notable of these was the saga of James Dallas Egbert III,[114] which was fictionalized in the novel Mazes and Monsters and later made into a TV movie.[115][110] The game was also blamed for some of the actions of Chris Pritchard, who was convicted in 1990 of murdering his stepfather. Research by various psychologists,[116] the first being that of Armando Simon, have concluded that no harmful effects are related to the playing of D&D.[117] The game’s commercial success was a factor that led to lawsuits regarding distribution of royalties between original creators Gygax and Arneson.[118][119] Gygax later became embroiled in a political struggle for control of TSR which culminated in a court battle and Gygax’s decision to sell his ownership interest in the company in 1985.[120] Related products Main article: Dungeons & Dragons related products An elaborate example of a D&D game in progress. Among the gaming aids shown are dice, a variety of miniatures and some miniature scenery. D&D’s commercial success has led to many other related products, including Dragon Magazine, Dungeon Magazine, an animated television series, a film series, an official role-playing soundtrack and computer games such as the MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach. Hobby and toy stores sell dice, miniatures, adventures and other game aids related to D&D and its game offspring. References in popular culture Main article: Dungeons & Dragons in popular culture As the popularity of D&D grew throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, the game was referenced more and more in popular culture. Numerous games, films and cultural references based on D&D or D&D-like fantasies, characters or adventures have been ubiquitous since the end of the 1970s. Typically, though by no means exclusively, D&D players are portrayed derogatively as the epitome of geekdom.[121] References to the game are used as shorthand to establish characterization or provide the punch line of a joke.[122][123] Many players, irritated with this stereotype,[124] embrace the fact that professional basketball player Tim Duncan, comedian Stephen Colbert, musician Moby, and actors Vin Diesel, Matthew Lillard, Mike Myers, Patton Oswalt, Wil Wheaton and Robin Williams have made their D&D hobbies public

My Panther tank t shirt design has been a steady seller. When I had finished it and looked at it I said: "This is a great looking t shirt and will be a big seller". So far it has been. Of course the

sells best, then military green and red. The Panther was a tank fielded by Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer IV and III, though it served along with them and the heavy tanks until the end of the war. The Panther's excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations' late war and immediate post-war tank designs and it is frequently regarded (along with the Soviet T-34 Tank) as the best tank design of World War II.[1] Until 1944 it was designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther and had the Ordnance inventory designation of Sd.Kfz. 171. On 27 February 1944, Hitler ordered that the Roman numeral V be deleted from the tank's designation.

My Panther tank t shirt design has been a steady seller. When I had finished it and looked at it I said: "This is a great looking t shirt and will be a big seller". So far it has been. Of course the

sells best, then military green and red. The Panther was a tank fielded by Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer IV and III, though it served along with them and the heavy tanks until the end of the war. The Panther's excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations' late war and immediate post-war tank designs and it is frequently regarded (along with the Soviet T-34 Tank) as the best tank design of World War II.[1] Until 1944 it was designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther and had the Ordnance inventory designation of Sd.Kfz. 171. On 27 February 1944, Hitler ordered that the Roman numeral V be deleted from the tank's designation. he Panther was a direct response to the Soviet T-34. First encountered on 23 June 1941,[citation needed] the T-34 outclassed the existing Panzer IV and Panzer III. At the insistence of General Heinz Guderian a team was dispatched to the Eastern Front to assess the T-34. Among the features of the Soviet tank considered most significant were the sloping armor, which gave much improved shot deflection and also increased the effective armor thickness against penetration, the wide track, which improved mobility over soft ground, and the 76.2 mm gun, which had good armour penetration and fired an effective high-explosive round. Daimler-Benz (DB) and Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG (MAN) were given the task of designing a new thirty to thirty-five-ton tank, designated VK3002, by April 1942 (apparently in time to be shown to Hitler for his birthday). The two proposals were delivered in April 1942. The Daimler-Benz (DB) design was a direct homage to the T-34. It resembled the T-34 hull and turret form. Daimler-Benz offered both leaf spring suspension and torsion-bar suspension variants, whereas the T-34 originally used coil springs. The Daimler-Benz's turret was smaller than the turret of the MAN design. Unlike the T-34, both variants had a three-man turret crew: commander, gunner, and loader. But as the planned gun was much longer and heavier than the T-34's, mounting it in the Daimler-Benz turret was difficult. Plans to reduce the turret crew to two men to stem this problem were eventually dropped. The MAN design embodied more conventional German thinking: it was higher and wider with a substantial turret placed centrally on the hull, a petrol engine and torsion-bar suspension. The MAN design was accepted in May, 1942 in spite of Hitler's preference for the DB design. One of the principal reasons for this was that the MAN design used an existing turret designed by Rheinmetall-Borsig while the DB design would have required a brand new turret to be designed and produced, substantially delaying the commencement of production.[citation needed] The MAN design also had better fording ability, easier gun servicing and higher mobility due to better suspension, wider tracks and a bigger fuel tank. A mild steel prototype was produced by September 1942 and, after testing at Kummersdorf, was officially accepted. It was put into immediate production. The start of production was delayed, however, mainly because there were too few specialized machine tools needed for the machining of the hull. Finished tanks were produced in December and suffered from reliability problems as a result of this haste. The demand for this tank was so high that the manufacturing was soon expanded beyond MAN to include Daimler-Benz, Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen-Hannover (MNH) and Henschel & Sohn in Kassel. The initial production target was 250 tanks per month at MAN. This was increased to 600 per month in January 1943. Despite determined efforts this figure was never reached due to disruption by Allied bombing, manufacturing bottlenecks, and other difficulties. Production in 1943 averaged 148 per month. In 1944, it averaged 315 a month (3,777 having been built that year), peaking with 380 in July and ending around the end of March 1945, with at least 6,000 built in total. Strength peaked on 1 September 1944 at 2,304 tanks, but that same month a record number of 692 tanks were reported lost ( If the over-hanging gun and sloping armor are ignored, the Panther was a conventional German design. The weight of the production model had increased to 43 tonnes from the planned 35. The Panther was the first Axis tank design where modern features were more prominent than early World War II-era ones.[citation needed] Once the problems caused by the vulnerability of the engine and the transmission were solved, it proved to be a very effective fighting vehicle. Engine The Panther was powered by a 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)/3000 rpm, 23.1 litre Maybach HL 230 P30 V-12 petrol engine that drove two front drive sprockets via the gearbox and steering unit. The engine was generally considered reliable, and had a fatigue life of up to 2000 kilometers. Maybach HL230 engines were fitted with a governor in late 1943 that limited the engine revolutions to 2500 rpm and power to 600 PS (592 hp, 441 kW). The installation of the governor also reduced the tank's top speed from 55 km/h to 46 km/h. Suspension The suspension consisted of front drive sprockets, rear idlers and eight double-interleaved rubber-rimmed steel bogie wheels on each side, suspended on a dual torsion bar suspension. The Panther's suspension was costly and time-consuming to manufacture and the interleaved system made replacing inner bogies time consuming. However, it provided excellent flotation and stability and contributed to the Panther's generally excellent tactical mobility. Shortage of rubber[citation needed] brought in the very limited use of all-steel flat disc wheels with resilient steel tires. Steering Tank control was accomplished through a seven-speed AK 7-200 synchromesh gearbox, designed by ZF, and a MAN single radius steering system, operated by steering levers. The steering system allowed a single, fixed radius of turn at each gear. The higher the gear, the bigger was the turning radius. If the radius was bigger than desired, the steering brakes could be used to tighten the turn. The weakest parts in the tank were, throughout its career, the final drive units. The main reason was that the units could not be manufactured using hollow spur gears, due to the shortage of suitable gear-cutting machinery in Germany during the war. The final drives were in fact so weak that their fatigue life was sometimes as low as 150 km. The US M4 Sherman tank, in contrast, had a double helical gear arrangement on its final drive which placed no limits on maximum speed. Crew The crew was made up of five members: driver, radio operator (who also fired the bow machine gun), gunner, loader, and commander. Armor The armor consisted of a thick homogeneous steel glacis (i.e. frontal hull) plate sloped back at 55 degrees from the vertical, welded but also interlocked for strength. The combination of thick 80 mm armor with a high degree of slope made the Panther's glacis armor extremely effective: very few Allied or Soviet weapons could penetrate it. The front of the turret was covered by a 100 mm thick cast mantlet, made in the shape of a transverse half-cylinder. The transverse-cylindrical shape of the mantlet meant that it was more likely to deflect shells, but it was discovered that the lower section of the transverse-cylindrical mantlet created a shot-trap: if a non-penetrating hit bounced downwards off the mantlet's lower section, it could penetrate the thin forward hull roof armor, and plunge down into the front crew compartment. Penetrations of this nature could have had catastrophic results since the front crew compartment housed the driver and radio operator sitting along both sides of the massive gearbox and steering unit combination, topped with the radio equipment. From September 1944, a slightly redesigned mantlet with a much thicker "chin" design was fitted to the Panther G, the chin being intended to prevent such deflections. The main weakness of the Panther tank was its much thinner (40–50 mm thick) side armor. The thinner side armor was necessary to keep the tank's overall weight within reasonable bounds, but it made the Panther vulnerable to attacks from the side by most Allied and Soviet tank and anti-tank guns. German tactical doctrine for the use of the Panther thus emphasised the importance of flank protection. Five millimeter skirt armor, Schürzen, intended to provide protection for the lower side hull from Soviet anti-tank rifle fire was fitted on the hull side. Zimmerit ceramic coating against magnetic mines also became standard with the Ausf. A, and retrofitted to older versions until deleted from new Panthers from about September 1944. [edit] Armament Panzerbefehlswagen Panther Ausf. A (Sd.Kfz. 267) of the Panzergrenadier-Division Großdeutschland photographed in southern Ukraine in 1944. The main gun was a semi-automatic 7.5 cm Rheinmetall-Borsig KwK 42 (L/70) with 79 rounds (82 on Ausf. G). The main gun used three different types of ammunition, APCBC-HE (Pzgr. 39/42), HE (Sprgr. 42) and APCR (Pzgr. 40/42), the last of which was usually in short supply. While the gun was of only average caliber for its time, the Panther's gun was one of the most powerful tank guns of WWII, due to the large propellant charge and the long barrel, which gave it a very high muzzle velocity and excellent armor-piercing qualities. The flat trajectory also made hitting targets much easier, since accuracy was less sensitive to range. The 75 mm gun actually had more penetrating power than the main gun of the Tiger I heavy tank, the 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56. The tank had normally two MG 34 machine guns of a specific version designed for use in armored combat vehicles featuring an armored barrel sleeve. An MG 34 machine gun was located co-axially with the main gun on the gun mantlet; an identical MG 34 was located on the glacis plate and fired by the radio operator. Initial Ausf. D and early Ausf. A models used a "letterbox" flap opening, through which the machine gun was fired. Later Ausf A and all Ausf G models use a more conventional ball mount in the glacis for this machine gun. The Ausf A introduced a new cast commander's cupola. It featured a steel hoop to which a third MG 34 or either the coaxial or the bow machine gun could be mounted for use in the anti-aircraft role, though it was rare for this to be used in actual combat situations. [edit] Combat use Panther tanks of the Großdeutschland Division advance in the area of Iasi, Romania in 1944. Panther Ausf. Ds on rail cars awaiting to be shipped to their units in April/May 1943. The Panther was intended to supplement the Panzer IV and replace the Panzer III medium tanks. Each German Panzer (armored) division had two tank battalions; the intent was to equip one battalion in each division with Panthers, retaining the lighter, older, but still useful Panzer IV in the other battalion. Beginning in mid-1943, battalions were gradually converted to Panthers. The Panther first saw action at Kursk on 5 July 1943. Early tanks were plagued with mechanical problems: the track and suspension often broke, and the engine was dangerously prone to overheating and bursting into flames. At Kursk, more Panthers were disabled by their own failings than by enemy action. For example, the XLVIII Panzer Corps reported on 10 July 1943, that they had 38 Panthers operational and 131 awaiting repair, out of about 200 they had started with on 5 July. Heinz Guderian, who had not wanted Hitler to order them into combat so soon, later remarked about the early Panther's performance in the battle: "they burnt too easily, the fuel and oil systems were insufficiently protected, and the crews were lost due to lack of training." Guderian also stated, however, that the firepower and frontal armor were good. While many of the Panthers used at Kursk were damaged or suffered from mechanical difficulties, only a small number was lost for good; the tanks also achieved success, with 263 Soviet tanks claimed destroyed.[citation needed] Although its frontal armour was thinner than the Tiger's, it was also much more sloped and proved harder for Soviet shells to penetrate. After Kursk, the tanks suffering from damage or mechanical breakdowns were repaired and the inherent design problems of the early Ausf. D models were fixed, making the Panther a truly formidable tank. Later in 1943 and especially into 1944, Panthers appeared in increasing numbers on the eastern front. By June 1944, Panthers were about half of the German tank strength both in the east and the west. At the end of the war it was the third most produced German armored fighting vehicle. In 1943-1944, a Waffen-SS special operations group was formed by Otto Skorzeny, to infiltrate enemy defenses. A small number of Panthers and Stug-IIIs in this group were repainted with US Army insignia. The Panthers were altered with thin sheet metal to resemble US Army M10 Tank Destroyers. Perhaps the best known German Panther commander was SS-Oberscharführer Ernst Barkmann of the 2nd SS-Panzer Regiment, 2nd SS-Panzer Division "Das Reich". Panther turrets, from battle damaged and retired vehicles along with specially manufactured ones, were also mounted in fixed fortifications. Turrets (mechanically traverseable) were mounted on concrete emplacements (Pantherturm III - Betonsockel - concrete base) or welded steel boxes (Pantherturm I - Stahluntersatz - steel sub-base), which housed the ammunition storage and fighting compartment along with crew quarters. Such emplacements were located in the fortifications of the Atlantic Wall, West Wall, Gothic Line, Hitler Line (one of those was located at Piedimonte in Monte Cassino area) and in the east (about 12 in Berlin). A total of 268-280 turrets were installed as of 26 March 1945.[citation needed] [edit] Panther battalion organization Composition of a panzer battalion equipped with Panther tanks, 1943. Two panzer battalions would comprise the panzer regiment of a panzer division. * Battalion Command (composed of Communication and Reconnaissance platoons) * Communication Platoon - 3 × Befehlswagen Panther SdKfz.267/268 * Reconnaissance Platoon - 5 × Panther * 1st Company - 22 × Panther o Company Command - 2 × Panther + 1st Platoon - 5 × Panther + 2nd Platoon - 5 × Panther + 3rd Platoon - 5 × Panther + 4th Platoon - 5 × Panther * 2nd Company - 22 × Panther (composed as 1st Company) * 3rd Company - 22 × Panther (composed as 1st Company) * 4th Company - 22 × Panther (composed as 1st Company) * Service Platoon - 2 × Bergepanther From 1943 to 1945, many modifications were made to unit organization by reducing both number of companies and platoons due to the war situation. [edit] The Allied response The Soviet response to the large numbers of Panthers on their front was swift. In 1943 the Red Army was still equipped with T-34 tanks armed with the same 76.2 mm gun as in 1941. This gun was ineffective against the Panther's frontal armor, meaning the Soviet tank had to flank the Panther to destroy it, while the Panther's main gun could penetrate the T-34 at long range from any angle. Plans were made to improve the T-34 with an 85 mm gun and new and more spacious three-man turret, producing the T-34-85. Although this tank was not quite the equal of the Panther, it was much better than the 76.2 mm-armed versions and made up for its quality shortcomings by being produced in greater quantities than the Panther. New self-propelled anti-tank vehicles based on the T-34 hull, such as the SU-85 and SU-100, were also developed. By mid-1944, the Red Army was deploying far more T-34-85s than the Germans had Panthers. A German comparison of German tanks with the new Soviet T-34-85 and IS-2 heavy tank (with a 122 mm gun), from 23 March 1944, stated that "the Panther is far superior to the T-34/85 for frontal fire (Panther Ausf G could penetrate frontal armor of T-34-85 at 2,000 m, while T-34-85 could penetrate frontal armor of Panther Ausf G at 500 m), approximately equal for side and rear fire, superior to the IS-2 for frontal fire and inferior for side and rear fire." In 1943 and 1944, a Panther was able to destroy any Allied enemy tank in existence at ranges of 2,000 m, while in general veteran Panther crews reported a 90 percent hit rate at ranges up to 1,000 m.[citation needed] The Panther weighed about as much as the new Soviet IS-2 heavy tank, and indeed this vehicle is a closer match than the much lighter T-34. Later in the war (1944 and on) Soviets found the quality of German armour dropped, lack of alloying metals made the plates too brittle. In November 1943 at Kubinka, during trials of guns proposed to be mounted on the IS-2, a 122-mm round fired from the A-19 gun passed clear through a captured Panther, penetrating both the front and rear armour.[2] The Western Allies' response was inconsistent. The Panther was not employed against the western Allies until early 1944 at Anzio, where Panthers were employed in small numbers. The Panther was thought to be another heavy tank that would not be built in large numbers. Thus the US Army entered the Battle of Normandy expecting to face a handful of German heavy tanks alongside large numbers of Panzer IVs. Instead, almost half the German tanks in Normandy were Panthers, whose frontal armour could not be penetrated by the 75 mm guns of the US Sherman tanks. The US eventually produced large numbers of 76 mm-armed Shermans, 90 mm-armed tank destroyers, and eventually the Pershing heavy tank. Even with these better weapons, it was still difficult to penetrate the frontal armor of the Panther. British forces responded to the heavier German tanks with the 17-pounder gun mounted in the Sherman (the Sherman Firefly), as well as towed 17-pounders. By the conclusion of the Normandy campaign, British forces were fielding roughly a 1:4 ratio of Fireflys to 75 mm Shermans in their tank units. In 1945, they deployed the Comet tank. The Panther remained a major German tank until the end of the war. Later versions of the Panzer IV with long 75 mm KwK 40 L/48 guns were slightly cheaper to produce and more reliable, and so they remained in production alongside the Panther. However, the main reason for the prolonged Panzer IV production was that the reorganization of the German tank industry to manufacture Panthers rather than Panzer IVs would have resulted in an unacceptable, albeit temporary, decrease in overall tank production. Around the time of the Battle of the Bulge, as part of Otto Skorzeny's Operation Greif commando mission, a number of Panther tanks assigned to Skorzeny's Panzerbrigade 150 were disguised to look roughly like an M10 Wolverine by welding on additional plates, applying US-style camouflage paint and markings. This was carried out as part of a larger operation that involved soldiers disguised as Americans and other activities. The disguised Panthers were detected and destroyed. [edit] Further development Panther II on display at Patton Cavalry and Armor Museum, Fort Knox, KY. The turret on display was not originally fitted to this hull and was installed later. Design work on the Panther II began in February 1943. The main aim was to secure maximum interchangeability of parts with the Tiger II heavy tank in order to ease manufacturing. The Panther II had a hull similar to the Tiger II, and also shared nearly-identical steel tired road wheels (seven versus the Tiger II's nine), "contact shoe" and "connector link" track, suspension and brakes. One of the parts to be changed was the gun-mantlet, which had to become smaller. This was referred to in German as Turm mit schmaler Blende (narrow-mantlet turret). The Panther II project never got further than a single chassis that now can be seen in the Patton Museum. The only other significant differences between the Panther and the Panther II were running gear and increased armor protection. The turret was exactly the same on both types. The Panther II was only designed with the 7.5 cm KwK L/70 in mind, and the 8.8 cm KwK L/71 idea didn't enter into consideration after the Panther II project had been dropped. Later in the war, in March 1944, work started again on a Panther turret with a smaller forward aspect. This led to the development of the Schmalturm (narrow turret). In August a Versuchsturm (trials turret) was completed. This was mounted on the chassis of a regular Panther Ausf. G. The Schmalturm featured thicker armour, a built-in stereoscopic rangefinder, the capability to carry the 88 mm KwK L/71 and eliminated the shot-trap under the mantle, but weighed less than the original turret. A partially destroyed example of a production Schmalturm is on display at the Bovington Tank Museum. In that same period, development of the Panther led to the Ausf. F, slated for production in April 1945. The key points for this mark of Panther were the new Schmalturm with its improved armor protection, and an extended front hull roof which was also slightly thicker. A number of Ausf. F hulls were built at Daimler-Benz and Ruhrstahl-Hattingen steelworks; however there is no evidence that any completed Ausf F saw service before the end of the war. Indeed, since some key components for the Schmalturm were never completed, the operation of any Panther Ausf. F built would have been seriously impaired. The Panther Ausf. F is not to be confused with the Panther II, which was an entirely new design with a heavier chassis.

This is the same Tiger tank design as before but with improved graphics and a different title font. The 2 differences in the Tiger are that I have taken out the turret hatch covers and are now closed. The Tiger differed from earlier German tanks principally in its design philosophy. Its predecessors balanced mobility, protection, and firepower. They were sometimes outgunned by their opponents. The Tiger I represented a new approach that emphasised firepower and armour at the expense of mobility. Design studies for a new heavy tank had been started in the late 1930s, without any production planning. The real impetus for the

was provided by the quality of the Soviet T-34. Although the general design and layout were broadly similar to the previous medium tank the

, the Tiger weighed more than twice as much. This was due to its substantially thicker armour, the larger main gun, and the consequently greater volume of fuel and ammunition storage, larger engine, and more solidly-built transmission and suspension. The Tiger I had frontal hull armour 100 mm thick and frontal turret armour of 110 mm, as opposed to the 80 mm frontal hull and 50 mm frontal turret armour of contemporary models of the Panzer IV. It also had 80 mm thick armour on the sides and rear. The top and bottom armour was 25 mm thick; later, the turret roof was thickened to 40 mm. Armour plates were mostly flat, with interlocking construction. The armour joints were of high quality, being stepped and welded rather than riveted. The tank was too heavy for most bridges, so it was designed to ford four-meter deep water. This required unusual mechanisms for ventilation and cooling when underwater. At least 30 minutes of setup was required, with the turret and gun being locked in the forward position, and a large snorkel tube raised at the rear. Only the first 495 units were fitted with this deep fording system; all later models were capable of fording only two meters. The rear of the tank held an engine room flanked by two floodable rear compartments each containing a fuel tank, radiator, and fans. The petrol (gasoline) engine was a 21-litre 12-cylinder Maybach HL 210 P45 with 650 PS (641 hp, 478 kW). Although a good engine, it was inadequate for the vehicle. From the 250th Tiger, it was replaced by the uprated HL 230 P45 (23 litres) of 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW). The engine was in V-form, with two cylinder banks at 60 degrees. An inertial starter was mounted on its right side, driven via chain gears through a port in the rear wall. The engine could be lifted out through a hatch on the hull roof. The engine drove front sprockets, which were mounted quite low. The eleven-ton turret had a hydraulic motor powered by mechanical drive from the engine. A full rotation took about a minute. The suspension used sixteen torsion bars. To save space, the swing arms were leading on one side and trailing on the other. There were three road wheels on each arm, giving a good cross-country ride. The wheels had a diameter of 800 mm and were interleaved. Removing an inner wheel that had lost its tire (a common occurrence) required the removal of several outer wheels also. The wheels could become packed with mud or snow that could then freeze. Eventually, a new 'steel' wheel design. closely resembling those on the Tiger II, with an internal tire was substituted. The tracks were an unprecedented 725 mm wide. To meet rail-freight size restrictions, the outer row of wheels had to be removed and special 520 mm wide transport tracks installed. With a good crew, a track change took 20 minutes. The internal layout was typical of German tanks. Forward was an open crew compartment, with the driver and radio-operator seated at the front, either side of the gearbox. Behind them the turret floor was surrounded by panels forming a continuous level surface. This helped the loader to retrieve the ammunition, which was mostly stowed above the tracks. Two men were seated in the turret; the gunner to the left of the gun, and the commander behind him. There was also a folding seat for the loader. The turret had a full circular floor and 157 cm headroom. Turmzielfernrohr TZF 9c Tiger I in France, 1944. The gun breech and firing mechanism were derived from the famous German "88" dual purpose flak gun. The 88 mm Kwk 36 L/56 gun was the variant chosen for the Tiger and was, along with the

Kwk 43 L/71, one of the most effective and feared tank guns of World War II. The Tiger's gun had a very flat trajectory and extremely accurate Zeiss Turmzielfernrohr TZF 9b sights (later replaced by the monocular TZF 9c). In British wartime firing trials, five successive hits were scored on a 16"x18" target at a range of 1,200 yards. Tigers were reported to have knocked out enemy tanks at ranges greater than a mile (1,600 m), although most World War II engagements were fought at much closer range. Another new feature was the Maybach-Olvar hydraulically-controlled pre-selector gearbox and semi-automatic transmission. The extreme weight of the tank also required a new steering system. Instead of the clutch-and-brake designs of lighter vehicles, a variation on the British Merritt-Brown single radius system was used. The Tiger's steering system was of twin radius type, meaning that two different, fixed radii of turn could be achieved at each gear, the smallest radius on the first gear was four meters. Since the vehicle had an eight-speed gearbox, it thus had sixteen different radii of turn. If a smaller radius was needed, the tank could be turned by using brakes. The steering system was easy to use and ahead of its time. However, the tank's automotive features left much to be desired. When used to tow an immobilised Tiger, the engine often overheated and sometimes resulted in an engine breakdown or fire, so Tiger tanks were forbidden by regulations to tow crippled comrades. The low-mounted sprocket limited the obstacle-clearing height. The tracks also had a bad tendency to override the sprocket, resulting in immobilisation. If a track overrode and jammed, two Tigers were normally needed to tow the tank. The jammed track was also a big problem itself, since due to high tension, it was often impossible to disassemble the track by removing the track pins. It was sometimes simply blown apart with an explosive charge. The standard German Famo recovery tractor could not tow the tank; up to three tractors were usually needed to tow one Tiger. Although the Tiger I was one of the most heavily armed and armoured tanks of the war, and a formidable opponent of Allied tanks, the design was conservative and had some serious drawbacks. The flat armour plates were unsophisticated in comparison to the sloped armour of the Soviet T-34, requiring a massive increase in weight to provide for sufficient protection. The tank's weight put severe stress on the suspension, whose complexity made maintenance difficult. The sophisticated transmission system was also prone to breakdowns. A major problem with the Tiger was its very high production cost. During the Second World War, over 40,000 American Sherman and 58,000 Soviet T-34s were produced, compared to 1,355 Tiger I and 478 Tiger II tanks. The German designs were expensive in terms of time, raw materials and Reichsmarks, the Tiger I costing over twice as much as a contemporary Panzer IV and four times as much as a Stug III assault gun.[1][dead link] The closest counterpart to the Tiger from the United States was the M26 Pershing (around 200 deployed during the war) and IS-2 from the USSR (about 3,800 built during the war). German heavy tank of World War II. The initial official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausfhrung H (abbreviated PzKpfw VI Ausf. H, Ausfhrung is German for "version") but the tank was re designated as Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. E in March 1943. The tank also had the ordnance inventory designation SdKfz 181. The Tiger I was in use from late 1942 until the German surrender in 1945. It was given its "Tiger" nickname by Ferdinand Porsche (the Roman numeral was added after the Tiger II was produced). The design served as the basis for other armoured vehicles, the Sturmtiger heavy self-propelled gun and the Bergetiger amoured recovery vehicle. Tigers were capable of destroying the American M4 Sherman or British Churchill IV at ranges exceeding 2,000 m. In contrast, the Soviet T-34 equipped with the 76.2 mm gun could not penetrate the Tiger frontally at any range, but could achieve a side penetration at approximately 500 m firing the BR-350P APCR ammunition. The T34-85's 85 mm gun could penetrate the Tiger from the side at about range 1,000 m. The IS-2's 122 mm gun could destroy the Tiger at ranges beyond 1,000 m. From a 30 degree angle of attack the M4 Sherman's 75 mm gun could not penetrate the Tiger frontally at any range, and needed to be within 100 m to achieve a side penetration against the 80mm upper hull superstructure. The British 17-pounder as used on the Sherman Firefly, firing its normal APCBC ammunition, could penetrate frontally out to over 1,000 m. The US 76 mm gun, if firing the APCBC M62 ammunition, could penetrate the Tiger frontally out to just over 500 m, and could be at ranges in excess of 1,000 m to achieve penetration against the upper hull superstructure. Using HVAP ammunition, which was in constant short supply and primarily issued to tank destroyers, frontal penetrations were possible out to just over 1,500 m. It is worth mentioning that many of the penetration capabilities at longer ranges had little relevance compared to combat engagements of the real war, especially that which was fought in Western Europe, where engagements rarely happened outside of one kilometer due to dispersion and chance for human error, which is amplified greatly as range increases regardless of the ability of any cannon. For example, while a 17pdr could penetrate the front armor of a Tiger I at one kilometer in tests, during real combat, a 17pdr gunner would probably never find himself in a position to actually attempt such a feat. As range decreases in combat, all guns can penetrate more armor (with the exception of HEAT ammunition, which was rare in World War II). The great penetrating power of the Tiger's gun meant that it could destroy many of its opponents at ranges at which they could not respond. In open terrain, this was a major tactical advantage. Opposing tanks were often forced to make a flanking attack in order to knock out a Tiger. The Tiger was first used in action in September 1942 near Leningrad. Under pressure from Hitler, the tank was put into action months earlier than planned and many early models proved to be mechanically fragile. In its first action on 23 September 1942, many of the first Tigers broke down. Others were knocked out by dug-in Soviet anti-tank guns. One tank was captured largely intact, which gave the Soviets a chance to study the tank and prepare a response. In the Tiger's first actions in North Africa, the tank was able to dominate Allied tanks in the wide-open terrain. However, mechanical failures meant that there were rarely more than a few in action. In a replay of the Leningrad experience, at least one Tiger was knocked out by towed British six-pounder antitank guns. The tank's extreme weight limited the bridges it could cross and made drive-throughs of buildings, which may have had basements, risky. Another weakness was the slow traverse of the hydraulically-operated turret. The turret could also be traversed manually, but this option was rarely used, except probably for a fix of a few mils. Early Tigers had a top speed of about 45 km/h over optimal terrain. This was not recommended for normal operation, and was discouraged in training. Crews were told to not exceed 2600RPM due to reliability problems of the early Maybach engines at their maximum 3000RPM output. To combat this, the Tiger's top speed was reduced to about 38km/h through the installation of an engine governor, capping the RPM of the Maybach HL 230 to 2600rpm (HL 210s were used on early models). Despite being slower than medium tanks of the time, which averaged a top speed of about 45 km/h, the Tiger still had a very respectable speed for a tank of its size and weight, being nearly twice as heavy as a Sherman or T-34. The Tiger had reliability problems throughout its service life; Tiger units frequently entered combat understrength due to breakdowns. It was rare for any Tiger unit to complete a road march without losing vehicles due to breakdown. The tank also had poor radius of action (distance a combat vehicle can travel and return, in normal battle conditions, without refueling). Due to its very wide tracks, the Tiger had a lower ground pressure bearing than many smaller tanks, the most notable exception being the Soviet T-34. The Tiger's armor and firepower, however, were feared by all its opponents. In tactical defense, its poor mobility was less of an issue. Whereas Panthers were the more serious threat to Allied tanks, Tigers had a bigger psychological effect on opposing crews, causing a "Tiger phobia". Allied tankers would sometimes evade rather than confront a Tiger, even a tank that only looked like one, such as the Panzer IV with turret skirts applied. In the Normandy campaign, it could take four to five Shermans to knock out a single Tiger tank by maneuvering to its weaker flank or rear armour; the Soviet T-34s fared similarly against the German tanks, as had the German Panzer III earlier against the Soviet heavy tanks. An accepted Allied tactic was to engage the Tiger as a group, one attracting the attention of the Tiger crew while the others attacked the sides or rear of the vehicle. Since the ammunition and fuel were stored in the sponsons, a side penetration often resulted in a kill. This was a risky tactic, and often resulted in the loss of several Allied vehicles. It took a great deal of tactical skill to eliminate a Tiger. Tigers were usually employed in separate heavy tank battalions (schwere-Panzer-Abteilung) under army command. These battalions would be deployed to critical sectors, either for breakthrough operations or, more typically, counterattacks. A few favored divisions, such as the Grossdeutschland or some of the low-numbered Waffen-SS divisions had a handful of Tigers. The Tiger was originally designed to be offensive breakthrough weapon but by the time they came into action, the military situation had changed dramatically, and their main use was on the defensive as mobile gun batteries. [3] Unfortunately this also meant rushing the Tigers constantly from location to location causing excessive mechanical issues. As a result there are almost no instances where a Tiger Batallion went into combat at anything close to full strength. Furthermore, against the Soviet and Western Allied production numbers, even a 10:1 kill ratio would not have been sufficient for the Tigers. Some Tiger units did exceed the 10:1 kill ratio, including 13. Kompanie/Panzer-Regiment Grossdeutschland (16.67:1), schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 103 (12.82:1) and schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 (13.08:1). These numbers must be set against the opportunity cost of building the expensive Tiger. Every Tiger built cost as much as four Sturmgeschütz III assault guns. On 7 July 1943, a single Tiger tank commanded by SS-Oberscharführer Franz Staudegger from the 2nd Platoon of 13th Panzer Company of 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler engaged a group of about 50 T-34s around Psyolknee (the southern sector of the German salient in the Battle of Kursk). Staudegger used all his ammunition in destroying 22 Soviet tanks, while the rest retreated. For this, Staudegger was awarded the Knight's Cross. On 8 August 1944, a single Tiger commanded by SS-Unterscharführer Willi Fey from the 1st Company of sSSPzAbt 102, engaged a British tank column, destroying some 14 out of 15 Shermans, followed by one more later in the day using his last two rounds of ammunition. sSSPzAbt 102 lost all of its Tigers during fighting in Normandy, but reported 227 Allied tanks destroyed in six weeks. The Tiger is particularly associated with SS-Haupsturmfurher Michael Wittmann of schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 101. He worked his way up, commanding various vehicles and finally a Tiger I. In the Battle of Villers-Bocage, he destroyed over two dozen Allied vehicles including several tanks; and single-handedly held up the advance of the entire 7th Armored Division until his tank was knocked out and abandoned. Over 10 Tiger tank commanders had over 100 vehicle kills on their account, including: Kurt Knispel with 168 kills, Otto Carius with 150+ kills, Johannes Boumllter with 139+ kills, and Michael Wittmann with 138 kills.

German heavy panzer of World War 2. The initial official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausfhrung H (abbreviated PzKpfw VI Ausf. H, Ausfhrung is German for "edition") but the tank was re-designated as

VI Ausf. E in March 1943. The panzer also had the ordnance inventory designation SdKfz 181. The Tiger I was in use from late 1942 until the German surrender in 1945. It was given its "Tiger" nickname by Ferdinand Porsche (the Roman numeral was added after the Tiger II was produced). The design served as the basis for other armoured vehicles, the Sturmtiger heavy self-propelled gun and the Bergetiger amoured recovery vehicle. Tigers were capable of destroying the American M4 Sherman tank or British Churchhill tank IV at ranges exceeding 2,000 m. In contrast, the Soviet T-34 equipped with the 76.2 mm gun could not penetrate the Tiger frontally at whatever range, but could attain a side penetration at approximately 500 m firing the BR-350P APCR ammunition. The T34-85 tank 85 mm gun could penetrate the Tiger from the side at about range 1,000 m. The IS-2's 122 mm gun could destroy the Tiger at ranges beyond 1,000 m. fubar4 From a 30 degree angle of attack the M4 Sherman tank's 75 mm gun could not penetrate the Tiger tank frontally at any range, and needed to be within 100 m to achieve a side penetration against the 80mm upper hull superstructure. The British 17-pounder as used on the Sherman Firefly, firing its normal APCBC ammunition, could penetrate frontally out to over 1,000 m. The US 76 mm gun, if firing the APCBC M62 ammunition, could penetrate the Tiger frontally out to just over 500 m, and could be at ranges in excess of 1,000 m to achieve penetration against the upper hull superstructure. Using HVAP ammunition, which was in constant short supply and primarily issued to tank destroyers, frontal penetrations were possible out to just over 1,500 m. It is worth mentioning that many of the penetration capabilities at longer ranges had little relevance compared to combat engagements of the real war, especially that which was fought in Western Europe, where battles seldom happened outside of one kilometer due to scattering and chance for human error, which is amplified greatly as range increases regardless of the ability of any cannon. For example, while a 17pdr could penetrate the front armor of a Tiger I at one kilometer in tests, during real combat, a 17pdr gunner would probably never find himself in a position to actually attempt such a feat. As range decreases in combat, all guns can penetrate more armor (with the exception of HEAT ammunition, which was rare in World War II). The great penetrating power of the Tiger tank's gun meant that it could destroy many of its opponents at ranges at which they could not respond. In open terrain, this was a major tactical advantage. Opposing tanks were often forced to make a flanking attack in order to knock out a Tiger. The Tiger tank was first used in action in September 1942 near Leningrad. Under pressure from Hitler, the panzer was put into action months earlier than planned and many early models proved to be mechanically fragile. In its first action on 23 September 1942, many of the first Tiger tanks broke down. Others were knocked out by dug-in Soviet anti-tank guns. One panzer was captured largely intact, which gave the Soviets a chance to study the tank and prepare a response. In the Tiger tank's first actions in North Africa, the panzer was able to dominate Allied tanks in the wide-open terrain. However, mechanical failures meant that there were rarely more than a few in action. In a replay of the Leningrad experience, at least one Tiger tank was knocked out by towed British six-pounder antitank guns. The panzer's extreme weight limited the bridges it could cross and made drive-throughs of buildings, which may have had basements, hazardous. Another weakness was the slow traverse of the hydraulically-operated turret. The turret could as well be passed over manually, but this choice was seldom used, except probably for a fix of a few mils. Early Tiger tanks had a top speed of about 45 km/h over optimal terrain. This was not recommended for normal operation, and was discouraged in training. Crews were told to not exceed 2600RPM due to reliability problems of the early Maybach engines at their maximum 3000RPM output. To combat this, the Tiger's top speed was reduced to about 38km/h through the installation of an engine governor, capping the RPM of the Maybach HL 230 to 2600rpm (HL 210s were used on early models). Despite being slower than medium tanks of the time, which averaged a top speed of about 45 km/h, the Tiger still had a very respectable speed for a tank of its size and weight, being nearly twice as heavy as a Sherman tank or T-34 tank. The Tiger tank had reliability problems throughout its service life; Tiger tank units frequently entered combat understrength due to breakdowns. It was rare for any Tiger tank unit to complete a road march without losing vehicles due to breakdown. The tank also had poor radius of action (distance a combat vehicle can travel and return, in normal battle conditions, without refueling). Due to its very wide tracks, the Tiger had a lower ground pressure bearing than many smaller tanks, the most notable exception being the Soviet T-34 tank. The Tiger tank's armor and firepower, however, were feared by all its opponents. In tactical defense, its poor mobility was less of an issue. Whereas Panthers were the more serious threat to Allied tanks, Tigers had a bigger psychological effect on opposing crews, causing a "Tiger phobia". Allied tankers would sometimes evade rather than confront a Tiger, even a tank that only looked like one, such as the Panzer IV with turret skirts applied. In the Normandy campaign, it could take four to five Shermans to knock out a single Tiger tank by maneuvering to its weaker flank or rear armour; the Soviet T-34s fared similarly against the German panzers, as had the German Panzer III earlier against the Soviet heavy tanks. An accepted Allied tactic was to engage the Tiger tank en masse, one attracting the attention of the Tiger crew while the others attacked the sides or rear of the vehicle. Since the ammunition and fuel were stored in the sponsons, a side penetration often resulted in a kill. This was a risky tactic, and often resulted in the loss of several Allied vehicles. It took a great deal of tactical skill to eliminate a Tiger tank. Tiger tanks were usually employed in separate heavy panzer battalions (schwere-Panzer-Abteilung) under army command. These battalions would be deployed to critical sectors, either for breakthrough operations or, more typically, counterattacks. A few favored divisions, such as the Grossdeutschland or some of the low-numbered Waffen-SS divisions had a handful of Tiger tanks. The Tiger tank was originally designed to be offensive breakthrough weapon but by the time they came into action, the military situation had changed dramatically, and their main use was on the defensive as mobile gun batteries. Unfortunately this also meant rushing the Tigers constantly from location to location causing excessive mechanical issues. As a result there are almost no instances where a Tiger Batallion went into combat at anything close to full strength. Furthermore, against the Soviet and Western Allied production numbers, even a 10:1 kill ratio would not have been sufficient for the Tiger tanks. Some Tiger tank units did exceed the 10:1 kill ratio, including 13. Kompanie/Panzer-Regiment Grossdeutschland (16.67:1), schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 103 (12.82:1) and schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 (13.08:1). These numbers must be set against the opportunity cost of building the expensive Tiger tank. Every Tiger tank built cost as much as four Sturmgeschutz III assault guns. On 7 July 1943, a single Tiger tank commanded by SS-Oberscharfuhrer Franz Staudegger from the 2nd Platoon of 13th Panzer Company of 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler engaged a group of about 50 T-34 tanks around Psyolknee (the southern sector of the German salient in the Battle of Kursk). Staudegger used all his ammunition in destroying 22 Soviet tanks, while the rest retreated. For this, Staudegger was awarded the Knight's Cross. On 8 August 1944, a single Tiger commanded by SS-Unterscharfuhrer Willi Fey from the 1st Company of sSSPzAbt 102, engaged a British tank column, destroying some 14 out of 15 Sherman tanks, followed by one more later in the day using his last two rounds of ammunition. sSSPzAbt 102 lost all of its Tiger tanks during fighting in Normandy, but reported 227 Allied panzers destroyed in six weeks. The Tiger tank is particularly associated with SS-Haupsturmfurher Michael Wittmann of schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 101. He worked his way up, commanding various vehicles and finally a Tiger I. In the Battle of Villers-Bocage, he destroyed over two dozen Allied vehicles including several panzers; and single-handedly held up the advance of the entire 7th Armored Division until his panzer was knocked out and abandoned. Over 10 Tiger tank panzer commanders had over 100 vehicle kills on their account, including: Kurt Knispel with 168 kills, Otto Carius with 150+ kills, Johannes Boumllter with 139+ kills, and Michael Wittmann with 138 kills.

Just another tiger tank t shirt, but this is the Konigstiger (King Tiger) t shirt. I decided to go with a gray color with black for shading and use the Konigstiger name instead of King Tiger on this t shirt. I have made this tee shirt available in black and military green. As far as t shirts go, most people don’t want to buy white t shirts. I think I will also use a royal blue due to the bright contrast with the gray and black. This is the heavy Tiger 2 that was used near the end of world war 2 by the Germans. The official German designation was

Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B

with the ordnance inventory of SdKfz 182. The Konigstiger tank (Bengal Tiger in German) was also commonly known as the Tiger 2 that of course came after the Tiger 1. The Konigstiger was also translated to King Tiger tank by Americans and Royal Tiger tank by the British troops. The Konigstiger had very heavy armor and could not be penetrated by a Sherman M4 tank, even at point blank range. The Konigstiger had sloped armor much like the Panther tank and used the 88 mm KwK 43 L/71 gun also used by the Tiger 1 tank.

The Jagdpanther tank was a tank destroyer used by the Germans in World War 2. It's name is "Hunting Panther" and was used to ambush other tanks. The Jagdpanther used a 88 mm Pak 43 gun and the Panther tank chassis with no turret. Heavy sloped frontal and side armor was used on the fixed casement as part of the main hull. This provided a spacious interior (crew of 5), but still allowed a very low profile utilized in "hunting" other tanks. Only 392 were produced late in the war and were used on the eastern and western fronts. There are 3 surviving Jagdpanthers and have been restored to running condition. The German museums in Munster Deutsches Panzermuseum and Koblenz have one running Jagdpanther each. The SDKFZ Foundation in the UK has restored one Jagdpanther to running condition, using two wrecked Jagdpanthers to complete one tank destroyer. The other wreck will also be restored. This is a very cool looking panzer. I will make more t shirt designs using the Jagdpanther and will also (someday) build a diorama with the Jagd. more info: A heavy tank destroyer design founded upon the 88 mm Pak 43 artillery and the Panther tank frame was ordered in late 1942 as design SdKfz 173. Production started in early 1944; at the same time Hitler specified the

(”hunting panther”) name. To suit the heavier-calibre gun, very much like the former Jagdpanzer-style unturreted tank destroyers, the sides of the Panther tank were extended up into an integral, turretless fixed casemate as part of the main hull itself to provide a roomy interior. Both the Panther Ausf. G and Jagdpanther had side armor of increased elevation to enhance this effect even further and to harmonize production. It was armed with an anti-tank version of the same long-barreled 88 mm gun as the Tiger II and a 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun in the front glacis plate for local defence. The Jagdpanther had a good power-to-weight ratio and a powerful main gun, which enabled it to destroy any type of Allied tank. Because it was based on the existing Panther chassis, the vehicle didn’t endure too many mechanical problems. It was manned by a crew of 5, a driver, radio-operator, commander, gunner, and a loader. Two versions can be distinguished, one with a welded steel band around the primary gun mantlet and the other with a bolted-on band. The versions with the bolted-on ring were equipped with Pak 43/4 gun. Early Jagdpanthers had a monobloc gun barrel and two vision openings for the driver, whereas late versions had only one.