Even larger and heavier than the Tiger I, and therefore plagued by even more formidable technical difficulties, the Tiger II was the largest and most powerful tank released by German forces during the war. It was large enough to knock out virtually any allied tank with ease, but its mechanical problems knocked out more of its own than allied fire did. In the end, however, it was not enough to turn the tide of the war.

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In response to the T-34 after the invasion of Russia, the German forces ordered the construction of a new type of tank: a super-heavy. Originally to be named the Panzer VI, Hitler ordered the name changed. The tank was plagued by problems arising from the design, which pushed contemporary technology to it's limit, and Germany’s collapsing industry. Nevertheless, it was a formidable force on the battlefields of World War II.

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The Panther was a medium tank (45 tons) with a crew of four, which was designed to counter the excellent Russian T-34 tank. It had a sloped armor for better protection and carried a long-barreled 75 mm gun and two machine guns. Production began at the end of 1942. The plan was to produce 600 Panthers per month, but its complexity (there were hundreds of production sub-contractors) and the allied bombing campaign against the German industry cut production to half of that, and even less. A total of just 4,800 were produced. It was rushed into production without proper trials, and as a result more Panthers were initially lost to mechanical problems than to enemy action. The problems were later fixed, and the Panther is considered the best German tank of the war. The Panther tank initially fought in the battle of Kursk in July 1943, the greatest tank battle of the war, and served in all fronts until the end of the war. It was widely used in Normandy after D-Day.

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The Sturmgeschütz IV resulted from Krupp's effort to supply an assault gun. As Krupp did not build Panzerkampfwagen IIIs, they used the Panzerkampfwagen IV chassis in combination with a slightly modified Sturmgeschütz III superstructure. From December 1943 to May 1945, Krupp built 1,108 StuG IVs and converted an additional 31 from battle-damaged Panzer IV hulls.
The StuG IV became known as a very effective tank killer, especially on the Eastern Front. It had a four man crew, and was issued mainly to infantry divisions.

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The Panzer III was designed as a medium tank, with a high-velocity 37 mm gun. Pre-war production was 98 vehicles. During the war, the Pz III was upgunned to a 50 mm L/42 gun, then to an even higher velocity 50 mm L/60 gun, in order to improve its anti-tank performance. A low-velocity 75 mm gun was also fitted (using the same mount as the early Panzer IV), but since the tank was not large enough to fit a high-velocity 75 mm gun, production was halted mid-war, although the chassis continued to be used to build assault guns.
The Panzer III was the first tank to have a 3-man turret: the commander did not have to double up as a loader or a gunner, so he could concentrate on commanding the tank.

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The Jagdpanzer IV, Sd.Kfz. 162, was a tank destroyer based on the Panzer IV chassis built in three main variants. It was developed against the wishes of Heinz Guderian, the inspector general of the Panzertruppen, as a replacement for the Stug III. Guderian objected against the needless, in his eyes, diversion of resources from Panzer IV tank production, as the Stug III and Stug IV were still more than adequate for their role.

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The Jagdpanzer 38(t) (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), after World War II known as Hetzer ("Baiter"), was a German tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified pre-war Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis.

The name "Hetzer" was at the time not commonly used for this vehicle. It was the designation for a related prototype, the E-10. The Škoda factory for a very short period confused the two names in its documentation and the very first unit equipped with the vehicle thus for a few weeks applied the incorrect name until matters were cleared. However, there exists a memorandum from Heinz Guderian to Hitler incorrectly claiming that an unofficial name, Hetzer, had spontaneously been coined by the troops. Post-war historians basing themselves on this statement made the name popular in their works. It was never the official name like the other animal names were.

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Panzer I (short for Panzerkampfwagen I, or armored fighting vehicle mark I, abbreviated PzKpfw I) is the common name of a light tank produced by Germany in the 1930s. The official German ordnance inventory designation was SdKfz 101.

Intended as a training tank to introduce the concept of armored warfare to the German Army, its design began in 1932 and mass production in 1934. Despite the original purpose of the vehicle, the Panzer I saw combat in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, in Poland, France, Russia and North Africa during the Second World War, and even in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Based on experience gathered during the Spanish Civil War, the Panzer I helped shape the German armored corps which invaded Poland in 1939 and France in 1940. By 1941, Panzer I chassis were being reused for production of tank destroyers and assault guns. There were attempts to upgrade the Panzer I throughout its service history and it continued to serve in the armed forces of Spain until 1954.

Ultimately, the Panzer I's performance in combat was limited by its thin armor and light armament, consisting of only two heavy machine guns. This was to be expected from a tank designed solely for training and the Panzer I was not as capable as other light tanks of the era, such as the T-26. Although weak in combat, it formed a large proportion of Germany's tank strength on paper and was used in all major campaigns between September 1939 and December 1941. Inevitably, the small, vulnerable light tank would be overshadowed in importance by more well known German tanks, such as the Panzer IV, Panther, and Tiger, but its contribution to the early victories of Nazi Germany during the Second World War was significant.

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Panzer II is the common name of a German tank used in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II (abbreviated PzKpfw II). Designed as a stopgap while other tanks were developed, it played an important role in the early years of World War II, during the Polish and French campaigns. By the end of 1942 it was largely removed from frontline service and production of the tank itself ceased by 1943, but its chassis was used for several other armoured vehicles.

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The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M), named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in World War II. It was the first tank in the British arsenal to combine a dual-purpose gun, high speed, and reasonable armour. Late in the war it was the most common British design in use, replacing the Sherman tank for some units. Its design formed the basis of the formidable Comet.

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The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before the Second World War. It had a crew of four and was well armoured for its time.

The Char B1 served with the armoured divisions of the Infantry, the Divisions Cuirassées de Réserve. These were highly specialised offensive units, optimised to break through fortified enemy positions. The mobile phase of a battle was to be carried out by the armoured divisions of the Cavalry, equipped with the SOMUA S35. The First and Second DCR had 69 Char B1's each; the Third 68. The 37th Bataillon de Chars de Combat, serving with 1DCR, was at first equipped with the original B1; these vehicles were refitted with the longer SA 35 gun in the spring of 1940. The turret type designation was changed to APX1A. The battalion was re-equipped with the Char B1 bis and in May reinforced by five of the original tanks.

After the German invasion several ad hoc units were formed: the 4DCR with 52 Char B1's and five autonomous companies with in total 56 tanks: 12 B1's and 44 B1 bis. Also 28BCC was reconstituted with 34 tanks. The regular divisions destroyed quite a few German tanks, but lacked enough organic infantry and artillery to function as an effective mobile reserve. A number of Char B1's (161) were captured by the Germans during the Fall of France. These were later pressed into service as second line and training vehicles under the name of Panzerkampfwagen B-2 740 (f). Sixty became platforms for flamethrowers as Flammwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen B-2 (f). Sixteen were converted into 105 mm self propelled artillery. One unit, Panzer-Abteilung 213, was equipped with the Char B1 bis and deployed on the Channel Islands from 1941 to 1945. One of their tanks is displayed by the Bovington Tank Museum, though repainted in French colours.

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