Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Pz. II
References
Images
Diagram showing side-view illustrations of six German World War II Panzerkampfwagen tanks (series I, II, III, IV, V Panther, and VI Tiger), each labeled with its model, primary armament, and a human silhouette for scale.
Britannica AI Icon

Pz. II

tank
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Diagram showing side-view illustrations of six German World War II Panzerkampfwagen tanks (series I, II, III, IV, V Panther, and VI Tiger), each labeled with its model, primary armament, and a human silhouette for scale.
panzers Panzers (German tanks) of World War II.

The Pz. II was a light tank developed by Germany in the 1930s as part of the Panzer series. It was larger and more heavily armed than the Pz. I, featuring a 20-mm gun and a machine gun, with armor up to 30 mm thick. The Pz. II served as a mainstay for German panzer divisions during the initial years of World War II, participating in the invasions of Poland, France, and the Soviet Union. However, by 1942, it was outmatched by Allied tanks with more powerful guns. Production ceased in late 1942, with over 3,500 units manufactured, many later adapted for reconnaissance roles.

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
4 Britannica Sources
  1. panzer
  2. tank - World War II
  3. tank - Interwar developments
  4. panzer division

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.