Description
This Single Panzer Collar Skull is a nice, original piece. It’s a wartime made example, struck from fine aluminium. This single Panzer collar skull shows only slight wear. As is usually the case with these, there is no maker mark. This is a one-look original example of this desirable pattern of Wehrmacht insignia. It remains in excellent condition.
Historical Description: The first German tank, called a “Panzer” (for “armor”), appeared in 1918. In the interwar years, German military strategists discussed how this new weapon should be employed on future battlefields. The first Panzer Divisions were formed in 1935. The German approach to tanks was generally different from the concepts of other militaries. In the Wehrmacht, Panzers would lead operations. They would be able to conduct operations independently from other units. This innovative approach was a crucial part of the German “Blitzkrieg” strategy, that yielded great German victories in the early years of World War II. The Wehrmacht attempted to achieve further successes with Panzers by constantly introducing new and better tanks with greater destructive capabilities, or other armored fighting vehicles suited for more specialized roles. Eventually, the German Army would field nearly 50 Panzer Divisions; the Waffen-SS had an additional 7 Panzer divisions, and even the Luftwaffe had a Panzer division of their own. These were elite units, often engaged in constant combat on all fronts. Panzer crews wore distinctive black uniforms with deaths-head collar patches, and matching black field caps. Many Panzer commanders in the Heer and SS were highly successful in combat, and some even became well-known personalities in wartime Germany. Surviving material related to Panzer troops is extremely sought-after and collectible today.
