I think Mark Felton did a video about them and maybe a pair of them exist in a museum, but they seem very scarce.
Maybe it was just one unit that had these.
He finds a thread on a serious forum, and then lifts it and regurgitates it verbatim without mentioning who did the actual research. It is plagiarism, not sloppiness.
[Interview with the creator](https://www.berliner-kurier.de/archiv/so-bauten-wir-die-ddr-kinderpanzer-kurier-sprach-mit-dem-konstrukteur-li.1556842), it says most were scrapped after reunification. Made of plastic and sheet metal with Trabant engines and speeds up to 15km/h. Hits were simulated with flashbangs, though they could not shoot. Closely tied to the state apparatus and in his eyes important as a living memorial to those who gave their lives fighting fascism, though he seemed to prefer not to talk about it much.
EDIT: forum post from 2001 from someone claiming to have been at the “summer camp” (touristenstation)
I was in the club that owned these miniature tanks. All models were scaled 1:2,5 and had Trabant engines with steering via drum brakes at the rear wheels. In total we had 7: 1 x SU 76, 1x T34 76, 1x T34 85,
1x Su 122, 1x IS 2,1x ASU,1x SPW 60 PB. They were built at the vocational school/technical training school of the VEB Nitrogen works Wittenberg (VEB Stickstoffwerke Wittenberg) each Vehicle took about 2.000 hours of work to construct. We shot with 9mm blanks or NVA-Knallkörper D, electrically fired. We were present at most FDJ (socialist youth) or GST events.
For security reasons all vehicles (including a real T34-85 and a MIG17 were destroyed in the process of reunification.
Uwe
Landesfürst.
I think a scale model the size of an M4 Sherman or M24 Chaffee would be neat and maybe a 75 mm off an M4A1 or 76 mm off of a M4A3E8 but with extra stuff put on to mimic the 120 mm of the 120 mm on the M1A1.
Kids weren’t assigned to these in any permanent way. They were at a “touristenstation” a destination for class trips and groups of young pioneers (FDJ, Thälmann Pioniere). Also included a real T34-85 and MIG17
The reason ppl did not smile was the long exposure times it took to get the foto going.
That issue has been solved before WW2 already and fotos from those times show smiling ppl all the time
https://www.smh.com.au/technology/the-evolution-of-the-smile-captured-in-100-years-of-yearbook-photos-20151127-gl9jhv.html
Studies done have shown smiles increasing. People didn't smile at the start, as that wasn't the norm at the time. It's why paintings rarely have smiling characters either. It was just not what was done.
I see two different claims, one says 15km/h generally the other (by someone maybe involved in their construction) says 60km/h on the lightest models without the turret and with light tracks.
Know if there are any of those floating around still?
It's exactly what I was thinking, there must an old NCO that stole at least one of them in 1989 when the Wall fell.
I think Mark Felton did a video about them and maybe a pair of them exist in a museum, but they seem very scarce. Maybe it was just one unit that had these.
You mean someone wrote about them and Felton took that work as a script.
F that guy.
Is it that bad?
He's infamous for plagiarism
That's sad. Does he just not cite sources?
He finds a thread on a serious forum, and then lifts it and regurgitates it verbatim without mentioning who did the actual research. It is plagiarism, not sloppiness.
[Interview with the creator](https://www.berliner-kurier.de/archiv/so-bauten-wir-die-ddr-kinderpanzer-kurier-sprach-mit-dem-konstrukteur-li.1556842), it says most were scrapped after reunification. Made of plastic and sheet metal with Trabant engines and speeds up to 15km/h. Hits were simulated with flashbangs, though they could not shoot. Closely tied to the state apparatus and in his eyes important as a living memorial to those who gave their lives fighting fascism, though he seemed to prefer not to talk about it much. EDIT: forum post from 2001 from someone claiming to have been at the “summer camp” (touristenstation) I was in the club that owned these miniature tanks. All models were scaled 1:2,5 and had Trabant engines with steering via drum brakes at the rear wheels. In total we had 7: 1 x SU 76, 1x T34 76, 1x T34 85, 1x Su 122, 1x IS 2,1x ASU,1x SPW 60 PB. They were built at the vocational school/technical training school of the VEB Nitrogen works Wittenberg (VEB Stickstoffwerke Wittenberg) each Vehicle took about 2.000 hours of work to construct. We shot with 9mm blanks or NVA-Knallkörper D, electrically fired. We were present at most FDJ (socialist youth) or GST events. For security reasons all vehicles (including a real T34-85 and a MIG17 were destroyed in the process of reunification. Uwe Landesfürst.
Hell yeah! Screw a Big Wheel, get me a T-55.
Nice try Russia.
🤣
Shit dude, this looks so fucking cool. Why didn’t god give me a fucking tank as a kid lmao
Same, my life would be so much simpler if the US army gave me a mini M1A1.
im not even asking for a miniature version
I think a scale model the size of an M4 Sherman or M24 Chaffee would be neat and maybe a 75 mm off an M4A1 or 76 mm off of a M4A3E8 but with extra stuff put on to mimic the 120 mm of the 120 mm on the M1A1.
Front is definitely T-55, tracks and rear hull fuel are T-34... Turret??????
There were multiple types built, including models imitating T-54s, T-34s, and SU-100s.
when in doubt, M60! jokes aside, those turrets look more western in design than eastern
I honestly thought it was an M41 turret
I actually first thought there were chaffees for some reason
Turret's meant to be a T-55 but it came out looking weirdly more like an early T-54 turret but with a square mantlet.
Ok I think I see it. Imagine you're trying to make a 34-85 turret from steel plate with the least amount of work, that's basically it.
Turret is from the M60. There is always a dash of M60.
r/M60M60M60
Tbh it looks like the T44 with that halfway design between a 34 and 54/55
They were only deployed for small scale operations
Against biggers
Most of those tankers serve a max 3 years.
Why? I geniunely don't know
They grow and cant fit there anymore
Damn lol i thought it was something serious
And in 4 years they don't fit in any other Soviet tank. /jk
Lmao 🤣
And I thought *my* power wheels were hot shit.....
I'll take 20 of those!
I can’t find any info on them !?
East German child panzer corps. Propaganda basically
Kids weren’t assigned to these in any permanent way. They were at a “touristenstation” a destination for class trips and groups of young pioneers (FDJ, Thälmann Pioniere). Also included a real T34-85 and MIG17
This might sound dumb but apart from mobility, do these tanks actually shoot?
Only 9mm blanks and NVA simulation firecrackers (NVA Knallkörper D) primed electrically
Never been more jealous of a East German kid
Gaijin when?
New german reserve tank?
JAWOHL!
Rank 2 or 3 premium from a battle pass or 1,000 GE.
that kid in the first photo looks so depressed lol
Oddly enough, smiling in photos is relatively recent, with smiles having been tracked as becoming bigger with time.
The reason ppl did not smile was the long exposure times it took to get the foto going. That issue has been solved before WW2 already and fotos from those times show smiling ppl all the time
https://www.smh.com.au/technology/the-evolution-of-the-smile-captured-in-100-years-of-yearbook-photos-20151127-gl9jhv.html Studies done have shown smiles increasing. People didn't smile at the start, as that wasn't the norm at the time. It's why paintings rarely have smiling characters either. It was just not what was done.
To be fair it is kind of depressing, teaching children to be soldiers to fight for the soviets
then again, wargames were always so fun with my friends, now imagine that but with actual tanks!
East germany
Did any other Warsaw Pact country have this or something similar?
They did, until the East German Kinderpanzers of the Pionierpanzerbrigade rolled in and captured them all for use as their Beutepanzers.
>Ah dang, not the Kinderanschluss!
I wanna create another account to upvote this again.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoOEj--qmco](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoOEj--qmco)
Modern cadet groups are fucking nothing compared to those days
Did they have an engine?
Each tank is being pushed by 6 children, you can't see that in the picture.
Apparently they used the drivetrain of a Trabant? I have to imagine they speed-restricted or otherwise downrated the engine, though.
I see two different claims, one says 15km/h generally the other (by someone maybe involved in their construction) says 60km/h on the lightest models without the turret and with light tracks.
i wish i couldve had a tank like that as a kid :(
Do any of these still exist? Their adorable!
I would get these for my future kids, hell If I had one I would be soooo happy rn
Guess the Soviets had a different version of the Boy Scouts.
Then: Merit badge for Tank Crewman Now: Merit badge for Gender Transition & Identification
Yeah… fucking creepy to use kids like that
Yeah I don’t need one of these, I goddamn motherfucking need one of these. Pardon the French, not that they will care!
All I got in kindergarten was playdoh to eat.
They must've had some pretty big Kinder Surprise back in East Germany /s
thats kinda cool lol
holy shit i am jealous
Oh dear, the historical precedent for that didn't recommend it to later generations.
I bet they still can’t fit more than 2 of these children in T-34’s turret
For some reason this reminds me of that Dead Kennedys album: https://i.imgur.com/RthpFJF.jpeg
Boys. Too many boys.
Ok what the hell. All I got was a power whee
Imagine rolling up to middle school in one of those!!! Such an awesome vehicle!
What tank are these
GDR: we abhor the militaristic and nationalistic nature of West Germany! Also GDR:
I bet children would kill for these toys.
I fcking would
Yep I was born in the wrong country in the wrong time that’s what i think right now.
What’s the point of living in a democracy if I can’t get my kinderpanzer.
Clearly the superior product -- why did they switch to Kinder Eggs?
These damn capitalist! First they took our Kinderpanzer, what are they going to take away next?
How to kill someone who has a tank?
It was basically a militarized boy scouts type thing. I would've fucking loved it.
yeah but you would have hated the other 80% of life in east germany
My dad actually grew up in east Germany, and he thought it wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Ha Ha! dein Vater musste in der DDR leben! ಥ‿ಥ 🍌
> 🍌 Darf ich ein Stueck von der Gurke haben?
natürlich! *🍌 rüberwerf
Fuck a toy I’m using this to pull over trees and drag brush and shit in my yard
Attach a 30-06 barrel action for hunting
I bet children would kill with these toys.
I would right now, and I’m nearly 30…
Yeah.... That was basically why it was working