Music Oberleutnant Kurt Wiehle | ||
The Panzerlied is one of the best known Wehrmacht songs. It was composed in June 1933 by Oberleutnant Kurt Wiehle while on his way to Königsbrück. Wiehle adapted a German sailor's song, writing lyrics more appropriate to the Panzerwaffe. At the time, Germany was clandestinely developing an armored force in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles. The song could be considered as a reflection of the German re-armament, launched in the same time frame as the song was written.
Contents
- Chilean army version and other countries
- Original lyrics
- Lyrics and translation
- In Popular Culture
- References
It has gained fame in the English-speaking world due to its usage in the 1965 film Battle of the Bulge. While throughout that film German characters speak English, the song is sung in the original German.
Chilean army version and other countries
Chile has the biggest German community in South America, as a proportion of its population, due to waves of immigration from Germany during the 19th-20th centuries. Hence German influence is great in Chile. Around 1870, Chilean president Domingo Santa María initiated a program of military reform with the help of Prussian instructors like Emil Körner. Due to this and the influence of the large community of German immigrants, the Chilean military borrowed many military traditions of the old Prussian army and the modern German army. The "Panzerlied" became the official hymn of the armored forces in the Chilean army and is sung during parades. The lyrics were translated to Castilian Spanish, but the title was left unchanged. The Panzerlied has become one of the most widely recognized German traditions among the Chilean people.
The song is also sung by some motorized and parachute units of the Italian army. In France, the lyrics were adapted slightly to become the Marche des Chars used by the 501e régiment de chars de combat, and the tune was borrowed for the French Foreign Legion's song Képi Blanc.
The Korean adaptation of the song is also used by the South Korean Army as a march for the country's tank and motorized units.
The second half of the Panzerlied tune is used as chorus for the unofficial anthem for the German community of Namibia, and the unofficial anthem of the then South African-ruled South-West Africa (present day Namibia). This song is known as "Das Südwesterlied" or "Hart wie Kamelherndorz".
The first,second and fifth Stanzas of the Song are used by the Brazilian Army under the title of "Canção Da Tropa Blindada" (Song Of the Armored Troops) with The lyrics translated to Portuguese.
Original lyrics
Originally, the last two lines of every verse were repeated. It was later changed so that only the last line is repeated.
There are at least three versions online:
- The Original - The "Battle" Version - The 1945 Battle of the Bulge Version
Lyrics and translation
Original Version from 1933-1945:
Panzlied "Battle" Version:
In Popular Culture
The 1965 war movie Battle of the Bulge has the most popular rendition of Panzerlied to date, and is frequently referenced with the song. The movie version repeats the first stanza 4 times, omitting the rest of the song.
The 2012 anime Girls und Panzer features an instrumental version of the song as one of the primary leitmotifs of Kuromorimine Women's College (the other being Erika). The show features boot stomping sounds accompanying the music, in reference to the version used in Battle of the Bulge. The 2015 movie sequel also features the song as a theme with another instrumentation.
The second part of the melody was used as part of the Südwesterlied (1937), the unofficial anthem of Namibian Germans.
An instrumental version was used in the 1999 PlayStation game "Panzer Front".
The song was used in the BlackICE mod for the 2009 grand strategy game Hearts of Iron III.
The song was used in the 2016 grand strategy game Hearts of Iron IV.