Panzerlied

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"Panzerlied" is one of the most famous Wehrmacht songs. It was composed on 1933-06-25 by Oberleutnant Kurt Wiehle on the way to Königsbruck. Wiehle adapted a German sailor's song, writing lyrics more appropriate to Panzerwaffe. Its fame is due to the memorable performance in the 1965 movie Battle of the Bulge. However not all the verses are performed in the movie; only the first verse is sung and repeated a few times.

It is not unusual for military tunes to be used by different nations and the song remains popular with the Chilean Military [1]. The tune of this song is used for the French foreign legion song Képi Blanc.

[edit] Original lyrics

Originally the last four lines of every verse were repeated. (But this is not the case in the performance from Battle of the Bulge.)

[edit] Lyrics and translation

German lyrics

Approximate translation

First stanza

Ob's stürmt oder schneit,
Ob die Sonne uns lacht,
Der Tag glühend heiß
Oder eiskalt die Nacht.
Bestaubt sind die Gesichter,
Doch froh ist unser Sinn,

Ist unser Sinn.

Es braust unser Panzer
Im Sturmwind dahin.

Whether it storms or snows,
Whether the sun smiles upon us,
The day glowing hot
Or the night freezing cold.
Dusty are our faces,
But happy we're at heart,

We're at heart,

As our tank roars,
In the stormwind along.

Second stanza

Mit donnernden Motoren,
Geschwind wie der Blitz,
Dem Feinde entgegen,
Im Panzer geschützt.
Voraus den Kameraden,
Im Kampf steh'n wir allein,

Steh'n wir allein,

So stoßen wir tief
In die feindlichen Reih'n.

With thundering engines,
Fast like the lightning,
Towards the enemy,
Within our armoured tank.
Ahead of our comrades,
In battle we stand alone,

Yes, we stand alone,

That's how we thrust deep,
Into the enemy ranks.

Third stanza

Wenn vor uns ein feindliches
Heer dann erscheint,
Wird Vollgas gegeben
Und ran an den Feind!
Was gilt denn unser Leben
Für unsres Reiches Heer?

Ja Reiches Heer?

Für Deutschland zu sterben
Ist uns höchste Ehr.

When before us,
An enemy tank appears,
Full throttle is given
And we close in on the enemy!
What does then our life matter
For the army of our state?

Yes, to the army of our state?

To die for Germany,
Is our highest honour.

Fourth stanza

Mit Sperren und Minen
Hält der Gegner uns auf,
Wir lachen darüber
Und fahren nicht drauf.
Und droh'n vor uns Geschütze,
Versteckt im gelben Sand,

Im gelben Sand,

Wir suchen uns Wege,
Die keiner sonst fand.

With obstacles and mines
The foe blocks our path,
We laugh at them
And pass them by.
It shakes violently and furiously,
In our hand,

Yes, In our hand,

We find a path for ourselves,
That no one else has found.

Fifth stanza

Und läßt uns im Stich
Einst das treulose Glück,
Und kehren wir nicht mehr
Zur Heimat zurück,
Trifft uns die Todeskugel,
Ruft uns das Schicksal ab,

Ja Schicksal ab,

Dann wird uns der Panzer
Ein ehernes Grab.

And if we're left in the gutter,
By disloyal luck some day,
And if we don't return,
Back to our homeland again,
If a bullet strikes us down,
If fate calls upon us,

Yes, calls on us,

Then our tank will be,
An iron grave to us!