Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a fantastic paper model set by the German publisher Dr. M. Matthiesen & Co. The first German military paper model dates back to 1910. The Germans were also leaders in creating all manner of reference materials. Models gained popularity when the Treaty of Versailles prohibited the Germans from building their own tanks. The Germans built tank models on top of cars or even bicycles to use during exercises. In the late 1930s, the German publisher, Dr. M. Matthiesen & Co. KG, became the center for "cardboard militarism". Cardboard models became one of the publisher's main products.

Germans built their models on strict scales. For instance, aircraft were 1:33 scale, which remains popular with cardboard aircraft to this day. Tanks had a very large scale: 1:20 like this one. This allowed for a large and well detailed model that could be used as an educational aid. These models had a very high level of detail for their time.

The best known paper tanks produced by the Germans were the Soviet KV-1, KV-2, and T-34 tanks. They were very precise recreations of the tanks captured in the summer of 1941 and delivered to Kummersdorf. This was the secret of the high degree of detail: its creators had access to the vehicles that they put on paper. The company didn't limit itself to trophies captured on the battlefield.

They created models of German tanks, armored cars, and aircraft. The paper modeling career of Dr. M. Matthiesen & Co. KG ended in the spring of 1945, but cardboard models continued their development. In addition to the "German" 1:20 scale, the smaller 1:25 scale gained popularity. However, models in this scale are not particularly small.

The build sheets in this grouping are complete but missing the building instructions sheet. They feature (2) approximately 27 ½” x 19 ½” model sheets and are offered in good, uncut condition. There is the expected age toning that turned the paper to more of the tan color, but all details and writing is completely legible.

Comes more than ready for further research and display!

The Panzer II is the common name used for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II (abbreviated PzKpfw II).

Although the vehicle had originally been designed as a stopgap while larger, more advanced tanks were developed, it nonetheless went on to play an important role in the early years of World War II, during the Polish and French campaigns. The Panzer II was the most numerous tank in the German Panzer divisions at the beginning of the war. It was used both in North Africa against the Western Allies and on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union.

The Panzer II was supplanted by the Panzer III and IV medium tanks by 1940/1941. By the end of 1942, it had been largely removed from front line service and it was used for training and on secondary fronts. The turrets of the then-obsolete Panzer Is and Panzer IIs were reused as gun turrets on specially built defensive bunkers, particularly on the Atlantic Wall. Production of the tank itself ceased by January 1944, but its chassis remained in use as the basis of several other armored vehicles, chiefly self-propelled artillery and tank destroyers such as the Wespe and Marder II respectively.