The Leopard 1 was West Germany's first domestically designed and produced battle tank in the aftermath of the Second World War. Work began on the type at Fa. Porsche System-Engineering Ltd. in the early 1950s. The Leopard entered service with the Bundeswehr in 1965. Since then, more than 6,000 Leopards have been built with many variations and modernizations, both armed and unarmed. Beyond Germany (where it remained in service until 2003), the type was adopted as the main battle tank for several other major militaries, including those of Italy, Australia, and Turkey. The tank was a key weapon in the NATO arsenal during the Cold War and beyond.

This work begins with a history of the development, procurement, and production process that created the Leopard. Then the author explains the major modifications and variants of the tank, both in Germany and foreign service. Finally, readers will enjoy a detailed, component-by-component technical description of the type. Text is accompanied by more than 200 images, many of which are in color.