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Armor Attack

by Jim "Twitch" Tittle

Article Type: Military History
Article Date: January 11, 2002

On The Road Again- Brit M4s mid-1944

Even in the 1930's Russia possessed more armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) than anyone. Germany began development in that time with the likes of the BT-5 and (PzKpfw) Panzerkampwagen I. These vehicles were disguised under the name of agricultural tractors in production documents. Given birth on paper as a 35-ton "Grosstraktor," the PzKpfw V, this six-man tank had a 500 hp engine and a 75mm gun, a 37mm gun plus five machine guns encased in 70 mm of armor. It was formidable.

From 1928, when the formation of armor units for military personnel instruction began, men like Rommel and Guderian had to make due with un-motorized canvas dummies designated "tank" during training exercises to hone their tactics. Later, powered sheet metal dummies took their place. Then with Hitler as Chancellor and his vision to build a mechanized army things began to happen. But there was more to it than just building one good tank. The myriad of support vehicles, supply and communication had to be developed and implemented to create an integrated force.

By 1935 the PzKpfw IV seemed the best AFV that the Germans could build in numbers. It was a light tank of 17.3 tons mounting a 75mm gun in its turret. Its crew of five was protected by only 20mm armor and two MGs for close-up fighting. The IV had a top speed of 22 mph thanks to the 250 hp Maybach V-12 engine. The suspension was of a design by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche.

M4 Cutaway & PzKpfw IV

The PzKpfw IV was superior to all other AFVs. It could stand off, shoot, or outmaneuver the opposition easily, at least until the T-34 arrived in 1941 and a rethink was done on future German AFVs.

The T-34/76B could out range the PzKpfw IIIs and IVs with its 76mm gun. Two machine guns were used for close range anti-infantry work. At 28 tons with 60mm armor protection for the crew of four, this AFV could hit 32 mph due to its reliable 500 hp V-12 diesel. It rode on wide treads and had a Christie-type suspension. Its height was a bit more than a PzKpfw IV but its shape and armor slope angles still produced a low profile that made the PzKpfw IV look dated and boxy. The seasoned PzKpfw IV crew could engage the T-34 on slightly less than equal terms and come out of a skirmish victorious on most occasions. Allegedly, some 40,000 of all models were built.

The French S35, British Matilda IIs and A-10s were crude under-gunned vehicles in 1940 Europe. Plus their armor was a bolted together affair. German industry had perfected the welding technique that led to greater strength, simplified production and lowered cost.

French S35/Monty & Churchill Inspect A Churchill

The 38.5-ton British Churchill Mark I was not much better. It did incorporate improved steering and control systems plus a better suspension. But the 40mm or 57mm (on the Mark III) short-barreled guns mounted in the turrets were not anywhere equal to the German 75mm. But the Mark I had a 75mm howitzer mounted in the front hull between the tracks that added to its punch.

The five-man crew had ample space in the tank protected with 102mm of armor and propelled by a 350 hp Bedford flat12-cylinder. This was sufficient for only 15 mph however. Later models were somewhat improved. There were other AFVs like the 20-ton Crusader and 28-ton Cromwell but the fast moving developments in Germany and Russia soon made them poor seconds.

It is interesting to note that the 75mm gunned Cromwell was powered by a 600 hp Rolls Royce Meteor V-12 adapted from the Merlin aero engine that could propel it at speeds of 40 mph. But by 1943 a good part of the British tank force was made up of American M4 Shermans.

Before the M4 was the 1940 M3 General Lee. With 88mm of armor protecting the six-man crew, the M3 could move at 25 mph on roads with its 9-cylinder 350 hp engine air-cooled Wright Whirlwind. A 37mm was mounted in the high top turret and a 75mm was attached in an ungainly sponson on the lower right side. This was because American industry was not able to cast turrets capable of housing a 75mm gun and produce some other components at the time. Three machine guns rounded out the armament.

Used in battle it was quickly noted that the tank was forced to expose most of its bulk in order to engage an enemy. The 75mm was on equal terms with the PzKpfw III or IV in firepower but the PzKpfw could use its 360-degree turret mobility to better advantage in all situations. The M3 was limited by the fact that it had to be pointing generally forward toward the enemy to engage. In reality the M3 was sort of a crossover self-propelled artillery vehicle.

The British and American AFV development had been in the doldrums producing seemingly stopgap machines that were not from a clean sheet of paper, so to speak, as the Germans and Russians had.

The first 1943 M4 Shermans were new and powered with the same Wright radial engine that the M3 had adapted from aircraft use producing 400 hp. These models carried a smooth cast hull that gave way to a sloped, welded configuration. M4s were 33-tons and carried five crewmen behind 81mm of armor. By the time of the Sherman V model a Chrysler engine had been adapted that was comprised of five 6-cylinder in-line engines assembled around a central crankshaft. The arrangement gave 425 hp and moved the machine at 25 mph. Other engines, both gas and diesel, were used by other factories throughout its production life.

The tank had a 75mm gun with a short barrel that gave away 1,000 feet per second to the Panther's long 75mm that had a 3,068 fps velocity. It did incorporate a gun stabilizer for firing on the move but it was too poor to assist the shot accuracy. Two machine guns were included for dealing with light targets.

The U.S. deferred in heavier AFV development simply because industry was set up to produce hordes of M4s and it was felt that the basic design lent itself to the innumerable modifications that were ultimately made. British modifications produced the Firefly with a long-barreled 76mm gun that was very good. 49,000 of all models were made during WWII. As late as 1967 saw modified Israeli Shermans against Egyptian T-34s and even Syrian PzKpfw IVs!

1943 was the true turning point of the MBT (main battle tank). Evolution had the 32-ton T-34 with an 85mm gun and the newcomer, the Panther D weighing 43 tons bearing a 75mm gun. The haste to get a match for the surprising T-34 of 1941 yielded an AFV with many teething problems. Its 300 strong debut at Kursk showed mechanical problems with the transmission, unreliable optics and other less vital faults. The surviving Panthers were returned for rebuild.

Once refined the Panther was a remarkable AFV with its 650 hp Maybach V-12 that could move it at 27 mph while its crew of five safely rode behind 120mm of armor. Compare this to the T-34/85's 75mm and Sherman's 81mm of protection. Slower M4 rounds actually bounced off of Panthers during post D-Day encounters allowing German gunners to carefully aim and send their 75s through the Sherman's thinner armor for the kill. Though Production Minister, Albert Speer, emphasized Panther production as much as was possible, only 5,508 were produced.

T-34/76 & JS-2

In 1944 Russia MBTs were progressing. The Joseph Stalin-2 had come from the KV-85 line with its 85mm gun, but the JS-2 sported an enormous 122mm gun in its forward-positioned turret. Certainly large bore weapons had been built into self-propelled gun vehicles before, but to date, it was the biggest installed in a tank turret. The JS-2 used a 550 hp V-12 diesel good for 26 mph on the road. A crew of four had 160mm of armor for protection in the 46-ton machine. The later JS-3 was identical except for 200mm thick armor.

But the AVF that pointed the way to the post war trend of a heavy MBT was the unparalleled Tiger I and Tiger II. To combat Russian tanks it was specified that the excellent 88mm be employed on this 56-ton monster. With its 3,280 fps velocity it had double the penetrating power of the British 76mm. This enabled 5-man Tigers to kill T-34s at 2,000 yards! With its frontal armor 150mm thick little could breach its hull. Its immense 24-liter (1474 cu in) Maybach V-12 produced 590 hp on gas and sped the huge tank at 24 mph.

It emerged onto the battlefields in late 1942 and was used in numbers at Kursk in July 1943. Needless to say, despite early teething troubles, they were quite successful. 1,350 were built.

A Panther & A Tiger I

The Tiger II (Königstiger or King's Tiger) was still heavier at an amazing 68 tons boasting 185mm frontal armor to protect its crew of five. Part of the weight increase was in the thicker turret walls. Its 700 hp Maybach still produced 24 mph, gulping fuel from it 210-gallon tanks, with the same 88mm residing in its turret. A 60-mile trip could use 180 gallons of precious fuel though. Eight forward and four reverse gears helped moved it into firing position. In the field it was slower than medium tanks and slow to traverse its big turret.

Fitted with a snorkel, it could wade into thirteen feet of water. Its suspension, good gearbox and steering system made it light on the touch for such a heavyweight. The driver sitting in the hull had a hydraulically boosted steering wheel where most tanks had levers to steer. Levers were integrated as emergency back up. The hull machine-gunner had a 7.92mm MG 34. In the turret were the commander, gunner and loader. Only 484 of the very expensive IIs were produced.

When fielded, Tigers enjoyed a kill ratio way out of proportion to their numbers. They thwarted post D-Day breakouts and were instrumental in the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge).

Tiger I- No, YOU Pull Over!

When last used in any strength on March 22, 1945 along the Berlin-Kustrin road, twenty-eight Tigers and twenty-seven Panthers engaged a vastly superior division-force of Russian T-34 supporting infantry. When the smoke cleared the Panzers held the road and sixty burned out T-34 lay in ruin.

Only 100-150mm Russian heavy assault guns could match the Tiger's firepower and nothing equaled its armor. Though they never met, it would have been interesting to see how well the JS-3s, the British Centurion with an 84mm and the U.S. M26 with a 90mm would have faired against Tigers.

Today's AFVs are direct descendants of the Tiger as an MBT. Now 40-50 tons is the universal weight coupled with modern high-caliber weaponry and superior Chobham armor. Technology has produced speed of maneuver and ultra long range, accurate fire while on the move but I still would not care to be in the sights of Tiger—even in an M1.

For many images and more data:




Sources

  • Ellis, Chris & Chamberlain, Peter
    "Tiger Mk 1 And Mk 2"
    War Monthly Vol. 1 No. 1, London, April 1974

  • Guderian, Heinz
    Panzer Leader
    Ballantine Books, NY, 1957

  • Macksey, Kenneth.J.
    Tank
    Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970

  • Strawson, John
    The Battle For North Africa
    Charles Scribner's Sons, NY, 1969



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