EKB wrote:
Q. The ground pressure of the Mark V tank is much less than that of our M36 tank destroyer. Has this ever affected the results of your operations?
A. On 19 November 1944 when the 3rd Platoon, Company “B”, in support of Task Force “X” which was attached to CCB, was aiding in the defense of Immendorf, Germany, the enemy attacked our positions with five Mark V tanks. Two of these were destroyed and the others were forced to retreat.
One M36 was lost due to the fact that it had sunk in the soft earth and was unable to maneuver out of an artillery concentration. Another which was stuck was undamaged but had to remain in an exposed position until nighfall before it could be pulled out. The Mark V tanks which attacked over similar terrain had no difficulty in maneuvering. We defeated this attack only because of excellent positions and fields of fire.
And yet from almost the same date:
Jentz, Panzertruppen 2 page 150-151
The preferences of the crew for lighter, more maneuverable Panzers was recorded in a report written on 1 November 1944 by Albert Speer on his trip to Italy during 19 to 25 October 1944:
"On the Southwest Front, opinions are in favor of the Sherman tank and its cross-country ability The Sherman tank climbs mountains that our Panzer crews consider impass· able. This is accomplished by the especially powerful engine in the Sherman in comparison to its weight. Also, according to reports from the 26.Panzer-Division, the terrain-crossing ability on level ground (in the Po valley) is completely superior to our Panzers. The Sherman tanks drive freely cross· country while our Panzers must remain on trails and narrow roads and therefore are very restricted in their ability to fight.
All Panzer crews want to receive lighter Panzers, which are more maneuverable, possess increased ability to cross terrain, and guarantee the necessary combat power just with a superior gun. This desire by the troops corresponds with conditions that will develop in the future as a result of the drop in production capacity and of the fact that, because of a shortage of chrome, sufficient armor plate can ’t be produced to meet the increased production plans. Therefore, either the number of Panzers produced must be reduced or it will be necessary to reduce the thickness of the armor plate. ln that case, the troops will unequivocally ask for a reduction of the armor thickness in order to increase the total number of Panzers produced"