How did the Germans deal with tanks?

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Big Yehudah
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How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#1

Post by Big Yehudah » 17 Aug 2014, 16:57

How did the Germans deal with enemy tanks? They had very few in comparison to France and Britain. How dangerous were tanks, how many were deployed, and how successful was the German army at defeating them?

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Ivan Bajlo
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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#2

Post by Ivan Bajlo » 17 Aug 2014, 18:42

Waited until they broke down or run out of fuel. :wink:

Artillery barrage, anti-tank rifles, early tanks were slow and had weak armor so not much was needed to disable them.

By the time Allies were using them in huge masses Germany was already defeated, it was for 1919 that truly massive tanks assaults were planed.


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Ironmachine
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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#3

Post by Ironmachine » 17 Aug 2014, 22:20

For a good overview of the weapons and techniques used by the Germans to fight Allied tanks, look here:
http://www.landships.info/landships/tan ... _Tank.html

Latze
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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#4

Post by Latze » 19 Aug 2014, 23:06

If you are able to read German this is the ultimate resource:
http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/dissertationen ... /fasse.pdf

Several hundred pages of scholarly discussion (using primary sources) of German ant-tank efforts. Contains such gems as the fact that the famous ant-tank rifles were issued without training ammunition: most shots fired in anger at enemy tanks were the first use of the rifle by the respective user.

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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#5

Post by jluetjen » 28 Nov 2014, 19:14

I know that the source not terribly reliable, but I seem to remember seeing on the documentary "Greatest Tank Battles - The Great War" that the Germans also used 7.7 cm field guns (7.7 cm FK 96 n.A.?) with some degree of success against the British tanks. My experience is that the TV documentaries are not great sources, but they can sometimes lead to interesting sources. This kind of conflicts with the "Landships" article linked above since they only make a passing reference to 7.5cm Gebirgskanone M.15 and 3.7cm TAK Rheinmetall, but not the field guns.

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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#6

Post by CharlieC » 29 Nov 2014, 00:33

The light field guns were the most effective anti-tank weapons. As well as the FK 96 n.A and FK 16 guns the German Army also had modified
FK 96 n.As (Nahkampkanone, Infanteriegeschutze) which, although intended for infantry close support, were used as primary anti-tank weapons.

http://landships.info/landships/artille ... tives.html

The lMWs were also fairly effective as anti-tank weapons.

http://landships.info/landships/artille ... erfer.html

Regards,

Charlie

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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#7

Post by Ken S. » 18 Dec 2014, 09:53

I've been working on the chapter dealing with Vimy in the regimental history for Res.-Inf.-Regt. 93 and it states that the regiment was training in the use of light trench mortars against tanks in early 1917.

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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#8

Post by Felix C » 21 Dec 2014, 03:01

Developed a 12.7mm bolt action antitank rifle as well besides those mentioned.
Also there is a well known pic of a flamethrower in use against a British tank.

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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#9

Post by Edward L. Hsiao » 10 Jul 2019, 00:36

Was there a thread or a website that had to deal with the most successful German tank killers of WWI? As I recalled the 8.8cm guns mounted on K-wagens took a heavy toll on Allied tanks during WWI.

Edward L. Hsiao

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Ironmachine
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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#10

Post by Ironmachine » 10 Jul 2019, 08:39

Edward L. Hsiao wrote:As I recalled the 8.8cm guns mounted on K-wagens took a heavy toll on Allied tanks during WWI.
Are you serious? No K-wagen saw any action in WWI, and they were to be armed with 77mm guns! K-wagen never even fought against Allied tanks, much less destroy one of them.

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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#11

Post by Edward L. Hsiao » 10 Jul 2019, 18:04

I think I made a mistake. K-Wagens were German tanks and did not see action. I actually taking about 77mm guns mounted on trucks that took a steady toll on Allied tanks during WWI.


Edward L. Hsiao

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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#12

Post by Edward L. Hsiao » 17 Jul 2019, 06:55

I'm talking about K-Flaks,Flak cannon mounted trucks used not only against Allied warplanes in the sky but also against the mass of Allied tanks on the Western Front with great success.

Edward L. Hsiao

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Sheldrake
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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#13

Post by Sheldrake » 17 Jul 2019, 10:07

Edward L. Hsiao wrote:
17 Jul 2019, 06:55
I'm talking about K-Flaks,Flak cannon mounted trucks used not only against Allied warplanes in the sky but also against the mass of Allied tanks on the Western Front with great success.

Edward L. Hsiao
What sources back that claim? I am aware that mobile flak was used as a mobile reserve against tanks, but what evidence supports the statement that this was achieved with great success? As far as I am aware allied tanks were more likely to face field guns or mortars, which were just as lethal.

The Germans invented the anti tank gun on 15th September 1916. The most famous example of a "pakfront" in WW1 was probably Flesquieries at CambraI. Those were field guns.

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Ironmachine
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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#14

Post by Ironmachine » 17 Jul 2019, 13:38

Sheldrake wrote:As far as I am aware allied tanks were more likely to face field guns or mortars, which were just as lethal.
And far more numerous.

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Re: How did the Germans deal with tanks?

#15

Post by yantaylor » 17 Jul 2019, 16:58

I don't know about the first world war but..in WW2, didn't the Germans rather defeat enemy tanks with anti-tank guns rather than using their own tanks?
Or was that only Rommel who used this tactic.

Yan.

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