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"Vulnerability of German Tank Armor" from Tactical and Technical Trends
The following intelligence report on vulnerabilities of German panzers
was originally published in Tactical and Technical Trends,
No. 8, Sept. 24, 1942.
[DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department
publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime
intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No
attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or
opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]
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VULNERABILITY OF GERMAN TANK ARMOR
British forces in the Middle East have recently carried out tests with
captured German tanks in order to determine the effectiveness of British
and U.S. weapons against them.
The 30-mm front armor of the original German Mark III tank (see this
publication No. 3, page 12) is apparently a plate of machinable-quality silico
manganese. The additional 30- or 32-mm plates which have been bolted onto
the basic 30-mm armor are of the face-hardened type. This total thickness of
60 to 62 mm stops the British 2-pounder (40-mm) AP ammunition at all ranges, breaking
it up so that it only dents the inner plate. The U.S. 37-mm projectile, however, with
its armor-piercing cap, penetrates at 200 yards at 70°. Against
the 6-pounder (57-mm) AP and the 75-mm SAP, this reinforced armor breaks
up the projectile down to fairly short ranges, but the armor plate itself cracks
and splits fairly easily, and the bolts securing it are ready to give way after
one or two hits. If 75-mm capped shot is used, however, such as the U.S. M61 round, the
armor can be pierced at 1,000 yards at 70°.
Similar results may be expected against the reinforced armor of the Mark IV.
The new Mark III tank has a single thickness of 50-mm armor on the
front, and this was found to be of the face-hardened
type. The 2-pounder AP projectile penetrates by shattering the
hardened face, but the projectile itself breaks up in the process and the
fragments make a hole of about 45 mm. The 37-mm projectile does
not shatter during penetration, which is secured at ranges
up to 500 yards at 70°. The 50-mm plate is softer than the
reinforced 32-mm plates being 530 Brinell on the face
and 375 on the back. This plate is not particularly
brittle and there is very little flaking.
In tests carried out against the side armor of both the old and new models
of Mark III tanks, it was found that this armor showed signs of disking
at the back. There is also internal petaling. This, and the condition of the
front, which is flaked back at 45° for a short distance, indicates that the heat
treatment makes the inner and outer skin harder than the core.
VULNERABILITY OF GERMAN ARMOR PLATE
| RANGES IN YARDS |
|
British 2-pdr |
British |
U.S. |
U.S. 75-mm |
|
Standard |
H.V. |
6-pdr |
37-mm |
SAP |
APC |
Mk. III and IV: 30-mm (old type) |
|
Lower front plate and turret can be penetrated at |
1,300 |
1,500 |
Over 2,000 |
1,600 |
Over 2,000 |
|
Vizor plate can be penetrated at |
1,400 |
1,600 |
Over 2,000 |
1,800 |
Over 2,000 |
|
Sides can be penetrated at |
1,500 |
1,700 |
Over 2,000 |
2,000 |
Over 2,000 |
Mk. IV: 44-mm (reinforced plates) |
|
Sides can be penetrated at |
1,000 |
1,200 |
2,000 |
1,100 |
Over 2,000 |
Mk. III and IV: 62-mm (reinforced plates) |
|
Lower front plate can be penetrated at |
No penetration |
500 |
200 |
400 |
1,000 |
|
Vizor plate can be penetrated at |
No penetration |
600 |
300 |
500 |
1,000 |
Mk. III: 50-mm (new type) |
|
Lower front plate and turret front can be penetrated at |
200 |
400 |
800 |
500 |
600 |
1,500 |
|
Vizor plate can be penetrated at |
200 |
400 |
900 |
600 |
700 |
1,700 |
|
Sides can be penetrated at |
1,500 |
1,800 |
Over 2,000 |
2,000 |
Over 2,000 |
The Mark IV has only 22 mm of armor on the sides, but this is reinforced
by an additional thickness of 22 mm covering the whole fighting and driving
compartments. These additional plates are of the machinable type, and the hardness
of this plate was found to be 370 Brinell. The bolts holding this extra armor
in place are weak, and it was found that the threads stripped easily.
The above table shows the ranges at which the different types of German
tank armor are penetrated by standard U.S. and British weapons. The angles
of impact are determined by the normal slope of the armor on the tank.
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