Figure 1.--At the beginning of the War the infantry did not have effective weapons to stop tanks. As the war progressed, a variety of weapons were developed for the infantry. Americans are familiar with the bazooka. By far the most effective of these weapons was the Panzerfaust. The Germans needed them. While they had launched World War II with the Blitzkrieg spear headed by Panzers, by the last year of the War they were being assailed by vast numbers of Soviet tanks in the East and Allied tanks in the West.

The tank appeared at the end of World War I and had a major impact on World War II. It was a major component of the German Blitzkrieg. The tank was a weapon that infantrymen had no way of resisting in the first years of the War. This was the case in Poland, the Low Countries, France, and the Balkans. The Germans used their tanks very effectively especially when they also had air superiority. The Germans also realized earlier than the British and French of the importance of anti-tank guns. Even so, infantry units had no effective defenses against tanks. This changed with the invention of hand-held anti-tank weapons. the American Bazooka and German Panzerfaust. Tanks could be stopped with properly armed airplanes or anti-tank artillery, but not at first by small infantry units. The last major battle fought without infantry armed with portable anti-tank weapons was Kursk. The Red Army made do with improvised weapons like Molotov cocktails or training dogs with mines strapped on the head for tanks. The new weapons gave a single infantryman the ability to stop a tank in its tracks. And as a result, tanks could not be sent into battle without strong infantry support. This dramatically changed the World War II battlefield. The American bazooka was, however, not up to the German Panzerfaust. It had inferior penetration capability. The Panzerfaust was the precursor of the modern Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG). The British PIAT was also inferior to the Panzerfaust. The Germans produced the Panzerfaust in large numbers--200,000 a month. In the final year of the war when the Germans expeienced shortages of the 88mm gun and other artillery, the Panzerfaust played an important role in slowing the advance of Allied and Soviet armor. The American Army had the added advantage of strong communications capabilities and strong artillery capability. This allowed any second lieutenant to call in a devestating artillery barage when faced with tanks as well as strong air support. This was somnething German infantry units did not have in the second phase of the War. They had to rely almost entirely on the Panzerfaust unless anti-tank guns were available, but this was support small infantry units commonly did not have. With a Panzerfaust a diminustive Hitler Youth boy could stop a tank and in many cases did precisely that.

Tanks

The tank was introduced by the British appeared at the end of World War I and had a major impact on the War, The tanks along with the American infantry cracked the Western front wide opening, forcing the Germans to ask for an armistice. The Germans despite the Treaty of Versailles concentrated on tank warfare inthe inter-War era, even working with the Soviets s part of the Rapollo Treaty. The German Panzers were a major component of the Blitzkrieg which the Germans unleased on the workd in Poland (September 1939). It was mobile artillery that could open wholes in enemy lines and rapidly exploit a breakout. The tank was a weapon that infantrymen had no way of resisting in the first years of the War, despite the fact that the early Panzers were only lightly armored. This was the case in Poland, the Low Countries, France, and the Balkans. The Germans used their tanks very effectively especially when they also had air superiority. The tank was unstopable, both anti-tank guns and fighter bombers could stop it. But lightly armed infantry units could not.

Anti-tank Guns

The Germans also realized earlier than the British and French of the importance of anti-tank guns. The German tanks at the onset of the War were not remarakably better than the British and French tanks, but German tank tactics were. And the German 88, initially developed as an anti-aircraft gun, proved to be the supreme anti-tank gun of the War. British defeats in France (1940) and in the Western Desert (1941-42) often came from the superior German use of anti-tank artillery. The German 88 could have had an even greater impact had the Germans not had to deploy huge numbers of guns and vast amounts o shells to defend German cities from thec Allied strategic bombing campaign. The Americans learned much faster than the British the importance of anti-tank artillery. The learning ciurve began very steeply after Kasserine (February 1943). American tanks were not up to the German srandards, but Ameican artillery proved very effective. And by this point in the War, bith the Soviets and and British had effective artillery available in increasing numbers.

Air Power

ThevGerman Stuka was a very effeftive ground support aircraft, but could only be used when the Germans had established air superoriyy. German loss of air superority radically changed Whermacht tactics. This essentially ended the great tank battles of the War that had been fought in North Afrrca and on the Eastern Front. Kursk was the last major battle fought out largely by tanks. The Germans had masrered air support from the onset of the War. ThecAllies took more time. The introduction of rockets greatly increased the effectiveness of Allied figher bombers. And American infabtry units could call in air attacks if they had suffient time. American aircraft were capable of taking out even the GermanTigers.

Hand-held Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons

Until relatively late in the War, infantry units had no effective defenses against tanks. They could call in artillery support or air support, but this might or not come. Here the Americans by 1943 were able to provided substantial support to their infantry. Virtually every 2nd leiutenant had radio contact abd could call in artillery support and airstrikes. In close quarters combat, however, this could be as dangerous as thecGermans. The German infantry was largely on their own. This changed with the invention of hand-held anti-tank weapons. The last major tank battke if the War was Kursk (July 1943). The infantry fought the battle without portable anti-tank weapons was Kursk. Infantry anti-tank weapons began to appear midway in the War (1942), but wee not common until 1944. The first was the British PIAT. It was a tricky weapon to use, but scored perhaps the most important tank kill as part of D-Day. It helped the British glider troops hold Pegasus Bridge. the American Bazooka and German Panzerfaust were the twon most important. . Tanks could be stopped with properly armed airplanes or anti-tank artillery, but not at first by small infantry units. The Red Army made do with improvised weapons like Molotov cocktails or training dogs with mines strapped on the head for tanks. The new weapons gave a single infantryman the ability to stop a tank in its tracks. And as a result, tanks could not be sent into battle without strong infantry support. This dramatically changed the World War II battlefield. The American Bazooka 2.36" was not capable of penetrating front armor, but could do damage from the sides or in close-quarewrs combat. Despite its short comings, the U.S. Army was still using it in the Koean War (1950-53). The Bazooka was not up to the German Panzerfaust. It had inferior penetration capability. The Panzerfaust was the precursor of the modern Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG). The British PIAT was also inferior to the Panzerfaust. The Germans produced the Panzerfaust in large numbers--200,000 a month. In the final year of the war when the Germans expeienced shortages of the 88mm gun and other artillery, the Panzerfaust played an important role in slowing the advance of Allied and Soviet armor. The American Army had the added advantage of strong communications capabilities and strong artillery capability. This allowed any second lieutenant to call in a devestating artillery barage when faced with tanks as well as strong air support. This was somnething German infantry units did not have in the second phase of the War. They had to rely almost entirely on the Panzerfaust unless anti-tank guns were available, but this was support small infantry units commonly did not have. With a Panzerfaust a diminustive Hitler Youth boy could stop a tank and in many cases did precisely that.

Created: 12:19 PM 1/16/2013
Spell checked: 6:58 PM 1/16/2013
Last updated: 6:58 PM 1/16/2013