Figure 1.--Here American soldiers in France or Belgium run for cover behind a Tank Destroyer (TD). This one was the M-10, the mainstay of the American TD force with its 3 inch short-barrel main armament. The tank destroyer was a concept developed by the U.S. Arny before the United States enteed the War and had any experience with armored warfare. It proved to be a failed concept, but the army deployed 80 TD batalions, mostly in France and Belgium. They played a major role in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge. Notice the sloping armor and lower profile than the Sherman, but still relatively high. The photograph is not dated, but we would guess about October-November 1944.

The U.S. Army studied armored tactics, but mostly on a theoretical basis during the inter-War era. War games conducted in Louisiana used trucks matked as tanks (Summer 1941). The United States did not have a substantial armored force until well after The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, propelling America into the War (December 1941). Large-scale construction of American armor began only at this time. American armored concepts were strongly influenced by the German Blitzkrieg tactics and the fall of Fance (June 1940). American commanders as they prepared for war, expected to have to confront large-scale German Panzer attacks on relatively narrow fronts, which is how the Germans achieved their victory in France. The pre-war American assessment was that the Germans would be able tp break through anti-tank gun screens. And at the time, effective infantry anti-tank weapons did not exist. The U.S. Army decided that the answer to this threat was specialized anti-tank units -- Tank Destroyer (TD) battalions. The decesion was to make them highly mobile and thus capable of concentration. As the War progressed, American forces did not have to face such attacks. Such tank battles did take place, but in the East. There were two reasons that massive tank battles did not take place in the West. First, German armor was primarily deployed in the East, meaning the Western Alllies never had to face the full brunt of German armor. Second, the Western Allies achieved air superority in the major combat zones. The loss of air suoeriority made it impossible for the Germans to move and concentrate armor. Doing so, exposed them or more acurately their fuel and support vehicles to devestating air attacks. Only one TD battalion fought an engagement as anticipated -- the 601st at the Battle of El Guettar in Tunisia (February 1943). Soon after contact with the Germans, the U.S. Army tank concept began to shift toward an infantry support role. The United States deployed 80 TD battalions with 100,000 men. Each TD battalion had 36 self-propelled tank destroyers or towed guns. Unlike American armored units which were mostly equipped with M-4 Shermans, the TD battalions were equipped with a wide variety of TDs. The large numbers of TD types in contrast to the ubiquatous Shermans, is one reason why the TDs are not as well known as the other American tanks. The most numerous was the M-10 TD seen here (figure 1). This was in part because the German advances in armored technology meant that early American TDs were ineffective, espcially against frontal armor. The TDs were vital because the M-4 Shermans could not slug it out with the advanced German Panzers. The United States was able to gain battlefield success with a comnination of infantry tactics, larger numbers of Shermans (making flanking tactics possible), the TDs, effective artilery, and air support. The TD battalions attempted to gain flanking positions. This enabled them to hit the thiner side armor of the German Panzers. This also reduced the accuracy of the return fire. American units constantly were in the process of upgrading the TDs. Only the 90 mm gun of the M-36 reaching the TD battalions in the last months of the War, some were involved in the Bulge fighting. The M-36 were able to penetrate the frontal armor of the Panzers at long range. 【Forty and Livesy, p. 392.】 This did not include the Tigers with 7 in of frontal armor.

Sources

Forty, George and Jack Livesy. eds. The Complete Guide to Tanks & Armoured Fighting Vehicles (London: Anness Publishing Ltd., 2006).

Created: 3:50 PM 7/2/2017
Last updated: 3:03 PM 8/11/2017