What was the Achilles Heel of the Panzer Tank? One of the main factors that drove the Germans to start developing a more heavily armored medium tank (Panther II). Even before the Panther entered service in 1943. Was the vulnerability of the Panther’s flat 40mm lower side armor to the new Soviet 14.5mm anti-tank rifles.
Soviet PTRS-41 14.5mm anti-tank rifles
These rifles could penetrate up to 40mm of armor at a range 100 meters which was enough to penetrate the 30mm thick side and rear armor of the Panzer III and Panzer IV and the unsloped 40mm lower side armor of the T-34 and the Panther.
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The Germans first discovered this information with captured T-34s in German service. The tanks were easily disabled. Or even knocked out by 14.5mm bullet penetrations on its 90° 40mm lower side armor. When fired upon by Soviet anti-tank rifles within a range of 100 meters. For this reason, the Panther II was to have a thicker 60mm side armor (and 100mm frontal armor), which could withstand close range anti-tank rifle fire and was later designed to share components with the Tiger I & Tiger II heavy tanks.
To combat this problem, the Germans turned to the Schürzen armor skirts.
In April 1943 however, the Germans found that Schürzen spaced armor’s capability of defeating these 14.5mm armor piercing bullets. And these 5mm thick skirts allowed even the much thinner 30-20mm thick side armor of the Panzer III and the Panzer IV to withstand anti-tank rifle fire.
This discovery ultimately prevented the Panther II from continuing development as simply adding 5mm skirts on the Panther was enough to protect its side armor from anti-tank rifle fire and Germany didn’t have enough time and resources to develop a new medium tank.
These skirts were made of 5mm thick steel plates.
And worked by deforming the armor piercing bullets and making them “dull” which allowed the main armor to defeat them more easily.
Contrary to popular belief, the Schürzen spaced armor wasn’t really meant to defeat shaped charge weapons, but was originally intended to counter Soviet PTRS-41 14.5mm anti-tank rifles.
Battle Of Stalingrad
The skirts also provided a space of 380mm to 660mm, depending on what tank. In addition, the space was in between the skirts and the main armor.
Later, military analysts discovered that this spacing was more than enough to defeat the shaped charge warheads used by the British PIAT and the American Bazooka encountered in 1943 which could only penetrate 100mm of armor.
Of course the Russian soldiers had to get close to the Panzers.
Lastly, at 100 meters, the Soviet 14.5mm PTRS-41 & PTRD-41 anti-tank rifles could only penetrate 40mm of armor. In addition, at a 90° angle using steel core armor piercing bullets.
What was the Achilles Heel of the Panzer Tank?
Written by Garupan History
