Even so, they were extraordinarily potent and qualitatively better than anything the Allies had until the closing stages of the War. The German Tiger (above) and Panther (below) tanks were iconic, but neither was ever produced in significant enough numbers to achieve real strategic impact. This article explains why it deserves to be reconsidered and is worthy of greater historical recognition. But a lesser known tracked combat vehicle, the Sturrmgeschütz III, was arguably more significant in the impact it achieved. If it means what was the most technically capable tank, then, for many people, the Tiger and Panther will probably spring to mind. History question! To receive notification whenever any new item is published on HistoryNet, just scroll down the column on the right and sign up for our RSS feed.A popular topic of late-night conversation in military bars and messes is: “What was the best German tank of the Second World War?” But “best” is a subjective word that means different things to different to people. The German 88’s ability to kick butt may have been legendary, but so were those of Richard Coeur de Lion at an earlier time.ĭon’t miss the next Ask Mr. New explosive reactive armour, which explodes against the incoming shell that activates it to counter its effects, makes it unlikely that a conventional 88mm shell would penetrate the hide of an M1 Abrams, a T-80, a Merkava or, for that matter, a Challenger, all of which are armoured to resist the sort of 120mm to 125mm SABOT or HEAT rounds that they themselves fire using various advanced guidance systems. I was a “war baby” and over the years I have everyone praising the power of the Nazi German “88” gun when used against Allied tanks, etc. Just as a matter of interest, how would a modern, say, Abrams tank with all its much vaunted armoured protection fare if struck by one of these huge shells?Īside from the fact that we and the Germans have not been trading shots since May 1945, the state of the art of armoured-or armored, as we spell it over here-warfare has changed considerably since then.
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