The Nazis blitzkrieg of Europe was so successful because of it fast tanks. The Panzer I was incredibly successful as it was better than anything else out there. Each successive generation became larger, Panzer II, Panzer III and then the Tiger. The Porsche Company lost the bid to build this huge tank, with a mounted anti aircraft gun which could penetrate the armor of other tanks, particularly the Russian T-34. This tank had stopped the German invasion or Russia, so the Nazis wanted something that could take care of this weapon. The Tiger proved very effective, and could shoot much farther than other tanks. It could destroy enemy tanks before they were even in range to fire back. However their size created complexity in the motor, and many of them broke down, to be destroyed by the drivers so they would not fall into enemy hands. The Russians overwhelmed them in the Battle of Kursk with the number of tanks they had built. Although they were smaller, the were more maneuverable, and by shear numbers helped hold the line at Kursk, the last nazi push into Russia. The Germans had initial success, but could not carry the day.
Hitler had an even brighter idea. To build a super tank. This tank would be the height of four men. It would be able to act as a fortified wall if any of the Nazi wall were breached. Again the Porsche company was called in to build this monstrosity. A wood prototype was built. However the war was turning too fast to allow production of this tank. Again it was hampered by engineering difficulty, and lack of mobility due to its massive size. The Super Tank never played a roll in the outcome of the war.
No comments:
Post a Comment