The Comparative Performance of German Anti-Tank Weapons During World War II

Merriam Press World War 2 History Series

The results of this study will interest armor buffs, wargamers and anyone with an interest in the effectiveness of weapons during the war.

This is a reprint of a British report, entitled "Army Operational Research Group (AORG) Internal Memorandum No. 16: The Comparative Performance of German Anti-Tank Weapons...
More Description

Merriam Press World War 2 History Series

The results of this study will interest armor buffs, wargamers and anyone with an interest in the effectiveness of weapons during the war.

This is a reprint of a British report, entitled "Army Operational Research Group (AORG) Internal Memorandum No. 16: The Comparative Performance of German Anti-Tank Weapons During World War II." The report was prepared by H. G. Gee, and originally released in May 1950 in a limited edition. The original consisted of eighteen A4-size pages, was typewritten and mimeographed.

AORG Internal Memoranda "are informal descriptions of minor investigations which are not considered sufficiently comprehensive to warrant an official report but which nevertheless are considered worth recording for reference. These Memoranda are signed by the writers, and they cannot be considered as officially representing the views of Superintendent AORG or of the Scientific Adviser to the Army Council."

We can be thankful that such reports, however unofficial they may have been, were done, since they provide us today with information that otherwise might not be easily obtained. We can also be thankful to Abe Flatau for providing us with a copy of the report from his personal collection. He obtained, many years ago, a photocopy of the original in the U.S. Army's Military History Institute; apparently the previous holder of the original was the Library of the U.S. Army War College, whose rubber-stamped identification marking was on the cover (and dated 11 June 1959, apparently the date the original became part of that Library's holdings). Possibly the previous owner of the document, according to another rubber-stamping, was the "ORO Library, C/Army."

At some point during its wanderings through these various collections, the original document's title was altered somewhat: a line was drawn through the word "Internal" and a hand-written capital "A" was added to the number, so that the new title would read "Army Operational Research Group Memorandum No. A16". No indication as to why this was done, when it was done, or who made these changes. A minor detail, to be sure, but I felt it important to include this bit of information in case someone should encounter an altered original at some future date.

The information contained herein will prove useful to all manner of World War II historians, wargamers, and other buffs of such minutiae.

Contents

Foreword

Abstract

Introduction

The Comparative Performance of Enemy Weapons

Comparative Performance of Enemy Weapons as Shown by British Tank Losses

Graphical Representation of Losses Due to Mines

Personnel Casualties

Minefield Obstructions

Conclusions

An Assessment of the Number of Enemy Mines Required to Cause the Loss of One British Tank

Allocation of Mines to the Various Fronts

The Number of Mines Per Tank Lost

Appendices

Monthly Percentage Tank Losses Due to Mines

Front Consumption of 'T' Mines, 1939-1944

Number of Unassembled 'T' Mines Ready for Delivery to Ordnance Stores from the Ordnance Branch of the War Ministry, 1939-1944

Mileage of German Front Lines

Estimate of Mines Consumed on Each British Sector

Tables

British Percentage Tank Losses

Percentage Personnel Casualties in Different Tanks

The Number of Mines Per Tank Lost

7 tables

1 figure

5 photos