P-47 strafing a Tiger tank video

[Jag34]

Here is a topic I find hard to believe, being that I was a tanker for 33 years and retired this year. I know what a .50 cal can do, being I was also the TC for a lot of years. I also know the soft points of a tank, top, rear, underbelly of the tank and the top of the engine deck. Now I can see firing .50 AP into the top of the engine grills and penetrating the deck, but the underbelly of a tank from a ricochet from a .50? I don't know as I have never seen this happen. But, this coming from a WWII Veteran I would normal not second guess them since I was not there.

You watch it and tell me what you all think

https://youtu.be/GmjwK80IpjE

[Chalenge]

That's what he said! However, what kind of road would a .50 cal bounce off of and still penetrate a tank? AND, how did they aim well enough to pull that off? If .50s ever did penetrate a Tiger then it must have been a fluke. Meanwhile, Panzers would be a lot easier and since Americans almost never saw Tigers he probably just misidentified his target.

[oakranger]

That's what he said! However, what kind of road would a .50 cal bounce off of and still penetrate a tank? AND, how did they aim well enough to pull that off? If .50s ever did penetrate a Tiger then it must have been a fluke. Meanwhile, Panzers would be a lot easier and since Americans almost never saw Tigers he probably just misidentified his target.

Maybe you did not read what he typed.  " I was a tanker for 33 years and retired this year. I know what a .50 cal can do, being I was also the TC for a lot of years. I also know the soft points of a tank, top, rear, underbelly of the tank and the top of the engine deck.".  And depending on the angle that .50 hitting the ground, yes it will bounce off.

And he is right.  Tank designs worries about side front armored than back and top.  Tiger top turret and top hull thickness was about 25mm.  That is just enough for .50s to penetrate and take out the turret or engine. 

[Chalenge]

And depending on the angle that .50 hitting the ground, yes it will bounce off.

Yeah, I read it.

He didn't say that and I dispute it. I also dispute that a .50 could penetrate a Tiger's 20mm at the most likely angle that any fighter of the period would have made. The 10mm of a panzer, yes. Not a Tiger. Even if it had, the damage would have been repairable and not something that would wreck the tank. Again, Panzer different story.

[DaveBB]

Back in the 2000s, we had a huge debate over this exact same clip.  The consensus, summarized greatly, is that no, 50 caliber rounds bounced off a road could not penetrate the bottom of a tank. Too much energy would be lost, the strike angle would be too shallow, etc, etc. I'm sure the thread still exists, and you can read it ad nauseam.

[MiloMorai]

Back in the 2000s, we had a huge debate over this exact same clip.  The consensus, summarized greatly, is that no, 50 caliber rounds bounced off a road could not penetrate the bottom of a tank. Too much energy would be lost, the strike angle would be too shallow, etc, etc. I'm sure the thread still exists, and you can read it ad nauseam.

Yah is a standard joke on many boards.

[Chalenge]

Now Angelina Jolie? She could make that shot.

[Randall172]

I doubt the p47 pilot ever "saw" what damage he did, but creativity never hurts.

[GScholz]

Pilots and fishermen telling stories... 

[GScholz]

The most a .50 cal API will penetrate is about 18 mm at 500 meters. The Tiger I had 25 mm worth of top armor and bottom hull armor.

[MiloMorai]

[shift8]

All good points on the armor Tiger obviously being too thick.

I must add though that I wouldn't believe this possible if the tiger had only 5mm of belly armor XD

[oakranger]

Come to think about it.  How many Tiger tanks were there?  Sure as hell not a dime a dozen.  There are many types of German tanks and majority certainly did not have the armor thickness of a Tiger tank either (Panther and Tiger II obvious dose) .  Also, i high doubt that these FIGHTER pilots were trained to ID the types of tanks, or for that matter,  any German equipment they see.  They attacked anything they see fit contribute to the German War machine. 

[MiloMorai]

[Zimme83]

From what ive read a lot of German tanks encountered by te Allies became "Tigers" in the reports.
There were ~150 Tiger tanks in France after D-day out of around 2500 German tanks and tank destroyers. So it seems likely that tanks were misidentified as Tigers. If they manage to strafe German tanks w .50:s it were most likely not tigers as said above.