Originally posted by Degas:
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I knew it was inevitable that someone would come on the board and explain how the first-hand accounts of pilots who actually flew the missions were "wrong" for this reason or that.
Here's the facts: Up until late 1944, newly manufactured German armored vehicles were indeed armored on their ventral surfaces. However, at the end of 1944/beginning of 1945, the German Reich was unable to produce sufficient high-tensile strength steel, and so the armored vehicles being produced at that time were left ventrally unarmored.
There is no need for anti-mine armor unless you are using your panzers in offensive operations. Such was the reasoning of Albert Speer at the time. This, combined with the absolute decimation of the Ruhr industrial region, dictated reduced useage of armor plating on the undersides of virtually all Wermacht armor manufactured in the 6 to 9 months prior to V-E day.
Some of these "ricochet" attacks were ineffective, simply because the Jugs were attacking armor made prior to the design changes.
The efficacy of the "ricochet" method of attack was proven by inspection of destroyed Tiger/Panther/Leopard tanks performed by U.S. Army Combat Engineers, advancing closely behind Allied front line forces.
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Reference please.
Leopard tanks?
That is the first time that I have read that the Germans degraded the quality of their belly armour. In fact the Panther II designs had even more belly armour then the Panther G.
Yes they stopped making Tiger 1s in the fall of 44 but they continued making Tiger IIs instead. At almost the same rate. It had very heavy belly armour.
While I am willing to look at any reference you would care to put forward concerning these "soft belly" German medium and heavy tanks. I would guess that the pilot in the film was influenced by one or more of the following.
Concurrent destruction of a tank by another source. leads a pilot to believe he straffed a tiger to death with hmg only.
Over optimistic Intell breifings formulated to keep the aggression flowing.
The desire to attack a Tank and a need to justify the sillyness of it.
Blurring of circumstance. The Americans did use their 57mm anti tank guns in this way. In the ardennes they purposly held fire on panthers and Tiger IIS to point blank and then fired at the cobble stone under the tank. The farthest advancing Panthers of Kamp Gruppe Pieper were destroyed this way. That would have been commonly known and these guys figured it applied to them too.
It did not.
Some people will say anything on camera.
If you are correct though then they would have had to degrade the armour signifigantly to allow for penetration by 50 cal.
The History Channel in Canada did not air the film or advertise it yet. I think we got "Cuba" in that time spot.
