Anti Tank Measures

First World War Anti-tank Meeasures

Weapons

SMk Ammo

Armour piercing ammunition was developed by the Germans prior to WW1 to deal with armoured sniper shields. Commonly called Smk ammunition these bullets could fired by the standard German Gew 98 rifle and the MG 08 MG. (S107 p9)

There are numerous accounts of Smk Ammunition being effectively used against tanks:

Grenades

Gelbalte Ladung grenade bundles “with two extra heads wired to a normal grenade used to disable tracks or penetrate roofs”. (S83 p125)

Phosphorus grenades used to disable one tank (S106 p26)

In anticipation of grenades being thrown on top of tanks, the British fitted anti-grenade roof nets to some of the Mk Is.

AT Rifles

Following the first use of tanks on the Somme in September 1916 the Germans started developing various anti-tank measures.

The T-Gewehr Anti-tank rifle was eventually ordered into production on 19th January 1918 and started entering service in late March, by the end of the war 14,700 had been manufactured, though not all were in service. The rifle was essentially a scaled-up version of the normal German service rifle (S107 p9ff) was very heavy.

The T-Gewehr was crewed by two men, a gunner and a loader. The gunner carried the rifle, a single cartridge case and a tool kit, in addition the loader was supposed to carry and extra 112 cartridges weighing 13kg. (Zaloga p37ff)

It was of dubious effectiveness (Zaloga p37ff)

In September 1918 eighteen rounds were fired at a captured tank, none of the hits were deemed to have Knocked Out the tank (S83 p127)

Trench mortars

In 1917 the standard 7.58cm leichter Minenwerfer (lMW) n.A. was specially adapted to allow it be used in an AT role. The weapons had previously been fitted with wheels to allow them to accompany attacking infantry, a tail was now added to allow the mortar to be fired on a flat trajectory. Range 1200m. 4.6g round. (S83 p126).

 Ammunition usually consisted of ordinary artillery shells with bands fitted to match the mortar tube, propellant was provided in a separate bagged charges. It was fired using a trigger / lanyard. (LF)

The mortars were originally crewed by engineers, but in mid-1917 they were handed over to the infantry. Each regiment had a mortar company on 12 mortars, 4 of which were attached to each infantry battalion.

At Cambrai almost all the mortars were positioned in the front-line system.

During the more mobile battles of 1918 the number of allocated mortars was reduced to six per regiment, probably due to the weight of the mortar and the ammunition.  (LF)

They could be very effective against tanks according to a German report written on 21st August 1918: they were certain to destroy tanks at 500m, and effective at 500m to 800m.  This was better than the 300m effective range of a tanks MG (S106 p24)

50mm tank guns in metal turrets

A 50mm Anti-tank gun was situated in a small copula at Clapham junction. This probably accounted for several of the A and B battalion tanks KO in the tank graveyard on 31st July 1917.

The gun was 50mm calibre, manufactured in 1891, when captured it had case shot and HE ammunition, some dated to 1892. There were two seats for the gunners.

The roof of the copula was 1” thick and the walls ½” thick, the internal diameter was 5 foot 4 inches. (S38.p176) AWM E (AUS) 1411

Field guns

The German 77mm field gun fired a 15lb shell. (S106 p25).  A new anti-tank round was developed for the gun in early 1917. (S83 p125)

Every Division had a section of field guns detailed off for AT work and issued with AT ammo. These guns were kept limbered up, ready to be deployed as needed (S106 p25).

AT guns

After September 1916 Germany created 50 batteries of ‘close-combat’ artillery numbered 201 to 250. (S83 p125) These batteries were issued with standard 77mm field guns, but with smaller wheels (1m rather than 1.36m) (S83 p125) and only allocated 4 horse teams (usually 6 horse) and no limbers.

The new guns were to be dug in at certain points on the front line. To avoid them being targeted and destroyed by counter battery fire they were not to be used for normal artillery work. They were only to be used when their allocated area was under direct infantry or tank attack.

These units were disbanded in May 1917 after the failure of the tanks at Chemin des Dames and Arras. (S83 p125)

Presumably one of these batteries was overrun at Vimy ridge, two guns being destroyed by the preliminary bombardment and the other two being overrun by the leading infantry waves.

AA guns mounted on lorries (S83 p126)

Usually 77m, though other calibres were sued. Germans realised they could be used against tanks so Issued them with AP ammo, (K granate 15 P). Used successfully against tanks at Cambrai.

Flamethrowers

Whilst numerous photographs show Germans training with Flamethrowers against tanks (S83 p126) the author has found no evidence of tanks being engaged by flamethrowers in WW1.  

Mines

Initially improvised by placing a shell or mortar round in the ground, sometime covered with a board or plank to increase the pressure area.  Fuse replaced with a pressure fuse (S83 p127)

In 1918 the Germans started laying a light improvised mine. The Falchmine 17, this apparently had some success on 8th August 1918. (LF)

Passive measures (S83 p127)

Pits were dug, and camouflaged, ideally 4m by 4m in size with water or mines at the bottom.

Trench width increased to at least 2.5m

Concrete blocks placed

Steel Girders or logs sunk into road

Near Verdun cables threaded between blocks to create an AT fence.

Anti-tank forts

Constructed by the middle of 1918. Equipped with AT rifles, Mortars and a few field guns. Manned by specially trained infantry. (S106 p26)

Sources

S83 - Great War Tank (2013) David Fletcher – Anti tank David Willey

S106 - Men Against tanks (1975) John Weeks

S107 - The Anti-tank Rifle (2018) Zaloga

LF - Landships Forum: landships.info/landships/artillery_articles/7_58cm_minenwerfer.html

Anti Tank measures - Landships WW1 Forum

General Tank Information