The German Army, following the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, began a rapid process of gathering information which would allow them to employ successful tactics designed to stop British tanks. The British introduction of the tank at Cambrai illustrated to the German High Command that Germany should have followed an armor program -- which had been proposed earlier in the war -- and that while the tanks were fearsome, they could be stopped.
Artillery versus Tank
The German Army quickly realized that the slow, lumbering pace of the British tanks (in addition to the tank’s regular mechanical failures) showed that they were susceptible to direct artillery fire. Light field pieces, such as the German 77mm, could rapidly be brought to bear on tanks, either mobile or immobile. These light field pieces had enough penetrating power to punch through the armor of the tanks.
T-Gewehr
The German Army also designed an anti-tank rifle which fired a 13mm round called the Tank Abwehr Gewehr. This weapon was powerful enough to penetrate up to 15mm of armor at a distance of 300 meters, a significant factor considering most British tanks had a maximum armor of 12mm. The T-Gewehr, however, was not practical since its crew members could only physically bear to fire the weapon two to three times each due to the recoil. The T-Gewehr was best when employed against individual tanks which had broken through the German lines, such as the fast British Whippets.
Infantry versus Tank
At the Battle of Amiens in 1918 the German Army had an opportunity to employ infantry tactics against British tanks. During Cambrai German Stormtroopers had quickly showed that the tank was neither impregnable nor was it unstoppable. With this in mind, the German Army allowed their Stormtroopers to use their aggression and ferocity in a successful manner.
According to Alistair McCluskey in his Amiens 1918: The Black Day of the German Army, Stormtroopers, using the MG ‘08/18 machinegun, would separate the tanks from their supporting infantry. With the tank successfully isolated the machinegunners would fire upon the tank’s observation slits, forcing the tank’s crew members away from their weapons.
With the tank’s weaponry immobilized, and possibly the tank itself, Stormtroopers armed with clusters of stick-grenades would advance upon the tank. The stick-grenades would be thrown into the interior of the tank, if possible, and if not into the treads. Destroying the treads allowed for the tank crew to be taken prisoner, or, if they refused, the 77mm light artillery piece could be brought to bear upon the tank.
Overall the German Army developed several tactics which worked successfully at isolating and destroying allied tanks. While these tactics were successful, however, Germany could not, in the end, compete with the material wealth of the Allied nations.
Sources
McCluskey, Alistair. Amiens 1918: The Black Day of the German Army. Great Britain: Osprey Publishing, 2008.
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