ORIGINAL: pcomm1

The German 2nd and 3rd generation WWII tanks are interesting, my favorite models to build and paved the way for much later modern tank design, for sure. But in 1944 and 1945 those tanks were dangerous duds.

OK, clearly the 3rd generation of German tanks on paper clearly out classed the USA 2nd generation Sherman tank. But in the field the German 3rd generation tanks did not perform to expectations.

The Panthers failed in the 3rd Invasion of Russia, they couldn't even drive to the fight without breaking down. The King Tigers couldn't get through the Ardennes without similar problems.

Patton was right to stick with the Sherman, big Sherman tank numbers, Sherman reliability, beat the new German (more modern for the era); and better high quality industrial design tank concepts on the WWII battlefield.

During WWII, unit movements, logistics and maintenance proved to be the most important necessary factors to achieve armored victory.

Wolfgang Schneider in both Tiger in Combat I and Panzer Tactics repeatedly writes (with some defiant pride, I might add, LOL) about the significant losses of both type of Tigers do to mechanical breakdowns, their inability to travel many road types or terrain; the issues getting across bridges and the painful labor – time required to get any Tiger aboard a railroad flat car for movement to the next fight.

Remember, General Patton had his tankers just drive at top tank speed over European roads & terrain to get to the next fight!

And of course, Allied air power destroyed much of the German rail system making the movement of any German tank even more difficult.

The Germans might be living in Antwerp today if they could have driven all their spearhead King Tigers over the narrow country roads, terrain and bridges during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944.

But they couldn't and didn't. And that was the key bitter German Military lesson learned and cost Germany virtually all its remaining armored forces necessary to defend Germany's European Front.

A tank that you can't get to the fight is worthless and Patton seemed to know that.

Heck, the US Army was still returning captured King Tigers to the German Army as late as 1956. By wars end the US Army was no doubt the largest operator of German 3rd generation tanks.

Though they had a very difficult time getting them started.