Losqualo
Posts: 511
Joined: 5/23/2003 From: Stuttgart, Germany Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Hunpecked As I understand Guderian in "Panzer Leader", he had three main problems with AG's and TD's: 1) Overall, tanks were more effective. TD's might be adequate on defense, but they couldn't match the flexibility of tanks in attack, counterattack, and mobile defense. As useful as AG's could be in some roles, they couldn't win the war; only tanks could do that. I second that quote:
2) AG's/TD's took resources from the production of tanks. Production of the early StuG III, for example, reduced production of the Panzer III, the Wehrmacht's MBT at the time. Presumably the lines could have switched to Panzer IV production later, but didn't. The Nashorn used a hybrid Pz III/Pz IV chassis; the line could have made Panzer IV instead. Jagdpanzer IV and Sturmpanzer IV production competed directly with Panzer IV output. The situation was the same with Jadgpanther and Panther. On the other hand, StuG's and TD's were cheaper to produce. Theres a number going around, I can't confirm it, that for every Tiger I produced, Germany could have built 4 Jagdpanzer IV's. I don't want to speculate about the outcoming, but I think that Jagdpanzer IV's would have helped more in the defense of Germany... quote:
3) Although AG's/TD's were at first glance cheaper than tanks, the problems caused by proliferation of vehicle types (development costs, incompatible spare parts, training of mantenance personnel, subcomponent procurement, multiple production lines, etc.) actually made it more expensive to field a wide variety of AFVs, as compared to a few main types. Had the Wehrmacht concentrated on development and production of fewer (but more effective) AFV types, economies of scale and higher field availability rates might have made up the differences in production. Second that too, with one little doubt: If the OKW (="our Leader") hadn't allowed such developments as the "Elefant", "Maus" and others, that resources could have been more productive by concentrating on developments on the "main" chassis. I don't know Guderian's thoughts about that though
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