German and
American
Tank Comparison
Stewart |
Sherman |
| Panther | Tiger II |
Jane's TANKS of WORLD WAR II
said
postwar analysis indicated that it took an average
of four Allied tank losses to destroy a single Tiger
but
that ratio was offset by the great efforts
needed to get that Tiger into combat
in addition
the four Allied tanks could be readily
replaced
the Tiger could not
how do you tell a Mom who lost her son that
the Americans and Russians were fighting a war of attrition
| Country |
|
|
|
|
| Nickname | Stuart |
Panther |
Sherman |
Tiger II |
| Size | Light |
Medium |
Medium |
Heavy |
| Model | M5 |
PzKpFw V |
M4 |
PzKpFw VI |
| Variant | A1 |
Ausf G |
A3E8 |
Ausf B |
| Weight (tons) | 15 |
45 |
33 |
70 |
| Crew | 4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
| Length (feet-inches) | 14-2 |
18-6 |
24-3 |
33-9 |
| Width (feet-inches) | 7-6 |
9-8 |
8-7 |
12-6 |
| Height (feet-inches) | 7-6 |
8-2 |
9-0 |
10-3 |
| Cannon (mm) | 37 |
75 |
76.2 |
88 |
| Rounds (number) | 147 |
82 |
71 |
84 |
| AP Velocity (ft/sec) | 2900 |
3000 |
2600 |
3300 |
| Penetration (inches) | 2.00 |
3.50 |
4.25 |
5.25 |
| Distance (yards) | 500 |
2200 |
500 |
2200 |
| Angle (degrees) | 30 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
| Hull Front (inches) | 2.00 |
6.25 |
2.50 |
7.00 |
| Hull Side (inches) | 1.25 |
2.75 |
1.50 |
1.50 |
| Turret Front (inches) | 1.75 |
4.00 |
2.50 |
6.00 |
| Turret Side (inches) | 1.25 |
2.25 |
2.50 |
1.50 |
| Hull Machine Guns | two .30 cal |
two .31 cal |
two .30 cal |
two .31 cal |
| Turret Machine Guns | one .30 cal |
one .31 cal |
one .50 cal |
one .31 cal |
| Engine (HP) | 220 |
700 |
500 |
700 |
| Gearbox (forward) | 6 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
| Gearbox (reverse) | 1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| Road Speed (MPH) | 36 |
29 |
26 |
24 |
| Terrain Speed (MPH) | 24 |
24 |
18 |
12 |
| Gasoline (gallons) | 89 |
unknown |
175 |
227 |
| Range (miles) | 100 |
95 |
100 |
105 |
memoirs
Stewarts were built for speed, but their armament was not any better than Japanese tanks. While on maneuvers with the 16th Armored Division, at Camp Chaffee (Arkansas), our light tank company came barreling down Mountainburg hill, on US Highway 71, at speeds exceeding 45 miles per hour.
In Germany we were ordered to take out the 6th SS Mountain Division, who had cut the 4th Armored Division supply lines. I remember seeing a platoon of (5) Stewarts, all burned up, that were skirting a woods in column formation, about 10 yards apart. Whoever blasted them got away because we didn’t see any damaged German equipment anywhere.
Penetration data in the table are very clear. A Stewart couldn’t knock out another Stewart at distances exceeding 600 yards. They were totally useless against German tanks, although the M5A1 could wipe out trucks and half-tracks.
A Sherman didn’t cut the mustard toe-to-toe with a German tank. Krauts could clobber us at a range of 1800 yards, but we weren’t effective beyond 800 yards. They had what we called "the 1000 yard advantage". Rushing or flanking them was your only hope.
