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The Panzerkeil ("armoured wedge" or "tank wedge") was an offensive armoured tactic developed by German ''
The ''Panzerkeil'' was an offensive formation used by armoured vehicles, most commonly
Kampfgruppe
In military history, the German term (pl. ; abbrev. KG, or KGr in usage during World War II, literally "fighting group" or " battlegroup") can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the of Nazi Germa ...
'' (battle groups) on the Eastern Front during World War II. The ''Panzerkeil'' was developed in response to the Soviet employment of the '' Pakfront'' anti-tank gun defence.
Usage
The ''Panzerkeil'' was an offensive formation used by armoured vehicles, most commonly tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...
s, supported by ''Panzergrenadier
(), abbreviated as ''PzG'' (WWII) or ''PzGren'' (modern), meaning ''Armoured fighting vehicle, "Armour"-ed fighting vehicle "Grenadier"'', is the German language, German term for the military doctrine of mechanized infantry units in armoured fo ...
'' mechanised infantry and aircraft. The tanks would form into a wedge-shaped formation, with the most heavily armed and armoured vehicles forming the tip. At the Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...
, Tiger I
The Tiger I () was a Nazi Germany, German heavy tank of World War II that began operational duty in 1942 in North African Campaign, Africa and in the Soviet Union, usually in independent German heavy tank battalion, heavy tank battalions. It g ...
heavy tanks would form the tip, Panther medium tanks (where available) the base, with Panzer IV
The IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, is a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.
The Panzer IV was the most numer ...
and Panzer III
The ''Panzerkampfwagen III (Pz.Kpfw. III)'', commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Nazi Germany, Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was List of Sd.K ...
medium tanks forming the wings.
The advantage of the ''Panzerkeil'' was that the anti-tank gunners of the opposing ''Pakfront'' would be forced to constantly adjust their ranges due to the depth of the formation. Also, the heavily armoured Tigers and Panthers would bear the brunt of the anti-tank fire, leaving the more vulnerable tanks safe from enemy fire.
The ''Panzerkeil'' achieved mixed results. During the German offensive, Operation Citadel
Operation Citadel () was the German offensive operation in July 1943 against Soviet forces in the Kursk salient, proposed by Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein during the Second World War on the Eastern Front that initiated the Battle of ...
, that began the battle of Kursk the Panzerkeil enabled the spearheads of ''Generaloberst'' Hermann Hoth
Hermann Hoth (12 April 1885 – 25 January 1971) was a German army commander, war criminal, and author. He served as a high-ranking panzer commander in the Wehrmacht during World War II, playing a prominent role in the Battle of France and on th ...
's 4th Panzer Army
The 4th Panzer Army (), operating as Panzer Group 4 () from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, was a German panzer formation during World War II. As a key armoured component of the Wehrmacht, the army took part in the crucial ...
to break through the elaborate Soviet defences. Meanwhile, in ''Generalfeldmarschall'' Walter Model
Otto Moritz Walter Model (; 24 January 1891 – 21 April 1945) was a German during World War II. Although he was a hard-driving, aggressive panzer commander early in the war, Model became best known as a practitioner of defensive warfare. H ...
's 9th Army sector, tank units using the ''Panzerkeil'' tactic failed to achieve a breakthrough, and suffered heavy losses due to anti-tank fire.
There is also some contention that this formation was rarely used during Operation Citadel due to the scarcity of Tigers and most Panthers being assigned to the ''Großdeutschland'' Division. Furthermore, ''Pioniere'' (combat engineers
A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, Tunnel warfare, tunnel and l ...
) had to lead formations to clear mines lest the Tigers be immobilized by anti-tank mine
An anti-tank or AT mine is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles.
Compared to anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines typically have a much larger explosive charge, and a fuze desi ...
s, as the Kursk salient was heavily mined.
''Panzerglocke''
An evolution of the ''Panzerkeil'' was the "''Panzerglocke''" which was a bell-shaped offensive formation whereby armored engineers would follow the leading heavier tanks (Tigers and/or Panthers), lighter tanks on the flanks and a command group to direct the formation and supporting close-air support. This sometimes was employed with the heavier panzers being surrounded by lighter panzers, the heavier panzers forming the " clapper" of the bell-shaped formation.See also
* Flying wedge *Armoured spearhead
An armoured spearhead (American English: armored spearhead) is a formation of armoured fighting vehicles, mostly tanks, that form the front of an offensive thrust during a battle. The idea is to concentrate as much firepower into a small front as ...
References
Sources
* Wolfgang Schneider: ''Panzertaktik - Deutsche Einsatzgrundsätze 1935 bis heute''. Armour Research 2008, * Rudolf Steiger: ''Panzertaktik im Spiegel deutscher Kriegstagebücher 1939-1941''. Verlag Rombach (1973), * Oskar Munzel: ''Panzer-Taktik''. Vowinckel Verlag (1959) * Dennis Showalter: ''Blood and Iron: the Battle of Kursk, the turning point of World War II''. New York, Random House, 2013 Panzerkeil Panzerkeil {{germany-WWII-stub