ATG Effectiveness

[CptCav]

I have seen many discussions regarding the effectiveness, or rather the lack there of, of anti-tank guns in the PzC game series. I have just finished reading Osprey's US Tank and Tank Destroyer Battalions in the ETO 1944-45 and I would like to share a passage:

"The Ardennes doomed the towed battalions. The initial Ardennes fighting made it quite clear that the towed anti-tank gun battalions were extremely ineffective when fighting German armor on their own. One study concluded that the loss ratio in these circumstances was about 3:1 in favor of the attacking tanks. When integrated into an infantry defensive postion, the towed anti-tank guns were barely adequate with an exchange ratio of 1:1.3 in favor of the guns. In contrast, the self-propelled M10 3in. tank destroyers had a favorable exchange ratio of 1:1.9 when operating on their own without infantry support and an excellent ratio of 1:6 when integrated into an infantry defense. The study noted that the towed 3in. guns were successful in only two out of nine defensive actions while the M10 tank destroyer battalions were successful in 14 of 16 defensive actions against German tanks. The First Army report noted that the tank destroyer battalion losses totaled 119, of which 86 were towed guns, a remarkable disproportion that glaringly revealed the vulnerability of the towed guns. The report concluded "It is clear that during the battle of the Ardennes, the self-propelled battalion again proved its superiority over the towed battalion for both offensive and defensive action."

The book had indicated the disatisfaction of the towed battalions throughout (North Africa through Normandy and the Ardennes). Realizing that this is based on American doctrine and tactics, it would be interesting to see a study comparing each nation's results with towed anti-tank gun units.

Regards,
CptCav