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World War II Artillery - Germany

During the Second World War the German artillery confirmed the glory as the best in the world, conquered in the Battles of 1870 and 1914-1918. German Gunners for the first time in the history used in the combat conditions recoilless guns, anti-tank guns with conical trunk channel, anti-tank smooth-bore guns, anti-aircraft guns controlled by radar, and other systems. The Germans created and first used in battle the Subcaliber and shaped charge anti-tank shells, operatic and active-reactive projectiles of ultra-long firing.

The Germans, comparatively speaking, neglected their artillery during the early stages of the war and were later compelled to give increased thought to it. The German concept of modern war in 1939 was that of the Blitzkrieg or "Lightning War", in which armor and the dive bomber jointly were to dominate the battlefield. The enemy was to be softened up by bombing and smashed by the tanks, and artillery scarcely had more than a subsidiary role. The Blitzkrieg was successful against inadequately equipped armies, but the gradual recovery of Germany's enemies and the complete bankruptcy of the "Lightning War" theory have compelled the Germans to attempt a refurbishing of their artillery doctrine.

Consisting of assault guns and howitzers, assault artillery pieces should not be confused with other types of self-propelled guns, for each of the four types of German self-propelled guns has definite characteristics, and each follows prescribed tactics peculiar to its type. In contrast to assault artillery, self-propelled artillery provides indirect fire in the normal field artillery fashion, and is protected by open-top armored shields proof against only small-arms fire and shell fragments. Tank destroyers, which are armored like self-propelled artillery, are used by companies in counterattacking tank breakthroughs, each platoon concentrating on a single tank. Self-propelled infantry howitzers are also armored like self-propelled artillery; they are the infantry howitzers of armored infantry. Recent tank destroyers like the Jagdpanther have assault gun characteristics. However, Jagdpanthers are unique in that they fire only on long range targets.

Whenever possible, assault guns are committed in mass at the point of main effort. They move forward so as to cross their line of departure simultaneously with the infantry. The assault gun's job is to supplement, not to replace, ordinary infantrysupport weapons. Here, the Germans are carrying out their doctrine correctly. German infantry is keeping clear of the assault gun, while the assault gun backs up the effort of the Pak 38 in firing on targets which have been holding up the infantry advance.

In village and street fighting, assault guns are considered most useful in breaking up road blocks, barricades, and fortified houses. Here an assault gun advances, after knocking out a gun defending a barricade of paving stones. Assault guns are also used to provide direct fire against the em­ brasures, and other vulnerable points, of fortified positions. In missions of this type, they work with infantry-engineer teams seeking to break into the hostile position.