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Was the Ferdinand/Elefant really a failure?

Discussion in 'Armor and Armored Fighting Vehicles' started by Walter_Sobchak, Nov 18, 2012.

  1. Takao

    Takao Ace

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    Show me a tank that doesn't get stuck in a swamp. FYI, the tank that bogged down in the swamp was blown up by the Germans a few weeks later, as recovery had proved impossible. The first Tiger captured intact by the Soviets did not occur until mid-January '43(also a schwere Panzerabteilung 502 tank).
     
  2. Jadgermeister

    Jadgermeister Member

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    They did have a high kill ratio, so they were anything but a failure. Its funny, a German tank with a 10:1 kill ratio is considered a failure, and a Russian tank that cant even get 1:1 is considered a wild success... what a double standard.
     
  3. Hufflepuff

    Hufflepuff Semi-Frightening Mountain Goat

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    I've learned a lot from what people are saying. From what I can gather it seems obvious that Germany was trying to get new models of tanks onto the field as fast as they could while not replacing the old ones, hence the logistical problems. Additionally there was the fact that German tank crews in 1943 were going to consist of more crews that had never seen action due to German losses on the Front.

    As for the kill ratio, the 10:1 is hard to believe, but I'll stand with it. As for the fact that they designed this as a "sit and wait" type vehicle, to knock out targets from afar while on the defensive, seems completely illogical for the Kursk situation - simply because, the Germans were on the offensive. Such a heavy vehicle would only slow down the faster units and waste time.

    Whether or not it was a success, the Elefant / Ferdinand was not what the Germans needed. What they needed were more quality divisions consisting of fewer types of vehicles to spearhead the attack bluntly, aided by well-experienced crews to combat the Russian tank tactics as well. The energy that was put into those 90 vehicles could easily have produced more Panther or late Panzer models, which would have been FAR more useful at Kursk than a lumbering defensive rock.

    And as for Italy... well, try pushing 65 tons up a rocky hill after the engine breaks down :D
     
  4. Don Juan

    Don Juan New Member

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