Hey guys,which would you prefer to be.?a)A crewman of a mk 4.Panzer.?b)A crewman of a 6pdr anti-tank gun.?
Gvien Germany's situation, I would guess a higher proportion of Panzer IVs saw more intense combat than 6pdrs. AT guns were commonly under cover/concealment and could usually hold their fire until the moment was right for them, i.e. wrong for the other guy. And if you get to the point where the 75 is lining up on you and you don't have time to load another round, you can dive for cover. There's a Bill Mauldin cartoon where Willie and Joe are digging a foxhole while a Sherman tank rolls by. One of them says "I'd rather dig - a moving foxhole attracts the eye."
I agree,now the wiki says the 6pdr came in in April 42,so does anyone know of the first engagement between the mk.4,and the 6pdr.(large scale).? Cheers,Lee.
The first combat use of the 6pdr was at Gazala in May-June 1942. Initially 112 were present, mainly in the motor infantry brigade groups; of course the majority of AT guns were still 2pdrs. 7 Motor Brigade Group clashed with the Afrika Korps on the first day; the British showed an unfortunate tendency to engage Rommel one brigade at a time. The German tanks were mainly PzIIIs. PzIVs were supposed to comprise 1/4 of the panzer battalion, but IIRC the proportion was still a bit less at that time, and they were mainly carrying the short 75mm. Not sure when there would have been a pure 6pdr/PzIV confrontation, though the proportion of PzIVs was probably higher at El Alamein and Medenine.
