Panzerkeil
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The Panzerkeil (Armoured Wedge) was a military tactic developed by the Germans on the eastern front during World War II. The Panzerkeil was developed in response to the Soviet employment of the Pakfront tactic.
The panzerkeil was a formation used by armoured vehicles, most commonly tanks.
The panzers would form into a wedge shaped formation, with the most heavily armed and armoured vehicles forming the tip. At the battle of Kursk, Tiger Is would form the tip, Panthers the base (where available), with the Panzer IVs and Panzer IIIs 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 wedge shaped nature of the formation. Also, the heavily armoured Tigers and Panthers would bear the brunt of the anti tank fire, leaving the more vulnerable panzers safe from enemy fire.
The panzerkeil met with mixed results. During Operation Citadel, the panzerkeil enabled the spearheads of Generaloberst Hermann Hoth's 4.Panzer-Armee to break through the elaborate Soviet defences. Meanwhile, in Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model's 9.Armee sector, panzers using the panzerkeil tactic failed to achieve a breakthrough, and suffered heavy losses due to anti-tank fire.
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