Anti-tank warfare arose as a result of the need to develop technology
and tactics to destroy tanks during the First World War. Because tanks represent an
enemy's greatest force projection, anti-tank warfare has been incorporated into
the doctrine of nearly every combat service since.
The predominant anti-tank weapons at the start of the Second World War were the tank-mounted gun, limbered (towed) anti-tank guns and anti-tank grenades used by the infantry as well as ground-attack
aircraft such as the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.
Anti-tank warfare evolved rapidly, particularly on the Eastern
Front, to include new infantry and infantry
support weapons such as the bazooka, anti-tank combat engineering, specialized anti-tank
aircraft and self-propelled tank destroyers. Both the Red
Army and the German
Army developed methods of combating tank-led offensives,
including deployment of static anti-tank weapons embedded in in-depth defensive
positions, protected by anti-tank obstacles and minefields, and supported by mobile anti-tank reserves and ground attack aircraft.
From the Korean
War to the Cold War, Europe and other countries faced the possibility
that a nuclear weapon could be detonated over an area of
tank concentration in one strike. While technology was developed to protect
crews of armored vehicles from the effects of radiation, the same could not be done for all
their supporting arms and the supply train on which tanks depend for spares,
fuel and maintenance. In the NATO countries little if any development took
place on defining a doctrine of how to use armed forces without the
use of tactical nuclear weapons. In the Soviet sphere of influence the legacy
doctrine of operational maneuver was being theoretically examined to understand how a
tank-led force could be used even with the threat of limited use of nuclear
weapons on the European battlefield. The solution they arrived at was maneuver warfare while massively increasing the
number of anti-tank weapons. To achieve this, Soviet military theorists (such as
Vasily Sokolovsky) realized that anti-tank
weapons had to assume an offensive role rather than the traditionally defensive
role of the Great Patriotic War by becoming more mobile. This
led to the development of improved guided
anti-tank missiles, though similar design work was being
performed in Western Europe and the United States.
The French SS.10 missile was the first successfully used in
anti-tank combat—by the Israel Defense Forces during the Suez
Crisis of 1956,[dubious – discuss] but the impact
of Soviet anti-tank missile tactics was not evident until 1973, when Russian 9K11 Malyutka (Sagger) missiles were used by the
Egyptian and Syrian armies during the Yom
Kippur War against Israel. The outcome suggested that although
the French missiles were a threat, they could be countered. The explosive power
delivered by the missiles convinced NATO tank designers to continue their
emphasis on increased armor, while Soviet designers retained their
emphasis on mobility of tank-led forces. The utility of the
light anti-tank weapon was also recognized by both sides of the Cold War and led
to further development of both shoulder-launched and man-portable weapons used by the infantry squad,
while heavier missiles were mounted on dedicated missile tank-destroyers, including dedicated anti-tank helicopters, and even heavier guided
anti-tank missiles launched from aircraft. Also being
developed were new varieties of artillery munitions in the form of top-attack shells, and shells that were used to
saturate areas with anti-armor bomblets. Helicopters could be used as
well to rapidly deliver scattered anti-tank mines.
Since the end of the Cold War in 1993, the only major new threat to tanks and
other vehicles, has been the remotely detonated Improvised
explosive devices (IED's) used in asymmetric warfare though it is really little
different than a homemade land mine.
and tactics to destroy tanks during the First World War. Because tanks represent an
enemy's greatest force projection, anti-tank warfare has been incorporated into
the doctrine of nearly every combat service since.
The predominant anti-tank weapons at the start of the Second World War were the tank-mounted gun, limbered (towed) anti-tank guns and anti-tank grenades used by the infantry as well as ground-attack
aircraft such as the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.
Anti-tank warfare evolved rapidly, particularly on the Eastern
Front, to include new infantry and infantry
support weapons such as the bazooka, anti-tank combat engineering, specialized anti-tank
aircraft and self-propelled tank destroyers. Both the Red
Army and the German
Army developed methods of combating tank-led offensives,
including deployment of static anti-tank weapons embedded in in-depth defensive
positions, protected by anti-tank obstacles and minefields, and supported by mobile anti-tank reserves and ground attack aircraft.
From the Korean
War to the Cold War, Europe and other countries faced the possibility
that a nuclear weapon could be detonated over an area of
tank concentration in one strike. While technology was developed to protect
crews of armored vehicles from the effects of radiation, the same could not be done for all
their supporting arms and the supply train on which tanks depend for spares,
fuel and maintenance. In the NATO countries little if any development took
place on defining a doctrine of how to use armed forces without the
use of tactical nuclear weapons. In the Soviet sphere of influence the legacy
doctrine of operational maneuver was being theoretically examined to understand how a
tank-led force could be used even with the threat of limited use of nuclear
weapons on the European battlefield. The solution they arrived at was maneuver warfare while massively increasing the
number of anti-tank weapons. To achieve this, Soviet military theorists (such as
Vasily Sokolovsky) realized that anti-tank
weapons had to assume an offensive role rather than the traditionally defensive
role of the Great Patriotic War by becoming more mobile. This
led to the development of improved guided
anti-tank missiles, though similar design work was being
performed in Western Europe and the United States.
The French SS.10 missile was the first successfully used in
anti-tank combat—by the Israel Defense Forces during the Suez
Crisis of 1956,[dubious – discuss] but the impact
of Soviet anti-tank missile tactics was not evident until 1973, when Russian 9K11 Malyutka (Sagger) missiles were used by the
Egyptian and Syrian armies during the Yom
Kippur War against Israel. The outcome suggested that although
the French missiles were a threat, they could be countered. The explosive power
delivered by the missiles convinced NATO tank designers to continue their
emphasis on increased armor, while Soviet designers retained their
emphasis on mobility of tank-led forces. The utility of the
light anti-tank weapon was also recognized by both sides of the Cold War and led
to further development of both shoulder-launched and man-portable weapons used by the infantry squad,
while heavier missiles were mounted on dedicated missile tank-destroyers, including dedicated anti-tank helicopters, and even heavier guided
anti-tank missiles launched from aircraft. Also being
developed were new varieties of artillery munitions in the form of top-attack shells, and shells that were used to
saturate areas with anti-armor bomblets. Helicopters could be used as
well to rapidly deliver scattered anti-tank mines.
Since the end of the Cold War in 1993, the only major new threat to tanks and
other vehicles, has been the remotely detonated Improvised
explosive devices (IED's) used in asymmetric warfare though it is really little
different than a homemade land mine.