Mensaje
por José Luis » Sab Ago 11, 2018 6:15 am
Sobre los Schürzen escribe Anthony Tucker-Jones*:
At the beginning of 1943 the driver's KFF2 episcope on the Ausf G was removed. Also that year spaced armour consisting of thin steel plates or panels hung from steel brackets, known as Schürzen or skirts, were added to the sides of the hull and the sides and rear of the turret in response to a fresh Soviet threat. Hence the removal of the turret's side vision ports. To allow the turret side access doors to open hinged double doors were fitted to either side of the 8mm turret skirts. Despite these it was possible to escape via the turret without using the doors in the spaced plates.
The 5mm hull Schürzen consisted of six plates either side with the front two and the rear one tapered. The foremost was the smallest and created and greater taper than at the back, but this was easily damaged and often absent. These skirts covered the hull and superstructure, the return rollers and a quarter of the drive sprocket and idler. The eight road wheels were left exposed.
Made of mild steel boiler plate, the Schürzen were intended to help defend the tank against attack from the new Soviet RPG-43 shaped-charge high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) hand grenade and later hollow-charge weapons such as the American Bazooka and the British PIAT (Portable Infantry Anti-Tank). The RPG-43 entered service in 1943 and could penetrate 75mm of armour at 90º angle. Although it had to be thrown at very close range, it gave no warning like other anti-tank weapons. The skirts would prematurely detonate an incoming porjectile inches in front of the main armour and dissipate the force of the HEAT round. Although the plate would be destroyed, it saved the tank from direct impact. The hull Schürzen were fregile and easily damaged in combat or torn off whilst the tank was on the move. As a result of the additional turret skirts tended to last a lot longer. Panzer IV were regularly photographed with the hull Schürzen in varying stages of disrepair with sections of plate missing.
*Anthony Tucker-Jones, The Panzer IV: Hitler's Rock (Pen & Sword Military, 2017), p. 42.
Saludos cordiales
JL
"Dioses, no me juzguéis como un dios
sino como un hombre
a quien ha destrozado el mar" (Plegaria fenicia)
; algo más.....................
.
