Luftwaffe Anti-Tank Weapons
Combating Soviet Armor from the Sky in World War II
Jun 15, 2008 Andrew C. Rappold
German war planners were confident of a brief and decisive outcome on the Eastern Front, therefore little priority was placed on development of mobile anti-tank capabilities. This oversight was made painfully evident following the Soviet winter counteroffensive of 1942, when scores of Russian tanks penetrated deep behind German lines. When the available anti-tank assets on the ground proved unsuitable to the task, Luftwaffe aircraft were hastily modified to carry an assortment of heavy cannon and rocket projectiles in order to aid beleaguered German ground troops against advancing Soviet armor.
Luftwaffe Heavy Cannons
MK 101 - A 30 millimeter, long barreled automatic cannon capable of firing nine different types of ammunition (ranging from basic high explosive to tungsten-cored). Powerful and accurate for its day, it was carried primarily on the Henschel Hs-129 ground attack aircraft. With an ammunition capacity of thirty rounds, the MK 101 could penetrate 75 mm of armor at a 300 meter range.
MK 103 - An improved version of the MK 101, featuring a lighter weight, shortened barrel and an increased rate of fire. It was deployed almost exclusively on the Hs-129, although attempts were made to use Focke-Wulf Fw-190F's as a platform.
BK 3.7- Short barreled version of the obsolete 37 mm Flak 18 anti-aircraft gun, with a twelve round magazine. Junkers Ju87 dive bombers armed with one BK 3.7 mounted under each wing earned the moniker "Kanonenvogel" (cannon-armed bird). Hs-129’s were fitted with a single BK 3.7 under the fuselage, housed in a streamlined weapons pod.
BK 7.5 - Airborne variant of the 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun. Initial testing and deployment was conducted using converted Junkers Ju88 medium bombers as platforms, but eventually most were mounted upon the sturdy Hs-129. Although limited in number, Hs-129’s armed with this weapon received the nickname "Buchsenoffner" (tin opener) to describe its devastating effect on opposing armored vehicles. The BK 7.5 carried twelve rounds, each capable of piercing 130mm of armor at 1000 meters
Luftwaffe Rocket Projectiles
210 mm to 280 mm Werfergrenate - Modified army artillery rockets mounted under the wings of Fw190F's, also used to attack formations of Allied strategic bombers
88 mm Panzerschreck I and II - Wing-mounted airborne variant of the shoulder-fired infantry anti-tank weapon. The hollow charge warhead was capable of penetrating 120 mm of armor at 120 m.
80 mm and 88 mm Panzerblitz - Modified versions of the R4M anti-aircraft rocket with a hollow charge warhead, capable of defeating 100 mm of armor plate at ranges of 500 m.
SG 113A 77 mm Recoilless gun (Forstersonde) - Perhaps the most innovative German aerial anti-tank weapon, the Forstersonde (Forester's probe) was a vertically mounted weapon that was fired via a magnetic trigger that would activate the weapon as it passed over its metallic target.
Combat Effectiveness
Attacking Soviet tanks from the air had both advantages and disadvantages. Aerial anti-tank weapons allowed Luftwaffe fliers to strike at the more vulnerable top turret and rear armor, although scoring a hit on a moving ground target from an aircraft required great skill on the pilot's behalf. Total destruction of the targeted vehicle was not required, as even a 30 mm round could kill or disable a crew if it penetrated the tank's armor. This led many inexperienced Luftwaffe pilots to unnecessarily deplete their ammunition.
Although a testament to German ingenuity and engineering skill, aerial tank killing weapons could not be produced in numbers large enough to resist the Soviet armored juggernaut.
Reference
Aggressors Volume 1: Tank Buster Vs. Combat Vehicle, Alex Vanags-Baginskis; Howell Press 1990
Ju87G-1 with dual BK 3.7's
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