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The last part is wishful thinking. The Germans found no counter measures for tanks in WWI and neither did the French in WWII. The only viable counter to tanks

The last part is wishful thinking. The Germans found no counter measures for tanks in WWI and neither did the French in WWII. The only viable counter to tanks between 1915 and 1955 were more tanks as the USSR and US showed.

mellavora 4y ago
Bazooka? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazooka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazooka Molotov cocktail? "the time-honored anti-tank weapon of last resort." https://www.thearmorylife.com/molotov-cocktail-vs-tank-a-history-of-this-desperate-measure/ https://www.thearmorylife.com/molotov-cocktail-vs-tank-a-his...
- tablespoon 4y ago
  I think the key word is "viable." IIRC the Bazooka was better than nothing but not particularly effective. And your quote's characterization of the Molotov cocktail as a "weapon of last resort" speaks to its ineffectiveness.
- yamtaddle 4y ago
  Tank destroyers. Towable anti-tank guns. And, ultimate, the reason you have to keep your opponent from gaining air superiority (if not gain it yourself) to operate tanks effectively: CAS aircraft.
jjk166 4y ago
In WWI the Germans developed very effective anti-tank rifles. In WWII French tanks were generally superior to German tanks, it was in fact the Germans who found the effective counter measure - combined arms. Anti-tank guns and especially shaped charge warheads rendered tanks without proper infantry support all but useless.
WJW 4y ago
I see what you mean but think that it is not applicable to the current drone situation in Ukraine. It is quite possible to shoot down these drones, it is merely difficult to do so cost effectively with the means they have at the moment. An old-style flak gun coupled to a basic anti-air radar would probably work just fine and is definitely not out of reach for the West to build; the challenge is to get enough of those out in the field quickly enough. Something like the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flakpanzer_Gepard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flakpanzer_Gepard would be an absolute beast against simple drones, but according to the wiki the Ukrainians only have about 30 of them and they are limited to ~5 km range. They would need a lot more, which would take some time to acquire. Then again you could dispense with the tracked undercarriage for defending static objects like power plants, so just getting the guns would be enough.

mellavora 4y ago

Bazooka? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazooka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazooka Molotov cocktail? "the time-honored anti-tank weapon of last resort." https://www.thearmorylife.com/molotov-cocktail-vs-tank-a-history-of-this-desperate-measure/ https://www.thearmorylife.com/molotov-cocktail-vs-tank-a-his...

tablespoon 4y ago
I think the key word is "viable." IIRC the Bazooka was better than nothing but not particularly effective. And your quote's characterization of the Molotov cocktail as a "weapon of last resort" speaks to its ineffectiveness.
yamtaddle 4y ago
Tank destroyers. Towable anti-tank guns. And, ultimate, the reason you have to keep your opponent from gaining air superiority (if not gain it yourself) to operate tanks effectively: CAS aircraft.

jjk166 4y ago

In WWI the Germans developed very effective anti-tank rifles. In WWII French tanks were generally superior to German tanks, it was in fact the Germans who found the effective counter measure - combined arms. Anti-tank guns and especially shaped charge warheads rendered tanks without proper infantry support all but useless.

WJW 4y ago

I see what you mean but think that it is not applicable to the current drone situation in Ukraine. It is quite possible to shoot down these drones, it is merely difficult to do so cost effectively with the means they have at the moment. An old-style flak gun coupled to a basic anti-air radar would probably work just fine and is definitely not out of reach for the West to build; the challenge is to get enough of those out in the field quickly enough. Something like the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flakpanzer_Gepard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flakpanzer_Gepard would be an absolute beast against simple drones, but according to the wiki the Ukrainians only have about 30 of them and they are limited to ~5 km range. They would need a lot more, which would take some time to acquire. Then again you could dispense with the tracked undercarriage for defending static objects like power plants, so just getting the guns would be enough.