![]() Hence, the StuG III assault gun knocks out the Tiger for Commander's Choice. It was cheap, had decent armor and firepower, and stiffened the hard-pressed German infantry against the relentless Soviet offensives. It was the little StuG III assault gun, not much taller than a man, which saved the day. The depleted and desperate German infantry divisions on the Eastern Front needed armor support to stave off massed waves of T-34s, and a few battalions of overworked Tigers were not going to save them. But Tigers were expensive, few in number (only 1,347 were built, compared to 84,000 T-34s) and hard to maintain. Not surprisingly, the Tiger I is Tanker's Choice because of its thick armor and powerful gun, which created "Tiger fright" among Allied troops. It is in 1943 that the contrast between technical capability and battlefield utility becomes most striking. The T-34 wasn't a champion because it won battles in 1941, but rather because it kept the Soviets from losing worse than they did. Some might object that the Germans decimated the Soviet tank fleet in 1941 anyway, but that was more a result of poorly trained tank crews, poor maintenance, and inept Soviet tactics. Despite a two-man turret, its superior firepower, armor and mobility shocked the hitherto-invincible German panzers, as well as German infantry terrified to see their anti-tank guns bounce off the T-34's thick skin. The only tank in "Armored Champions" to receive both the Tanker's and Commander's prize is the T-34 in 1941. Some of Zaloga's choices are less surprising. Thus, the Mark IV wins Commander's Choice, because it was superior as a tool for winning battles. But it had a three-man turret with a designated gunner and loader, leaving the commander free to actually command the tank. In contrast, the German Mark IV, with its low-velocity main gun, may have been inferior on paper. This meant the tank commander couldn't keep his eyes on the battlefield, which in turn meant a lack of situational awareness and an inability to respond to changing battlefield conditions. Yet the problem with the S-35 and many other early war Allied tanks was their two-man turret, where the tank commander was also responsible for firing the gun. ![]() French armor gets as much respect as Rodney Dangerfield, but in 1940, the Somua S-35 wins Tanker's Choice for its balance of armor, firepower and mobility. This choice of analysis produces some surprising results. "Factoring in reliability, the Wehrmacht could have had seven operational StuG IIIs or one operational Tiger tank." Thus while Germany's legendary Tiger boasts more firepower and armor than the humble StuG III assault gun (a turretless tank with the gun stuck in the hull), "the German army could have bought 10 StuG III assault guns or three Tiger tanks," Zaloga writes. But the second he calls "Commander's Choice," which is based upon a tank's overall usefulness in light of factors such as reliability and quantity produced. The first he calls "Tanker's Choice," awarded to the vehicle that ranks highest according to the traditional yardsticks of firepower, armor and mobility. Zaloga tackles this conundrum by picking two champions per year.
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