Historically, what methods have irregular forces used to disable tanks?
Upvote:-1
Let me add that Ukrainian government is currently publishing on Internet simple recipes for making Molotov c**ktails. Another method used by unarmed civilians is to create road blocks from any available material. The main immediate goal is to stop the tanks, even if you cannot destroy them. Destroying fuel tankers is also a very effective mean since a tank without fuel is of little use.
Historically, all kinds of methods were tried, among more exotic ones, delivering of explosives to a tank by specially trained dogs (I know that this was used by the Soviets in WWII from the first-hand sources). But the primary modern tool is a hand-held cumulative grenade launcher; they are cheap and portable.
Upvote:4
The first tanks were designed to be proof against rifle fire and rifle-caliber machine guns. Countermeasures included field guns (out of the scope of the question) and anti-tank rifles, either a larger caliber or standard calibers with armor-piercing bullets. Another option were larger-than-normal grenades, e.g. by wiring several heads to a Stielhandgranate.
Between the world wars, tanks got tougher, and anti-tank cannon around 37mm were introduced (also out of the scope of your question). Anti-tank rifles were still in use at the beginning of WWII, but they were increasingly ineffective. At the end of WWII shaped-charge weapons were developed (also out of scope for your question).
The usual measure for forces without an arms industry was the Molotov Cocktail, a firebomb made of gasoline, a bottle, and some other components. Tanks have since become more resistant to flame, but a burning puddle seeping into the air intakes remains a bad thing.
When one stands next to a tank, and one hasn't been shot by the other tanks in the platoon, it is also an option to try and jam the tracks. Rocks, concrete, or iron bars might damage track elements and running wheels of a moving tank. That may be an option if unsupposed tanks are sent against a demonstration, and not allowed to shoot indiscriminately. It is not a good plan in battle.
And regarding those supposedly abandoned tanks, one way to deal with tanks is to shoot at their fuel trucks. Russian tanks have a road range around 500 km with extra fuel drums. In battle, off-roads, the range is much lower.
More post
- 📝 Why was Truman considered a heavy underdog in the 1948 election?
- 📝 Before and during WW2, how were war games played?
- 📝 Which ancient cults would cut out the hearts of live animals and offer them as sacrifices?
- 📝 Is the use by old masters of camera obscura and optics in general a taboo topic in Art History, or was David Hockney's thesis wrong?
- 📝 How unusual was an unanswered naval salute of 150 guns?
- 📝 What specific jobs did people have on the Manhattan Project?
- 📝 Besides Crecy and Poitiers, in what battle was the Longbow the decisive weapon?
- 📝 Did Gorbachev say that his intention was to destroy Communism?
- 📝 In 1861, few Italians spoke Italian?
- 📝 Was The Great Game a war?
- 📝 Is There A Term For The Old Maps That Had Lines Connecting Pin-Wheels?
- 📝 How was the lower chamber of the Japanese Imperial Diet elected under the Meiji constitution?
- 📝 How far away could zeppelins drop bombs?
- 📝 Were there hippies in the USA in 1930?
- 📝 Did Rome annex Byzantium, the Greek city state, around 47AD?
- 📝 Where to get historical Finland railways map for 1939 year?
- 📝 What impact did the migration of Germanic tribes have on languages in the rest of Europe?
- 📝 Where and when were air guns used in a major battle?
- 📝 Was Christianity the first belief system which encouraged the ideal of peace among all people on Earth?
- 📝 What calendar did the Mauryan Empire use?
- 📝 Since when and why do some academic publishers use, prefer or enforce endnotes instead of footnotes
- 📝 Who revoked their signatures from the union agreement at the Council of Florence?
- 📝 When was the Eastern Front founded?
- 📝 Were NC, IL, and VA's latest concurrent constitutions' effective dates coincidental?
- 📝 What was horse population & growth in Northern UK 1500 to 1850?
- 📝 Why were the British Union of Fascist outfits so bad compared to the Nazis?
- 📝 Was there any sort of medieval defensive contraption which dropped rocks on attackers?
- 📝 Why didn't Semmelweis perform a simpler experiment, to stop all the anatomical work?
- 📝 Were there any ancient civilisation that functioned without currency or bartering?
- 📝 Could a nobleman / lord join the clergy in the middle ages?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Historically, what methods have irregular forces used to disable tanks?
- 📝 What profession(s) would have used this folding 'ruler'?
- 📝 What weapons were manufactured in India by the British forces which were used during world wars?
- 📝 What sources could Tacitus or Appian have used that have since been lost?
- 📝 What plane would have been used to airdrop someone into occupied Europe?
- 📝 What methods were used for onboard ship communication during WW2?
- 📝 What materials would have been used in the ancient Mesopotamian crown?
- 📝 What effect did tanks have on warfare strategies upon their introduction?
- 📝 Have there been any major disagreements between historians over what sources should be used to interpret an event?
- 📝 What would have happened had Stalin not had the Siberian forces help?
- 📝 What drugs were used in England during the High Middle Ages?
- 📝 What knowledge may have been lost at the Library of Alexandria?
- 📝 What damage did anti-tank rifles hope to inflict on tanks in WW2?
- 📝 Which countries (or comparable geographical units) have a lower population now than they used to at some point in history before 1950?
- 📝 What is the source of quote attributed to W.E.B. Du Bois: "When you have mastered numbers..."
- 📝 What would have been the typical drinks for a US farmer in the late 18th/early 19th century?
- 📝 What were sandbags used for in medieval duels?
- 📝 What kind of ink was used by medieval scribes in Iceland, given that there were no plant galls for iron-gall ink?
- 📝 What Factors Have Led to the Duration of US Copyrights Continuously Increasing?
- 📝 What evidence is there of the vision aids people used before the invention of eyeglasses in about 1286?
- 📝 What advantages did Catholic missionaries to the Indians have over Protestant missionaries in old Oregon Country?
- 📝 What would have been the price of a loaf of bread in 1645 Amsterdam?
- 📝 What courses would have been required to get a B.A. in America in the 1930s?
- 📝 What effect did the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir have on Great Britain's international relations during WW2?
- 📝 What would a Norseman in the early 11th century have worn as daily clothing?
- 📝 What kind of labor was used to build the Egyptian pyramids?
- 📝 What reasons did the Confederacy have for believing they would have a quick victory?
- 📝 What was used instead of toilet paper in the US and the UK prior to 1900?
- 📝 What would the Arch of Titus have looked like painted?
- 📝 What did the top minds of the late 17th century have to say about Salem witch trials?