Footnotes

1. Schürzen. This BHN is not a specification, rather it is from actual tests of captured German vehicles. Schürzen was usually about 5mm thick. [up]

2. Specification E32 for thicknesses of 16mm to 30mm, dated December 1942. I have assumed there was an earlier specification covering all of 1942 with the same BHN, as the data from Robert Livingston shows a drop in BHN for armour plate of this thickness from 1942 onwards. [up]

3. Specification E22 for thicknesses of 35mm to 50mm, dated February 1943. [up]

4. Specification PP793 and PP7182 for thicknesses of 55mm to 80mm, date unknown. The two specifications were slightly different alloys but had the same BHN. This was the armour plate used for the first 50 turrets of the Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B Königstiger manufactured by Porsche. The plate was milled well before actual production of the turrets. [up]

5. Specification E22 for thicknesses of 55mm to 80mm, dated February 1943. [up]

6. Specification PP793 and PP7182 for thicknesses of 85mm to 120mm, date unknown. The two specifications were slightly different alloys but had the same BHN. This was the armour plate used for the first 50 turrets of the Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B Königstiger manufactured by Porsche. The plate was milled well before actual production of the turrets. [up]

7. Specification E22 for thicknesses of 85mm to 120mm, dated June 1944. I have assumed there was an earlier specification covering all of 1943 with the same BHN, as the data from Robert Livingston shows a drop in BHN for armour plate of this thickness from 1943 onwards. [up]

8. Specification E40 for thicknesses of 125mm to 160mm, dated March 1944, and specification E41 for the same thicknesses dated June 1944. I have assumed there was an earlier specification covering all of 1943 with the same BHN, as the data from Robert Livingston shows a drop in BHN for armour plate of this thickness from 1943 onwards. [up]

9. Specification E43 for thicknesses of 165mm to 200mm, dated June 1944. I have assumed there was an earlier specification covering all of 1943 with the same BHN, as the data from Robert Livingston shows a drop in BHN for armour plate of this thickness from 1943 onwards. [up]

10. Face Hardened (FH) armour. The FH BHN only applies to a depth of 5mm or so, the remaining thickness of the plate has a BHN determined by the overall plate thickness as given in the body of the table. Jentz has a specification BHN of >627 for the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D and E, but actual tests on captured vehicles shows the FH BHN in the range of 578–610. I have assumed that while the specification may have called for a BHN of 627 it was not always achievable, so the table indicates the older specification of >555. [up]

11. Source: Jentz, Thomas L: Tank Combat in North Africa; Jentz, Thomas L. and Doyle, Hilary L.: Germany’s Tiger Tanks. VK45.02 to Tiger II: Design, Production & Modifications and Robert Livingston. Robert Livingston derived his information from a British Intelligence Objectives Subcommittee report German Tank Armour dated 1946 which is in the Tank Museum Library in Bovington, England. It is apparently the only copy, but anyone can buy photocopies from them. The report is based on interviews with German manufacturers of armour and captured documents. Jentz has proven to be a great source of original German documentation and he could well have uncovered material that was unavailable to the British in 1946, however he does not cover all dates and armour thicknesses. Consequently, I have used Jentz’ figures when available and otherwise those from Robert Livingston, and I have used the data from Robert to determine when the specifications were changed. In any case, the differences are all minor and usually trivial. [up]