Debate lingers over the function of this tank’s armored skirts

Published 10:38 am Thursday, February 11, 2016

The FHC’s Hetzer is equipped with thin (5 mm) armored side skirts. The Germans called them “Schürzen.” There is lots of debate as to why they were used and what weapons they helped stop. Certainly, they were not significant protection for stopping big armor-piercing shells fired from Allied tanks. Most think that the skirts were originally affixed to German vehicles to help protect vulnerable areas from Russian high-velocity anti-tank rifles. Without the skirts, one soldier and his heavy gun could punch through the weak areas of the Hetzer’s armor with a single skillful shot, putting the vehicle out of commission. Others add that the skirts helped set off shaped charge weapons milliseconds before they hit the hull of the tank, thus weakening their power. The skirts would be shattered or torn away completely, but the crew inside could fight on.