german supply

[lucas]

We know that the german industrie produced during the years 1943-1944
barely fourty thoussand tanks.But I don't understant how and when they had the opportunity to use them:
When the Uranus operation began,the 6th army had only two hundred tanks.
The africakorps had never owned more then 600 tanks,even when germany had no other ennemies than the Commenwealth in north africa.
When the german launched their great offensive in the spring of 1943-koursk-,the two main general who took part of the combat,hoth and Guderian,had together just 2200 tanks.
Did the tank stay near the industruial center without being sent to the front? Did the german had a problem with their communication?
thank you for your answers,

[Christoph Awender]

Hello Lucas!

Short answer. At these stages of war you can be sure that each tank leaving the production line was sent to the front immediately.

The germans lacked everything... raw-materials, production resources, production facilities etc....
Additionally they had high losses and were bombed nearly every day.

The simple answer to your question why they didn´t use more tanks is that they didn´t have them.
And in my oppinion it was a great number of tanks used at Kursk!

Christoph

[charlie don't surf]

Actually, I've read that the industry could produce the same amount of tanks in spite of the bombings (which is why they fire bombed Hamburgs worker quarters). The real factor was raw material.

regards

[lucas]

Thank you for yours answers.But they didn't explain everything.
Koursk was for the german the last opportunity to win the war.
The russian succeeded to send barely five times more tanks to this part of this front.Why didn't the german send more tanks to this crushial battle?

And of course,before the beginning of the operation Barbarossa,the german had pacified all the europeen countries,except england in north africa.So why was the afrikakorps so weak and poor in material?
b.b

[Christian Ankerstjerne]

http://www.panzerworld.net/Panzerstats.htm#Producedlost

Christian