Post by Don PhillipsonPost by Bay ManDid the British ever use captured German tanks in North Africa?
Not in action, since so few were captured intact and with (or
not needing) spare parts and ammunition etc. The important
point is that all driveable enemy vehicles in N. Aftica were
examined in detail so as to ascertain their specifications
and feed back to the UK technical information of value.
Don, the Brits must have captured their maintenance and supply depots as
well, so parts should not have been a big problem in repairing damaged
German tanks. A few Mk 4s in the British ranks may make a difference. I
recall one TV doc when a Brit NA vet said that he noticed the Germans
attempted to recover as much as they could from the battlefield, while the
Brits left their shot out tanks. I assume for cannibalization for parts as
they were most probably short of parts. A knocked out tank may a fully
functioning engine. The Germans were quite good at repairing damaged tanks
and getting them in action ASAP.