Why did the Allies not have an Anti-tank gun like the German 88mm?

Question

I know it was a anti-aircraft gun but the Germans used it with great effect as an Anti-tank gun and destroyed numerous Allied tanks.

Answer 1

Lack of Targets. The Germans simply weren't producing enough to warrant development of such a large weapon that was primarily useful for fighting Tanks and Airplanes. Plus, such weapons are generally more useful in defense than on the attack because the have to be towed into place by an army that is advancing, set up when Tanks appear, and then moved again.  In the west, Allied Air power was generally available to deal with German tanks when they posed a serious problem to our Shermans. For the Soviets, the gun on the SU-100 tank destroyer was comparable, if not equal, to the 88. Due to its higher muzzle velocity, it was actually better against tanks than the 122 mm gun of the JS II Heavy Tank. The 100 mm was considered for the JS II but rejected because the 122 was much more effective against infantry in buildings with anti-tank weapons, which were far more common than German Tanks.

Answer 2

Apparently their work was directed elsewhere.  Sometimes in wars, there is a direction that you try to go so you put everything "on the back burner" if you think it isn't as important as other things.    The Germans also had wire-guided anti-ship missiles AND an Strategic Ballistic Missile.For the tank situation, once the U.S. got into the war, they decided to use Volume to overcome technology.   This is what the Soviets relied on, not only through the 2nd WW, but during the Cold War, right up until their demise.

Answer 3

Bazooka, early versions of RPG, n something british which i dont remember. the anti-tank your talking bout would be the "panzerfaust" or "panzerschrek".

Answer 4

They used Tank Destroyer Battalions. They were equipped with 90mm anti-aircraft guns on a tank chassis. Originally the 90mm gun was an anti-aircraft gun like the German 88. The 90mm was used on the M36 " Stonewall Jackson " tank and the Heavy Tank M26 Pershing.

They also used " Tank Busters " which were anti-tank aircraft.

Answer 5

We did! We had:

American/British/Canadian

M-10 Achilles

M-10 Tank Destroyer

M-36 Jackson

17 pounder AT gun

QF 6-pounder 57 mm

M3 Half-track (mounting an M1897 75 mm gun)

37-mm GMC M6

90mm Gun Motor Carriage M36

Soviet

JSU-122 Tank Destroyer

Su-100 Tank Destroyer

Su-85M Tank Destroyer

Self Propelled Gun Isu-122S

45-mm cannon

Answer 6

The allies had developed large anti-aircraft guns, as well, but they were designed to be more or less static, as the west's idea of warfare was hung up on WWI.  The Germans, with their tactical focus on maneuver warfare, built a lighter, much more mobile weapon (and remember that the Germans have always, and probably will always, make superb guns) with a terrific range.  When some genius decided that it could also be used as a direct fire anti-tank gun and a indirect fire artillery piece, the Germans began manufacturing them at a prodigious rate.  

Allied armies, on the whole, were behind in development of military technologies because of the Depression and isolationism.  

The 88Flak had one major weakness, by the way, that the allies' effortsin devloping anti-tank guns had overcome by the later part of the war.  The 88 was towed by a truck or other piece of equipment.  It was not tracked, either.  That meant it needed solid ground and a towing aparatus to get from place to place, and could not move easily after firing.  TD's, the Allied anti-tank response, were tracked, self propelled guns.

Answer 7

n**i Germany was the undisputed world power, they were a level above everyone else in military strength and technology. It was just one of the many tech advantages they had over the allies being by far the most powerful country in the world. n**i Germany invented the worlds first assualt rifle(the mp44 AKA the ak47 after the soviets stole it and put on a wood grip with a differnt color stock), the worlds first jet and fighter jet, the first modern tank, and many other things. Just like the US army today they were just more advanced and had alot more than the other first world armys, but still in comparison to the current US still signifacntly more powerful.

Also at that tiem it would of been hard to develop a mobile anti tank gun that could destroy a tiger tank which had armor several inches thick versus the sherman which armor was very easy to perice so it was easier to make an effective anti-tank gun.

There technology helped alot along with there training and great generals, despite being SEVEARLLY outnumbered they fought and killed over 50 million allied soliders and civiians while losign about 12 million themselves (losses by Japan included). Americans go around acting as if we crushed Germany when really we got destroyed by a force ALOT smaller than ours but still we won due to a huge numbers advantage. It especially annoys me as someoen who is really into history that so many American war movies are ridiculouslly unrealistic and biased twoards the American side.

If anyone whose into history wants a good war movie look at enemy at the gates, its about the german and soviet fight ont he eastern front so it has no american biase.