Training, motivation, equipment, tactics, and experience obviously does but how important is the tank commander's talent in this equation? After reading their accounts, there are tank commanders like Poole and Barkmann that seemed to have an uncanny "6th sense" when they operated on the battlefield. When thrown in hopeless situations, these tank aces and their teams often had the talent to stay alive and blow away/escape the superior opposition. I remember reading a bit from a WW2 magazine years ago that stuck with me- it was about a US rifle company (supported by Shermans) that assaulted a town in the last months of the war that was defended by a platoon of German infantry, an AT gun, and a Panther. The Panther was described as the "toughest AFV crew" he had ever seen. It appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and blew away the Shermans before they could react. Then, for what seemed to be eternity, the Panther moved around, pinning down the rifle company with accurate MG and tank shell fire. His rifle company suffered many casualties. The Panther was described in his article as a "stalker" and a "demonic black knight". He had never seen a tank so skillfully employed by the enemy. The Panther would appear, fire a few shells and MG bursts, and then disappear-only to reappear somewhere else out of nowhere to shoot at them again. Eventually, the tank disappeared after all its ammunition was exhausted. More Shermans arrived and the rest of his rifle company was eventually able to take the town with relative ease. The Panther disappeared as it appeared.
IMO: What makes a tank ace is the tank crew. Even if the tank commander is talented, he's only one man out of a crew of 4 or 5. He can only issue the orders, but then has to rely on his crew to carry the orders out. Take Michael Wittmann for example, a more than competent commander with that 'sixth sense' you speak of. Pair him up with Balthasar "Bobby" Woll, an exceptional tank gunner (the only gunner awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross) and the result is, a commander credited with being a tank ace. You can 'bark' orders until you're blue in the face ... but if your driver can't get to it, and your gunner can't kill it, then you aint gonna be an ace. That's just 'my' opinion
I'm aware of the importance of a good gunner and driver, but I am curious as to how decisive the Tank commander's role is relative to them. He is the only one with 360 degree vision and the one that judges terrain & tactics. His orders move the turret.
Wolfy ... I get what you're saying now ... the importance of the commanders role up to and including the orders issued. His orders don't just move the turret, they control every aspect of the tank. He is the only member of the crew with all the information, his vision (although limited) isn't restricted to just a gun site or a drivers slit ... In most cases he's also the radio operator giving him feedback from the overall battlefield. So ... Not only does he have to perform multiple roles within the tank, but he also has to able to gather and process all the information, make tactical decisions based on that Intel, locate, identify and range targets, then finally, issue clear and precise orders to his crew (phew!) ... The tank and crews survival is dependent on the commanders ability to do all of this (and, as Andy rightly pointed out, a heap of luck also) ... That's about as 'decisive' a role as you can get. LOL ... Thanks JS ...... You've obviously never met my wife !!
In tanks one man is not the ace. Its the team working as a well oiled machine, that make a tank an ace. knabe