When they first encountered the tank in battle, German soldiers fled in panic. However, they quickly realised that these armoured behemoths, although fearsome, possessed weaknesses. Unwieldy, they often fell into shell holes or encountered obstacles that rendered them immobile. Furthermore, they were susceptible to existing weapons to varying degrees.
While machine gun and rifle bullets often glanced off their iron hulls, plunging artillery fire could destroy a tank with relative ease. The flamethrower was another nemesis, provided the infantryman could get close enough to spew the deadly stream inside the vehicle or set fire to a vital area such as its exhaust system. Along with these readily available defences, deep anti-tank ditches were dug to impede the progress of armour, and extensive minefields proved effective as well.