The Art Of Tank Warfare - Chris Keeling

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As new types of ammunition were developed, tank armor was forced to keep pace. Alternatives to extremely
thick armor were developed. At first, it was simply a matter of making the frontal armor thicker and the rear
armor thinner, since an attack from the rear was less likely. Later, supplemental armor plates were attached
over weak spots. In the field, crews often supplemented their armor with sandbags and spare track links.
Late in the war, wood and cement were used to disrupt the effects of the shaped-charge ammunition used by
low-velocity guns and antitank rockets, and also to protect the hull from magnetic mines and grenades. The
Germans were the first to attach stand-off armor, called Schuerzen, to their tanks. These thin steel plates
were attached to the sides of the turret and the hull by brackets that left a gap between the armor and the
hull. This dissipated the effects of shaped-charge ammunition and also interfered with the flight of ordinary
solid shot, reducing its effectiveness.