{{short description|Tank armor deficiency}} {{for|the shooting range safety feature|Bullet trap}}A '''shot trap''' is a deficiency in an armored vehicle's design. It is a location where a shell that fails to penetrate may ricochet in such a manner as to "trap" the round, guiding it to weak spots or imperfections. A trap usually forces rounds towards the hull roof or turret ring.
== Examples == The initial turret designs of the Panther, Tiger II, M26 Pershing and KV-1 tanks had shot traps.<ref>Maksim Kolomiets, KV. "Klim Voroshilov"-tank proryva p. 82</ref> In these examples, the lower edge of the curved mantlet deflected incoming shots downwards. This does not always create shot traps, as the curved Russian turret designs such as the T-34 and T-44 had a similar shape, but their lower turrets were instead penetrated directly.
== Prevention == In an attempt to minimize the shot trap potential, some late production Panther Gs and the M26 Pershing T26E5 prototype modified the lower edge of the mantlet.<ref>Hunnicutt, Pershing, p.149</ref> The final Tiger II production turret did not feature the curved front of the early turret, instead using a flat design sloped back 10 degrees.<ref>Jentz and Doyle 1993, pp. 13–16.</ref> <gallery mode="packed" heights=160> File:Munster Koenigstiger Porscheturm Modell detail.jpg|alt=A tank turret with a front face which curves up and down. The sides are slanted vertically and curved laterally|A model depicting the curved front of the early Tiger II turret File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-680-8282A-09, Budapest, Panzersoldaten in Panzer VI (Tiger II).jpg|alt=A tank turret with an almost square, flat, vertical face, the sides are almost vertical, and curve laterally only slightly|The flat front of the later Tiger II production turret </gallery> <gallery mode="packed" heights="240"> File:Panzerkampfwagen V A 2.jpg|Panther with regular rounded mantlet File:Panzerkampfwagen V G 1.jpg|Panther with flattened lower 'chin' mantlet </gallery>
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==References== {{refbegin}} *{{cite book | last = Hunnicutt | first = R.P. | title = Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series | publisher = Feist Publications | location = City | year = 1971|oclc=500632382}} *{{cite book | last1 = Jentz |first1 = Thomas |last2 = Doyle |first2= Hilary |title= Kingtiger Heavy Tank, 1942-45 |publisher= Osprey |location= London |year=1993 |isbn=1-85532-282-X }} *{{cite book | last = Zaloga | first = Steven | title = Sherman Medium Tank 1942-1945 | publisher = Osprey Publishing (UK) | location = City | year = 1993 | isbn = 978-1-85532-296-7 }} {{refend}}
Category:Vehicle armour
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