This storyboard is about the tanks of the USSR used within the 5th decade of the 20th Century. I argue that tanks, at least in the Eastern Front, were a decisive use of technology that decided the outcome of a battle, and ultimately won the war due to either technological or numerical advantages.
Storified by Cheburashka ·
Sat, Feb 11 2017 01:26:16
While this tank was not originally designed within the 1940s, the BT-2 (Shown above) was arguably the most serious launching point for the Soviet Union's military. The BT-2 was advanced when it was made in the 1930s, due to its impressive speed of 62mph. Although, while all other aspects, such as the gun and armor were insufficient for combat, it would become the basis of the USSR's tank designs from then on.
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The KV-1 (Pictured above and named after Kliment Voroshilov, who was one of the original five Marshalls of the Soviet Union) was one of the first true heavy tanks in the world, holding the title of the most heavily armored tank in the world until the introduction of the German Panzerkampfwagen VI "Tiger". The impact that it had in World War II is that it did what was previously deemed impossible: It slowed down the German offensive.
The KV-1 was treated as a secret weapon during its development, which is why the Germans had no clue of its existence when they commenced Operation Barbarossa. The German tanks and anti-tank rifles were ineffective against the heavy tank's thick armor from every angle but the rear. Due to the high amount of armor the tank had, it brought complications to the German offensive, slowing them down and thus providing the Soviets with enough time to reorganize and get itself moving.
From the technological standpoint, almost every aspect, except for speed and mobility, was a major improvement compared to previous designs such as the BT-2. What was most impressive was the fact that it boasted not one, but two V-2 diesel engines, which was a very reliable and effective engine for it's time.
(Sources: http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=313
http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_KV-1.php )
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By all means and purposes, this tank, the KV-2 (Pictured above), was nothing more than a KV-1 but with an upgraded turret. The upgraded turret allowed for the installment of a much bigger gun, as you can clearly see when comparing the two picutres of the KV-1 and KV-2. The canon in question was a 152mm howitzer, a gun that was originally designed for artillery.
To avoid making a completely technical storyboard, I would like to present the story of a KV-2, and its crew, that single handedly kept an entire battalion of German soldiers at bay for nearly 24 hours. Some details are missing, such as the location and the names of the crews, but during an advancement, where the Germans were claiming land quickly due to the Blitzkrieg, they were suddenly brought to a halt when they encountered a lone KV-2 atop a hill. As mentioned earlier, the armor on a KV tank was incredibly thick for its time, meaning that the tank could withstand tank and anti-tank fire with ease. Due to the armor and the over-qualification of the gun, it managed to fend off the German battalion, destroying over a dozen Panzer IV tanks, a handful of anti-tank equipment, a couple a trucks, and an unspecified amount of soldiers. To defeat their well armed opponent, the battalion had to wait for nightfall and sneak around behind the tank, firing two holes where the armor was weak. Yet despite disabling the tank, some of the crew survived and continued to fight, which left the Germans with no other choice than to toss a couple of grenades to kill the Soviet crew off. Although the Germans had lost quite a bit of supplies and valuable time, they paid their respects to the unknown enemy that valiantly fought them off.
(Sources: http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=210
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/battle-raseiniai-1941-single-kv-tank-stopped-entire-german-kampfgruppe.html )
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Now on to the T-34/85, one of the most famous tanks to be used in World War 2. What's interesting about this tank is that the superiority it claimed in front of the German invaders had little to do with the actual mechanics and technology, but rather the geometrical design of the hull. Because the hull was angled, it provided the likely opportunity for anti-tanks and tanks to ricochet their shots or simply reduce the impact of the hit.
Due to this simple innovation, while it was indeed clever and effective, in some ways it made the war more difficult for the allies. The Panther tank was another famous tank of WWII, built by the Germans, it was known for its nicely sloped armor and efficient gun. Arguably, if it had not been for the creation of the T-34/85, it does not seem likely that the formidable Panther tank would ever have become a reality and give the Allies difficult times with engaging the enemy.
It's interesting to think about how this technological breakthrough in tank designs, while very innovative and helpful to the Soviet Union's counter attacks, could also bring upon the troubles that the rest of the allies would have to deal with because of their own advances.
(Source: http://militaryhistorynow.com/2015/03/20/tank-clash-the-german-panther-vs-the-soviet-t-34-85/)
The URL above leads to a website, although it does not seem very professional or credible, the information and the sources used are accurate and truthful, collaborating with war museums to bring as much accurate information as possible. For all intents and purposes, this article is meant to correlate with the above entry about the T-34/85 tank, as I personally feel this web page can better describe and support the argument I previously provided.
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On a bit of a lighter note, while it is unfortunate that a proper source cannot be found to give credibility, there were instances where soldiers, specifically the Germans, found the T-34/85s to be ironic. This was due to a clash of ideologies. As you can see above, when the turret hatches of the T-34 are both opened it becomes vaguely reminiscent of Mickey Mouse, the world famous animated character that was almost synonymous with Capitalism. This notice in detail allowed to view the tank as ironic, since it was created by a Communist country that was meant to stamp out capitalism. So while there are no credible sources, taking a simple glance at the photo can definitely make you believe it.
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Now on to the IS series of tanks. This line of Soviet heavy tanks was meant as the successor to the then outdated KV-1/2 (Due to incentives on both sides, it was determined that technological advantages in tanks could last for no more than a year, which is why Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union produced and deployed so many different models).
The IS tank, or 'Joseph Stalin' (Named after the dictator for his intimidating attitude), was built as a contender against the previously mentioned Tiger and Panther tanks (Which in turn were contendors for the Soviet KV and T-34 tanks!), first entering service in 1943. It encorporated the same kind of sloped technology used on the T-34/85, which in turn made its 120mm(4.7in) of frontal hull armor ever more effective, 20mm(0.7in) thicker than the Tiger! While its usefulness was shown in combat, despite being newer and better designed than previous models, it was shown to be far less effective in terms of effectiveness. This handicap was due to the poor and rushed training of nearly all Soviet tank crews. While the commanders typically had a year's worth of training, maintenence knowledge, battle tactics, and bravery, the same could not be said about the remaining crew, who were usually given no more than a couple weeks of training. Yet despite this disadvantage, what balanced this was the fact that the Soviet Union was able to out-produce Germany in tanks, enabling them to always have equipment readily available (Although unfortunately not always used).
While the statistical losses of the tanks were very clear, it was due to the historical military mindset that Russia as a nation was forced to endure. Throughout history the casualties Russia faced was always devastating, whether it be overwhelming forces or poor tactics, the death tolls often reached from the hundreds of thousands to the millions. So, while terrible to have such a mindset, what was a handful of dead men to the millions of other soldiers the Soviet Union still had in their disposal?
(Sources: http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=357
http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_IS-I.php )
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Seen above is just a couple of the hundreds of Soviet T-34 tanks that would be deployed in the Battle of Kursk (See entry below for more information).
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Now we come to the Battle of Kursk, the biggest tank battles to occur in World War II. Similar sizes in mechanized warfare would not be seen again until the Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War, some 40 year later.
What the source above does is give the statistical oversight of what happened in the Battle of Kursk. This was during the time when the Soviet Union had pushed back the invasion of Nazi Germany, further than any nation was previously able to do. General Zhukov, one of the highest ranking generals in the Soviet Union, having learned of an imminent counter-attack known as Operation Citadel by the Germans, fortified the salient. T-34/85s found themselves used primarily in this battle and because the counter attack would require massive ground forces to succeed, Germany put in the use of their then brand new tanks (Tiger, Panther, Ferdinand (Tank-Destroyer), etc.) in large numbers, which is what resulted in the biggest tank battle in history.
Here, I choose to argue that this battle was one of the many instances on the Eastern Front that judged the fate of the war. At this time, Hitler was being notified of a possible invasion of Italy by the Western Allies, and because the war on the Eastern Front had proven to be extremely costly, it was deemed that if Germany could win, then perhapsthey would be able to bargain a peace treaty and shift all of their focus into fending off the Western armies. Otherwise, a loss here would mean the Western Allies would hasten their plans for invasion, if for any reason other than not wanting Stalin to gain more land in Europe. Thankfully, as history tells us, the latter occured.
But aside from a battle that tested the fate of the war, it was also a clash of the technologies the Soviet Union had amassed and Germany's own technological prowess. As the source above desribes, while the USSR won that battle, for every 5 Soviet tanks destroyer, only 1 Panzer tank (Every German tank has the word panzer in it, which stands for 'armor'. Names like the Tiger, Pather, and Ferdinand were nicknames to avoid lengthy words, as examplified early in this storyboard with the mention of the Tiger). It was this battle that showed and proved that tank technology could only be advantagous for a year, seeing how the T-34s were now inferior to, at the time, modern Tigers. This would lead on to the creation of the IS tank series, which was first produced just a couple months after this battle to combat the Tigers.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6udnj7PvZZ8)
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After the Battle of Kursk, the Soviet Union would not create any new tanks (None that saw service at least) until the very end of the war. While they did continue to make new SPGs and Tank-Destroyers, those machines are not considered to be 'real' tanks in their own rights.
What you see above is the T-44-100, a modification of the T-44 (The T-44 and T-44-100 were essentially the exact same tank, remove the metal plates and the machine gun on the top and you'd have yourself a T-44), and the design meant to succeed the T-34. Almost immediately you can see a massive change in design when compared to the T-34/85. It looks more familiar, closer to the modern tanks we know of today. All around, this tank was a massive improvement in technology and engineering. It now had a 100mm gun versus the T-34's 85mm, better speed of 51kph(32mph), and an upgrade to the armor in every aspect. Yet despite these upgrades, it did not meet the expectations of the Soviet Union's military, until a further modification two years later (1947) known as the T-54.
While this was deemed unsatisfactory, this would become, like the BT-2 a decade before, a launch pad for modern Russian tanks. Even to this day, in 2017, you can Google a picture of the most advance tank Russia has and you will still be able to see the similarities in terms of layout, such as the placement of turret, the location of the ammunition, and the relative size of the tank.
(Source: http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=556)
