This article deals with the history of tanks of the Soviet
Union. World War I established the validity of thetank concept.
After the war, many nations needed to have tanks, but only a few had the
industrial resources to design and build them. During and after World War I,
Britain and France were the intellectual leaders in tank design, with other
countries generally following and adopting their designs. Sony VGP-BPS13 Battery
This early lead would be gradually lost during the course of the
1930s to the Soviet Union who with Germany began to design and build their own
tanks. The Treaty of Versailles had severely limited Germany's
industrial output. Therefore, in order to circumvent Germany's treaty
restrictions, Sony VAIO VGP-BPS13A/B Battery
these industrial firms formed a partnerships with
the Soviet Union to legally produce weapons and sell them, and along
with other factors inadvertently built up an infrastructure to produce tanks
which later made the famous T-34 and other Russian tanks. Sony VAIO VGP-BPS13B/B Battery
Imperial Russia had flirted
with some designs such as the Tsar Tank which was scraped, and the Vezdekhod(Russian: Вездеход)
which did not however progress further than a pre-production model, due to
problems in the design.
The final tank designs in World War I showed a number of trends
such as in the US and British produced Mark VIII tank for heavy
tanks. Sony VAIO VGP-BPS13/S Battery
However, the FT-17 set the pattern for almost all tanks that
followed it; these tanks generally had lower track profiles, more compact
hulls, and mounted their weapons in turrets. Following the Great War, Britain
continued its technical dominance of tank design and British designs, Sony VAIO VGP-BPS13A/S Battery
particularly those fromVickers-Armstrong, which formed the basis
for many of Russian tanks of the 1930s and early World War II and this included
the Soviet T-26, and BT series. Designs such as the Vickers Medium Mk
II, brought to the forefront the fully rotating turret on top and dual-use
3-pounder gun (that could fire both high-explosive and anti-tank shells)
and sloped armour, Sony VAIO VGP-BPS13B/S Battery
while the Vickers
Carden-Lloyd machine gun carriers influenced
the tankette concept such as the Soviet T-27.
Another notable design that influenced the Russians was
the Vickers A1E1 Independent, which was a large heavy tank built in 1925
and its design was used by the Soviet in building
their T-28 and T-35 tanks. Sony VAIO VGP-BPS13/Q Battery
The Russian designs were also influenced by the idea common in
most armies that the tank was to be used in the role of cavalry or to assist
the infantry. Thus the development of light tanks that would be useful
primarily against infantry or for reconnaissance were the norm. Sony VAIO VGP-BPS13A/Q Battery
The Spanish Civil War showed that tank-versus-tank
engagements and tank-versus-towed antitank gun engagements would now be a major
consideration. It became clear that future tanks would need to be heavily
armoured and carry larger guns. Sony VAIO VGP-BPS13B/Q Battery
The Soviet Union's efforts in tank design and production must be
understood in the context of the experience of the Russian Civil War and the
growth of Soviet industry. During the civil war, the use of armoured trains and
artillery trains was common. Sony VGP-BPS21 Battery
This tended to lead to a greater interest in tanks and armoured
cars compared to some western nations. The rapid growth of heavy industry in
the USSR under the Five-Year plans made a large tank fleet possible. The
Soviets also spent tens of millions of dollars on U.S. equipment and technology
to modernise dozens of automotive and tractor factories, Sony VGP-BPS21A Battery
which would later produce tanks and armoured
vehicles. Joseph Stalin's enthusiasm for industrialisation and mechanisation drove
an aggressive military development program, resulting in by far the largest and
broadest tank inventory of all nations by the late 1930s. Sony VGP-BPS21B Battery
In the U.S., J. Walter Christie had developed a series
of fast tanks, based on his revolutionary Christie suspensionsystem. This
was combined with very high power-to-weight ratios achieved by fitting large
aircraft engines in his tanks. Some of his prototypes were purchased by the
Soviet Union, Sony VGP-BPS21/S Battery
and were to be developed into the BT tanks and
eventually, on the eve of World War II, the famous T-34. The BT series in
turn influenced the British cruiser tank designs such as
the A-13 Cruiser Mk IV, Crusader, and others. Sony VGP-BPS21A/b Battery
In France, they pioneered manufacturing methods in the use of
very large castings to form gun mantlets, turrets and eventually, entire
tank hulls. The widespread use of casting was copied by the Russians, and led
the way in rationalizing designs for fast production, eliminating unnecessary
components or manufacturing steps that added little value, Sony VGP-BPS26 Battery
which later was to be
incorporated in the mass production of their tanks such as the T-34.
In Soviet Russia, the so-called armoured forces (броневые силы)
preceded the Tank Corps. They consisted of the mechanized armoured units
(автобронеотряды) made of armored vehicles and armored trains. Sony VGP-BPL26 Battery
The country did not have its own tanks during the Civil
War of 1918-1920. In January 1918, the Red Army established the Soviet of
Armored Units (Совет броневых частей, or Центробронь), later renamed to Central
Armored Directorate and then once again to Chief Armored Directorate (Главное
броневое управление). Sony VGP-BPS26A Battery
During the Russian Civil War of 1918-1920, the Nizhny
Novgorod Machine Factory built armored trains, armoured carriages, and
weapons for the vessels of the Volga Military Flotilla. In 1920, the
factory remanufactured fourteen burnt-out French Renault FT tanks for
the Red Army, the Russkiy Renos, and assembled a single new
copy, named 'Freedom Fighter Lenin'.
Sony VGP-BPS22 Battery
Initially, the tanks and armoured cars in Soviet hands were a
mix of FT-17 imports and a few British tanks and
British-built Austins left behind in the civil war. The first
conventional Soviet tank, the T-18 (sometimes called MS-1), was a
fairly close copy of the French Renault FT-17, but with improved
suspension and a larger turret. Sony VGP-BPL22 Battery
In 1926, under a secret annex to the Treaty of Rapallo, the
Soviet Union and Germany set up a joint tank school at Kazan in the
west of the Urals, which was illegal under theTreaty of Versailles. Both
countries learned much about tank design and tactics in this co-operative
venture. Sony VGP-BPS22A Battery
The Germans provided advice on mechanisation of Soviet heavy
industry, and helped develop a sense of professionalism in the Red Army.
In 1928, the Soviet Union began the production of the MS-1
tanks (Малый Сопровождения -1, where M stands for
"small" and S for "convoy"). Sony VAIO PCG-3B1M Battery
In 1929, it established the Central Directorate for
Mechanization and Motorization of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. Tanks
became a part of the mechanized corps at this point. From 1929, an
experimental Mechanised Brigade was formed, training and developing
combined-arms tactics with foreign tanks, armoured cars, tractors, and lorries. Sony VAIO PCG-3D1M Battery
A tank design bureau was established at the Kharkov
Locomotive Factory (KhPZ) in Kharkiv, Soviet Ukraine, in 1928. The
first tank project of the factory was the T-12 (or T-1-12). This was a larger
version of the T-18, with a more powerful engine. Sony VAIO PCG-3G2M Battery
It seemed to have been done in parallel to the T-19 light
tank which was also based on the FT-17. The project was re-designated
T-24, work was completed fixing problems with the transmission and fuel system,
and a larger turret was designed. Sony VAIO PCG-5R1M Battery
Initial trials were conducted, during which performance was
found satisfactory, although the prototype's engine caught fire, and the turret
had to be transferred to a T-12 prototype for further testing. Only a total of
twenty-four were built during 1931. Sony VAIO PCG-7162M Battery
The T-24s were originally
armed only with machine guns, until the 45 mm guns were installed in the
following year.
The T-24 was found unreliable, and was used only for training
and parades. Although the T-24 tank was a failure, it gave the KhPZ its initial
tank design and production experience, Sony VAIO PCG-7181M Battery
which was applied much more
successfully in adopting production of the U.S. Christie tank as the BT
tank series, starting in 1931.
Based on a mixed force of foreign tanks and imported prototypes,
the Soviets developed an impressive[according
to whom?]domestic design and production capability. Sony VAIO PCG-41112M Battery
The T-26 light tank was based on the Vickers
E (as were many other tanks of the period), chosen after it beat a Soviet
FT derivative in trials. In spring 1930, the Soviet buying committee, under the
direction of Semyon Ginzburg, had arrived in Great Britain to select tanks,
tractors and cars to be used in the Red Army. Sony VAIO PCG-7153M Battery
The Vickers 6-ton was among four models of tanks selected by
Soviet representatives during their visit to the Vickers-Armstrongs Company.
According to the contract signed on 28 May 1930, the company delivered to the
USSR 15 twin-turreted Vickers Mk.E Sony VAIO PCG-71312M Battery
(Type A, armed with two
7.71 mm water-cooled Vickers machine guns) tanks together with full
technical documentation to enable series production of the tank in the USSR.
The ability of the two turrets of the Type A to turn independently made it possible
to fire to both the left and right at once, Sony VAIO PCG-7144M Battery
which was considered
advantageous for breakthroughs of field entrenchments.[1] Several
Soviet engineers participated in assembly of the tanks at the Vickers Factory
in 1930.[2]
Three British tanks were
successfully tested for cross-country ability at the small proving ground near
Moscow on Poklonnaya Hill in January 1931. One tank hull was tested
for gunfire resistance in August 1931. Kliment Voroshilov ordered the
creation of the "Special Commission Sony VAIO PCG-3C1M Battery
for the Red Army (RKKA) new tanks" under the
direction of S. Ginzburg to define the tank type suitable for the Red Army.
The T-19 8-ton light infantry tank, developed by S. Ginzburg under
that programme at the Bolshevik Factory
in Leningrad was a theoretical competitor to the British Vickers
6-Ton. Sony VAIO PCG-3F1M Battery
The first prototype of the complex and expensive T-19 was not
finished until August 1931. Because both tanks had advantages and
disadvantages, S. Ginzburg suggested developing a more powerful, hybrid tank
(the so-called "improved" T-19) with the hull, Sony VAIO PCG-3H1M Battery
home-developed engine and armament from the native T-19, and the
transmission and chassis from the British Vickers 6-ton.[1][3] On
13 February 1931, the Vickers 6-Ton light infantry tank, under the designator
T-26, officially entered service in the Red Army as the "main tank for
close support of combined arms units and tank units of High Command
reserve".[1][3] Sony VAIO PCG-3J1M Battery
More than 50 different modifications and experimental vehicles
based on the chassis of the T-26 light infantry tank were developed in the USSR
in the 1930s, with 23 modifications going into series production. The majority
were armoured combat vehicles: Sony VAIO PCG-8141M Battery
flame tanks, artillery tractors, radio-controlled tanks
(teletanks), military engineering vehicles, self-propelled
guns and armoured personnel carriers. Flame-throwing tanks formed
around 12% of the series production of T-26 light tanks.[4] Sony VAIO PCG-8161M Battery
The abbreviation "OT" (Ognemetniy Tank which
stands for Flame-throwing Tank) appeared only in post-war
literature; these tanks were originally called "KhT" (Khimicheskiy
Tank which stands for Chemical Tank), or BKhM (Boevaya
Khimicheskaya Mashina; Fighting Chemical Vehicle) in the
documents of 1930s. Sony VAIO PCG-3C2M Battery
All chemical
(flame-throwing) tanks based on the T-26 chassis (KhT-26, KhT-130, KhT-133)
were designated BKhM-3. The vehicles were intended for area chemical
contamination, smoke screens and for flame-throwing.
The Soviets purchased some U.S. Christie M1930 tank
prototypes, from which they developed the BT series of fast tanks. Sony VAIO PCG-5N2M Battery
They also developed the heavier
multi-turreted T-28 medium tank and the massive T-35, which
followed the design premise of the experimental Vickers A1E1
Independent produced by Vickers for the British but not adopted. The T-28
was also greatly influenced by the A1E1 Independent. Sony VAIO PCG-5P1M Battery
The Kirov Factory
in Leningrad began manufacturing the T-28 tank in 1932. The T-28 tank
was officially approved on August 11, 1933. The T-28 had one large turret with
a 76.2 mm gun and two smaller turrets with 7.62 mm machine guns. Sony PCG-31211T Battery
A total of 503 T-28 tanks were manufactured over a period of
eight years from 1933 to 1941. The Soviets also built a design of
the Carden Loyd tankette, bought under license from the United
Kingdom in 1930, and made as a reconnaissance vehicle. Sony PCG-31311T Battery
The Soviets were not fully satisfied with the Carden Loyd design
and made a number of changes before putting it into mass production under the
designation of T-27. Compared with the British original, the hull was larger,
the running gear was improved and the weapon mount was modified to take a
Soviet-built 7.62 mm DT machine gun. Sony PCG-51111T Battery
The tankette was accepted into service on February 13, 1931 and
the principal use of the T-27 during its service life was as a reconnaissance
vehicle and was used in the Soviet republics of Central Asia during
the 1930s, where the tankettes were used in campaigns against basmachis. Sony PCG-81111T Battery
However, they fairly quickly became obsolete due to the
introduction of more advanced tanks. The tankette was also intended to be
air-mobile. In 1935, the Soviets experimented with transporting T-27s by air,
by suspending them under the fuselages of Tupolev TB-3 bombers. Sony PCG-81311T Battery
In April 1931, Vickers-Armstrongs conducted several
successful tests of light, floating tanks in the presence of the press. Those
early models were developed into prototypes by Carden-Loyd Tactors, Ltd.,
which attracted the attention of the Department of Motorization and Mechanization
of the RKKA (UMMRKKA), Sony VPCF138FC Battery
because the small tank suited well to the new armament policies
of the Red Army, as well as possibly being able to replace the older T-27tankette.
Soviet engineers went over the prototype and later were able to purchase some
and the “Selezen’” (“Drake”, Ru. “Селезень”) program was established in order
to construct a similar Sony VPCF219FC Battery
amphibious tank with a layout based on that of the British
prototype. The T-33, was built in March 1932 and showed good buoyancy during
testing. However, the T-33 did not perform satisfactorily in other tests. They
continue the development for a more suitable amphibious tank, and they
designated their latest model as the T-37. Sony VPCS135EC Battery
Even before the end of 1932, the high command of the Red Army
was planning to order 30 T-37As as they were now designated, but problems
plagued production, and only 126 T-37As had been produced by 1 January 1934. Sony VPCS136EC Battery
The tank was mass-produced starting in 1933 up until 1936, when
it was replaced with the more modern T-38. Overall, after four years of
production, 2552 T-37As were produced, including the original prototypes. In
the Red Army, they were used to perform tasks in communication,reconnaissance, Sony VPCS138EC Battery
and as defence units on the march, as well as active infantry support
on the battlefield. The T-37A were used in large numbers during the Soviet
invasion of Poland and in the Winter War against Finland.
Also the T-41 amphibious tank was also produced, with
the chassis, in part, borrowed from the T-33, and the caterpillar
tracks entirely from the T-27 tank. Sony VPCS139GC Battery
Of the tanks produced between 1930 and 1940, 97% were either
identical copies of foreign designs, or very closely related improvements.
Significantly, the major improvement the Soviet designers made to these foreign
designs was an increase in firepower.
Sony VPCYA15EC Battery
By 1935, the Red Army "... possessed more armoured
vehicles, and more tank units than the rest of the world combined."[5] But
from 1937 to 1941, the Red Army's officer corps, the armour design bureaux, and
leadership of the factories were gutted by Stalin's Great Purge. Sony VPCYA16EC Battery
Approximately 54,000 officers were repressed. Military knowledge
completely stagnated and armoured vehicle production dropped drastically
(though still remaining the world's largest). Training and readiness dropped to
very low levels. This repression continued until the eve of the war. Sony VPCYA25EC Battery
The conflict over the border in Manchuria gave the Soviets a
chance to employ tactics with their armoured forces which were to prove useful
in the coming war, when General Georgy Zhukov deployed approximately
50,000 Soviet and Mongolian troops of the 57th Sony VPCYA26EC Battery
Special Corps to hold the center of the line on the east bank of
the Battle of Khalkhyn Gol, then crossed the river on with BT-7 tanks and
armoured units, massed artillery, and air cover. Once the Japanese were pinned
down by the advance of the Soviet center units, Sony VPCYB15JC Battery
the tanks and armoured units swept around the flanks and
attacked the Japanese in the rear,[6]achieving
a classic double envelopment, allowing the two wings of Zhukov's armoured
units to link up and surrounding and trapping the Japanese 23rd division.[7][8][9] Sony VPCYA17GH/R Battery
The battle ended with the
complete destruction of the Japanese forces, using tactics that Zhukov would
employ later with his tanks against German forces.
However, during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, BT tanks were easily
attacked by Japanese close quarter teams[10] (tank
killersquads[11]) which were armed with "Molotov Cocktails"[12] (fire
bottles). Sony VPCCW2S8E/W Battery
The Soviet BT-5 and BT-7 light tanks, which had been operating
in 100-degree-plus heat on the Mongolian plains, easily caught fire
when a Molotov cocktail ignited their gasoline engines.[13] General
Zhukov made it one of hispoints when briefing Stalin, that his
"...BT tanks were a bit fireprone..."[14][15] Sony VPCCW2Z1E/B Battery
The T-28 medium tank was deployed during the Winter
War against Finland, and later in theInvasion of Poland. In the course of
these operations it was found that the armour was inadequate and programs were
initiated to upgrade it. According to Russian historian M. Kolomietz's
book T-28. Sony VPCY11S1E Battery
Three-headed Stalin's Monster,
over 200 T-28s were knocked out during the Winter War. Frontal plates were
upgraded from 50 mm to 80 mm and side and rear plates to 40 mm
thickness. With this up-armoured version, the Red Army broke through the main
Finnish defensive fortification, the vaunted Mannerheim Line. Sony VPCY11S1E/S Battery
The Soviets thus began to
upgrade their T-28 tanks for the coming war with Germany, but many were still
lost during the first two months of the invasion, when the Germans
invaded in June 1941.
The multi-turreted T-35 heavy tank also showed flaws;
Soviet tank designers started drawing up replacements. Sony VPCW1 Battery
The T-35 conformed to the 1920s notion of a 'breakthrough tank'
with very heavy firepower and armour protection, but poor mobility.
The Spanish Civil War demonstrated the need for much heavier armour
on tanks, and was the main influence on Soviet tank design just prior to World
War II. Sony VPCW1E8R/BU Battery
One of the main competing designs was the SMK, which
lowered the number of turrets from the T-35's five to two, mounting the same
combination of 76.2 mm and 45 mm weapons. When two prototypes were
ordered though, it was decided to create one with only a single turret, but
more armour. Sony VPCY11AGJ Battery
This new single-turret tank
was the KV. The smaller hull and single turret enabled the designer to
install heavy frontal and turret armour while keeping the weight within
manageable limits.
When the Soviets entered the Winter War, the SMK, KV and a
third design, the T-100, were sent to be tested in combat conditions. Sony VPCY11AHJ Battery
The heavy armour of the KV proved highly resistant
to Finnish anti-tank weapons, making it more effective than the
other designs. It was soon put into production, both as the original
76 mm-armed KV-1 heavy tank and the 152 mm howitzer-mounting assault
gun, the KV-2 Heavy Artillery Tank. Sony VPCY11AVJ Battery
The Soviets also sent the T-38 amphibious scout tank, which was
a Soviet light amphibious tank and a development of the earlier T-37,
based in turn on the French AMR 33 light reconnaissance tank. The
tank served with the Red Army in the Winter War with Finland in 1940, Sony VPCY11M1E Battery
but was unsuccessful due to its light armament and thin armour,
which was easily penetrated by rifle and light machine gun fire. In the
confined terrain of Finland, the tank was a death trap. As a scout tank, the
T-38 had the advantages of very low silhouette and good mobility, due to its
ability to swim. Sony VPCY11S1E Battery
However, the thin armour and single machine gun armament made
the tank of only limited use in combat while the lack of radios in most T-38s
was a serious limitation in a recon vehicle. The T-38's limitations were
recognized, and it would have been replaced by the T-40, Sony VPCY11V9E Battery
but the outbreak of the Second World War meant that only a few
T-40s were produced. The T-38 was rarely seen in direct combat after Germany
attacked in 1941 and was mostly relegated to other roles such as artillery
tractor, Sony VPCY11V9E/S Battery
and the main amphibious
scout vehicle of the Red Army became the Ford GPA amphibious jeep, an
open unarmoured vehicle provided through Lend-Lease.
The participation by Soviet 'volunteer' tank units in the
Spanish Civil War was decisive in forming Soviet tank designs for World War II.
Sony VPCY219FJ/S Battery
Soviet tanks dominated their foreign rivals in Spain due to
their firepower, but their thin armour, in common with most tanks of the
period, made them vulnerable to the new towed antitank guns being supplied to
infantry units. This finding led directly to a new generation of Soviet tanks. Sony VPCY21AFJ Battery
In 1939 the most numerous
Soviet tank models were the T-26 light tank, and the BT
series of fast tanks.
On the eve of World War II, the Red Army had around 8,500 T-26s
of all variants. The T-26 was a slow-moving infantry tank, originally
designed to keep pace with soldiers on the ground. Sony VPCY21AGJ Battery
The BT tanks were cavalry tanks, were very fast-moving
light tanks, designed to fight other tanks but not infantry. Both were
thinly armoured, proof against small armsbut not anti-tank rifles
and 37 mm anti-tank guns, and their gasoline-fuelled engines
(commonly used in tank designs throughout the world in those days) were liable
to burst into flames "at the slightest provocation." Sony VPCY21AHJ Battery
(Zaloga & Grandsen 1984:111) Development of various tank
designs to find a replacement was begun, such as the T-50 light tank which was
intended to replace the T-26 infantry tank. In prewar planning, the T-50
was intended to become the most numerous Soviet tank, operating alongside
the BT fast tank. Sony VPCY21AVJ Battery
The sophisticated T-50 was developed keeping in mind the
experience gained in the Winter War and Soviet tests of the GermanPanzer
III tank. But because of technical problems, only a total of 69 T-50 tanks
were built (only 48 of them armed), and the much simpler T-60 light tanks
replaced it. Sony VPCY21S1E/L Battery
In the meantime, a
replacement for the BT fast tanks was being designed which would develop into
the very capable and economical T-34 medium tank.
In 1937, the Red Army assigned the engineer Mikhail
Koshkin to lead a new team to design a replacement for the BT tanks at
the Kharkiv Komintern Locomotive Plant (KhPZ) in Kharkiv. Sony VPCY21S1E/P Battery
The prototype tank, designated A-20, was specified
with 20 millimetres (0.8 in) of armour, a 45 mm (1.8 in)
gun, and the new model V-2 engine, using less-flammable diesel
fuel in a V12 configuration. The A-20 incorporated previous research
(BT-IS and BT-SW-2 projects) into sloped armour: Sony VPCY21S1E/SI Battery
its all-round sloped armour plates were more likely to deflect
anti-armour rounds than perpendicular armour.[17] Koshkin
convinced Soviet leaderJoseph Stalin to let him develop a second
prototype, a more heavily armed and armoured "universal tank" which
could replace both the T-26 and the BT tanks. Sony VPCCW1E8R/WU Battery
The second prototype Koshkin named A-32, after its 32
millimetres (1.3 in) of frontal armour. It also had
a 76.2 mm (3 in) gun, and the same model V-2 diesel engine.
Both were tested in field trials at Kubinka in 1939, and
the heavier A-32 proved to be as mobile as the A-20. Sony VPCCW1S1E Battery
A still heavier version of the A-32 with 45 millimetres
(1.8 in) of front armour and wider tracks was approved for production as
the T-34. Resistance from the military command and concerns about high
production cost were finally overridden by anxieties about the poor performance
of Sony VAIO PCG-5S1M Battery
Soviet tanks in Finland and the effectiveness
of Germany's Blitzkrieg in France, and the first production tanks were
completed in September 1940, completely replacing the production of the T-26,
BT, and the multi-turreted T-28 medium tank at the KhPZ. Sony VAIO PCG-9Z1M Battery
By the eve of World War II, the Soviet Union had some of the
world's best tanks (including the T-34 and KV-1, which were basically a
generation ahead, coming as a shock to the Wehrmacht). However, it still
had many older tanks in its front-line armoured forces, Sony VAIO PCG-7171M Battery
with the T-26 forming the backbone of the Red Army's armoured forces
during the first months of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in
1941. In overall tanks, however, the Soviet numerical advantage was
considerable as the Red Army had a large quantitative superiority. Sony VAIO PCG-7186M Battery
It possessed 23,106 tanks,[18] of
which about 12,782 were in the five Western Military Districts (three of which
directly faced the German invasion front). However, maintenance and readiness
standards were very poor; ammunition and radios were in short supply, and many
units lacked the trucks needed for resupply beyond their basic fuel and
ammunition loads. Sony VAIO PCG-81112M Battery
Also, from 1938, the Soviets had partly dispersed their tanks to
infantry divisions for infantry support, but after their experiences in
the Winter War and their observation of the German campaign against
France, had begun to emulate the Germans and organize most of their armoured
assets into large armour divisions and corps. Sony VAIO PCG-31111M Battery
This reorganization was only partially implemented at the dawn
of Barbarossa,[19] as not enough tanks were available to bring the mechanized
corps up to organic strength. Tank units were rarely well-equipped, and also
lacked training and logistical support. Sony VAIO PCG-31311M Battery
Maintenance standards were very poor. Units were sent into
combat with no arrangements for refuelling, ammunition resupply, or personnel
replacement. Often, after a single engagement, units were destroyed or rendered
ineffective. Sony VAIO PCG-8152M Battery
The poor training and readiness status of most Red Army units
led to a catastrophic defeat of the enormous Soviet Mechanised Corps during the
opening phases ofOperation Barbarossa, Germany's 1941 invasion of the Soviet
Union. Despite their generally good equipment, the Red Army's operational
capabilities and motorised logistic support were very inferior. Sony VAIO PCG-61111M Battery
The Soviet numerical advantage in heavy equipment was also more
than offset by the greatly superior training and readiness of German forces.
The Soviet officer corps and high command had been decimated by
Stalin's Great Purge (1936–1938). Sony PCG-71213M Battery
The German Wehrmacht had about 5,200 tanks overall, of
which 3,350 were committed to the invasion. This yields a balance of
immediately available tanks of about 4:1 in the Red Army's favour. The best
Soviet tank, the T-34, was the most modern in the world, and the KV series the
best armoured. Sony PCG-71311M Battery
The most advanced Soviet tank models, however, the T-34 and
KV-1, were not available in large numbers early in the war, and only accounted
for 7.2% of the total Soviet tank force. But while these 1,861 modern tanks
were technically superior to the 1,404 German medium Panzer
III and IV tanks, Sony PCG-71312M Battery
the Soviets in 1941 still
lacked the communications, training and experience to employ such weapons
effectively.
The Soviet Union had also built some of the best amphibious
tanks as amphibious capability was important to the Red Army, as
evidenced by the production of over 1,500 amphibious tanks in the 1930s. Sony PCG-71212M Battery
It built the T-37 and T-38 tank light
amphibians and then the T-40 which was intended to replace them. The T-40 was a
superior design, armed with a 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine gun, a
much more potent weapon than the 7.62 mm DT machine gun mounted
on the T-38. Sony VAIO PCG-5J4M Battery
But due to the pressures of
war, the Soviets favoured the production of simpler tank designs, and only a
small number of T-40s were built.
The T-40 entered production just prior to the outbreak of
war, and was intended to equip reconnaissance units. Sony VAIO PCG-5K1M Battery
As the need for large numbers of tanks became critical, a
secondary non-amphibious variant was designed on the T-40 chassis. This design
became the T-60. The T-60 was simpler, cheaper, and better armed, and
could fulfil most of the same roles.
Sony VAIO PCG-5K2M Battery
Under the stress of war, production of the T-40 was halted in
favour of the T-60. Thus only 222 T-40s were issued, compared to over 6,000
T-60s. Although at first intended to carry a 12.7 mm machine gun like the
T-40, the T-60 scout tank armament was later upgraded to the 20 mm TNSh
cannon, a tank version of the ShVAK. Sony VAIO PCG-5J5M Battery
By 1942, light tanks such as the T-60 were considered inadequate
by the Red Army, unable to keep up with the T-34 medium tank and unable to
penetrate the armour of most German tanks, but they could be produced by small
factories which were unable to handle the large components of medium and heavy
tanks. Sony VAIO PCG-5L2M Battery
The T-70 was an attempt to remedy some of the shortcomings of
the T-60 scout tank, which had very poor cross-country mobility, thin armour,
and an inadequate 20 mm gun. The T-70 light tank had was armed with a
45 mm L/46 gun Model 38 with forty-five rounds carried, Sony VAIO PCG-6S4M Battery
and
a coaxial 7.62 mm DT machine gun and was used by the
Red Army to replace both the T-60 scout tank for reconnaissance and
the T-50 light infantry tank for infantry support.
The T-70 was then replaced with the T-80 light tank, a more
robust version of the T-70 with a two-man turret. Sony VAIO PCG-6W1M Battery
But there was enough lend-lease equipment available to
fulfil the reconnaissance role of the light tanks, and armoured
cars were better suited for light scouting and liaison. All light tank
production was cancelled in October 1943, after only about 120 T-80s were
built. Sony VAIO PCG-6W2M Battery
No further light tanks
would be built during the war. In November 1943 Red Army tank unitswere
reorganized: light tanks were replaced by the T-34 and new T-34-85, which
started production the following month.
At the outset of the war, T-34 tanks amounted to only about four
percent of the Soviet tank arsenal, Sony VAIO PCG-7Z1M Battery
but by the war's end, they comprised at least 55% of the USSR's
massive output of tanks (based on figures from;[20] Zheltov
2001 lists even larger numbers). During the winter of 1941–42, the T-34
dominated German tanks through its ability to move over deep mud or snow
without bogging down; Sony VAIO PCG-8Y2M Battery
German tanks could not move over terrain the T-34 could handle.
The Panzer IV used an inferior leaf-spring suspension and narrow
track, and tended to sink in deep mud or snow.[21] However,
by the time the T-34 had replaced older models and became available in greater
numbers, Sony VAIO PCG-8Y3M Battery
newer German tanks, including the improved Panzer V
"Panther", outperformed it. In early 1944, an upgraded tank, the T-34-85,
gave the Red Army a tank with better armour and mobility than
German Panzer IV and Sturmgeschütz III, but it could not match
the Panther in gun or armour protection. Sony VAIO PCG-8Z1M Battery
To the Soviet advantage
there were far fewer Panthers than T-34s, and the T-34-85 was good enough to
allow skilled crew and tactical situations to tip the balance.
However, in the autumn of 1943 the design bureau of the Stalin
Ural Tank Factory No. 183, Sony VAIO PCG-8Z2M Battery
located in Nizhny Tagil (in the Ural Mountains), started working
on a vehicle that would have improvement opportunities in the future, under a
direct order from Stalin.[22] The
intention was to retain the high mobility of the T-34 and provide it with
heavier armour protection against modern tank guns. Sony VAIO PCG-8Z3M Battery
In November 1943, the chief designer, A. A. Morozov, presented
the overall design of the vehicle and a model of the tank, which received the
designation T-44 (Ob'yekt 136).It had a significant decrease in the length of
the engine compartment allowed the turret to be moved rearwards, Sony VAIO PCG-7112M Battery
which in turn moved its rotation axis and the center of mass[23] to
the center of the hull, increased the accuracy of the main gun and decreased a
chance that the turret could get stuck after getting hit in the turret ring
with a projectile that ricocheted. Sony
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The thickness of the
frontal armor protection more than doubled without disturbing the center of
mass or drastically increasing the weight of the tank.
The T-44A officially entered service with the Red Army on
23 November 1944 but the production started in October.[24] The
original plans were that the factory would produce 300 T-44As a month. Sony
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However, only 25 were built
by the end of 1944. In 1945, 940 were built, making a total of 965[24] (190
tanks built in 1944 and 1945 were completed by the end of the war).
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