Weapons 08/01/20 would be Able to defeat Hitler if he in 1941, the year was “Tiger”
the Phrase “history has no subjunctive mood” especially popular in society, the more versions of alternative history to him, society is proposed. However, to be able to simulate alternative development should be able to every historian. After all, without this it is impossible very understanding of history in General.
of Course, we are not talking about options like “give Alexander Nevsky guns” — all suitable only for undemanding audience pulp novels.
One of the most important and therefore most interesting periods of the Second World war — the offensive of the Wehrmacht on Moscow.
were the Germans a chance to succeed?
Tanks and “Blitzkrieg”
In 1941 on the Eastern front the Germans successfully used a major moving the connection to environment bordering factions the red Army and the subsequent development of the offensive. It is accepted to speak about the armored wedges, but we must understand that the success depended largely on infantry, motorized artillery, tank destroyers, and of course air support. All of this together, through well-established interaction, and have passed the roller on Soviet soil.
we should Not forget that the Red Army has “helped” the Wehrmacht. The red army also used exclusively offensive tactics, defensive operations in 1941 with rare exceptions have not been conducted. The whole course of the fighting on the Eastern front were, in fact, one continuous meeting engagement. And in this battle, as any expert knows, always wins the one with the army are better prepared and trained. What enabled the Wehrmacht, having overall numerical advantage, to win one victory after another, and to reach Moscow.
of Course, tanks were the shock force of the movable joints. And German tanks were perfectly adapted for this task. They could make a goothe Boki breakthroughs, to smash the Soviet rear, leaving the “pot” in which the remnants of the troops had already finished off the infantry.
But what could the German tanks circa 1941, as it prepared to attack the enemy’s defenses. And all frames of the movies, with going on the Soviet tanks the German trenches and then the trenches Utagawa is a work of fiction. This is not in the newsreels, no documents, not even in the memories of veterans who have written themselves without the assistance of specially trained editors. On the contrary, everywhere it is written that the tanks acting as assault guns, supported by infantry, and broke through the defense.
And if the Red Army tried to occupy strategic defenses, the Wehrmacht to storm it would have nothing. Because for such work we need different tanks, which in the German army in 1941 was not at all.
And the German General staff understood this perfectly.
Other platforms
In the Wehrmacht was well aware that, having only tanks “cavalry” type of army is difficult to solve the whole range of tasks. And focusing on moving joints, do not forget that the need for tanks in direct support of infantry and tanks breakthrough.
and those And others was developed from the beginning of the war.
For direct support of infantry was developed by two light tanks:
Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.F and Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.J. With a mass of 18-20 tons they had frontal armor thickness of 80 mm. they were relatively low speed (25-30 mph) and heavy armament (coaxial machine gun or 20-mm gun), but for infantry support it was more important that very few guns could penetrate their armor.
According to the data, which leads Yuri Pasholok in his work “Pocket “Tiger” and “the Heavy tread of a light tank” by may 1941, the Wehrmacht was supposed to get 475 Pz.Kpfw.I F and 339 Pz.Kpfw.II J. And the production stop was not planned. However, the production capacity of the German tank could not cope with this order, and all Europe apparently didn’t know that she worked for Hitler. The result in time production began, and new tanks were issued with a small party only in the spring of 1942, when all significantly changed.
in addition to the tanks the infantry in Germany at the same time created and tanks breakthrough.
Tank created by the firm “Henschel” had a mass of 32 tons, 75 mm gun and 50 mm frontal armor. Tank company “Porsche” weight 40-45 tons, had 100 mm frontal armor, and was planned with the 88-mm gun. The result would be medium and heavy tanks in the Soviet classification of the time. Yuri Pasholok in his work “the Leopard” Ferdinand Porsche” and “Harbingers “Tiger”, describing the progress of work on these cars, reports that the work was interrupted in the spring of 1940 all efforts were then focused on increasing the production of a series of tanks. Therefore, prototypes were released for testing only at the end of 1941. If the German leadership did not stop working on breakthrough tank, then the fall of 1941 the Wehrmacht could theoretically have at least a small batch of such machines in a few dozen pieces. Which is comparable to the number of Tigers at Kursk.
Stopped “Typhoon”
In operation Typhoon, the offensive against Moscow, which in the opinion of the German leadership should have been victorious end to the war, the Wehrmacht was used (according to Soviet sources) 1700 tanks. Most historians would not agree with that, they a more likely figure seems 1500, but evidence today, no.
In any case, it is very little, given the scale of the operation and tasks. A significant improvement tanks by the beginning of the “Typhoon” was not: on the whole Eastern front in 1941 was sent to make up for losses 89 tanks. Has arrived two new divisions: they were 380 cars.
to get to Moscow for the German tanks were too heavy, losses were extremely high. And when German tank crews saw the Soviet capital through binoculars, tanks for the offensive had already left. By December all over the EastMr. front was less than a thousand tanks, including troops near Leningrad and Rostov-on-don. And the beginning of frosts was immobilized and everything else that was on the move, especially the Czechoslovak machine.
If…
If the German command did not change the plans, then the beginning of “Typhoon” would have in addition to the fact that there were still thousands of tanks for infantry support, and at least fifty medium and heavy tanks breakthrough. This could radically change the situation.
Not afraid of the Soviet anti-tank guns, the tanks would overcome all the attempts of the red Army to halt the offensive. Infantry division, reinforced by battalions of new tanks, would act as a battering RAM, breaking the resistance of the Soviet troops. A tank division has worked exclusively on deep breakthroughs and the creation of the boilers.
And, importantly, without tanks, which are described above, it is impossible to have street fights, in case if Moscow is still broke.
However, the whole terrible picture for us, rests in the ability of German industry. Which, as it turns out, was very limited, even after the seizure of half of Europe.
Cyril Shishkin
Source:
© Russian Seven
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