Weapons 28/01/20 Than German tanks were worse than the Soviet
various Internet forums often there are disputes about which tanks were better. However, usually all the discussion boils down to the comparison table of the characteristics and recurrence of the most common myths of the great Patriotic war.
the myth of the “thirty”
Often our tank T-34 called the best tank of the Second World war. And rightly so, because this tank was a major in the red army and the Red Army won the war. However, this fact does not mean that he was perfect in all respects.
Some authors are not very versed in military technology, and to this day maintain that the uniqueness of the T-34 was in its powerful gun, sloped armor, diesel engine, wide tracks, etc.
But, to tell the truth, the original T-34 was a gun L-11, which by its characteristics is not particularly superior to the German 75-mm gun 7,5 cm KwK 37 on the tank PzKpfw IV. And anyway, the gun was not the strong point on the “thirty”. Inclined armor “invented” in the First World war, and the T-34 it has moved from tank BT, a development which was “thirty”. Diesel also did for the BT-7, which was planned 76-mm gun, but it was created only for the T-34. Diesel engines on tanks put in Poland, and in Italy, and the Germans considered this option, but refused. And certainly not because I don’t know how.
Armor and guns
For the tank as fighting machine, the main armament and armor protection. The Wehrmacht, of course, started a war with the Soviet Union without a full qualitative advantage in tanks. The most modern German cars inferior to the Soviet KV and T-34 armament and booking is well known. But this does not mean that German tanks were hopelessly lost all the fight. Just the German statutes do not provide for the fight of tanks vs tanks. Enemy tanks had destroyed anti-tank artillery and assault aircraft. The Germans successfully did. Another thing is that Soviet tanks were so numerous that to avoid meeting with them did not work. But at the beginning of the war most of the tank fleet of the red army were the T-26 and BT, and with them the German tanks relatively easily coped.
the Advantage of “thirty” in armor protection and armament remained only until the spring of 1942, when the Wehrmacht began to receive modifications of tanks PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV with a long-barreled gun and heavy armor.
From that moment the Soviet T-34 has been playing catch-up. Only after huge losses in the battle of Kursk on the “thirty” a new 85-mm gun. But with that gun the T-34 only “caught up” German “Quartet” with their gun 7,5 cm KwK 40. And the Wehrmacht was already “Panther”, which neither the Red Army nor the allies could not oppose.
the biggest mistake you make, try to estimate the characteristics of the tank is that compared to each other tanks of the same type. But on the battlefield was not “clean” tank battles like in the movies. In combat always involved and the other troops. And fight have more tanks with infantry and artillery, and to defend themselves they have not so much from enemy tanks, but from aviation, infantry, mines, not to mention anti-tank artillery.
in addition, the tank — machine complex and its evaluation must consider not only the armor, gun and speed.
Optics, transmission, etc.
Powerful and long-range gun is useless if it is impossible to aim well. Then German optics were the best in the world. And although the Soviet scopes were a copy of the German, they are still inferior to the: a copy is always worse than the original.
Any advantage in number of tanks is reduced to nothing, if most of the tanks breaks down on the road.
In the book of Igor nebol “Beloved Stalin. 2nd guards tank army in battle,” provides data on the participation of the 2nd Panzer army in Sevskiy offensive. Having on February 1, 408 tanks, the army launched an offensive on 27 February from 187 serviceable tanks. That is more than half the tanks broke down before fighting.
of Course, the German tanks broke down too.
In his article “the Battle at Nesterovo” Andrey Ulanov provides data on the composition of the 23rd Panzer division. On 1 June (1942) in the division was 138 serviceable tanks, 18 Jun 107 left, and 29 — 93. Combat losses of the division in the hardest battle of July 1 totaled 45 cars, that is about the same as broke down on the road for a month.
you Hardly need to convince someone that the machinery of German production, if not the first in the world for quality, then certainly not the second. In the thirties and forties, this advantage was felt particularly strongly. Soviet industry after the severe devastation has not reached a sufficient level of performance, many models of weapons and it was not possible to an acceptable level of reliability, others just could not master.
In wartime and because of the rush, and due to the fact that a significant part of skilled workers replaced with machines women and children, the quality of the products has fallen even more.
the German industry was able to create and develop the production of much more advanced machines than were armed with Soviet, British and American armies. But that was not the only advantage the German tank.
the Tank fights are not alone
If we imagine the painting from 1941, when a squadron of Soviet KV meets with German light tanks, then the outcome, it would seem that one: the Germans are doomed. Their guns of the KV will not penetrate even at close range, and Soviet tank crews can shoot the German machine in the dash. But this is judging by the movies, and assume that the Germans are going to attack head-on.
In reality the German tanks just get off on taking advantage of the speed advantage. And they will cause of aviation, and the role of targets would be Soviet tanks, which fight dive them “Junkers”just nothing.
In the Wehrmacht were not just excellent in all respects technique, but a lack of cooperation between different branches of the military.
And if the weather was bad, the combat tanks engaged in anti-tank artillery. Of course, anti-tank guns in 1941 could not deal with KV, but in this case, again rescued the Luftwaffe, however, not dive bombers, and anti aircraft guns (they were subordinate to air command). For the first time to use 88 mm anti-aircraft guns the Germans began, faced with the thick armor of the French tanks. On the Eastern front, this experience came in handy.
All of the above allowed the German tanks to fight outnumbered and win. In favor of quality of German tanks says the indisputable fact that on the Eastern front in General has always been three to four times less, and it seemed that the opposite.
Cyril Shishkin
Source:
© Russian Seven
see also: editor’s choice, “Russian Seven””Black storks”: how to fight the most brutal “spooks” against the Soviet areito was the biggest surprise of the Germans in the USSR after the beginning of valupedia Black devil in Khakassia: the most mysterious place in Siberia
