Tanks Worth Their Weight in Gold

Ways in which Germany could have been victorious in WW2 are still a popular topic of discussion in some circles. One can often hear the claim that the war on the Eastern Front would have ended in 1941 with the fall of Moscow if not for the timely appearance of Lend Lease tanks, issued to the USSR free of charge. As common as this argument is, it has little basis in the truth. Let us see what Western tanks appeared in the USSR and when, and what effect these vehicles had on the course of the war.

Before Lend Lease

For starters, let us clarify what Lend Lease actually was and what it had to do with military assistance to the USSR. The Act to Promote the Defense of the United States was signed into law by the 77th Congress of the United States on March 11th, 1941. It gave the president of the still neutral country the ability to supply weapons, transport, tools, raw materials, agricultural or industrial machinery to any nation whose protection was considered vital to the defense of the United States. The term “lend lease” was derived from the ability to “sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of” any of the aforementioned items to these nations granted by this act. While the president of the United States had the power to give them away for free, that was far from his only option.

Matilda tanks earmarked for the USSR.

The First Firebreathing KV

The USSR was the first country to mass produce flamethrower tanks. Initially these were chemical tanks, whose primary purpose was to deploy chemical weapons. Nevertheless, the KhT-26 chemical tank accepted into service in the summer of 1932 was already a dual purpose vehicle. It could still deploy chemical weapons, but now its main weapon was a flamethrower. The KS-2 flamethrower developed by the Compressor factory was the first mass produced tank flamethrower. The pneumatic system could spew fire 30-45 meters away, not too far, but not too bad for a first try. The KhT-26 was the USSR’s first mass produced flamethrower (chemical) tank. The KhT-130 on the chassis of the T-26 tank with a cylindrical turret and KhT-133 based on the T-26 with a conical turret and turret platform followed. The T-46-1, the T-26’s replacement, was also supposed to be a chemical tank, but it never went into production. The flame throwing range gradually increased, but still was not enough. Other platforms were considered for flamethrower tank production, but the chemical BT never took off.

First Anti-Tank Rifles

"To the Chairman of the State Committee of Defense, I.V. Stalin

August 9th, 1941

Trials of the German 7.92 mm Pz.B.39 rifle conducted by the Scientific Research Small Arms Proving Grounds of the Red Army showed the following results:

• Muzzle velocity: 1189 m/s
• Weight: 12.12 kg
• Bullet weight: 14.8 grams
• Chamber size: 17.06 cm³

The rifle penetrates a 20 mm surface hardened plate at 20 degrees at a range up to 500 m inclusive, a 30 mm surface hardened plate at 20 degrees from up to 300 meters inclusive.

Video: How to Kill a T-34

The T-34 was famously tough to destroy in the summer of 1941, and the 88 mm Flak gun was far from the panacea that it is often presented as. The Germans developed less flashy but more reliable ways of taking out this well protected tank. See how in my latest video.

T-34 Rate of Fire Trials

 "March 1st, 1941
Approved by Proving Grounds Chief Colonel Romanov

Report on the experimental driver's observation device, ammunition racks, and commander's and loader's seats of the T-34 tank

...

Program of T-34 ammunition rack and rate of fire trials

1. Purpose of trial

1. To determine the practical rate of fire in various conditions of operation.
2. To determine the convenience of using the new ammunition rack.
3. To test the convenience of loading with the loader's seat folded

Fine Vintage

 "Notice

1. The amount of artillery systems held at warehouse #727 that are fully equipped (sans breech blocks) is as follows:
1. 107 mm model 1877: 32 units or 8 batteries
2. 152 mm 2 tonners: 68 units or 17 batteries
3. 120 mm French guns: 12 units or 3 batteries
   Other systems including 127 and 152 mm British guns and 2-pood guns cannot be used as there are no shells or sights for them.

85 mm Gun for the KV-1

 "Order for  the People's Commissariat of Tank Production of the USSR
Chelyabinsk
November 11th, 1941

In order to widely use artillery systems that are being mass produced at the factories of the People's Commissariat of Tank Production, design and install the M-30 system and the 85 mm AA gun into the KV tank. To do this:

1. Director of the Izhora factory, comrade Muzrukov, must:
1. Provide detailed blueprints for mounting the M-30 gun in the KV tank no later than November 15th and produce a prototype, install it in a turret, and send it to the Kirov factory for trials no later than December 15th.
2. Develop a draft project for installing the 85 mm AA gun in a KV tank and send to me for approval by November 20th.
3. When developing detailed blueprints for the M-30 and draft blueprints for the 85 mm gun use components that are already being produced by the Izhora factory wherever possible.
2. Chief Engineer comrade Ryzhkov and Chief of the 5th Department comrade Bulyshev at the Izhora factory are responsible for the completion of this work.
3. Chief of the Ammunition Department comrade Levshin must resolve the issue of armour piercing ammunition for the M-30 and 85 mm gun by November 20th of this year.
4. Chief of the Ammunition Department comrade Levshin is responsible for ensuring the completion of this order.

Deputy People's Commissar of Tank Production, Kotin"

Via Yuri Pasholok

Friend or Foe

Soviet armoured forces never established a uniform system of tactical markings, leaving individual commanders to create their own. When it came to friend or for markings, there was an even greater variety, as they were changed often. One example is this schedule used by the 9th Army in July of 1941.

Armoured Confusion: Start of the Great Patriotic War

One of the most popular topics of discussion in Soviet tank circles is their use in the Great Patriotic War. As strange as this may sound, the production and use of Soviet tanks during the war is not a very well studied topic. This is caused by shallow surface level research and resilience of "common knowledge", little of which overlaps with any facts. There are so many of these myths that it's impossible to cover them all in a single article. Let's examine only the first half of the Great Patriotic War and misconceptions linked to this period.

War Plans

The Red Army was undergoing a pretty radical reorganization in the summer of 1941. Fans of the theory that the USSR was about to attack Germany and Hitler merely delivered a preemptive strike will be disappointed to find out that not only did the Red Army not consider itself in any situation to fight a war in 1941, 1942 wasn't looking much better either. Compare the number of tanks on hand to the number of tanks required according to authorized strength.

Tank type	Authorized strength		On hand as of Jan 1st, 1941	% Authorized strength as of Jan 1st, 1941		Expected inventory as of Jan 1st, 1942	% Authorized strength as of Jan 1st, 1942
	Peacetime	Wartime		Peacetime	Wartime		Peacetime	Wartime
KV	2100	2100	243	11.5	11.5	1093	52	52
T-34	4200	4200	350	8.3	8.3	2850	67.8	67.8
BT	5487	8273	7752	141.5	93.7	7752	141.5	93.7
T-26	13,802	15,872	9987	72.3	62.9	9987	72.3	62.9
T-50						500
T-37/ T-38	2420	3681	3596	152	100	3596	182	116.7
T-40			100			800
Armoured cars	5298	6853	4461	84.2	65	6271	118	91.7

Total as of January 1st, 1941: 22,530 tanks (of those 59 T-35 and 443 T-28), 4461 armoured cars

Via Yuri Pasholok

School of Hard Knocks

 "Order to units of the Leningrad Front #032

Active army

September 16th, 1941

I assigned one tank battalion each (84th and 107th Independent Tank Battalions) to the Slutsk-Kolpino Fortified Region and the 22nd Fortified Region with the special objective of reinforcing the fortified regions' firepower and not for use in counterattacks.

However, on September 5th, 1941, the commander of the 1025th Rifle Regiment of the 291st Rifle Division Major Belousov sent out one KV tank from an ambush to attack Beloostrov, as a result of which the tank was disabled and abandoned on the battlefield. The commander took no action to recover this tank over the course of two days.

Landlocked T-40

 "Meeting minutes

August 20th, 1941

Present:

• Factory #37 director Levitanskiy
• Chief of KB-1 Astrov
• Chief of the 1st Department of the GABTU BTU, Military Engineer 1st Class Pavlov
• Chief of the 1st Section, 1st Department of the GABTU BTU, Military Engineer 2nd Class Chizhikov
• Senior Military Representative at factory #37, Military Engineer 2nd Class Kostsov

Discussion:

On the change to the T-40's starter mechanism necessitated by the delivery of 25 non-amphibious T-40 hulls without an opening for an external starter that 030 (T-60) tanks normally have from the Podolsk Ordzhonikidze factory.

Decision:

Permit installation of internal pedal starters on 25 non-amphibious T-40 tanks of the same type as on the amphibious T-40, with the exception of a lack of propeller and its drive as well as installation of a special cover and armoured plugs in the openings of the rear bay.

[Signatures]"

Via Yuri Pasholok.

Note that the index T-40S was not used here. This index was a post-war invention and was never used to refer to T-40 tanks incapable of swimming.

Field Artillery Penetration

"USSR NKO

Artillery HQ of the 22nd Army

Pestovo

September 7th, 1941

To chiefs of artillery of infantry divisions

To the commander of the 56th Corps Artillery Regiment

Personal copy for:_________

On orders of the Chief of Artillery of the 22nd Army I send you information regarding penetration of 76 mm and 107 mm HE and 122 mm and 203 mm concrete piercing shells.

The data was obtained at the ANIOP firing at plates angled at 30 degrees from normal.

When firing at plates at normal the penetration is 15-20% higher.

Have all commanders of artillery regiments familiarize themselves with this data.

Attachment: table of penetration on one page.

Chief of Staff of Artillery of the 22nd Army, Colonel Chudin

Chief of the 2nd Department, Captain Matyunenko"

Counteroffensive

"To the Commander of the South-Western Direction, Marshal of the Soviet Union, comrade Timoshenko

September 16th, 1941

I direct to you materials written by brigade commander comrade Ivanov

Member of the Military Council of the South Front, Army Commissar 1st Class, Zaporozhets"

"Ideas about the upset of further offensive of fascist forces

Maps: 2,500,000 and 1,000,000

Mistakes and weaknesses of the fascists

The enemy still considers our army to be clumsy, unable to make bold moves, unable to use trickery and deceit in operational maneuvers. He relies on our passivity and simplicity. Because of this, the fascist commanders allow:

Many Faces of the T-26

"Condition of SPGs and artillery systems on the T-26 chassis

T-26-8: 37 mm AA gun on the T-26 chassis.

According to instructions from the NKSM and tactical-technical requirements developed by the 20th department of the GAU, an experimental prototype of a 37 mm AA gun on the T-26 tank chassis was developed in July and tested.

Trials gave a positive result. Presently blueprints are being developed that include improvements requested by the ANIOP. Production of two prototypes to send to the front is being finished.

Final work on blueprints for mass production will conclude on August 25th, 1941.

Lend Lease Shipments

"Information on shipments of imported tanks as of November 1941 until October 21st, 1943

Time	Churchill	Matilda	Valentine	M4A2	M3 med	M3 light	Tetrarch	Total
1941
November	-	145	216	-	-	-	-	361
1942
January	-	129	97	-	24	46	20	316
February	-	47	32	-	-	11	-	90
March	-	170	148	-	44	-	-	362
April	-	40	83	-	62	38	-	223
May	-	21	81	-	112	178	-	392
June	-	73	98	-	121	147	-	439
July	10	6	24	-	57	84	-	181
August	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
September	74	84	254	-	256	161	-	829
October	-	-	20	-	-	15	-	35
November	-	56	118	26	52	130	-	382
December	-	-	4	10	84	167	-	265
In total for 1941-1942	84	771	1175	36	812	977	20	3875
1943
January	-	10	44	26	117	165	-	362
February	40	54	160	69	4	37	-	364
March	121	81	178	9	-	37	-	426
April	-	-	18	19	8	16	-	61
May	-	-	63	52	2	-	-	117
June	-	-	55	-	-	-	-	55
July	8	-	106	-	-	2	-	116
August	-	-	158	-	-	2	-	160
September	-	-	140	-	2	1	-	143
October	-	-	81	-	-	-	-	81
Total in 1943	169	145	1003	175	133	260	-	1885
Total	253	916	2178	211	945	1237	20	5760

Acting Chief of the GBTU TU, Engineer Lieutenant-Colonel Muravich
Senior Assistant to the Chief of the 5th Department of the GBTU TU, Engineer Major Denshikov"

CAMD RF 38-11355-1677 p.204