Video: "Real" Fake Tanks

Lots of fake tanks were created after WW2, but many fake tanks were created during the war. Many were even based on a kernel of truth. Check out my latest video to learn about these not quite real tanks and the effect their "discovery" had.

Goliath Demolition Vehicle

 "Artillery HQ, 49th Army
August 12th, 1943
#128/op

To Chiefs of Staff and Commanders of Artillery Regiments

In order to combat our tanks, dugouts, and pillboxes on the Central and Volkhov Fronts, the enemy is using torpedo tankettes and suffocating yellow-green smoke that is created by means of burning a special powder.

I attach characteristics of these types of German weapons.

Brief characteristics of the torpedo tankette and means of combat against it:

Shopping List

 "Attachment to instructions of department 1b, 8th Infantry Division, June 20th, 1941

List of military equipment that must be captured for use. Items marked with a + are especially important.

Guns and equipment:

• 7.62 mm pistols
• 7.62 mm rifles (three line)
• +automatic rifles
• Maxim machine guns
• 51 mm mortars
• +45 mm guns model 1936
• 37 mm Rheinmetall anti-tank guns
• +any gun larger than 100 mm in caliber (especially cannons)

Borgward Tankettes

"Main Intelligence Directorate of the Red Army
October 20th, 1943
#200558ss
Moscow

To the Commander of the Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army, Colonel General of the Armed Forces, comrade Fedorenko

Agents report (still need to be confirmed) that the Germans are producing B-4 tankettes that are controlled by radio and are conducting training on their use.

The tank is loaded with 300 kg of explosives and has several smoke emitting devices. It is designed for destruction of bunkers, making passages through obstacles, and clearing minefields.

German Tank Intel 1944

 "Top Secret

Inspector General of the Tank Forces
#046/44 Top Secret

June 26th, 1944

Copy 1 out of 5

Notes on the report to the Fuhrer

[...]

Based on information received at 2:00 on June 25th from Tank Group West and Colonel Emichen, the following picture is formed on English and American tanks:

1. The new Cromwell tank is armed with one 75 mm L/34 gun. The American Sherman tank used to be armed with a 75 mm L/40 gun and now has a longer 76.2 mm L/52.8 tank gun (previously used on the M10 SPG).

Development Trends Abroad

 "October 5th, 1945

Armament:

1. Germany
1. Gun caliber increased from 37 mm to 128 mm, a factor of 3.5.
2. Muzzle velocity increased from 720 m/s to 1000 m/s, a factor of 1.4.
3. Magazine fed machine guns were replaced with belt fed ones.
4. AA protection at the start of the war was limited to the MG 34 7.92 mm caliber machine gun. At the end of the war, the Germans began installing 20 mm autocannons on tank chassis.

Za Rodinu!

With the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to tell what intelligence is valid and what is not. However, in the moment, even mostly correct information takes on a very strange form.

This is one such example. 

King Tiger Intel

 "Memo on the new "King Tiger" (Koenigstiger) heavy tank and methods of combat against it

Elements of the 1st Ukrainian Front captured 4 King Tiger tanks near Szydłów on August 12th, 1944, one of which was functional. 2 non-functional King Tiger tanks were captured near Korozvenka on August 15th, 1944. 

Preliminary characteristics of the King Tiger tank are as follows:

American Review

 "Materials from the USA War Department describing Soviet T-70, T-34, KV-1, and KV-2 tanks

To the Chief of Staff of the Armoured and Motorized Forces, Major General of the Tank Forces comrade Salminov

I present to you materials received from the USA War Department describing Soviet T-70, T-34, KV-1, and KV-2 tanks.

This material was composed by the training department of the US Army Air Force to familiarize American personnel with identifying foreign tanks.

Attachment: the aforementioned on 5 pages
For your eyes only

Chief of the 2nd Directorate of Red Army Main Intelligence Directorate, Major General Khlopov
October 15th, 1943

Arty Intel

 "To the Chairman of the GAU Artillery Committee, Major General of Artillery, comrade Hohlov

There are three captured weapons at army trophy warehouse #2375 (Budka Chichakovo railroad junction) belonging to the 31st Army that are of interest for study at the Artillery Committee, namely:

1. A 57 mm anti-tank gun with a conical barrel, presumably designed according to the Gerlich principle. The barrel length is 65 calibers. The gun has a muzzle brake and split trails.

Anti T-34 Tactics

"Translated from German

Chief Inspector of Mobile Forces
Staff of the Supreme Command of the Land Forces
#126/42

Secret

Direction on tank combat against the Russian T-34 tank

Characteristics of the T-34

The T-34 tank is faster, more maneuverable, and more mobile than our Pz.Kpfw.III and Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks, its armour is thicker than the armour of our tanks. Its 76 mm gun surpasses our 50 mm and 75 mm guns in penetration. Beneficial shape (all surfaces are sloped) helps shells slide off.

Mystery Tank

"To the commanders of the 6th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade

A POW revealed that the German army received a new type of heavy tank called the Leopard, weighing 40 tons and armed with one 75 mm gun and two machine guns. Front armour is 100-110 mm thick.

Take measures to obtain more precise information. Do not confuse it with the Panther tank.

New information is to be immediately relayed to the HQ of the 6th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade

Acting Chief of Staff of the 6th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, Guards Major Litvin"

Via Yuri Pasholok.

The Allies' View of the Maus

VE Day marked not only the defeat of Germany, but the Allies' ability to get their hands on German tank developments. A hunt for trophies and even German arms designers began. Various nations ended up with only pieces of information. This is especially true for the German Pz.Kpfw.Maus superheavy tank.  The USSR may have ended up with both prototypes and some of the documentation that was stored in Kummersdorf and in Berlin, but the British and Americans kept most of the documents, the factories that took part in its production, and the creator of the tank himself, Ferdinand Porsche.

Accounting 101

 "Secret
Copy
18th Army Command
Operational Department
#5159/43
December 8th, 1943

Reports on the number of destroyed tanks

1. Precise reports on destroyed or knocked out tanks are of great importance for evaluating the combat strength of Russian tank units and estimation of success during defense. Not every hit on a tank destroys it. Reports need to differentiate:

1. Destroyed tanks
2. Knocked out tanks
   
3. Tanks destroyed by the Luftwaffe

Tanks are counted as destroyed when they are disabled at our defensive lines or behind them.

Tanks are counted as destroyed if it's on fire, exploding, fell apart, or if the turret was knocked off. Tanks that can still drive away or move after being hit do not count.

Distorted Tanks

"October _, 1942

#050

To the Chief of Staff of the 1st Motorized Brigade

The Red Army General Staff reports that the German army has the following new types of tanks:

1. T-5 tank. Weight: 30 tons. Armament: 1 88 mm gun and 2 machine guns.
2. T-12 tank. Weight: 40 tons. Armament: 1 75 mm gun and 4 machine guns.
3. V-K-18 tank. Weight: 18 tons. Armament: 1 20 mm gun and 1 machine gun.

Determine the presence of these tanks and their tactical-technical characteristics from interrogation of POWs and captured documents. Report to the 3rd Mechanized Corps on your results. Send captured documents and photographs of these tanks to the 3rd Mechanized Corps.

Chief of Staff of the 3rd Mechanized Corps, Guards Lieutenant Colonel Nikitin."

Via Yuri Pasholok.

Looks like a bunch of nonsense based on unverified information that was pretty common, but these descriptions match reality quite well. The T-5 could very well be the VK 30.01(P), which indeed had an 88 mm gun. The T-12 looks more unusual, closer to the fledgeling Panther, which would have reached the weight of about 40 tons in late 1942. Finally, the V-K-18 could be the VK 18.01, but this tank only had machine guns for armament, unlike the similar VK 16.01 which the report could be confusing it with. 

American Steel

The USSR received a lot of American armour, both as a part of finished tanks and armour plates. Soviet representatives had some access to the American steel industry as a result, and specialists toured the American Car & Foundry Company in April of 1943 where they picked up some information on American steel manufacturing.

"This factory is the largest supplier of cemented armour in the USA. It began to supply cemented armour about 3 years ago and in these 3 years it improved and developed its process.

Armour up to 2 inches in thickness is cemented.

Today the factory makes about 5000 tons of armour per month, about 60% of it is cemented (out of accepted plates). About 18-20% of the production is discarded as byproducts, about 2-3% due to production defects.

There used to be a lot of cracks, but a lot of work was spent on this issue and now cracks are rare. Work was done to make welding more precise, maintaining gap tolerances, training welders (they have schools for this), protection of the places from carbonization by schoop-plating them with copper, changing the design (sharp angles were removed), etc.

This factory (unlike many others) has very strict military QA with well educated workers and managers.

Armour now comes from the Republic Steel Co., Jones and Laughlin, thin armour is now purchased from Armco. Earlier the armour came from Carnegie-Illinois but it is no longer ordered due to low quality (impure and heterogeneous steel)"

CAMD RF F.38 Op.11355 D.1791 L.22

Thermite Shells

"Report on new armour piercing shells used by the German army

1. The use of so called "thermite" armour piercing shells by the German army has not yet been confirmed.
   German press made a mention of an alleged patent for an incendiary thermite shell, but such a shell should be made with an Elektron alloy hull, which is completely unsuitable for armour penetrating shells. The objective of this message was disinformation.
2. The presence of subcaliber armour piercing shot (similar to those made by the French Komissan factory) was discovered during combat.
   The shot consists of a body, a tungsten core, and a ballistic cap. The cap can be made from either plastic or from a light metal.
   Captured documents show that when an armour piercing shot with a cap made from a light metal (Elektron) hits a target, a flash of light can be seen.
   This message was not checked or verified.

Assistant Chief of the 1st Department, 2nd Directorate, Military Engineer 3rd Class, Krutik

_ April 1942

Via Andrei Ulanov.

Anti-Tank Gas

"Distribution:

Supreme Command of the Land Forces

Staff of the Chief of Army Engineering Structures and Fortifications

#5681/42

Secret

Translated from German

Army Group A (General of Engineering Forces)

The experiments of the 395th [illegible] division regarding the use of smoke grenades against T-34 tanks in close combat gave the following results:

1. The tank was standing in place. The engine was running. The hatches were shut. The smoke grenade was ignited near the tank.
   Result: rapid penetration of concentrated smoke through the engine intake and through the front entrance hatch, ball mount, machinegun mount, and turret.
   Result: the crew was quickly forced to exit the tank due to choking and vomiting.

Goliath Intel

"Intelligence Department of the Armoured and Motor Vehicles HQ of the Bryansk Front

August 2nd, 1943

The commander of Armoured and Motor Vehicles of the Bryansk front orders that all personnel must be familiarized with a new German anti-tank weapon: torpedo tankettes.

Some information about the torpedo tankette:

During the offensive in the Orel-Kursk direction on July 5th, 1943, the Germans used torpedo tankettes to demolish our tanks, pillboxes, dugouts, and minefields. 

According to incomplete information, a tank destroyer battalion consisting of three companies armed with torpedo tankettes was allegedly operational near Protasovo and Ponyri.

Katyusha Effectiveness

"Information

Enemy soldiers on our artillery and mortars (based on interrogations of POWs, journals and letters of German and Hungarian troops)

POW Unteroffizier Franz Georg Lamus (222nd Infantry Regiment, 1st battalion, 4th company) says the following on the power of Russian weapons:

"Russia has many weapons. There are powerful airplanes. This goes against the stories were were told that the Red Army is poor and has nothing. The Stalinorgel (Katyusha) has the greatest effect on troops. When the mortar fires 42 shots everything living in the vicinity of the explosions burns. The sound of the explosions also has a negative effect on the morale of troops."