World of Tanks History Section: Fall of Berlin

In the middle of April of 1945, Germany was between a rock and a hard place. The Allies were in the west, and the unstoppable Red Army rolled in from the east. Germany lost massive amounts of people, most of its natural resources, the country's industry suffered heavily, important agricultural regions were lost. The Third Reich was in agony, but even in this condition, the German army remained a dangerous foe. Even though all hope for victory was long lost, the battle-weary soldiers fought for every last scrap of land.

The Germans' resistance was only partially explained through devotion to the Fuhrer's ideology. A far bigger reason was the expectation that the government will manage to make peace with the Allies, and make a bargain for favourable terms of surrender.

Hitler and his officials knew that the western nations were afraid that the USSR would hold great influence in Europe after the end of the war. And they were right. President Roosevelt, when writing policy on co-operation with the USSR, wrote "The United States must get Berlin. The Soviets can have lands to the east". The British Prime Minister Churchill was in agreement with Roosevelt, and also held the opinion that Allied forces should enter Berlin first. The capture of Berlin would have been a serious ideological victory for the Allies.

The Soviet government understood the current political situation. Berlin must be taken as soon as possible. The date of the offensive was set for April 16th.

Massive forces were readied for the offensive operation. Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front, Rokossovskiy's 2nd Belorussian Front, Konev's 1st Ukraininan Front. Ships of the Red Banner Navy Baltic Fleet and Dniepr Navy provided fire support. Approximately 7500 airplanes were ready for takeoff.

The German defensive was conducted by army groups "Vistula" and "Center". Air support was provided by the 4th and 6th air fleets, as well as the "Reich" air fleet. Hitler's defenders numbered over one million soldiers, 1500 tanks and SPGs, 3300 airplanes. The Germans also had an ace up their sleeve in the form of a heavily echeloned line of defense. Fortified regions on the Oder and Neisse rivers were up to 40 km deep. Berlin itself was turned into a fortress. Nearly every building was fortified, streets were barricaded, minefields and individual mines were scattered everywhere. A Berlin barricade was not just garbage piled across a road. It was a special structure made of wood and dirt up to 4 meters thick. The barricade could be collapsed by detonating special charges, completely blocking passage for tanks. 600 AA guns looked up at the sky. General Reymann was responsible for Berlin's defense until April 24th, when Hitler replaced him with Helmuth Weidling.

The main strike at Berlin was carried out by the 1st Belorussian Front. Its forces were concentrated in a foothold at the city of Kostrzyn. The German capital was only 60-70 km from there. In front of the foothold lay Seelow Heights, where the Germans established a powerful line of defense. In order to complete his task, Zhukov's forces had to break that line.

The 1st Ukrainian Front was to attack south of Berlin, and no later than 12 days into the operation, reach the river Beelitz-Wittenberg, and head to Dresden by the Elbe river. A variant of the plan would have the Front strike at Berlin from the south, if it was necessary.

The 2nd Belorussian Front was ordered to cross the Oder, destroy the Shtett group and cut the West Pomeranian group off from Berlin. The Front also had to cover the shore of the Baltic from Vistula to Altdamm.

On April 14th, Zhukov's forces began combat scouting from the Kostrzyn foothold. They managed to displace the 20th motorized division. Hitler was so enraged by this retreat that he ordered all of its men to be stripped of medals until they reclaim the lost territory. The Germans did not have time for this. The Soviet offensive was only 2 days away.

The Front put in significant effort the keep the attack a secret, but this was not 100% possible, simply due to the sheer amount of soldiers. Additionally, the Germans captured a Soviet prisoner, that revealed the day of the offensive. Knowing that an offensive would start with an artillery barrage, the Germans moved most of their forces to the second line of defense.

Nearly 9000 guns and mortars opened fire in the early morning of April 16th. The density of fire was about 270 guns per kilometer of front. In minutes, the first line of defense turned to dirt. The barrage lasted half an hour. At the same time, night bombers from the 4th and 16th air armies bombed enemy headquarters, artillery positions, and deep defensive lines. Infantry divisions followed, along with Katukov's 1st Guards Tank Army.

134 AA floodlights were brought to Seelow Heights to blind the Germans. Unfortunately, they did not have the desired effect; the light beams were stopped by dust and smoke in the air. Many commanders had to order the lights turned off on their section, and then turned on again, which caused confusion. Nevertheless, Soviet forces pushed forward. When the second line of defense was reached, the resistance increased drastically. Fierce battles broke out on the entire length of the front. The Red Army did not achieve overwhelming success that day. The German defenses were only penetrated by April 19th. Seelow Heights were captured, and the possibility of advancing to Berlin arose. On April 20th, long range artillery of the 3rd Shock Army opened fire on the German capital. On the next day, elements of the 1st Belorussian Front were already at the outskirts of Berlin.

The 1st Ukrainian Front had more success. The river Neisse was crossed on the first day. The offensive pushed 13 kilometers into German lines across a 26 kilometer front. Two days later, the German 4th tank army as displaced to the third line of defense. The Berlin group was in danger of being encircled from the south. The Germans sent in reserves to try and turn the tide of battle, but had no success. On the morning of April 18th, the 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies crossed the river Spree, and captured footholds south and north of Spremberg. The offensive was supported from the air by the 9th Guards Fighter Division, commanded by the famous Soviet fighter ace A. Pokryshkin.

The 2nd Belorussian Front was preparing to cross the Oder. On April 18-19th, the crossing was performed, and cut off elements of General von Manteuffel's 3rd Tank Army from Berlin.

On April 25th, Soviet forces closed a ring around Berlin. The last assault was coming. By modern estimates, 120 000 soldiers remained in Berlin, not counting Volkssturm militia. Approximately 3000 guns and 250 tanks accompanied them. The tanks were not only mobile fighting units. Many were inoperable, and were placed in strategic parts of the city, acting as bunkers. The city was separated into 9 defensive sectors. The closer to the center, the tougher the defenses.

April 25th is the official date of the start of the offensive, but battles raged on as soon as Soviet forces first approached Berlin, on April 21st. Assault squad tactics were frequently used. An assault squad consisted of a battalion or company of infantry, reinforced with tanks, SPGs, mortars, sappers, and sometimes even flamethrowers. These groups ate through the enemy defenses, slowly, house by house. When necessary, they would split up into smaller units.

Soviet aircraft delivered three massive strikes to objects in Berlin on April 25th and the night of April 26th. 2000 aircraft participated in the offensive. Six Soviet armies took Berlin from its desperate defenders, block by block. The 9th rifle corps of the 5th Shock Army distinguished themselves by taking 80 blocks in one day. The successes of the other units were not as stunning.

On April 27th, Soviet units fought at Spandau, on the northern borders of Tiergarten and Prentzlauberg. The 9th rifle corps reached Treptov. On the south side of Berlin, the 8th Guards Army and 1st Guards Tank Army reached the Landwehr-canal and crossed it. The 3rd Guards Tank Army was finishing off the 18th motorized division in Grünewald. The situation for Germans became more and more dire. They did not have enough water, the constant stress exhausted soldiers and militiamen, the amount of wounded grew day by day. Himmler's SS executed not only deserters, but civilians caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. These actions sometimes led to resistance from the Wehrmacht. General Mummert, commander of the Muncheberg tank division, ordered the SS to leave his positions, threatening them with execution.

German high command still spread rumours of a possible separate peace with the Western Allies. Few believed in it by this point. On April 30th, Soviet forces began storming the Reichstag, and that evening, the first of the assault flags of the 150th rifle division flew like a red fire on one of the columns. As battles progressed, flags appeared on the first floors. At night, two groups of soldiers managed to raise flags on the roof. The most well known flag was raised at 3 am above the cupola of the Reichstag by Junior Sergeant Meliton Kantaria, Sergeant Mihail Egorov, and Lieutenant Aleksey Berest. This was the only flag that remained after German artillery fired on the Reichstag.

On April 30th, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker at Wilhelmstrasse. One of history's most brutal dictators was rolled up in a carpet and burned in the garden of the Reich Chancellery. General Krebs, the head of the land forces, began negotiations with the Soviets that evening. A call was made to Stalin. He confirmed that the surrender must be unconditional. The Germans refused, and at 18:00 on May 1st, the attack on Berlin resumed. During one night, the defenses of the city were fragmented into several small remnants.

On May 2nd, General Weidling ordered the surrender of his 56 tank corps. He then signed an order to the rest of the garrison to put down their weapons and surrender. The order only reached most German units by the middle of the day. Over 100 000 men surrendered that evening. Berlin fell. The end of the Great Patriotic War was only a week away.

Original article available here.

World of Tanks History Section: Liberation of Kharkov

The Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive Operation, codenamed "War Chief Rumyantsev", began on August 3rd, 1943. The operation was performed with the forces of the Voronezh Front (N. Vatutin) and Steppe Front (I. Konev). The operational plan placed the main strike to the west of Kharkov using the mobile flanks of the front. After the forces break through, 57th army of the South-Western Front would start its advance to meet it. The attack was asymmetric, with a strong right flank and comparatively weak left. The tank armies were to move quickly, up to 40 km per day. High command needed them to cut off reinforcements the Germans could bring in from the Donbas.

Soviet forces numbered 980 000 soldiers, over 2400 tanks and SPGs, over 12 000 cannons and mortars, 1300 aircraft. The Germans had 300 000 soldiers, 306 functional tanks and SPGs, and about 1000 aircraft. The main German line of defense was up to 8 km deep, composed of pillboxes linked together by full sized trenches. The second line was 2-3 km away from the first, and was equally well equipped. The rear line went through Bogoduhov, Zlochev, Kazachya Lopan', and Zhuravlevka. Two powerful defensive rings surrounded Kharkov.

An artillery barrage began on August 3rd at 5:00 am, and lasted for 3 hours. Aviation struck the enemy alongside with artillery. Soviet infantry moved out before the artillery fell silent, and progressed behind the barrage. During the first day, 12 km of German defenses were penetrated. Rotmistrov's 5th Guards Tank Army made it even further, 20 km deep. The Steppe Front was bogged down in heavy trench fighting, and only progressed 7-8 km. They were behind schedule on the first day of the operation.

On the second day, the offensive continued, but the progress was still slower than high command preferred. On August 4th, the 5th Guards Army encountered the 503rd Heavy Tank Battalion. They only had 6 functional Tigers, but even they were a tough opponent on the defensive. As a result, the 5th Guards Army progressed only 10 km that day.

Belgorod was liberated on August 5th, Tomarovka on the 6th. The offensive gained momentum, but was still too slow. This was caused by the Germans' fierce resistance, activity of their aviation, and command errors made by the RKKA. For example, it was unnecessary to sent a whole corps from the 5th Guards Tank Army to the rear of Belgorod, as it was already surrounded by the 53rd army and 1st Mechanized Corps. Due to the delays, the Soviet forces had a higher chance of meeting reinforcements from the Donbas. Three SS divisions (Das Reich, Totenkopf, and Wiking) were on the way, as well as the 3rd Tank Division.

Rotmistrov's guardsmen met the 3rd Tank division at Zolochev on August 6th. On August 9th, the enemy was knocked out of Zolochev, and the 5th Guards Tank Army was transferred to the reserve of the Steppe Front.

Meanwhile, Katukov's 1st Tank Army punched a hole in the German lines long enough to circle the enemy forces from the west. Elements of Katukov's forces were suppressing the Germans at Borisovka, surrounding them by August 6th. This was an organized German defensive point, and the resistance was fierce. Some of the encircled enemies broke through towards Graivoron on August 7th. After the resistance at Borisovka was eliminated, the commander of the German 19th Tank Division, Schmidt, was found among the corpses.

On August 7th, Grossdeutschland arrived at Akhtyrka. It became the core of the planned German counterattack. Divisions pulled from the quieter section of the front arrived at Kharkov.

On August 7th, elements of the 1st Tank Army took Bogoduhov. On the next day, several kilometers from the Kharkov-Poltava railroad, they encountered the newly arrived Das Reich SS division. The resistance was heavy enough for the Soviets to go on the defensive on several sections of the front. Two brigades from the 6th Tank Corps moved forward around the main combat region.

On the night of August 11th, the 1st Tank Army made an attempt to cut through the railroad, which was the main line of communications between Kharkov and Poltava. At first, the Soviets were nearing success, taking the Kovyagi station. Tanks moved on, but the German counterattack started during the second half of the day, and surrounded several Soviet tanks at Levandalovka station. Elements of the Totenkopf division attacked Sharovka and Murafa.

The 5th Guards Tank Army once again arrived on the battlefield on August 12th. It intercepted the German counterattack just in time. On August 12-13, heavy fighting broke out around Bogoduhov. On August 14th, the Germans delivered a strike at Vysokopolye. Soviet forces retreated, and on August 16th the Kharkov-Poltava railroad was once again in the hands of the enemy.

Akhtyrka became the new center of attention, with the 7th Motorized Division, 10th Motorized Division, and Grossdeutschland division concentrated there on August 18th. Only the 166th Infantry Division of the 27th Army, stretched out over 170 kilometers of front lines, was available to fight the Germans on a 25 kilometer front. Its positions came under heavy bombings, and were overrun. During the day, the Germans penetrated a section of the front 7 km wide and 24 km deep. The 4th and 5th Tank Corps and 71st and 241th Infantry Divisions were in danger of encirclement. These units immediately deployed on the flank of the German advance. Additional forces were pulled up to avoid a catastrophe. The 7th and 8th Guards Infantry Divisions deployed on the German flanks, protecting the rear of the Voronezh Front. Most of the 1st Guards Tank Army was moved to Akhtyrka. The 29th Tank Corps from the 5th Guards Tank Army was sent. Heavy and lengthy fighting began.

The aforementioned battles were fought by elements of the Voronezh Front. Eastward, in the Steppe Front's offensive sector, Soviet forces penetrated the outer defensive ring and approached the city's defenses. Battles were fought until August 17th.

On August 18th, the 57th army of the South-Western Front resumed their offensive, circling the city from the south. On August 20th, two corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army were transferred south of Polevoy. The third remained at Bogoduhov.

On August 21st, the 5th Guards Tank Army began an offensive towards Korotych. Due to difficulties in crossing the Uda river, Soviet forces moved forward only one kilometer that day. On August 22nd, battles at Korotych broke out. Due to a tank-heavy German counteroffensive, the Soviet advance stalled and was partially encircled.

However, the German counterattack did not change the situation. On August 22nd, the Germans made the decision to leave Kharkov. Das Reich was tasked with holding the Soviet forces back to allow for the rest of the army to retreat. This was insufficient. Soviet high command tasked the 69th and 7th Guards Armies to take the city at night. By noon on August 23rd, Kharkov was completely freed from German occupants.

Original article available here.

T-28's Suspension

I wrote about the T-28 suspension before, and people were wondering about what it looked like and how it worked. This is how:

Fig. 76. Tracked suspension.

1-drive wheel, 2-track, 3-road wheels, 4-road wheel balancers, 5-shock absorber, 6-long lever, 7-short lever, 8-main support carriers, 9-idler, 10-track tightening mechanism, 11-return idlers

Interestingly enough, in factory documentation, this suspension is called "Krupp Suspension". Why? 

As you can see here, elements of the suspension are quite similar to Krupp's Grosstraktor. 

And yes, those are propellers you see in the rear. The Grosstraktor was amphibious. 

Restored T-28

Remember the T-28 hull in this article? It was "temporarily removed for painting". Looks like more was done to it than just painting, because now it looks like this:



It may not be entirely original components, but it's the only functional T-28 in the world. Instead of the old M-17 gasoline engine, this tank uses a modern YaMZ diesel engine.

Here is how the hull was originally recovered:

World of Tanks History Section: Operation Bagration

At the end of the spring of 1944, the Soviet-German front was relatively quiet. The Germans, having suffered significant losses during the winter, were strengthening their defenses, and the Red Army was gathering forces for another strike.

If you look at a map of combat operations, you can see two indentations in the front. One, on the territory of the Ukraine, south of the Pripyat river. The second, pointing far to the East, in Belorussia, bordering Vitebsk, Orsha, Mogilev, Zhlobin. This indentation was named the "Belarussian Balcony". After discussion at the end of April, Stavka of the Supreme Command decided to crush it with the entire might of the Red Army. The liberation of Belarus was codenamed "Operation Bagration".

German commanders did not predict these events. Belarus is covered in swamps and forests, with many lakes and rivers, and had a fairly undeveloped network of roads. It was very difficult to use tanks here, from the point of view of Hitler's generals. The Wehrmacht was ready to deflect a Soviet offensive in the Ukraine, and concentrated most of their forces there. For example, Army Group "North Ukraine" had seven tank divisions, and four heavy tank battalions. Army Group Center only had one tank division, two panzergrenadier divisions, and one heavy tank battalion. In total, Ernst Busch commanded 1.2 million men, 900 tanks and SPGs, 9500 cannons and mortars, and 1350 airplanes of the 6th Air Fleet.

The Germans created a fairly powerful echeloned line of defense in Belarus. Fortifications started being built in 1943, frequently based on natural hazards: rivers, lakes, swamps, heights. Cities that were road hubs were declared fortresses. For example, Orsha, Vitebsk, Mogilev, and others were equipped with pillboxes, bunkers, multiple artillery and machine gun positions.

The plan to destroy enemy forces in Belarus involved elements of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Belarussian Fronts, as well as the 1st Baltic Front. In total, Soviet forces consisted of 2.4 million people, over 5000 tanks, nearly 36 000 cannons and mortars. Air support was provided by the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 16th air armies (over 5000 aircraft). The Red Army had a significant advantage over the enemy.

In order to ensure secrecy, the Red Army put a great deal of effort into masking their movements and misleading the enemy. Units moved at night, maintaining radio silence. During the day, armies camouflaged themselves in forests. Forces were concentrated in the Kishenev direction as a feint. Units not participating in the operation scouted by combat. Trains were loaded with fake tanks and driven out of Belarus. These preparations were effective, but not completely. Prisoners captured on the 3rd Belorussian Front revealed that the Germans were building up their defenses and expected action from the RKKA. Hoever, the time of the attack and the numbers involved were still unknown to them.

Right before the operation, Belorussian partisans performed numerous diversions, severing German supply lines. Over 40 000 rails were destroyed between July 20th and 23rd. While the Germans were heavily impeded by the partisans, the railroads were not critically damaged, according to I.G. Starinov, an authority on scouting and diversionary affairs.

Operation Bagration was carried out in two stages. The first included the Vitebsk-Orshansk, Mogilyev, Bobruysk, Polotsk, and Minsk operations. The Vitebsk-Orshansk operation was carried out by forces of the 1st Baltic and 3rd Belorussian front. The 1st Baltic forces led by General I. Bagramyan struck with the 6th Guards Army and 43rd Army at the joint between Army Groups North and Center in the Beshenkovichi direction. The 4th Shock Army was to advance on Polotsk.

Colonel I. Chernyahovskiy's 3rd Belorussian Front struck at Bogushevsk and Senno with the forces of the 39th and 5th armies, and at Borisov with the 11th Guards Army and 31st Army. In order to ensure operational success, these units were backed by N. Oslikovskiy's cavalry-mechanized group (3rd Guards Mechanized and 3rd Cavalry Corps) and P. Rotmistrov's 5th Guards Tank Army.

After an artillery barrage on June 23rd, the forces of the fronts began their offensive. During the first day, the 1st Baltic Front penetrated 16 kilometers of enemy defenses, aside from the Polotsk direction, where the 4th Shock Army encountered significant resistance, and could not boast exceptional success. The width of the Soviet breakthrough was about 50 kilometers.

The 3rd Belorussian Front achieved significant success in the Bogushev direction, penetrating a line of defense 50 km wide and capturing three intact bridges over the Luchesa river. The German Vitebsk group was in danger of encirclement. Their commander requested permission to retreat, but since Vitebsk was considered a fortress, the permission was denied.

Through June 24th-26th, Soviet units encircled the forces at Vitebsk and destroyed the division covering the city. Another 4 divisions attempted to break through West, but, aside from several disorganized units, they were unsuccessful. On June 27th, the surrounded Germans surrendered. Over 10 000 German soldiers and officers were captured.

Orsha was also freed on June 27th. Red Army forces broke through to the Orsha-Minsk highway. Lepel was liberated on June 28th. The completion of the first stage of the operation moved the Soviets forward 80-150 km.

The Mogilev operation also began on June 23rd. It was carried out by the 2nd Belorussian Front of General Zakharov. During the first two days, forces moved 30 km forward. After that, the Germans fled across the Dniepr river. They were chased by the 33rd and 50th armies. On June 27th, Soviet forces crossed the Dniepr and freed Mogilev on the 28th. The German 12th Infantry Division that was defending the city was destroyed. Many prisoners and trophies were captured. The Germans were retreating towards Minsk, chased by ground attack aircraft. Soviet forces marched towards the Berezina river.

The Bobruisk operation was carried out by forces of the 1st Belarussian Front (led by General Rokossovskiy). The front commander ordered a strike in the Rogachev and Parichey direction, with a longer term strike at Bobruysk, with the goal of encircling the Germans in the city and destroying them. After Bobruysk was taken, the forces would move to Puhovichi and Slutsk. The attacking forces were supported by about 2000 aircraft.

The assault was through difficult swamped forests, crossed by many rivers. Soldiers had to be trained to use swamp shoes, cross water hazards using any available means, and build log roads. On June 24th, after a powerful artillery barrage, Soviet units went on the offensive, and penetrated 5-6 km of enemy defenses by mid-day. With the aid of mechanized units, the penetration at individual points reached as far as 20 km.

By June 27th, the Bobruisk group was completely surrounded. 40 000 German soldiers and officers were encircled. Leaving a portion of its forces to deal with the enemy, the front advanced to Slutsk and Osipovichi. The surrounded forces attempted to break out to the north. Near Titovka, a brutal battle took place, during which the Germans, disregarding losses, attempted to penetrate the Soviet lines. Bombers were called in to repel the assault. Over 500 planes bombed the concentration of German forces for an hour and a half.  The enemy abandoned heavy machinery and attempted to break through to Bobruisk, but had no luck. On June 28th, the remainder surrendered.

Bobruisk was taken on June 29th.

By this time, Army Group Center realized its catastrophic situation. German forces took massive losses in both manpower and vehicles. Soviet forces moved up 80-150 kilometers. Army Group Center was in danger of encirclement. On June 28th, Ernst Busch was removed from command, and replaced with Field Marshall Walther Model.

The Minsk operation began on June 28th.

Forces of the 3rd Belorussian Front approached the Berezina river. Orders from Stavka instructed them to cross the river, go around pockets of resistance, and make a swift attack on Minsk.

On June 29th, advance forces of the RKKA captured landings on the western shore and penetrated 5-10 km into enemy defenses. On June 30th, main forces of the front crossed the river. On the night of July 1st, the 11th Guards Army, entered Borisov from the south and south-west, and liberated it by 15:00. On the same day, Begoml and Pleshenitsy were also liberated.

By July 2nd, most avenues of retreat were cut off for the enemy. Vileyka, Zhodino, Logoisk, Smolevichi, and Krasnoye were liberated. The Germans were cut off from their supply lines.

On the night of July 3rd, 1944, the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, General Chernyahovskiy, ordered the commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army (Rotmistrov) to take the 31st Army and the 2nd Guards Tatsin Tank Corps, attack Minsk from the north and north-west direction, and take it by the end of July 3rd.

At 9 am on July 3rd, Soviet units entered Minsk. 71st and 36th infantry corps of the 31st Army, the 5th Guards Tank Army and the Guards Tatsin Corps tankers joined the battle. Elements of the 1st Don Tank Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front supported the offensive from the south and south-east. Minsk was liberated at 13:00.

As was mentioned above, the biggest hurdle for the Soviet offensive was Polotsk. The Germans turned it into a powerful defensive position, and garrisoned 6 infantry divisions in it. The 1st Baltic Front tasked the forces of the 6th Guards Army and 4th Shock Army with moving in from the south and north-east, and destroying the Germans.

The Polotsk operation began on June 29th. By the evening of July 1st, Soviet units captured the flanks of the German forces, and reached the outskirts of the city. Fierce urban battles lasted until July 4th. That is the day when the city was liberated. Forces of the left flank, pursuing the retreating Germans, traveled 110 km, arriving at the border with Lithuania.

The first stage of Operation Bagration was catastrophic for Army Group Center. The Red Army advanced 225-280 km in 12 days. The German defensive lines had a 400 km wide breach, and nothing to cover it with. Nevertheless, the Germans attempted to stabilize the situation by striking in key directions. Model was building a new line of defense, using up divisions transferred from other parts of the front. However, even the 46 divisions thrown into the catastrophe did not have a significant effect.

On July 5th, the Vilnus operation by the 3rd Belarussian Front began. On July 7th, elements of the 5th Guards Tank Army and 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps reached the city, and began to encircle it. On July 8th, the Germans brought in reinforcements. 150 tanks and SPGs were brought in to break the encirclement. The attempt failed, in no small part thanks to the 1st Air Army, relentlessly bombing the German forces. Vilnus was taken on July 13th, and the surrounded forces were eliminated.

The 2nd Belarussian Front was developing an offensive at Belostok. In order to strengthen the front, General Gorbatov's 3rd Army was sent in. Over 5 days, the Soviet forces moved up 150 kilometers, liberating Novogrudok on July 8th. The Germans gathered forces at Grodno, and the Red Army had to withstand a series of counterattacks. By July 16th, this city was also cleared of Germans. On July 27th, the Red Army liberated Belostok and reached the pre-war borders of the USSR.

The 1st Belarussian Front was tasked with moving around the Brest fortified region, destroying the enemy at Brest and Lublin, and reaching the river Vistula. On July 6th, the Red Army took Kovel, and broke through the defensive lines at Sedltse. Soviet forces traveled over 70 km by July 20th, crossed Western Bug, and reached Poland. Brest was encircled on July 25th, but all enemies were not destroyed there, a portion of them managed to break through. By the beginning of August, the Red Army occupied Lublin and possessed several landings on the west shore of Vistula.

Operation Bagration was a colossal victory for the Soviets. Over two months, all of Belarus, and parts of Poland and the Baltics were liberated. The Germans lost about 400 000 dead, injured, and captured. 22 generals were captured, and 10 more died. Army Group Center was destroyed.

Original article available here.

Testing Side Effects

"To the Deputy Commander of the Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army, Marshall of the Armoured Forces, comrade Rotmistrov

The Mozhaisk highway was built in 1810, and designed to support movement of horses. In the later years, the highway was modernized for use by cars.

The technical norms of the Mozhaisk highway do not match those for not only testing tanks, but for passage of tanks or other tracked vehicles. Trials of tanks on this road will lead to its complete destruction and interference with traffic.

The movement of tracked vehicles on automobile roads is prohibited by the following directives:

1. NKO order #0703 from September 11th, 1942
2. Order of the Commander of the Moscow Military District from March 26th, 1943
3. Directive #510675/S of the Commander of Combat Training of the Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army.

Based on the above information, the NKVD GUSHOSDOR cannot give permission to perform trials of tanks on the Mozhaisk highway or any other highways of all-union scale.

NKVD GUSHOSDOR Chief, State Security Commissar, 2nd grade, Pavlov."
CAMD RF 38-11355-3042

Restoring a T-34

Wargaming (the company behind World of Tanks) puts lots of money into tank restoration projects around the world. Here is one, on the restoration of a T-34 (with English subtitles). Enjoy!

Captured Tanks in the Red Army

It's nice to refurbish enemy tanks that you send into battle, but sometimes, you just have to use them as is. I have already written about a Panther and a PzIII that were successfully drafted, but here are some more examples.

"As of September 9th, 1942 ... we are currently fighting as a part of the 354th infantry division, alongside the 1203rd infantry regiment. 1-3 companies have occupied Buranovo and approached height 210.3. The company is assigned to the 1201st regiment. As a result of battles, we lost:

1. Materiel losses:
1. 2 T-3 tanks burned.
2. 1 T-4 tank burned.
2. Personnel losses are still being calculated.

Currently, the following tanks are ready for battle, or in battle:

1. 5 T-4 tanks.
2. 9 T-3 tanks.
3. 8 Praga tanks.
4. 2 ArtSturm tanks.

..."

CAMD RF 423-6644-21

These tanks are, of course, PzIVs, PzIIIs, Pz38(t)s, and StuG IIIs. An entire company of captured tanks! That is quite a bit.

"Operational update #148 on 19:00, July 5th, 1944. HQ of the 51st Independent Motorcycle Regiment, 1.5 km west of Zaluzhe, map 100 000-42

1. The 51st Independent Motorcycle Regiment spent the day performing maintenance of the vehicles and weapons, washing the personnel, and calibrating new weapons. One platoon of submachinegunners is guarding the headquarters. 
2. Materiel condition:
1. BA-64 armoured cars: 1
2. Half-armoured M3A1 cars: 16
3. T-34 tanks: 10
4. Motorcycles with sidecars: 175
5. Motorcycles without sidecars: 42
6. Willis cars: 8
7. Studebaker cars: 12
8. Cars: 42
9. M2 armoured half-tracks: 1
10. Tiger tanks: 5, 1 of those needs repairs
11. Panther tanks: 2, following the regiment via railroad
3. Supplies
1. Gasoline 1st grade: 1 refill
2. Gasoline 2nd grade: 1.5 refills
3. Diesel: 1.2 refills
4. Food: 4 days
5. Ammunition of all types: 1.5 refills
4. Communication with the regimental units is performed by telephone and radio men. Communication with the army HQ is performed by telephone and a communications officer.
5. The roads in the region are passable for wheeled transport.
6. The weather is clear.

Regimental HQ Chief, Guards Major Pavlov"

CAMD RF 323-4756-41

Interesting how the Panther's poor reliability does not let it keep up with Tigers, let alone T-34s, Studebakers and motorcycles. 

Even with such careful transport, the Panthers don't last long.

"Operational update #159 on July 18th, 1944. HQ of the 51st Independent Motorcycle Regiment, south-west of a forest clearing, 2 km north-east of Nushe. Map 100 000-42

1. The enemy has been covering the location of the 51st OMTsP with artillery fire, mortar fire, and bombs through the day.
2. The regimental units spent the day preparing their vehicles and weapons for combat.
   By orders of the 4th Tank Army commander, a motorcycle battalion, with an assigned MG company and two Tiger tanks is covering the Koltuv-Garbuzuv road since 20:00 on July 18th, 1944.
3. Materiel condition:
1. BA-64 armoured cars: 1
2. Armoured all-terrain cars: 1
3. M3A1 half-armoured cars: 17, 2 of those need repairs
4. T-34 tanks (85 mm) 10
5. Motorcycles with sidecars: 174, in Oleyuv due to poor roads
6. Motorcycles without sidecars: 42, in Oleyuv due to poor roads
7. Studebaker cars: 12
8. Willis cars: 8
9. Cars: 42, 2 of those need repairs
10. A company of heavy captured tanks:
1. Tiger tanks: 4, of those 2 are in a defensive position, one is on a march, and one needs repairs.
2. Panther tanks: 1, needs repairs
4. Supplies:
1. Gasoline 1st grade: 1.5 refills
2. Gasoline 2nd grade: 1.3 refills
3. Food: 5 days
4. Ammunition: 1.5 refills
5. Communication with the regimental units is performed by telephone and radio men. Communication with the army HQ is performed by telephone and a communications officer.
6. Roads in the regiment's area are difficult for motorcycles.
7. The weather is clear.
8. No losses.

Regimental HQ Chief, Guards Major Pavlov"

CAMD RF 323-4756-41

No losses, no ammunition expended, so no combat. And yet, as the joke goes, the regiment broke one Panther and lost another. One Tiger was also completely lost. An M3A1 and two staff cars broke down as well. 

There are, however, some problems with using captured tanks. For example:

"To the chief of GAU KA, Major-General of Artillery, comrade Yakovlev.

Currently, Tiger and Panther tanks arrive in repair depots without sights, and thus cannot be used. It is necessary to solve this issue with a domestic sight. At the same time, it is necessary to resolve the issue of using TMFD-7 and TMFN-1 sights for firing from T-3, T-4, and 38-T's guns at all distances. I ask for a resolution of these issues.

GBTU KA Chief, Lieutenant-General of the Tank Forces, Vershinin

Chieft of the GBTU KA URT, Major-General of the Tank Forces, Sosenkov"
CAMD RF 81-12038-385

"To the HQ chief of Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army

October 28th, 1943

The 213th Tank Brigade currently has the following tanks:

1. T-34: 3
2. T-4: 11
3. T-3: 31
4. On the way: 9
5. Total: 54

None of the tanks are equipped with radios, which complicates their control in battle. I ask for 24 radios to be sent to the 213th Tank Brigade to equip commanders down to the platoon level inclusive.

HQ Chief of Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Western Front, Guards Colonel Omelystiy.

Chief of the Communications Department of Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Western Front, Guards Lieutenant-Colonel Ryabovolenko."

CAMD RF 38-11355-305

Let Slip the Dogs of War

"To the chief of the 2nd department of GABTU BTU, Military Engineer 2nd grade, comrade Demyanenko
[date cut off] July, 1941

I report that trained dogs carrying an anti-tank pouch filled with high explosives can be considered a viable method of combat with enemy tanks.

Trials of this anti-tank method were conducted by the Communications Directorate and Engineering and Armoured Directorate in 1939-1940. The results of the trials proved that this method is effective.

On the BTU KA proving grounds at the Kubinka station, an MS-1 tank moving at second gear was destroyed by a dog carrying an AT pouch, which caused the following damage: torn track, torn out tank side, torn off and destroyed drive wheel, damage to the upper front plate and lower hull, tank turret torn off. During all other trials with dummy pouches, dogs dove under a moving tank without fail.

The Central Dog Training School of the Communications Directorate has staff that can train these dogs, as well as staff that can use them. 3000 AT pouches were produced at Gromov factory #2 (Solnechnogorsk) in 1939-1940.

Principle of operation:

A dog that is trained to dive under a tank is equipped with a special AT pouch filled with explosives. The pouch is equipped with a lever. When the dog dives under the tank, the lever pulls out the safety pin, the striker hits the detonator, and the explosives go off underneath the tank.

Materials on trials with conclusions, blueprints, and AT pouch and detonator samples, as well as a production run of 3000 units, are available at the Communications Directorate of the Red Army.

Attached: a diagram.

Senior Engineer of the 2nd department, Military Engineer 2nd grade, Gulik."
CAMD RF 38-11355-141

And here's the diagram:

"BB" marks the explosives. The things that look like stakes at the bottom are belts for attaching the device to a dog. The dog runs from right to left. A note on the diagram lists the mass of the device as approximately 4.5 kilograms.

This document conveniently dispels two often repeated rumours about anti-tank dogs. One is that they were hurriedly trained in 1941 as a desperate measure against German tanks. As you can see, training and trials began long before the German offensive. Another is that the dogs, smelling familiar diesel tanks, ran towards their own tanks and blew them up. I always suspected that using brand new T-34 or KV tanks for dog training was wasteful, and this document confirms it. Obsolete gasoline powered tanks were used for training, ones that the dogs were not going to see (or smell) on the battlefield.

Soviet Fire Control

CAMD RF 38-11369-1 (summary of GBTU progress between 1943 and 1945) continues yielding interesting results. The section on commander's sights reveals some interesting inventions. The first part has some old boring stuff that we all know by now (a commander that has to do other things is not going to be able to direct his full attention to commanding, good visibility is important, etc), but then it gets to the good stuff.

"Fighting compartment observation methods
...
The commander must have uninterrupted 360 degree vision. To achieve this, a commander's cupola was introduced for the KV-1S and then T-34.

The KV-1S commander's cupola was equipped with four mirrored periscopes, providing 360 degree view range with 22-40 meters of dead space. This cupola was unsatisfactory for the following reasons:

1. Mirror periscopes were destroyed by nonpenetrating shots.
2. Mirror periscopes were inconvenient to use (the commander was looking 30 degrees up), and were low in quality, distorting the image.

Because of this, a new prismatic observation device was ordered, based on the English MK-4 device.

This device was designed and produced by factory #393 in May of 1943. After trials in August, it was mass produced. 

The MK-4 device provides 360 degree vision by means of rotation. A lack of rear prism allows use with little change to the observer's position. By order of GBTU KA, a commander's cupola was developed with double 360 degree vision, based on the MK-4 device. 

The cupola has 6 slits, protected by armoured glass, and is covered by a rotating turret hatch, which has the MK-4 device built in. Observation may be performed through the slits or the MK-4 device. 

A cupola of this type was installed on the IS tank and replaced the KV, and T-34 tank cupolas. Later, an analogous cupola was installed on the T-44 tank, with the only difference being the use of the NZP-20a observation device, providing better vertical vision range. 

The difference between the IS and T-34 cupolas is the armour and glass thickness. In the former case, it is 90 mm, in the latter, 12 mm. 

MK-4 observation device

Combat experience showed that the device users could recognize terrain up to 1000-1200 meters, which is unsatisfactory for the increasing power of modern tanks and SPGs. Additionally, the MK-4 device did not allow for fire correction.

Taking this into account, USA GBTU KA developed and distributed technical requirements for the design of a commander's periscope and fire correction unit. This device was designed by the State Optical Institute and factory #355 in April-August 1944. The device combines the qualities of a MK-4 device (without the rear prism) and a pair of 6x field binoculars. 

The device includes markings for fire correction. 6x magnification allows observation for up to 3 km. A batch of devices was produced, and withstood proving grounds trials. However, field trials revealed that the device required improvement in airtightness. This is currently being resolved by factory #393. 

Fire correcting tank periscopes.

At the same time, USA GBTU KA ordered a series of tilted block periscopes for a commander's cupola on the basis of the cupola in the American M4-A2 tank. The tilted block observation device is placed in the walls of the cupola, and provides the commander with a good view. 

Requirements for producing a commander's cupola that uses observation devices were given to UZTM and factory #75. As a part of the requirements, in order to improve the conditions of entry and exit, the two-piece hatch was made into one piece. 

Additionally, in order to increase the agility of fire and ease fire control tasks, the commander's cupola includes a remote control, with which the gun can be aimed in any direction from the commander's seat. This work finished in June of 1945. All T-34 and IS tanks will be equipped with these remote controls and turning mechanisms.

In conclusion on this issue, between May of 1943 and May of 1945, GBTU KA ensured a commander's cupola for all existing and newly developed tanks, and the design of these cupolas is continuously improved.

Currently, by a technical task from USA GBTU KA, a tank rangefinder is being developed, which will be installed in the commander's cupola."