Tank Comfort

Vadim Elistratov is a renowned restorer of armoured vehicles, with experience of bringing WWII era tanks back to life with their original components. Since he doesn't just rebuild the tanks but also drives them, he gave his impressions on how various nations' armoured vehicles compare to one another in a recent interview with Tactic Media.

Book Review: Panzer IV

 

As a military history writer, it is hard to strike a balance between the two sides of a tank's history. Many opt to focus exclusively on the technical specifications of a tank, judging its effectiveness and evaluating its legacy via a measure of kilograms or centimeters divorced entirely from any kind of context. Others lean towards the description of military operations only and gloss over any technical aspects of the tanks involved or how well they were suited for the tasks they carried out. Publications that attempt to cover both aspects often result in abrupt switches from one to the other without any meaningful link between the two. The simply named Panzer IV by Thomas Anderson stands in contrast to these works, masterfully weaving together the combat experience of the Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks and the technical changes introduced into the design in response to lessons learned in battle.

Intermediate Tank

GKO decree #6209s "On organizing T-44 tank production at factories #75 and #264" was signed on July 18th, 1944. With this order, Stalin gave permission to produce a replacement for the T-34. However, the T-44 never truly replaced the T-34-85. It was only produced at a backup factory and production volumes were small compared to the T-34-85. 1823 tanks is a very small number, and even in 1946 2701 T-34-85 tanks were built. The T-44 shouldered the problems of a revolutionary tank, although its service was long and it even saw battle.

IS-3 Production

 "To the Deputy Commander of Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army, Colonel General of the Tank Forces, comrade Korobkov

I report that:

In accordance with order of Deputy Commander of the Armoured and Mechanized Forces and the NKTP #113/023 issued on March 12th, 1945, trials of the experimental IS-3 tank produced by the Kirov factory are completed.

I present the commission's report.

Due to the fact that the IS-3 was accepted into service before the trials ended, the main design and production drawbacks discovered during the trials were reflected in minutes #1 dated March 27th and minutes #2 dated March 30th.

Drawbacks discovered during further trials and those contained in the commission's report are largely operational drawbacks.

Presently the issue that stands before the NKTP is accepting list #3 of proposals in correcting the aforementioned drawbacks.

Deputy Chief of the GBTU, Lieutenant General of the Tank Engineering Service, Lebedev

Chief of the GBTU TU, Engineer-Colonel Blagonrarov

April 27th, 1945"

CAMD RF F.38. Op.11355 D.2986 L.176

Weakest Link

 "April 5th, 1941
#145447s

RE: supplies of V-2-34 diesel engines with a main clutch

To the Deputy People's Commissar of Medium Machinebuilding, comrade Goreglyad
8a Ryazanskaya St.

In response to your letter #16/2291 on March 18th, 1941

The GABTU considers it necessary to deliver the V-2-34 engine together with the main clutch for the following reasons:

The warranty period of the main clutch is seldom higher than the lifespan of the engine: the engine's guaranteed lifespan is 150 hours, the tank travels 2000-2250 km in this time. The existing main clutch needs replacing after this time.

Herald of a Revolution

The decision to mass produce the T-44 medium tank was made in the summer of 1944. This happened not only before the final prototype indexed T-44A was built, but before the GBTU even composed tactical-technical requirements for a new tank based on the combat experience of the first half of 1944. As a result, the tank seemed obsolete before it was even put into production, especially its armament. Work to correct this went in two directions. The first was evolutionary and led to the T-44-100 tank. The second was revolutionary and brought about a deeply modernized T-44 indexed T-54.

Fake Antenna

Soviet tank industry outpaced the electronics industry. As a result, until 1943 "premium" tanks like the T-28, T-35, and KV were all built with radios, while "ordinary" tanks like the T-26, BT, and T-34 did not. About half of these tanks received radios until 1943, after which radios were installed on all tanks.

Even in the Spanish Civil War tankers noticed that the enemy attempted to knock out tanks with large frame antennas first. The introduction of smaller whip antennas made it easier to hide commanders' tanks, but they were still visually distinct. This was resolved in an obvious way.

The Best of the "Varangians"

The first American Lend Lease tanks arrived in the USSR towards the very end of December 1941. The volume of shipments was small at first, but this changed in the spring of 1942. American light and medium tanks began arriving in large amounts and were widely used in battle by that summer. The Medium Tank M3, known as the M3S or M3sr, was the most common American medium tank shipped in 1942, but towards the summer the Americans began to shift production to the more successful Medium Tank M4. Its diesel variant, the Medium Tank M4A2, became the most common foreign tank used by the Red Army.

Driver's Hatch Penetration

 "Record of proving grounds trials of part 34.29.1051 (driver's hatch), cast, mechanically finished

The commission consisting of:

• Representatives of factory #183:
• Deputy Chief Metallurgist comrade D.I. Apatov
• Deputy Chief of Department #520 comrade A.V. Kolesnikov
• Representative of Department #9 G.G. Ionga
• Representatives of the BTU:
• Senior BTU Engineer, Military Engineer 3rd Class, comrade L.M. Grachev
• Senior Military Representative at the Mariupol Ilyich factory, Military Engineer 2nd Class, comrade P.N. Burykin
• Military Representative at factory #183, Military Engineer 3rd Class comrade G.Ya. Yalyshev

conducted trials on March 23rd and 24th, 1941, at the Glubokiy Yar proving grounds according to the program composed by the factory and approved by the BTU and made the following conclusions:

Indirect Fire

"USSR NKO

160th Tank Regiment

January 11th, 1944

#60

To the Commander of Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the 63rd Army

RE: your letter #079 dated January 9th, 1944

The azimuth circle and clinometer installed on T-34 tanks for indirect fire were not used in practice by the regiment for the following reasons:

1. Tank crews do not know how to fire indirectly as they were not trained to do it.
2. It is unnecessary to use the tanks for indirect fire, as towed and self propelled artillery supporting the tanks' attack handles the mission perfectly well. 

I consider it reasonable to simplify the fighting compartment of the T-34 tank by removing the azimuth circle and clinometer from the T-34 and removing them from service, as the devices have no practical use.

Commander of the 160th Guards Tank Regiment, Guards Major Belyakov

Chief of Staff of the 160th Guards Tank Regiment, Guards Captain Filonenko"

Via Valeriy Lisyutin