Weapons 05/03/20 What weapons the red Army was the most fatal for the Germans,
When the German troops in the summer of 1941 invaded the Soviet Union, it became clear that they have no tank that can compete in open battle one-on-one with a Soviet medium tank T-34.
Medium tank T-34
Most in the same period the caliber of the gun the German tanks T-III was 50 mm, and T-IV were armed with short-barreled 75-mm gun. The t-34 was equipped with long-barreled 76-mm gun and was able to cover the German tanks from long range, while remaining immune to enemy fire. For booking T-34 in 1941 was slightly inferior to enemy tanks. However, its characteristic feature was the slope of the frontal part of the hull at an angle of 45 degrees. This is when shooting by direct fire tank actually wholsale his armor.
At the beginning of the great Patriotic war, the Germans had only 1423 of the tank T-III and T-IV. In the red Army, there were just over one thousand T-34. Under other conditions (if, for example, the absolute domination of the Luftwaffe in the air) T-34 fateful summer of 1941 would be able to make a greater contribution to the victory.
in addition, the first armored vehicles of this type have sometimes failed because of technical flaws. Most of the T-34 that summer was not lost under enemy fire, and as a result of breakdowns during the long marches, as well as due to lack of fuel supply. Tanks, to develop a fuel resource, I had to throw.
the T-34 played a prominent role in the first week of the war, during the counterattacks of the southwestern front under Rivne and Dubno, unfolded from 23 to 29 June 1941. The German tank crews soon had to make sure that their technique can not compete with the Russian. They began to avoid direct confrontation with our tanks and to repel the Soviet counterattacks were attracted by squadrons of dive-bombers. The only effective German terrestrial means against Russian tanks in the mthe date you place your order was the 88-mm anti-aircraft gun (its in 1942 installed on new heavy tanks “Tiger”, which was the first able to surpass the Soviet tanks power weapons).
Interesting evidence left of the famous German tank commander General Heinz Guderian. Before the war he wrote a theoretical study on modern tank warfare, where, in particular, praised the technical level of the tanks of the red Army, as well as methods of its use.
Hitler banned publication of this book. And during a personal meeting with Guderian in the summer of 1941 the führer, according to the memoirs of the General, said: “If I knew You were right that I wrote about Russian tanks, I would have never started this war.”
Heavy tank KV-1
Another of the Soviet “wonder weapons” initial period of war was heavy tank KV-1 (“Klim Voroshilov”), caused the Germans a shock. There is nothing like it at that time, the Germans simply did not have. Being armed with 76-mm cannon and three machine guns, KV-1 had a frontal armor of 75 mm, invulnerable to guns then German tanks. At medium distance it can be hit only in the side.
the Germans called this tank a Ghost, as the shells hit a 37-mm German anti-tank guns in the frontal armor of the KV-1 didn’t even leave dents. The beginning of the war the red army was about 400 KV-1. However, this supertank was not without flaws. It is much more common than T-34, had to quit due to breakdowns. Big lot (47 tons) decreased patency, despite its very wide tracks. For offensive actions, the KV-1 was unsuitable, but proved himself as a tank positional defense.
So, according to the German side, on the first day of the war in the Baltic a single KV-1 two days fought almost the entire German 6th Panzer division, until he was hit from 88 mm anti-aircraft guns. In August 1941 in the vicinity of Gatchina near Leningrad the company of five tanks KV-1, under the command of senior Lieutenant Z. Kolobanova destroyed 43 enemy tanka, losing only one.
Il-2
the Germans called this plane “the black death”. The main purpose was the destruction of armored targets and vehicles of the enemy. Il-2 was he wearing armor in order to be protected from the fire of enemy anti-aircraft guns.
the First year of the war, during which was lost 1,100 of the 1,500 Il-2, revealed the shortcomings of this machine. The attack has become a defenseless prey for enemy fighters, and used their weapons to destroy ground targets (bombs, guns) was not effective enough. The first disadvantage was offset by the alteration of Il-2 in a double in 1942. Behind the pilot, face to the tail of the plane is now located on the shooter with the machine gun.
Regular testing of the technology of bombing with Il-2 led to its equipment in 1943 a new type of cumulative bombs, allowing to achieve more effective destruction of enemy armored targets. The battle of Kursk in the Il-2 was a formidable weapon.
However, its flaws remained a heavy and bad handling. In addition, Il-2 was not able to dive, and fought on low-level flight from low altitudes. This was offset by the extraordinary survivability of the aircraft that could return to base, being literally riddled. In addition, the Il-2 was able to dogfight with enemy bombers Ju 87 and was not covered with fighters.
of the 36 thousand of Il-2 produced during the war, was lost 23 thousand, and only 12 thousand of them were killed by enemy fire. The exact number destroyed with their goals is unknown.
“Katya”
it is Worth saying a few words about the famous “Katyusha” (BM-13). But there will have to disappoint the reader. The combat effectiveness of this weapon greatly exaggerated. The legend about it laid to raise the morale of the Soviet troops. “Katyusha” was applicable only in the vicinity of the enemy and only attacks on not hiding the infantry, for some reason concentrated in one place. At the same time heand “Katyusha” was not to be discovered by the enemy.
it is not Difficult to guess that these favorable conditions in the war was rare. Most often the supply of “Katyusha” on the position recorded by the Germans, and rocket launchers were subjected to a preemptive artillery bombardments and aerial bombing.
For the breakthrough of the prepared defense of the enemy’s Katyusha rockets were not good, he wanted a real cannon artillery. There are many cases when the wrong tip launchers led to the fact that their missiles hit in the back of our advancing troops. Their only advantage was the extreme simplicity in manufacture.
So that “Katyusha” with their roar, terrifying the Germans, should be attributed more to the category of psychological warfare.
Yaroslav Butakov
Source:
© Russian Seven
Recommended statesalaska… Share: Comments Comments on the article “What kind of weapons the red Army was the most fatal for the Germans” Please log in to leave a comment! br>
Share on Tumblr
