This made sense, since many Soviet factories had been designed and built by Americans during the 1920s and 30s, when the Communists, working to improve the Soviet industrial base, aspired to the American production model. The SU-85, SU-122 and SU-100 were all casemate-enclosed self-propelled guns mounted on the chassis of the T-34. Unknown unit. The Destruction of Army Group Center, 1944. But later was outflanked by soviet tanks and around 6000 panzer IV tanks were destroyed by soviets from Moscow to Berlin. 07. Around 84,000 were built by Soviet Union and one of the longest existing tanks ever manufactured. The coverage highlighted the role of medium tanks, like the Soviet T34 (Figure 1) and the German Panzer Mk V (aka Panther [Figure 2]), and heavy tanks, like the German Panzer Mk VI(aka Tiger I). As the escalation between German and Russian engineers reached a new point with the introduction on the German side of the Panther and Tiger, and the knowledge that something bigger was brewing, the IS-2 was pressed into introduction as soon as its main armament was ready. They were they key to Hitler’s devastating 5 week sweep through Poland. Zaloga and Ness ( 2003), Red Army hand book, Sutton publishers Ltd. These were disposable vehicles, with disposable human beings inside. I occasionally watch WW2 documentaries on television, and one of these programs provided a bit of history on the Battle of Kursk. The Soviets relocated the salvaged equipment to four towns: Nizhny Tagil, Omsk, Sverdlovsk, and Chelyabinsk. Foreign light tanks continued to be delivered under Lend-Lease, but domestic production would be replaced by cheaper armoured cars[citation needed] and the plentiful SU-76M self-propelled gun, which was simpler but packed a bigger high-explosive punch. I could go on (1.5 million km of telephone cable! One of the themes of the documentary was the massive size of Soviet armored forces compared to their German o… This massive industrial exodus left the Russian railroad system on the brink of collapse by 1942. https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/ww2_Soviet_Tanks.php StarMedia. Each possessed an existing railroad equipment or tractor factory; the arriving equipment expanded those facilities. The IS-3 was an IS-2 with new, advanced hull and turret armour. Their main components were produced and assembled in facilities which also built heavy tractors, artillery, locomotives, and ship components. The SU-122 mounted the lower-velocity 122-mm M-30 howitzer, and was mainly used as battlefield assault artillery against infantry. This brutal insight clarified everything about vehicle design, leading the Soviets to embrace a methodology that might be called “The Zen of Shoddiness.”. Soviet tank troops (Battle of Budapest, October 1944) Several excellent designs began production in 1940–41. It saw no combat in World War II. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The Soviet Union took part in World War II from 1941 until the war's end in 1945. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It was soon upgraded to a new turret with high-velocity 122 mm gun, and renamed IS-2, finally giving a slow, expensive heavy tank one clear superiority over the medium T-34. The Corps was an organization to assign divisions to for command and control purposes. Despite the Soviet efforts, the IS-3 arrived too late to see service during WWII. Taking into account that radio sets were established only on the commander machines (i.e. Military production during World War II was a critical component to military performance during World War II. After Voroshilov lost political favour, the new KV-13 model with the KV-85's turret and gun was renamed IS-1 after Joseph (Iosif) Stalin. A Soviet war bond financing the T-34 tank during WWII. For these reasons light tank production continued well into the war, even though the medium T-34 was much more cost-effective. Russian arms production during WW2 amounted to 99,150 armored vehicles (including all kinds of assault guns, tank destroyers and self-propelled guns) from June 1941 to May 1945. T-34 (Soviet Union) This legendary tank was the highest produced tank in WWII and second highest produced of all the time. It was one of the most successful inter-war Soviet tanks, thanks in part to a wide range of variants. Historical background 1. And as workers learned the intricacies of assembling the same vehicle over and over, assembly time went down, too. Episode 9. “The finest tank in the world,” is how he described the T-34. T-28 Medium Tank Medium tank (1932-41) Soviet Union -503 built One of the first medium tanks The T-28 is almost a footnote in Soviet tank production compared to its little brother, the T-26. KV-85 was a KV-1S fitted with an 85 mm gun in the same turret as the IS-1. The Soviets weren’t dummies. Although the Soviet Union had a large force of combat vehicles before the German invasion, heavy losses led to a high demand for new vehicles. This led to an effort to minimize railway freight tonnage, which in turn powered an emphasis in Russian factories on centralization and vertical integration- meaning that the Russians concentrated more of the entire process, from manufacture of subcomponents to final assembly, at individual factories. The lightest (over two tons) fighter aircraft of WWII, it had impressive characteristics of speed and maneuverability. The T-35A tank is one of history’s strangest tanks – often seen crawling across the Soviet inter-war era parade squares. In the face of this disaster, Russia hurriedly rushed equipment and skilled workers from hundreds of factories onto trains and sent machines and men east to the Ural Mountains. At the start of the war, the Soviet Union suffered loss of valuable lands with economic and agricultural potential, great industrial losses and human casualties. The Ural facilities were huge: the largest in the world, in terms of manpower committed. ( Log Out / Soviet high command h… Not shown here are armoured cars, aerosans, artillery tractors and armoured trains. This video is sponsored by World of Tanks. Солянкин А.Г., Павлов М.В., Павлов И.В., Желтов И.Т. The KV-1 (after Kliment Voroshilov) was armed with a 76 mm gun; as with the T-34, the length of the gun was increased during production. Manufacturing process for heavy equipment on production assembly lines during the 1940s. IS-85 from the 8th or 13th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, Ukraine, December 1943. The 122s D25 Gun could penetrate almost any German tank, and the 152s ML20 had long been used against enemy armour; although it had a low velocity, the massive shell could inflict considerable damage through concussive effects. By the time the Stalingrad factory finally fell to the Nazis in October 1942, the new Ural plants were going full tilt. But Tankograd and the other Ural facilities poured out vehicles. Soviet heavy tank production was constantly in danger of cancellation during the war, and only continued thanks to constant improvement and liberal doses of political interference. What official Soviet history is not eager to talk about is problems of Soviet to increase fast their own oil production from late 1942. Soviet Union (1943) Heavy tank – 3,854 built A new standard in hell: The IS-2. The SU-76 was a 76 mm gun mounted on a lengthened version of the T-70 chassis. These vehicles required significantly more resources to produce than the T-34 medium tank, and were always outmatched by it in some significant way. Soviet artillery was of a high standard. World War II was the first time that tanks were seriously incorporated into warfare. Topic: Soviet Tank/Mech Corps In WWII (Read 54642 times) Mad_Russian. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The number of workers at the new facility skyrocketed: from 21,000 in 1937 to 40,000 in 1942. At the start of the war, France had one of the largest tank … Top. Learn how your comment data is processed. ( Log Out / The Yak-3 was evenly matched against the German Bf 109 and Fw 190 fighters, but sometimes could also perform the impossible. Most were driven by standard automotive engines. Figures are up until the first half of 1945 and only include new production. ( Log Out / None of this should imply that Soviet tanks were poorly designed. ww2 Soviet Tanks Poster. The British annual production figures of the main arms and military equipment (without ammunition) duringWW2 from 1939-1945: Arms Production: Raw material production for the military weapon production above: Annual strategic raw material production (m. metric tons): Soviet high command h… It was fast maneuverable and tough which bothered the invading German tank commanders gravely. True, the tank’s loader had to scramble around inside the hull, because the T-34 had no turret basket in which he could sit. Many surviving units are located in Asia and Africa.Popularity was partly due to the thick 45mm sloping frontal armor which was resistant to the panzer IV main gun. Over the course of the war, the Allied countries outproduced the Axis countries in most categories of weapons. It cast steel and armor; produced the engine, transmission, and other components; and assembled the vehicle. And they kept production runs long and design changes to a minimum, implementing a change only if it made a vehicle simpler or cheaper to manufacture. The production given for the T-34/85 in 1945 is the full production of that year. The T-70 was a light tank used by the Red Army during World War II, replacing both the T-60 scout tank for reconnaissance and the T-50 light infantry tank for infantry support. Taken together, the overall labor cost of the vehicle plummeted. The KV-2 used the same hull as the KV-1 but was armed with a 152 mm howitzer in a huge turret - which could not even rotate on uneven terrain - and was intended for use against fortified targets and infantry. Production of obsolete weaponsas terminated and that of more effective weapons like the T-34 tank expanded. Indeed, Albert Kahn himself had designed the tractor factory at Stalingrad. The increase was just 2% in 1½ years. The ISU-122 and ISU-152 were self-propelled guns on casemate-fitted IS hulls. The Soviet T-26 Tank served in Spain, Finland, and the early part of WWII. Unlike the United States, the Soviet Union came into World War II with an extensive tank industry-one the Soviets had unashamedly based on American-style mass production. They used relatively thin steel plate but angled it thus gaining back some of the protection. It was one of the many proud achievements of Soviet industrialisation – its image appeared on posters, films, and even medals and awards. The most successful were the later IS-2 tank and heavy self-propelled guns, whose large-calibre firepower was generally useful against both soft and hard targets. But by mid-1941, the German invasion had badly disrupted Soviet industry. Doing so reduced efficiency, as even the largest factories couldn’t achieve the economies of scale that, say, an engine provider like Germany’s Maybach or the United States’ Ford could. The T-28 was an older tank reaching the end of its production in 1940, and there were several hundred fielded already. One principle the Russians adopted with a vengeance from the Americans was planned obsolescence. Building and overhauling heavier armoured vehicles required specialized heavy machinery. Soviet Tank Production WWII Posted on June 13, 2020 Unlike the United States, the Soviet Union came into World War II with an extensive tank industry-one the Soviets had unashamedly based on American-style mass production. Perhaps the best known fighters of World War II were tanks. The SU-85 and the later SU-100 mounted high-velocity guns and were designed for anti-tank work. This monumental achievement was crucial to the war’s outcome. This is a list of the former Soviet tank factories.Today most of them are located in the Russian Federation, while only the Malyshev Factory is located in Ukraine.. Soviet Union (1943) Medium Tank – 55,000 built The Soviet response to the Panther. When Germany instituted its “Blitzkrieg” tactics, tanks became crucial. The Soviet Defense Industry Complex in World War II I. Likewise copper imports were 3/4 of Soviet production totals, and three million tons of steel went into production of tanks and artillery. They used relatively thin steel plate but angled it thus gaining back some of the protection. IS-1, definitive production version in early 1944. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. It even produced ammunition. Imperial Russia had flirted with some designs such as the Tsar Tank which was scrapped, and the Vezdekhod (Вездеход) which did not, however, progress further than a pre-production model, due to problems in the design. A Russian imitation of a British Vickers tank, the T-26 light tank entered mass production in 1932. The T-34/76 was designed in 1940 as a multi-purpose vehicle, intended to take advantage of breakthroughs in enemy lines. The T-80 light tank was a more advanced version of the T-70 with a two-man turret—it was produced only in very small numbers when light tank production was abandoned. In six months, the U. S. S. R. effectively lost 40 percent of its gross domestic product and population, and 60 percent of its coal and steel production. Soviet and German production and losses of tanks on the Russian Front from 1941 to 1945 and could the Red Army have won the war alone ? Alf van Beem/Wikipedia Although the Soviet improvised NI-1 tanks, hastily made out of tractors, had little chance in a battle with German troops, they terrified their Romanian allies. Visit The War Years at Zazzle The Soviet T-34 medium tank was produced in vast numbers between 1940 and 1958. Viewed this way, there was no sense in building a tank engine or transmission good for more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles); the tank would be dead by then. Medium self-propelled guns were reasonably successful in the pure antitank role, but larger-calibre guns would become more common on heavier chassis, which could better handle their heavy recoil and carry an adequate provision of their large ammunition. The T-34 was originally armed with a 76-mm gun; this was upgraded to a higher-velocity 76-mm, then finally to an 85-mm gun in a bigger turret. The KV-1S was a version of the KV-1 with lighter armour (making it faster) and a new turret (still with a 76 mm gun). They computed the average battlefield lifespan of the tank, and reduced costs by not really engineering it where it would last much longer. The Chelyabinsk tractor works, for instance, was known simply as Tankograd: “Tank City.” Tankograd could fabricate nearly everything needed to make an AFV except the gun. It was the most successful derivative of the British Vickers 6-ton (Mark E). In response, the Allied forces upped their Moscow was the central hub for track that led north, south or east. Soviet heavy tank production was constantly in danger of cancellation during the war, and only continued thanks to constant improvement and liberal doses of political interference. WW2 in the East - The Battle Of Kursk. The Soviets realized they could machine those components to looser tolerances, using lower-quality metals. From its first appearance in the skies over the battlefields in 1944, the Yak-3 became a true headache for German pilots. This battle may have been the greatest clash of armored forces in history. Soviet combat vehicle production during World War II[1] from the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 was large. With the T-34 medium tank, for example, manufacturers simplified 770 parts and eliminated more than 5,600 from 1941 to 1943. Fighting versions carried 37mm or 45mm guns or even flamethrowers. However, it was the first truly indigenous Russian design and one of the first medium tanks ever built in the world, at least in a large-scale series. The importance of these four areas is also reflected in the principal rail lines. Overtaxed track had gone without proper maintenance; rolling stock and engines needed repair or replacement. “Where the tank was decisive was in the battle of production,” Belcourt said. Michael Nicholson T-34 production figures from battlefield.ru: This page was last edited on 15 December 2020, at 22:56. The Soviet Union had 25,664[2] or 25,481[3] armoured fighting vehicles on 1 June 1941 before it entered the war. In general, Soviet tanks had less interior space than the tanks of other nations (which made them smaller targets) - this was possible because the Red Army only employed soldiers of small stature in their tank forces. This legendary tank was the highest produced tank in WWII and second highest produced of all the time. 2. During that disastrous summer, the invaders had captured, besieged, or threatened the Soviet Union’s western industrial cities. The most successful were the later IS-2 tank and heavy self-propelled guns, whose large-calibre firepower was generally useful against both soft and hard targets. “Lt. They computed the average battlefield lifespan of the tank, and reduced costs by not really engineering it where it would last much longer. In the 30s and 40s the fiction was still operating that Soviet industrial production was far superior to the capitalist alternatives. Around 84,000 were built by Soviet Union and one of the longest existing tanks ever manufactured. German Tank Production in World War 2 ... Soviet Storm. There were also delivered 11,900 tanks and self-propelled guns, which … In a manufactured product, it makes no sense to have subcomponents that last longer than the product itself. They standardized Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns on just three chassis: the KV-1 heavy, T-34 medium, and T-70 light. Paint jobs were lamentably bad; welds often crude-although the Soviets did experiment with innovative technologies. back to Part I: Russian vs German AFVs in WW II All variants of the T-16 and T-18, the first Soviet tank that entered mass-production. In time the truth caught up with them. Components were machined more quickly. Soviet high command had examined and rejected the 100mm D-10s Gun for the IS2, despite its very high penetration, as it was not able to provide the high explosive support needed against soft targets.[32]. Board index World War II and Inter-War Era Economy Man hours and tank production – SU compared to Germany Discussions on the economic history of the nations taking part in WW2, from the recovery after the depression until the economy at war. Like the KV-2 it was intended for use as an assault weapon against infantry, but used the cheaper and less exposed Samokhodnaya Ustanovka-designated style of casemate mount. But it helped keep the Soviet Union’s transportation network functioning. As workers set up the machine tools again, sometimes in the naked elements until buildings could be constructed, existing plants at Gorky and Stalingrad “kept the lights on” through 1942, producing enough vehicles for the Red Army to continue fighting. Soviet heavy tank production was constantly in danger of cancellation during the war, and only continued thanks to constant improvement and liberal doses of political interference. At the same time, the Soviets did everything possible to reduce cost. Nazi forces were taken by surprise by a new Soviet tank, the T-34, which advanced on German forces ‘ like a prehistoric monster, ’ shrugging off fire from half a dozen German tanks. That component of the vehicle worked very much as advertised. World War II German Field Marshall Ewald Von Kleist was more succinct. Knocked-out Russian T-34 tank on the Eastern Front . 2. In one dog fight on 16th July 1944, 18 Yak-3s faced 24 German … Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. 1. The origins of the T-34 are simple enough. The IS-3 saw minimal combat service. From an emasculated industrial base that left the Soviets under-producing Germans in coal and steel by a ratio of one to four, Soviet factories turned the tables, out-producing Germany nearly three to one in tanks during the vital 1942-1943 period. Quite the opposite: the T-34 was a great tank. These vehicles required significantly more resources to produce than the T-34 medium tank, and were always outmatched by it in some significant way. 1. Neither before nor after WWII was the USSR able to produce engineering sufficiently cheaply to make up for its lower quality. Working conditions were primitive: hot, smoky, cramped, and dimly lit. Change ). The Suomen Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force). back to Part I: Russian vs German AFVs in WW II It was first seen in public at the Allied Victory Parade in Berlin on September 7, 1945, when the advanced design of the new tank astonished the Soviet’s Western allies. THE WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION – FRANCE. These vehicles required significantly more resources to produce than the T-34 medium tank, and were always outmatched by it in some significant way. Barbarossa to ‘Berlog’ – Soviet Air Force, Rome Military mid-fourth century to the mid-third century BC, Rommel Recaptures Cyrenaica, January 1942, Russian Weapons, that are currently in service…, A Lesson of History: The Luftwaffe and Barbarossa. ( Log Out / Soviet Tank/Mech Corps In WWII « on: 6 November 2008, 03:35:20 » Reply: The Soviet Army started the war with the same system as the rest of the European military organizations. During that period the tank’s cost fell by half, from 269,000 rubles to 135,000. In Russian tanks, the things that mattered worked well enough; the things that didn’t were afterthoughts. Armoured vehicles under about 15 tonnes could be produced and rebuilt in many light industrial installations, such as automotive, streetcar, and light tractor factories. These vehicles required significantly more resources to produce than the T-34 medium tank, and were always outmatched by it in some significant way. And the Soviets weren’t just hiring American architects, but also American production engineers and tool manufacturers. Stalin signed the order to begin production in April 1940, and by June the first T-34s were rolling off the production line. Imported raw material and supplies played an important role in keeping the Soviet … masqqqq Member Posts: 52 Joined: 26 Mar 2007, 20:15 Location: Poland. Combat experience in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), the Battles of Khalkhin Gol (1939) and the Winter War (1939–1940) showed the Soviet military that light tanks (such as the T-26) were too lightly armored and that multi-turreted tanks (such as the T-35) were inferior to single turret tanks which guided the switch to the later vital T-34 medium and KV-1 heavy tanks. This tank grabbed the hearts, souls, and imaginations of the Soviet people and foreign military attachés alike. Adolf Hitler was told by his advisors that this was American propaganda; in 1939, annual aircraft production for the US military was less than 3,000 planes. Soviet heavy tank production was constantly in danger of cancellation during the war, and only continued thanks to constant improvement and liberal doses of political interference. Knocked-out Russian T-34 tank on the Eastern Front . Its firepower, protection, and mobility surpassed any AFV the Germans fielded until the end of 1942. In May 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt called for the production of 185,000 aeroplanes,120,000 tanks, 55,000 anti-aircraft guns and 18 million tons of merchant shipping in two years. In combat, tank lifespan was about 14 hours. towards research on “Soviet production, employment, and the defense burden, 1937 and 1940-1945”, and by study leave from the University of Warwick. Soviet and German production and losses of tanks on the Russian Front from 1941 to 1945 and could the Red Army have won the war alone ? This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Солянкин А.Г., Павлов М.В., Павлов И.В., Желтов И.Г. 3. Formation and structure Defense factories already played an important role in prerevolutionary Russian industry. What if Eisenhower Had Driven On to Berlin? Who paid or financed tank,armor,aircraft,war production etc in the Soviet Union during WW2? 12th Guards Heavy Tank Brigade, Dukla pass, Slovakia, September 1944. An interesting table of production and deliveries of T-62 tanks to the Soviet Army at the Ural Carriage Works in 1962-1973, as well as the receipt of other types of tanks in the Soviet Army during that period (from the book by SV Ustyantsev "Ural Car Building Works, 80 Years" ., taken from the web resource otvaga2004.mybb.ru). They were both used as heavy assault guns; and both were useful as Anti Tank weapons. List of armoured fighting vehicles of World War II, Soviet armored fighting vehicle production during World War II, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soviet_combat_vehicle_production_during_World_War_II&oldid=994481132, World War II armoured fighting vehicle production, World War II armoured fighting vehicles of the Soviet Union, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. ), but I think the point is clear. They had carefully studied battlefield data and realized that the average lifespan of a tank on the Eastern Front was less than six months. At Nizhny Tagil, welding tank hulls underwater hastened cooling and sped up the manufacturing process. The SU-152 was a 152 mm howitzer, casemate-housed on a KV-1S hull. 3. When it first ap. Cosmetics and comfort simply didn’t concern the Soviets; natty paintjobs and ruler-straight welds didn’t kill Germans; the T-34’s 76mm gun did. Captain Offline Posts: 1320 Co-founder of WaT. And they replaced machined parts with stamped metal components whenever possible.