Tiger Heat German Panzers on the Eastern Front

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TIGER

HEAT

GermanPanzersontheEasternFront

STEVESTONE

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©SteveStone2017

SecondEdition

SteveStonehasassertedhisrightsundertheCopyright,Design

andPatentsAct,1988,tobeidentifiedastheauthorofthiswork.

PublishedbyDigitalDreamsPublishing2017

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INTRODUCTION

PROLOGUE

CHAPTERONE–C

OLD

S

TART

CHAPTERTWO–B

RIDGE

TO

N

OWHERE

CHAPTERTHREE-T

IGER

CHAPTERFOUR-B

ATTLEFRONT

CHAPTERFIVE-O

VERVIEW

CHAPTERSIX–E

ASTERN

F

RONT

CHAPTERSEVEN–V

ALLEY

H

IGH

CHAPTEREIGHT–P

ANTHER

CHAPTERNINE–C

OUNTER

A

TTACK

CHAPTERTEN-B

ATTLE

OF

K

URSK

CHAPTERELEVEN-S

TUGGERED

CHAPTERTWELVE-L

EAD

T

IGER

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN–F

OREST

F

IRE

CHAPTERFOURTEEN–K

ING

T

IGER

CHAPTERFIFTEEN–V

ILLAGE

L

IBERATION

CHAPTERSIXTEEN–L

AST

S

TAND

TANKPROFILES

GLOSSARY

BIOGRAPHY

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INTRODUCTION

NOTESONTIGERTANKSINTHEBATTLEFORFLORENCE

IntelligenceBulletinJanuary1945

InthebattleforFlorence,aNewZealanddivisionhaditsfirstexperiencewith

standardTigertanksonafairlylargescale,andnotedseveralusefulpoints

aboutthewaysinwhichtheGermansemployedthesevehicles.

Asarule,theTigerswerewellsitedandwellcamouflagedwithnatural

foliage.TodelaytheNewZealandinfantryandtopickofftanks,theTigerswere

usedinhull-downpositions.AnotherenemymethodwastosendTigersby

coveredroutestopreviouslyselectedpositions.Fromthesepositionsthe

Germanswouldfireafewharassingrounds,withdraw,andmovetoalternate

positions.TigersalsowereusedtoprovideclosesupportforGermaninfantry,

tolendadditionalfirepowertoartilleryconcentrations,andtoengage

buildingsoccupiedbytheNewZealanders.Thesetroopsnotedthatalmost

invariablyaTigerwouldbesitedwithatleastoneothertankoraself-

propelledguninsupport.Thesupportingtankorgunwouldremainsilent

unlessitsfirewasabsolutelyneeded.SometimesaTigerwouldbeaccompanied

byinfantrymen—oftenonly6to12ofthem—deployedontheflanksasfaras

50yardsawayfromthetank.

TheNewZealanderswereoftheopinionthattheTiger'sheavyfrontandrear

armourmadeitunlikelythatthetankwouldbeknockedoutbyhitsonthese

parts.Simultaneousfrontalandflankattackswereconsidereddesirable.The

NewZealandersfoundtheTigers'sidearmourdefinitelyvulnerabletofirefrom

17-pounders.Otherweakspots,itwasreported,weretherearofthetank,just

overtheengines,andthelargeexhausthole,alsointherearandjustoverthe

leftofcentre.Somecommandersfoundhighexplosivesthemosteffective

ammunitionagainsttheserearparts.

Asarule,theTigerswereplacedinpositionsoskillfullythattheNew

Zealandersfounditdifficulttoemployasnipinganti-tankgunoratowedgun

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forstalkingpurposes.Unlessverycarefulreconnaissancewascarriedoutto

sitetheguntothebestadvantage,andsoastodetectGermansupportingtanks

orself-propelledguns,theeffortwaslikelytobefruitless.Forthisreason,the

NewZealandersconcludedthatmaximumtimeforreconnaissance,andthe

maximumamountofinformation,wereessentialforabatterycommanderwho

wascalledupontoengageaTiger.TheGermantank-and-guncombination

seemedtobeslowatmanoeuvringandfiring,andalsoverysusceptibleto

blindingbyU.S.75-mmsmokeammunition.Ononeoccasion,twosmoke

rounds,followedbyarmour-piercingprojectiles,wereenoughtoforceaTiger

towithdraw.

SometimestheGermansusedtheirTigerswithmarkedrecklessness,thecrews

takingriskstoanextentwhichindicatedtheirextremeconfidenceintheir

vehicles.ThisrenderedthelattervulnerabletoNewZealandtank-hunting

squadsarmedwithclose-rangeantitankweapons.WhenTigerswereclosed

down,andwereattackingontheirownatsomedistancefromtheirsupporting

guns,thetanks'vulnerabilitytothoseclose-rangeweaponswasincreased

correspondingly.

Tigerswereeffectivelyknockedout,orwereforcedtowithdraw,by

concentrationsoffieldartillery.ItwasclearthatGermantankcrewsfearedthe

damagingeffectofshellfireagainstsuchvitalpartsastracks,suspension,

bogiewheels,radioaerials,electricalequipment,andsoon.TheNew

Zealandersincorporatedmediumartilleryinseveraloftheirartillery

concentrations,anddecidedthatmediumpiecesweresuitablewhena

sufficientlylargeconcentrationcouldbebroughttobear.However,owingtoa

dispersionofrounds,itwasconsideredpreferabletoincludeagood

concentrationoffieldguns,to"thickenup"thefire.Thedivisioninquestion

hadnoexperienceinusingheavyartilleryagainstTigers.

Itwasadmittedlydifficulttolocatestationary,wellcamouflagedTigerswhich

hadbeensitedfordefensivefiring.Worthmentioning,however,isthe

performanceofanartilleryobservationpost,whichwasnotifiedbyAlliedtanks

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thataTigerwasbelievedtobeinacertainarea.Theobservationpostbeganto

range.Aroundfallinginthevicinityofthesuspectedtankblastedawaythe

vehicle'scamouflage,andtheTigerpromptlyretreated.

SeveraloftheNewZealandantitankgunners'experiencesincombatingTigers

willbeofspecialinterest:

1.

ATigerwasobservedabout3,000yardsaway,engagingthreeShermans.

WhenitsetoneoftheShermansafire,theothertwowithdrewovera

crest.A17-pounderwasbroughtuptowithin2,400yardsoftheTiger,

andengageditfromaflank.WhentheTigerrealizedthatitwasbeing

engagedbyahigh-velocitygun,itswungaround90degreessothatits

heavyfrontalarmourwastowardthegun.Intheensuingduel,oneround

hittheturret,anotherroundhitthesuspension,andtwonear-short

roundsprobablyricochetedintothetank.Thetankwasnotputoutof

action.Therangewastoogreattoexpectakill;hencetheNew

Zealanders'tacticsweretomaketheTigerexposeitsflanktothe

Shermansatarangeofalmost500yards,byswingingaroundontothe

antitankgun.TheTigerdidjustthis,and,whenitwasengagedbythe

Shermans,itwithdrew.Theenemyinfantryprotectionofhalfadozentoa

dozenmenwasengagedbymachineguns.

2.

Atthejunctionofamainroadandasideroad,aTigerwasjustoffthe

road,engagingforwardtroopsinbuildings.AnotherTiger,about50

yardsupthesideroad,wassupportingthefirst.Afield-artillery

concentrationwascalledfor.Itappearedtocomefromonebatteryonly.

Althoughnohitswereobserved,bothTigerswithdrew.

3.

ATigeronaridgewasengagedbywhatappearedtobeabatteryof

mediums.Afterthefirstfewroundshadfallen,thecrewbailedout.(Itis

notknownwhy.)Shortlyafterward,whilethetankstillwasbeingshelled,

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aGermansoldierreturnedtothetankanddroveitoff.About10minutes

later,theremainderofthecrewmadeadashalongthesameroutetheir

tankhadtaken.

4.

Atankhiddeninthegarageofatwo-storyhouseventuredoutforabout

20yards,firedafewharassingrounds,andreturnedtoitsshelter.Many

hitsonthebuildingwerescoredby4.2-inchmortarsfiringcap-on,but

littledamagewasvisible.Eachnightthetankwaswithdrawnfromthe

area,eventhoughitwasinanexcellentconcealedpositionandwas

protectedbyinfantry.Laterthehousewasexamined.Althoughithad

sufferedappreciabledamage—andtherewereseveraldeadGermans

abouttherewasnoevidencethatdamagehadbeendonetothetankitself.

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PROLOGUE

RussiaNovember1942

Thelateafternoonsunshineglistenedoffthewhitesnow;thesunofferedvery

littlewarmthtothecoldRussianwinter.Inthemiddleofalargeclearing

surroundedbytrees,alonesixty-tonTigersatmotionlessinthesnow.One

maintrackhadsnappedandaroadwheelhadbeenblownoff.Fromadistance,

theTigerstilllookedeverybitasmenacingasithadalwaysbeen.Itsdistinctive

stepshapefrontalarmourwidetracksandlargeexhauststacksmountedonthe

rear.Thistankthoughhadseenitsfairshareofbattleandhadthescarsonits

armourtoproveit.

ThecrewoftheTigerwashuddledtogetherdeadintheirsteeltomb.Aftera

successfulcampaign,thetanknowlaylifelessinafield.Flamesstillflickering

aroundtheenginecompartmentafterithadbeenhitseveraltimeswitharmour

piercingrounds.Atestamenttoitsarmourthatithadsurvivedsomanyhits.

Lowonfuel,lowonfoodandthetankindesperateneedofmaintenancethe

oddswerestackedagainstthecrew.Theyhadonlybeentogetherforsix

monthsandhadate,laughed,criedandnowdiedinthesametank.

Thefirst76mmshellfromaT-34hadhittheTigerontherear,nearthe

tracksandtheidlerwheel.ItwasaHE(HighExplosive)roundlettingouta

brightwhiteflashasitexploded.Theforceoftheblastcausedtheentirerear

wheeloftheTigerflyoffandlandinthesnowafewfeetaway.Thiswheel

tookatleastthreementoliftoffandhadbeenlaunchedlikeatiddlywinkby

theexplosion.Asthewheelbrokeaway,itshatteredthepinsholdingthetracks

together,causingthetrackstobreakapartandhanglimplyoffthewheels.The

momentumofthetankcausingthetanktoslewofftotherightoutofcontrol.

Sendingahugecloudofsnowupintotheair.Asecondshothadshatteredthe

frontdrivesprocket.Thisopeningshothadprettymuchdecidedtheoutcome

ofthistankduel.

Thethirdroundhitintothesidecausingshrapneltoenterthehull.Theround

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hadenteredthethinnerreararmourbeforehittingtheengineandbouncing

backupthroughtheenginegrilles.Thiscausedseverallacerationstothe

gunners’torso.Hisuniformnowshreddedandhisjacketpartiallyhangingoff.

Thedriverhadbeenknockedoutcoldafterthesecondroundhadhittheright-

handtrackjustbeforethefrontsprocket.

ThefinalAP(ArmourPiercing)roundfiredbyaT-34atcloserange.

Penetratedtherearhullandenteredthecrewcompartmentbeforebouncing

aroundandcausingfatalshrapnelwoundstothecrew.Petrolpouredoutof

rupturedfuellinesasthefirstglimmerofflamebegantolickaroundthe

engine.

Insidethetankwasabloodymess.Fleshandlimbshadbeenscatteredinall

directionsandthecrewhaddiedahorrificdeath.Thetankcommander ’shead

nowlayonthecrispwhitesnowhiseyeswideopenstarringintothebluesky

afterhisbodyhadbeenpartiallyejectedandhisheadhadcomecleanoff.

Throughacrackinthefrontcorner,thedriverwasslumpeddownmissingan

arm.

Thecrewhadfoughtvaliantly,knockingoutover30tanksduringtheirtime

ontheEasternFront.ShellsfromT-34tankshadjustbouncedoffthefrontal

armourashadrocketsfiredbyRussianinfantry.TheTigerhadshownwhata

formidableweaponittrulywas,butitwasvastlyoutnumberedandlowonfuel

afterbecomingseparatedfromitscolumn.Afteracoupleofminutes,thefire

tookholdandtheTigerwasnowfullyablazethickblacksmokereachingfar

intotheclearbluesky.Withinanhourwhatwasonceaformidabletank,was

nowasootyblackandrustybrowncolouredhull.Ithadbecomethe

crematoriumandfinalrestingplaceofaheroicGermantankcrew.Their

remainsfinallyinternedinmassunmarkedgravesinthevastnessoftheSoviet

Union.

Although,inactualcombatonlyaboutaquarteroftankshitinbattlecaught

fireandburnedout.Evenimmobilisedor‘knockedout’tankscouldoftenbe

repairedeitheronoroffthebattlefield.Theactualcasualtyratewasaround0-2

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foreverytanktakenoutofactionbyenemyfire.Acrewcouldbeknockedout

severaltimesduringanoperation.Duringtheearlyyearsofthewaronthe

EasternFront,RedArmycrewswouldoftenabandontheirtanksonceknocked

outandstrollbacktocamp.Thiswasuntiladirectivethatstatediftheydidnot

returnwiththeirtanktheywouldbesenttopenalunits.ThismeantRedArmy

crewsstayedwiththeirdamagedtanksuntiltheycouldberepairedor

recovered,reducingtankloses.

ThefirstattackbyatanktookplaceonSeptember15,1916byaBritishMk1

tankwithlimitedsuccess.TheMk1hadanunusualrhomboidalshape,which

wastogivealongtrackrunaspossibletoaidincrossingwidetrenches.Many

oftheMk1tanksstillbecamestuckorbrokethough.Initiallyusedinvery

smallnumbersontheSommeinSeptember1916.OnNovember20,1917,the

firsttankoffensivewasalaunchedwhen476Britishtanksmadea12-mile

breachintothestrongestsectoroftheHindenburgLine.TheGermans

producedonly13tanksduringtheFirstWorldWar.ByJuly2018,theBritish

had1,184tanks.ThefirsttankvtankbattletookplaceonApril24,1918,when

threeBritishMkIVsengagedthreeGermanheavyA7Vs.OneAV7was

knockedout,althoughnotbeforetheGermanshaddisabledthreeBritish

Whippettanks.

ThelessonslearntintheFirstWorldWarwerenotlostonGermany’s

militaryleadersundertheNaziregime.GeneralHansSeektguidedthe

developmentofthetankasaninstrumentofmobilewarfareandputtogether

theBlitzkrieg(LightningWar)tacticsinwhichGermanPanzertankdivisions,

precededbygroundattackaircraftliketheJu87Stukadivebomber.The

Stukaswentdeepintoenemyterritorytocreatecorridorsforthemechanised

infantrytoexploit.ThesetacticsworkedwellintheBattleofFranceandin

NorthAfrica;althoughinNorthAfricatheGermanswereultimatelythwarted

byAlliedairsupremacy.

TheBlizkreigtacticsalsoworkedwellduringtheearlyphaseoftheattackon

Russia.TheGermansreceivedashockthoughwhentheycameupagainstthe

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SovietKV-1andT-34tanks.Their76mmcouldpenetrateGermanarmour

whilstremainingimmunetoGermananti-tankweapons.Tocounterthisthe

Germansquicklydevelopedanewgenerationofheavilyarmedtanks.Twoof

theseweretheTigerandPanthertanks…

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CHAPTERONE–ColdStart

November1942

Asthesunroseonanothercoldandharshday.Tigersfromthe11

th

Company

ofIIIAbteilungmadetheirwayoutofthegullytheyhadusedtoconceal

themselvesinovernight.Klaus,thedriveroftheleadtanklookedathisbasic

instruments.TheTigersmaininstrumentsonthedrivercompartmentsright

handsidecontainedadipordimmerswitch.Thenalargedialnexttothe

switcheswhichwastherevolutiongauge.Totherightofthatatthetopa

speedometerandodometercombined.Belowthat,aslightlysmalleroil

pressuredial.ThefinaldialonKlaus’sinstrumentpanelwasthecoolant

temperaturegaugeandbeneaththatwastheignitionswitchandlight.

Klausandtheotherdriversflickedtheirignitionswitchandtriedtostartthe

mightyMaybachV12engine.TheTigerwassteeredviaahalfsteeringwheel

madeofmetalandwrappedinblacktape.Inasimilarfashiontothetape

wrappedaroundalikea1980’sroadbikehandlebar.Thedriveronlyhada

smallviewingslittolookthroughwhichtookawaysomeofhisperipheralas

wellaslateralvision.

Eachtankstruggledtoturnoverintheintensecoldandevenwhenstartedthe

trackshadtounstickthemselvesfromthefrozenground,beforemoving

forwardandsheddingalltheiciclesthathadformedonthewheelsandtracks

overnight.Theseiciclesshatteringintothousandsofglitteringpiecesofwhat

lookedlikeshatteredglass.

ThebrightsunlightrevealedeverycreaseonMax’sbattlewearyfaceashe

stoodupinhiscupolalisteningintentlytohisheadphones.Astheenginesburst

intolifeonebyone,thesmelloftheexhaustseepedintothetanksandmixed

withthesmellofgunoilalongandmenwhomhadnotwashedfordays.

StandingupMaxhadacommandingviewofthebattlefieldandcouldpass

downorderstotherestofthecrew.Germancommanderslikedtostandupand

outofthetankforabetterview.Russiancommandersdidthereverselimiting

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theirviewthroughsmallsights.

Klaus,manoeuvredhisheavyTigeraroundsomerocksusingallhisskillon

theslipperysurfacebeforeclimbingupagentleslopeandontotheroughcart

track.Theengineroaredasittookthestrainofpushing57tonsoftankupa

slope.ThetrackswerethewidesttrackofanytankuseinangerinWWII.Wide

trackshelpedreducethegroundpressureinflictedbytheTigersheavyweight.

Thetracksbitintothesnowwithaloudcrunchingnoiseslowlypropellingthe

Tigerslowlyupthe40-degreeslope.Lookingoutfromthethinslotthetank

Klauscouldseerightupintothegreysky,heavywithsnow.

OnebyonethecolumnofTigersformedupontheroughtrackandbeganto

pickupspeedontheslightlysmootherroughtrackcoveredinsnow.They

headedwestcomingacrossabattledamagedpanzerandtruckcolumn,which

hadbeendestroyedthepreviousday.Threesootyblackandrustybrowntank

carcasseswerestillsmoulderingalongwithseveralbadlydamagedandburnt

outtrucks,whichblockedthepathinfront.TheleadTigerpushedoneofthe

destroyedtrucksoutofthewayandtheyhadtodriveroundtheothers.The

bodiesofdeadsoldiersfrozeninstrangepositionslaytotheleftandrightof

thecolumn.Thesmellofburntmetalandcharredbodiesstillhungintheairas

theypassed.

Acoupleofhorseslaydeadwiththeirlegbonesstickingoutandtheireyes

wideopenasiftheirlastbreathwasoneofterror.Thissceneofcarnagewent

onforahundredyards.Thecolumnstoppedbrieflytopickupsomefood

suppliesthathadcomeoffashatteredhorsedrawncart,thehorsewasstill

partiallyaliveandasingleroundtoithead,putitoutofitsmisery.TheTiger

crewsknewtheRedArmywerenotfaraway.AloneandburntoutT-34lay

justabovethem,itsturrethalfblownoff.

ThecolumnofTigersheadedtowardstheforestandovertheintercomMax

WenckastheleadTigercommander,shoutedovertheintercom“BIEGENSIE

RECHTSAUFDIESERSTRECKEVOR.”Thedriverimmediatelyturnedthe

Tigertowardsanarrowtrackleadingintotheforest.Theforestwasverydark

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withplentyofplacesfortheenemytohide.Thecolumnbuncheduptooffer

betterprotectionandtravelledslowlydownthetrackinanuneventfulmanner.

HanzintheleadTigerwasoperatingthecoaxialMG34andswivellingit

aroundinitsballmountinglikeamanpossessedhuntingforanypotential

targetthatcouldharmtheTigers.

Frombehind,MaxheardaloudexplosionandlookingbackMaxsawa

flickeringorangelightthatlitupthetrees.AcriddarkgreySmokedrifted

towardsMax.Hewasnotsureifitwasanenginefireorduetoenemyaction.

Thecolumnhalted,severalcrewsclimbedoutoftheirtankswithMP40sslung

overtheirshoulderandrantotheTigernowfullyablaze.Theenginewason

fireandthefirehadbecomeintenseinashortperiod.Burningliquidwas

drippingontothegroundcausinginstantsteamasithitthesnowandice.A

crewmemberwastryinghisbesttoextinguishtheflameswithahandheld

extinguisherthatseemedcompletelyinadequateforthetaskinhand.Hanzwas

stillsittingintheleadTigerhunchedoverhisMG.Hespottedmovementjustto

hisrightandfiredseveralshortburstsoffire,whichweresoonfollowedby

thecrashingandcrackingofbranchesthathadbeenslicedthroughbythehail

ofbulletsfromHanz’sMG34.

ThecrewfromtheburningTigerwereleapingoutofthehatchasthefire

begantoengulfthewholetank.Thecrewhadlefttheintenseheatoftheir

burningtanktostandoutinthebittercold.Asuddenburstoffirefromthetrees

leaptoutasthecrewmadetheirescape,narrowlymissingthemastheysought

cover.OneTigerturneditsturretandletoffan88mmroundintothetreeline

wherethemachinegunfirehademanatedfrom.Insidethetankturret,thecrews

hadtosuffernotonlyanexplosionthatfeltlikeasmallexplosionina

building,buttheturretquicklyfilledwithchockingammoniafumes.A

switched-ontankcrewwouldturntheextractorfanonbeforetheybegantofire

helpingreducetheunpleasantgasses.Withoutproperventilation,thecrew

wouldoftenquicklybecomenauseousandithadbeenknownforcrewsto

vomitintheirtanksafterquiteafewroundshadbeenfired.Thetigerhada

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goodextractorfanmountedintheturretandthisdidagoodjobofextracting

noxiousfumes.

Suddenly,almostasiftherewasadragoninthewoodsalargeflameerupted

outofthetreelineandtowardsthetankcolumn,thefirereachedoutfarenough

toenvelopaTiger.Thecommanderstandingupproudintheturretwas

showeredinanorangeflame.Heletoutahighpitchscreamasclothescaught

fireandhistorsobegantoburn.Hejumpedoutofhiscupolaandhitthesnow

hardbeforerollingaroundfranticallytryingtoputtheflamesout.Historso

andheadhadbeenbadlyburntandhepleadedinhiscroakyandalmost

incoherentvoice“Tötemich,Tötemich.”Hisfacehadmeltedintoabackand

redbloodymessandhisjackethadburntintohistorso.Asstripsoftheburnt

jacketcameoffitpulledoffhugechunksofskin.Thepainfromhisburnsmust

havebeenexcruciating.Hiscrewreluctantlyagreedtokillhimandfireda

coupleofroundsfromtheirMP40straightintohisskull.Itwastherightthing

todo,astheydidnothavethemedicalsupportorsuppliestodealwithsuch

horrificburns.Hewouldhavemostlydiedfromeithershockorinfection

beforemakingittoafieldhospital.Thesmellofburnttankandburntflesh

nowhungheavyintheair.Itwasalmostachokingsmell,butnowhereasbad

asarottingcorpse.Although,thecoldclimateofthewintertendedtopreserve

andslowdownthedecayofhumanremains.Italsogreatlyreducedthesmell

aswell.Inthesummer,thesweetyetnauseoussmellofdeathmadeitalmost

difficulttobreath.Thisverypungentsmellbecameingrainedlikeamemoryin

thenosesofallthosethatsmeltit.

EveryoneturnedtheirMP40stowardsthelocationoftheflamethrowerand

putdownalargeamountoffire.Everyoneknewthatthesituationwasonly

goingtogetworseandtheyneededtogetoutoftheforestasquicklyas

possible.AflamethrowerincloseproximitycouldeasilydestroyaTigerby

sendingburningliquidintoengineairventsoreventhroughtheviewingslits

orhatchseals.ATigermanagedtogetaroundoffattheflamethrowers

positionandscoredahit.Shrapnelfromtheroundpiercedtheflamethrowers

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fueltankhecarriedonhisback.Thiscausedhistanktoexplodedsendinga

plumeoffirehighupintotheairandsettingseveraltreesalight.Hefellback

andwasconsumedbytheexplosionandintensefireallaroundhim.TheTiger

crewscouldfeeltheheatfromthefireandanyRedArmywithinthevicinity

wouldhaveeitherbeenincineratedthemselvesorhadtomakearunforit.

ThefireontheTigerhadbeenputout,buttheywerestillaTigerdown.

Max’sTigerrepelledthelastoftheSovietswithaseveralHErounds,which

rippedthroughthetreelineshatteringbranchesandleftswirlsofthickgrey

smokehangingintheair.Sunlightseepedthroughwheretreeshadoncestood.

AfterclimbingdownMaxfiredoffhisMP40assomefiguresdisappearedinto

thedarknessofthetreesbeyondthesmoke.HeslunghisMP40overhis

shoulder,litacigarette,andsurveyedthescene.Beforeshouting“WIR

MÜSSENAUSDEMWALDZUBEKOMMEN.”Tellingeveryonethatthey

neededtogetoutoftheforest.TheRedArmywouldretreat,regroupand

attackingreaternumbers.Thecrewsquicklyscoopeduptheirdeadandplaced

themintothefirsttigertobeknockedoutandpouredpetrolintothehull

beforesettingitlight.AnimalswouldnotbeabletoeatthedeadandtheRed

ArmycouldnotcaptureaTigerandeitheruseitiftheygotittorunorsteal

partsfromit.

ThecrewquicklymountedtheirTigersandmovedforwardtryingtomakeit

outoftheforest,onetankskiddedasittriedtoavoidanobstacleandnearly

skiddedoffthetrackandintosometrees.Theveryhardicysurfacemeantthe

tracksstruggledtogetagripandpowerhadtobeputdownslowlyand

smoothlytopreventskidding.Tryingtoturntoosharplysentthetankalmost

ontoapirouette-althoughmoreofadrunkenpirouette.

Maxdecideditwouldbesafertogothroughtheforestcrashingthroughthe

treesthansticktothemuchmoredangerousforestpath.TheRedArmyhad

infantryforcesintheareaandposedarealdangertothecolumn.Withfive

Tigersleftthecolumnmadeitswaythroughalessdenseareaoftheforest,the

darknessaidedinmovingcovertlyevenifthenoisefromtreescrackingas

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theyfelldisguisedthenoiseoftheTigersengines.Astheyfinallyburstoutof

theforesttheyfoundasafelocationtoperformessentialchecksand

maintenanceonthetanks.Thefirstjobwastomovethebitsoftreesandbody

partsthathadbecomestuckinthetracks.Theforesthadseenintensefighting

andbodiesandbodypartslayscatteredinalldirections.

Amajorpartofbeingatankerwasthatoftankmaintenanceandhaving

enoughfuelandammunition.Sometimesthiswouldmeanscavengingfueland

ammunitionfromdisabledtanksorevenenemyvehiclesiftheyusedthesame

fuel.FuelbecameamuchscarcerresourceasthewarinRussiawentintoits

finalyear.Maintenancewasofgreatimportanceifatankwastobegivenits

bestchanceofsurvival.Theheavierthetankthemorestrainitputonits

mechanicals.Tankshaveatracksystemthatconsistsoftheactualtracks,road

wheelsandasuspensionsystem.OnaheavytankliketheTiger,partswearout

quicklyespeciallyifthecorrectmaintenanceisnotcarriedout.Roadwheels

sufferblowswithtreestumps,bouldersandbattlefieldwreckageandcaneasily

bedamaged.Theindividualtrackelementsareheldtogetherwithlongpinsthat

needconstantattentionandcaneasilyfail.Theseneedtobelookedatalmost

continuouslytothepointthattheyareroutinelycheckedwheneverthetank

comestoastopwhennotincombat,whatevertheweather.Ifthesepinsfail,the

tankwillthrowatrackandthetankbecomesimmobilized.Thetracklinks

themselveseachweighedabouttenkilos.Theywearquicklyespeciallywhen

offroadandthetracksmustbetightenedandadjustedsothetrackdoesnot

breakbecometangledonthedrivewheelsprocket.Thepinsthatholdthese

linkstogetherarethicksteelrodsandweighabout1-2Kgeach.Theseheavy

andverystrongpinseventuallybendunderthemassivestrainofpropellingthe

veryheavyTigerforward.Evenmoresoondifficultterrain.Thelinkpinson

alltheTigerswerelookingdistortedandloose.

Spottighteningofroadwheelsandpinsaidstheirlongevity.Frictioncauses

themostissues,ascause’spartstowearmuchquicker.Thismeansgreasing

wheelhubsandsuspensionparts.Afterarivercrossingoroperatinginvery

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wetconditionsthisbecomesevenmoreessentialasthegreasecanbecome

washedoutleadingtohubsoverheatingandseizing.ARussianT-34tankcan

use1Kgofgreaseforevery60milesitcoversonadrysurface.Engines,

gearboxesandtransmissionallloseasmallamountofoilwheninuseand

againneedtobetoppedup.Gasketsespeciallythosemadeofrubberbecome

brittleintheintensecoldofRussia.Whenthesefail,oillossescanbemassive

andseizeanengineortransmission.Aweeklyengineandtransmissioncheck

forwearwasundertakenbycheckingtheenginecompartmentformetal

shavings,whichcouldindicateexcessivewear.Batteriesneededtobechecked

andtoppedupifnecessary.

Turretsystemsincludinghydraulicreservoirs,opticsandradiosneededtobe

checkedaswellandthemaingunneededtobebore-sightedagainafterany

significantmoveorfiring.Iftheopticaltelescopeandmaingunwentoutof

alignmenteitherthroughbattledamageorextremeterrainthiscouldputthe

maingunoutofalignmentcausingittoloseaccuracyandmakingthegunner ’s

jobofhittingatargetverydifficult.

Goodmaintenancehelpedpreventbreakdownsandfieldrepairs.Somesuch

asreplacingabrokentorsionbarweredifficulttoperforminthefield.With

theneedtoremoveroadwheelsandjudicioususeofasledgehammerto

removethebrokentorsionbar.Ifnotreplacedandcontinuedtobedrivenon

theweightwouldhavetobetakenbytheothertorsionbars,whichwould

quicklyfailaswell.Inthefield,thissortofjobcouldtakefourtosixhours.

Oftentankswerepushedtooperateevenwhennotfullyoperationaljusttoplay

thenumbersgame.

Foratankbattalion,efficientrecoveryandfuellingfacultiesinthefieldwere

essential.

ThebiggestissuefortheTigerontheEasternFrontduringthewintermonths

whenmudandsnowwouldpackintothetracksandfreezeup.Thiscausedthe

trackstojamandthetanktobeeffectivelyimmobilized.WhentheRedArmy

realisedthis,theytimedtheirattacksfortheearlymorningbeforethe

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snow/mudcouldthawout.Anotherissueinleavingtankstogettoocoldwas

thattheionisedwaterinsidethetank’sbatteriesfroze,crackingthecases,which

requiredimmediatereplacement–butbatterieswereinshortsupply.Even

withoutthebatteriesrupturingtheintensecoldcausedthebatteriestostruggle

toholdenoughchargetoturnthetanksengineover.Evenifthebatteriesdidn’t

rupture,thechargetheycouldholddroppedoffrapidlybelowfreezing.Even

whentheGermansmanagedtostarttheirtanks,theyfoundthatthecold

weatherhadaseriousadverseeffectonelectricalandmoresensitive

equipment.Radiosseemedtohatethecoldandcondensationwhichturnedto

iceoftenmadetheminoperable.Thegunner ’ssightwasalsopronetohaving

condensationfreezeeitherfullyorpartiallyblockingtheview.Astheoptics

tendedtotrapfrostinsidethelenses.Tankmaintenancealsobecamevery

difficultintemperaturesbelow–29°C.Anyexposedskinwouldinstantly

freezetometalsurfacesandevenstandardoillubricantsandtankgrease

becametoothicktobeabletouse.Lubricationwaskeytostoppingexcessive

wearoftherunninggear.Taskslikechangingatorsionbarordrivesprocket

provedtobeimpossiblewithoutpropershelterinverylowsub-zero

temperatures.

Rubbercoatingsonpowercablescouldalsocrackattemperaturesbelow–29

°C.Petrolanddieselfuelswerealsoaffectedbyseverecold,whichcouldhave

icecrystalsforminfuellines.Below–32°C,thehydraulicfluidinthemain

gun’srecoilsystemwouldfreeze,resultinginthemaingunbeingbadly

damagediffired.Thelubricantinmachine-gunsfrozeat–37°C,makingthe

weaponsunusableuntilcleaned.Ammunitionbecamedifficulttoworkwith

afterbeingfrozenandthemaingunbreechcouldbecomevery‘sticky’aftera

frost,resultinginroundsbecomingstuckinthebreach.

Startinganenginethathadbeenidleforseveraldaysinsub-zero

temperaturesprovedverydifficultfortheGermansandtheyresortedto

extrememeasures,suchasbuildingawoodfireunderthetank.Onceheated,

thefrostturnedtocondensationinsideequipment,whichcouldcauseelectrical

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issues.Incontrast,theSovietT-34hadbeendesignedandtestedtoworkinthe

harshRussianwinters.Ithadinternalcompressedairbottlesforcoldweather

starting.TheT-34hadbettercrewheatingandadesignthattookintoaccount

issuesofverylowtemperatures.

ThisagainmadeGermanpanzerunitsbecamevulnerableifattackedby

Sovietarmourearlyintheday,whenmanypanzerscouldnotstart.Ifthetanks

couldnotbestartedandtheGermanshadtowithdraw,theGermanshadno

choicebuttoabandontheirtanks.

AnotherissuewasthesheersizeandweightoftheTiger.Onlyahandfulof

bridgeswerestrongenoughtocopewiththeweightoftheTiger,which

increasedwiththeTigerII.Tocounterthisissue,thefirst495Tigerswere

fittedwithasnorkel,whichallowedthemtocross-riversuptoadepthof13

feet.However,thiswasabandonedasaneconomymeasure.Thismeantlater

versionscouldonlyoperatetoadepthof4feet.Tostopwaterenteringviathe

turretringaninflatablerubbertubewasinserted.Thiswouldbeinflatedprior

toenteringanywaterandprovidedawatertightsealfortheturretring.

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CHAPTERTWO–BridgetoNowhere

OncetheTigershadburstoutfromtheforestandwerebackoutintheopen

thebodiesoffallensoldierswerestilleverywhere.Therehadbeenanintense

firefighthere.Thegroundwasfullofholesfromwhereartilleryshellshad

explodedandyoucouldevenseebitsoffrozenhumanremainshanginginthe

trees.Theonethattookthecrewsabackwasahead.Initially,theythoughtit

wasasniper,itspaleheadlookingtowardsthetankcrews.Thecrewsletofa

coupleofvolleysoffirefromtheirMP40s.However,soonrealizeditwasa

dismemberedheadthathadbeblownupintothebranchesofthetrees.The

forcesinvolvedwithheavierweaponsandwhattheycoulddotothehuman

bodycouldbeseenalltooclearlyonthebattlefield.Bodiesrippedapartfrom

theintenseforcesandinsomecasescharredfromtheintenseheat.Itshowed

alltooclearlyhowfrailthehumanbodywasandtheintenseviolenceofwar.

Nothingismoreviolentthanbeinginanintensefirefight.Beitasoldierout

inthefieldorinatankhavingroundsbouncingoffthetanksarmourwithan

almostunbearableloudbang.Wonderingwhichroundwillburstthroughthe

armourorimmobilizethetank.

Thecrewsquicklycompletedtheirmaintenanceeventhoughitwasnot

adequate.MaxwantedtogettheTigersintoabetterpositionthantheywere

now.Outinawide-openspacetheycouldbesubjecttoairattack.TheRussian

IlyushinIl-2Sturmovik,oftenburstingthroughthelowcloudcovertobomb

orstrafegroundunits.Theywerebuiltinsuchnumbers(42,330)theIlyushin

becamethesinglemostproducedmilitaryaircraftdesigninaviationhistory.

Thankstotheheavyarmourprotection,theIl-2couldtakeagreatdealof

punishmentandproveddifficultforbothgroundandaircraftfiretoshoot

down.ItwasreportedthatoneIlyushinhadreceivedmorethan600directhits

andhavingallitscontrolsurfacescompletelyshreddedaswellasnumerous

holesinitsmainarmourandotherstructuraldamage.However,stillmanaged

toreturnhomesafely.ThebiggestissuewiththeIlyushinwasitsaccuracy,

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whichwasneverreallyaddresseduntiltheendofthewar.TheGermantank

crewswouldmuchratherhaveanIlyushinoverthemthanaP-47.Especially

theonesequippedwithanearlyversionofNapalmusedlaterinWWIIafterthe

Normandylandings.Thisthickandoilyliquidcouldseepintoanyventilation

ductorsmallcrevice.Whenasalvooftheserocketshit,youwouldseealine

ofexpandingfireemanatingfromtheoilyliquidthatseemedtogrowin

intensity.Itburntveryhotandcouldquicklycauseatanktobeengulfedina

fierceblaze.Givinglittlechanceofescapeforthecrewwhowereessentially

cookedinsidetheirtankiftheydidnotsufferfromasphyxiafirst.

Thecrewsmountedupandbeganmovingacrossthewideopeningavoiding

largeholesanddamagedartillerypieces.Itwasnotthatlongbeforetheywere

backintotherelativesafetyoftheforest.Thetanktracksandtransmission

madesomestrangenoisesindicatingthattheyweregettingworn.Tigerswere

neverdesignedtodriveonlongjourneys.Theengineandtransmissiononly

lastedaround600milesbeforeneedingtobecompletelyreplaced.Theyhadto

bemovedbyrailfromoneoperationalareatothenext.

Backinsidetheirtanks,thecrewsfeltslightlywarmerbeingjustacoupleof

degreesbelowfreezing.Aceramicheaterwhichtookheatfromtheenginewas

theonlywarmthforthecrews.Itcontinuedtoprovideheatforthetankfor

aboutanhouraftertheenginehadbeenswitchedoff.Thetemperatureinside

thetankwouldplummetovernighttowellbelowfreezing.Thecoldwasareal

problemforbothmenandmachines.Addingtothedifficultiesoffightingon

theEasternFrontduringthewintermonths.Thecolumncontinuedbackinto

theforestavoidinglargeholescausedbyartilleryshellsandaerial

bombardmentforanothertwohoursbeforefinallyemergingalmostontopof

ariver.Theriverlookedtoodeepforthetankstoforgeandtheonly

alternativewastofollowtheriverbank.Thiswouldrequirecarefuldrivingas

itcouldbealltooeasytoslipintotheriverandmorethanlikelythetank

endinguponitssideorworsestillupsidedown.Theterrainalsomeantnolet

uponthetiredtanks,alreadybattleworn.Maxscouredthemapandsawa

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bridgenotthatfaraway.Theproblemwasthatthemapdidnotshowifthe

bridgecouldtaketheweightofaTigerrumblingoverit.

ThecolumnofTigersheadedoffonceagainalongtheriverbankencasedin

heavysnow.Itwasslowgoing,simplytoavoidobstaclesandthenarrowgap

betweentheedgeoftheriverandagullyalmostrunningalongsidethethin

ledgeatthesideoftheriver.Astheysetoffdowntheriverbankathickfog

startedtoform,furtheraddingtothedifficultyofseeingahead.Theupsideof

thefogwasthatitwouldalsoaidinconcealingtheTigersfromSovietground

andairforces.

Thetanksenginesroaredastheystruggledthroughsomethicksnowdrifts

pushingvastmountainsofsnowasideastheyploughedthrough.Thisdid

nothingtoaidinfuelconsumption.Tohelpbalanceoutfuelconsumptionthe

leadtankwaschangedoverwiththeothertanksfollowing.Thetracksonthe

tanksweregettingmoreandmoretired.Ithadbeennothingmorethansheer

luckthatatrackhadnotbrokenoratransmissionfailure.Allthecrewscould

dowasbeasgentleaspossiblewiththeirtanksandgentlynursethemwhere

theycouldgetsomemuchneededmaintenanceandfueltheirtanksbeingthree

quartersempty.Morefuelwasusedonroughterrainthanonflatgroundor

evenaroad.Onnormalflatterrain,aTigerdidaround0.4milespergallon.

Thismeantthe534-litretankcouldtravelaround50milesbeforeneedingto

berefuelled.

Theycouldseethebridgeinthedistanceitwasasteelgirderbridgewitha

woodenplatform.Thetankcolumnstoppedshortofthebridgeandhaltedfora

fewminutes,toundertakesomechecksbeforecrossingover.Theyundertook

checksontherunninggear,surroundedbyexhaustsmokeandtheswirlsof

fog.Maxlookedattheslackenedtracklength,thewornlinkpinsandthe

distortiontothedrivewheelthathadresultedfromhittingalargetreeinthe

forest.TheTigercouldnottakemuchmorepunishmentbutifthestuckwith

flatterterrainthetrackshouldholdtogetherfine.Maxhadaquickdiscussion

withKlaus.“Ja,dieTitelwerdennurumzusammenzuhalten.”“Ja,ja,”said

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Klaus.Allthecrewsmountedbackupandmovedtowardsthebridge.

TheTankcolumnfinallymadeittothebridge.Thesteelgirderslooked

strongenoughtotakeaTiger.Thistheorycouldonlybeputintopracticeby

drivingaTigeroverit.Thebridgeshowedsignsofsmallarmsfiredamage

butnootherdamageafteraquickinspectionbyMaxandHans,anothertank

commander.TheymountedupandMaxswunghistanktotherightbefore

headingoverthebridge.ThebridgegrumbledslightlyasthefirstTigerwent

across,followedbythesecondandthethird.AsthethirdTigerwasverynearly

acrossaloudcrackalmostlikeanexplosionwentoffjustbehindthethird

Tiger.Thesteelgirdershadtornawayfromtheconnectingrivets.Thebridge

behindtheTigercollapsedintoaheapoftwistedmetal.ThethirdTigerstood

stillforamatterofmomentsbeforethehullstartedtoriseintheairand

slippedbackwards.Therewasnothingthecrewcoulddoasitslipped

backwardsintothecoldandfastflowingriver.Thetankwasatotalloss,but

thankfullythehatchesonthetankburstopenandthecrewscrambledoutandup

thetankthatwasnowhalfsubmergedandthebarrelofthe88restingonthe

finalpartofthebridge,whichwasstillstanding.ThecrewoftheTigerwere

spreadaboutamongsttheremainingTigerswiththedriversittingonthefloor

ofMax’stank.ThefourthTigerwasnowstrandedontheothersideoftheriver

andwouldneedtofindanotherwaytogetacrosstheriver.Therewasnotmuch

Maxcoulddoputwishthemallthebestandcontinue.Atleastthefogwould

offersomecoverfortheloneTiger.Thelonetigeranditscrewcarriedon

downthesideoftheriverseeingifitcouldfindawaytocrossandcatchup

withtherestofthecolumn.However,byfollowingtherivertheTigerwas

takenfurtherawayfromthecolumnandtowardsanadvancinggroupofT-34s.

Thecommandersawtheoriginoftheshot,though,andcalleditouttothe

gunner.Inagroupoftrees,wherethefoghadlifted.Therewasthe

unmistakableoutlineofaT-34tank.TheTigerdriverslowedandhaltedto

givethemfiringstability.ThegunnergotagoodaimontheT-34beforefiring

attheT-34.TheshellhittheT-34,hittingitsfrontalplateandcausingaplume

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ofdarksmoketoemitfromthehole.Then,justupfromtheT-34,anothertwo

T-34sappeared.Theymovedtotherightandseemedreluctanttoengage.The

Tigers88mmgunmadeshortworkoftwoT-34sfiringseveralroundsinto

bothtargets.BitsofmetalwereshavedofftheturretastheTiger ’sround

impactedontheturret.TheT-34turnedtotheright,beforerollingoverblack

smokebelchingoutofitsexhausts.Anotherroundhitthegunmantlewithsuch

forcethatitknockedthetopsurfaceoftheturretcompletelyoff,exposingthe

commanderwhohadbeenkilledinstantlywhentheshellhadhitthetank.

AnotherT-34continuedtoadvancetowardsthem,theyfiredanotherroundthat

wentstraightthroughthefrontalarmourandkilledtheentirecrewinsideinan

instant.TheyTigerwasrunninglowonammunitionaswellasoptions.

AstheTigermoveduptowardsalineoftrees,itwasunawareoftheT-34

lurkinginthetrees.Its76-mmbarrelbearingdownontheTiger.TheT-34

managedtogetashotoffasthefirstshellhittheTiger,ontherear,nearthe

tracksandtheidlerwheel.Itwasahighexplosive(HE)roundlettingouta

brightwhiteflashasitexploded…

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CHAPTERTHREE-Tiger

WorldWar2sawmanytechnologiesmakesomerapidprogress.Aircraft

designmadeanalmostamazingleapfromthebi-planetothedawnofthejet

engine.ThereisnodoubtthatGermanengineeringskillsproduceddesigns

yearsaheadoftheirtime.Insomecases,thisknowledgesuchastheV-2missile

andsweptwingsoftheMe-262wouldaidthepostwarmilitarydesign.

TankdesignwasanotherareaweretheGermansexcelled.TheTiger,Panther

andlaterKingTigerinsomewayswasoverengineered.Theywerelabour

intensivetoproduceandmadeuseofexpensivematerials.TheTigerItook

aroundtwiceaslongtobuildasanotherGermantankoftheperiod.Inbattle,

itsweightcausedissueswithitstracksandhighfuelconsumptionlimitedits

range.Itsheavyweightof56tonnesputastrainontrack,transmissionand

suspension.Overall,though,itwasmechanicallyreliable.Manyofthebrutal

experienceslearntonthebattlefieldsofWorldWar2hasaidedtanktechnology

andtactics.ItwasFerdinandPorschegavethetankitsTigernickname.

ThedevelopmentoftheTigerbeganasearlyas1939.Thedevelopment

programmeacceleratedafterMay1941whentheWehrmachtaskedfora45-

tontankwhichhadasitsprincipleweaponasan88mmgun.The88mmgun

hadalreadyproveditselfinbattleasanartilleryweapon.The88mmgun

wouldallowtheTigertooutshootanyguncurrentlycarriedbyRussiantanks.

However,theTigers88mgunwasnotrelatedtotheFlaK3688anti-aircraft

guninanythingbutcalibre.Thetwogunsweremerelyparalleldesigns.

TheTigerdesignbriefwasforaTankthathadbothheavyarmouranda

powerfulmaingun.Thiswasachievedwithan88mmKwK36averyaccurate

gun.Itsarmourwas100mmthickinthefrontalarea.Thefrontalturret

armourwas100mmthickanda120-mmthickgunmantlet.TheTigeralso61

mmhullsideplates.Armourplatesweremostlyflat,withinterlocking

construction.Thearmourjointswereofhighquality,beingsteppedandwelded

ratherthanrivetedandweremadeofmaragingsteel.ThefirstTigerprototype

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wasscheduledtobereadyforHitler ’sbirthdayonApril20,1942.Thisthough

gavethedesignersonlyalimitedamountoftime,furtherhamperedbythe

Wehrmachtconstantlychangingthedesignrequirements.

OnApril20,1942twonewversionsoftheTiger–onefromHenscheland

theotherfromPorscheweredisplayedinfrontofHitlerathisbasein

Rastenburg.TheHenscheldesignwasconsideredtobethesuperiordesignas

wellaseasiertoputintomassproduction.Thefullproductionofthefirst

TigertankstartedinAugust1942.Theofficialdesignationofthenewtankwas

PanzerkampfwagenVITigerAusf.H.

TheTigerIwasthefirstGermancombattanktobefittedwithoverlapping

roadwheelsuspensionwhichgavethetankverygoodweightdistribution.For

atankthesizeoftheTiger,itsridewasstableandwasconsideredtobe

comfortableforthecrewonboard.Tigerswerefittedwithtwotypesoftracks

–a520mmtrackfortravelandtransportationanda724-mmversionfor

combat.OneofthemostadvancedfeaturesoftheTigerwasitsassembly

process.Flatsectionarmourplatewasusedthroughouttheassemblyprocess,

whichallowedtheuseofheavyarmour.Variouspartsweremadeasone

completeunitcompletewithinterlockingjointsthatmadeassemblyaquick

processandincreasedstrength.ThehullofthefirstTigerswasdividedinto

foursections,twointhefrontforthedriverandthebowgunnerandradio

operator,acentralfightingcompartmentandarearenginecompartment.

ThethickarmourmadetheTigerimpervioustofrontalfirefromtankslike

the75mmarmedM4Sherman,76.2mmarmedT-34and75mmarmed

Cromwelltank,butvulnerabletothe76mmofup-gunnedSherman’s,the

85mmoftheT-34-85andtheBritishOrdnanceQF17-pounder.

Therearofthetankwhichheldanenginecompartmentwasflankedbytwo

separaterearcompartmentseachcontainingafueltank,radiatorandfans.The

Germanshadnotdevelopedanadequatedieselengine,soapetrolgasoline

powerplanthadtobeusedinstead.Theoriginalengineutilisedwasa21.35-

litre12-cylinderMaybachHL210P45developing650hpat3,000rpm.

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Althoughitwasgoodengine,itwasunderpoweredforthetank.Afterthe250

th

Tiger,theenginewasswappedforanupgradedversionofthesameengine.

Thealuminiumblockbeingreplacedwithacastironblackthatallowedfor

largercylinders,whichinturngavemorepower.Theenginewasavdesign

withtwocylinderbanksata60-degreeangle.Thesechangesalongwithothers

increasedpowerto700hp.Aninertialstarterwasmountedontherightsideof

theenginecompartmentanddrivenviachaingearsthroughaportintherear

wall.Theenginecouldbeliftedoutthroughahatchontherearhullroof.

Theenginedrovefrontsprockets,whichweremountedquitelow.The

Krupp-designed11-tonneturrethadahydraulicmotorwhosepumpwas

poweredbymechanicaldrivefromtheengine.Afull360-degreerotationtook

about60seconds.

AnothernewfeaturewastheMaybach-Olvarhydraulicallycontrolledsemi-

automaticpre-selectorgearbox.Theextremeweightofthetankalsorequireda

newsteeringsystem.Theclutch-and-brakesystem,typicalforlightervehicles,

wasretainedonlyforemergencies.Normally,steeringdependedonadouble

differential,Henschel'sdevelopmentoftheBritishMerritt-Brownsystem.The

vehiclehadaneight-speedgearbox,andthesteeringofferedtwofixedradiiof

turnsoneachgear,thustheTigerhadsixteendifferentradiiofturn.Infirst

gear,ataspeedofafewkm/h,theminimalturningradiuswas11ft3.Inneutral

gear,thetrackscouldbeturnedinoppositedirections,sotheTigerIpivotedin

place.Therewasasteeringwheelinsteadofatillerorleversandthesteering

systemwaseasytouseandaheadofitstime.

ProductionoftheTigerIbeganinAugust1942,andbyAugust1944when

productionceased1,355hadbeenproduced.Productionstartedatarateof25

permonthandpeakedinApril1944at104permonth.DeployedTigerI’s

peakedat671onJuly1,1944.WhentheimprovedTigerIIbeganproduction

inJanuary1944,theTigerIwassoonphasedout.However,eachtankcost

over250,000markstomanufacture.

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TheTigerfirstsawactioninAugust/September1942intheLeningrad

campaign.However,theterrainwasswampyforestland–notverysuitedtothe

Tiger.However,onJanuary12,1943,fourTiger ’s,witheightPanzerMKIII’s,

faced24RussianT-34’snearLeningrad.Thegroundwasfrozensolidwhich

greatlyaidedmanoeuvrability.TwelveT-34’swasdestroyedandtheother

twelveretreated.Giventhecorrectterraintofighton,theTigereasilyproved

itsfightingworth.

TheTigerwasthemaintankspearheadfortheGermansatKursk.Hereitdid

notdowell.Manytankshadlefttheirfactoriesbeforerigorousmechanical

checkshadbeenundertaken.Thus,manysufferedmajormechanical

malfunctionsduringthebattle.InthefamoustankbattleatKurskofJuly12,the

TigercouldhitaT-34from1500metresbutwhenthetwogottoclose-quarter

fighting,theT-34provedtobesuperior.TheT-34wasfasterandmore

manoeuvrablethantheTiger.

ItwasintheretreatfromRussiathattheTigerproveditsdefensivequalities

thatweretohinderboththeRussiansontheEasternFrontandtheAlliesonthe

WesternFront.OnOctober18,1943,oneTigerledbySeppRanneldestroyed

18Russiantanks.MichaelWittman,anotherTigercommander,haddestroyed

119tanks,includinggreatsuccessinNormandyafterD-Day.InNormandy,

Wittman’sTigersdestroyed25Britishtanks,14half-tracks,14Bren-gun

carriersinashortandbloodybattlearoundthevillageofVillersBocage.

However,Wittmanlost6Tigerswhichwereverydifficulttoreplace–aswere

hisexperiencedcrew.

WithinNormandy,theTigershadgreatsuccesswithaveryhighkillratio.On

July11,1944,thirteenBritishShermantankswerelostoutoftwentywithtwo

morecapturedwithnoTigerlosses.TheTigersdidwellenoughtosurvivethe

onslaughtattheFalaiseGapandinAugust,justtwoTigershelduptheadvance

ofthe53rdBritishInfantrydivision.

TheTigerIIfollowedtheTigerIthattheGermanscalledtheKingTiger.The

KingTigerfirstsawactionontheWesternFrontonAugust1944.TheTigerII

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wasaformidableweapon.Italsousedavastamountoffuel,whichthe

GermanswerefindingverydifficulttoproduceduetoAlliedbombingoffuel

plants.TheAlliesalsobombedthefactoriesthatmadetheTigers.Thismeant

thatonlyonehundredTigerswereavailablefortheBattleoftheBulgeinthe

Ardennesduringthewinterof1944-45.Manyofthoseendedupbeing

abandonedastheyranoutoffuel.

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CHAPTERFOUR-Battlefront

December1942

ThesmallcolumnofTiger ’scontinuedtheirjourneyfromthebridgedowna

roughtrackbeforemovingontothefrozenTundra,amixtureoficeandfrost

thatlookedlikeashinywhitecarpet.Astheyheadedtowardsavillage,where

therewasasmallnumberofPanzersandlightinfantry,currentlyholdingthe

village.Maxhopedtogetfuelandammunitionthereandaplacetorestupfor

ashortwhile.Allaroundthemtherewasevidenceofpastbattles,burntout

vehicles,armsandlegsprotrudingoutofthesnow.AstheypassedaGerman

half-track,aSonderkraftfahrzeug251producedbyHanomagandnicknamed

Hanomag.Thesewerethemostwidelyproducedhalf-trackswith15,532being

builtbetween1939-1945.Theyprovedextremelyversatilefrombeinga

personnelcarrier,medicalcarrier,flackgunorevenacannonmountedon

them.ThisHanomaghadfourofitssevenrearwheelsblownoffandthetrack

wasbrokeninthreeplaces.ThesideoftheHanomagwaspepperedwithholes

somesmallandsomethesizeofafist.ThefrontoftheHanomaghadbeen

partiallyblownawaywiththeenginemissingandthedriverofthevehiclehalf

hangingout.Hisbrightgreenheadmadeforaverystrangesightashisbody

wasalreadystartingtodecomposeandhadbeenthereforatleastafewdays.

FurtheralonganIlusyianlayhalfburiedinthegroundata45-degreeangle,

itspropellerhadsnappedoffandwaslyingsomefortyfeetaway.Theheadless

pilot,wasstillinthecockpitofhisaircraft.Thepilothadeitherdivedintothe

groundortriedtoperformacrashlanding.Thesmellofdeathhungheavyin

theairandeventhoughitwasalsobitterlycold,thewholeareasentashiver

downthespinesofthecrew.Afeelingthatsomethinghadhappenedhere.From

thecarnagethatsurroundedthemitmusthavebeenafiercefirefight.TwoT-34

tankswerealmosthuddledtogether.Onewasonitssideandtheotherupright

buttheturrethadbeenblowncleanoffandtheremainsofthecrewwerestill

sittinginside.Therehadbeenanintensefirethathadengulfedbothtanks.Any

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crewleftinsidewouldnothavehadchanceofsurvival.Germaninfantryhada

saying“TheT-34doffshishatwhenhemeetstheTiger.”ThiswasduetotheT-

34sturrethavingatendencytocomeawayfromthemainhullifthetankwas

penetratedby88mmarmour-piercingammunition.

AlonePanzerIVwasnottoofarawayfromtheT-34s.Therearendofthe

PanzerIVhadbeenblownapartfromwhatcouldonlybebombdamage,

possiblydroppedfromattackingIlyushin.

Forashortwhile,anyevidencethatafiercewarwasrangingdisappeared.

Thefogcompletelyliftedandslimraysofsunshineburstthroughthesmall

gapsintheclouds.Forafewseconds,everythingseemedpeacefulandalmost

normal.Maxdriftedbacktohischildhoodin.Maxwas13whenhewasjust

oneofsixchildrenoutofthe70childrenathisschooltobeselectedtoattenda

NazidevelopmentcampfortheFutureLittleElite.Itwasagreatopportunity

andverymuchmouldedMaxintothepersonhewasnow.Maxneveragreed

fullywithNazipolicies,butherknewthattheyhadhelpedGermanybecome

strongoncemore.MaxwasproudtobeGermanandfightforhiscountry.He

hadseenthebrutalactsthattheRedArmyhaddonetowardstheinvading

Germans.TheSovietswerenothingmorethanNeanderthalswhoneededtobe

obliterated.AsmilecametoMax’sfaceasherememberedthestoryofhow

oneofthechildreninhisclassbroughtacondomintoschool.Hisfriendblew

ituplikeaballoon,beforethrowingitoutawindowastheteacherapproached

theclassroom.ItwasfoundbyaNaziyouthleaderwhoknewwhereithad

comefrom.Maxandhisfriendswerelinedup;eachofthemwasalmost

interrogated.Theyallstucktothesamestoryandwouldnotrevealwhothe

culpritwas.AstheyhadshownsolidaritytheNaziyouthleaderletthemoff.

Solidaritywasmoreimportantthantheact.Theyouthleadersaid,“Youcando

whatyouwant,youcanletyourteenageviolentimpulsesout,itdoesn’tmatter,

aslongasyoudoitforus.”Insteadofagoodtellingoff,Maxandhisfriends

werecongratulatedforstickingtogether.

Inthedistance,thedamagedroofsofthevillagecameintoview.Itwas

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obviousthevillagehadseenitsfairshareoffighting.Theoddbuildingwas

partiallydestroyedandthelocalpeoplealllookedveryglum.Theyhatedthe

RedArmyasmuchastheyhatedtheGermans.Finally,theTigerscametoan

abruptstopandthecrewsclamberedout.Afueltruckwasnottoofaraway.

Maxwenttosortoutgettingfuelandammunitiononboard.Therestofthe

crewwenttosmokeandgetsomethingtoeat.Theplanwastostayatthe

villageforthenightandcontinueinthemorningtotheirmainobjective.

Atleasttheywouldbesaferhere.Airattackswerecommon,buttherewere

twoflakbatteriescompletewithquadruple20mmanti-aircraftcannon

guardingtheskyandseveralanti-tankgunsstationedaroundthevillage.A

counterattackwasexpected.TheGermaninfantryhadbeengettingduginand

preparingtheirowndefencesinpreparationforanattack.Verylittletank

fightingoccurredatnight,sincetankscouldnoteffectivelyengagetargetsat

rangesmuchbeyond100yardsunlessflareswerefired,butthistendedtoaid

thedefendermorethantheattacker,revealingenemypositions.

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CHAPTERFIVE-Overview

HitlerhatedtheCommunistideologyandhisintentionwastocrushtheSoviet

Union.Healreadyhadbattlepreparedandtestedpanzerdivisionsalongwith

themightyLuftwaffetoofferairsupport.Hisplanwastousearmoured

spearheadstopenetratedeepintoRussiananddestroytheRussianArmy.Hitler

sawOperationBarbarossaasacrusadetonotonlydestroytheRedArmyand

Sovietstate,butattheeventualobliterationoftheindigenousSlavic

populationsasanecessaryprecursortoGermancolonizationintheEast.

ThewarintheEastwouldseeanoffensiveplannedonanalmostad-hocor

makingtacticaldecisionsbasedonopportunity.Thiswasverydifferenttothe

campaignsinFrance,PolandandtheBalkans.Hitlermadethreeassumptions,

thefirstbeingthattheSovietcampaignwouldbeashortcampaignlastingonly

afewmonths.ThesecondwasthattheSovietterrainandclimatewouldnot

haveasignificantimpactontheoperation.ThethirdwasthattheRedArmy

couldbeswiftlydestroyed–maybetakingaroundsixweekswithafastmoving

campaign.

Hitlerhadnottakenintoaccountwhatwouldhappeniftheoperationlasted

longerthanintended.Theproductionoftanksandtrainingofnewtankcrews

toreplacebattlelosses.Thestockpilingoffuelandammunitiontokeepthe

panzerforcesmoving.HehadjustassumedtheflatterrainoftheSovietUnion

wouldaidthefastprogressofthepanzerdivisionsacrossRussia.Thedense

forests,poorroads,plethoraofriversandvastdistanceshadnotbeenfactored

in.HehadalsounderestimatedtheRedArmy’sabilityandfightingspirit.Each

oneofthesefactorswouldconspireagainsttheGerman’sandleadtotheir

eventualdefeatallowingtheRedArmytorepeltheattackingforcealltheway

backtoGermanybeforemarchingintoBerlin.

StalinknewhehadtodeteranyGermanattacksuntiltheRedArmywasready

totakeontheGerman’sonamoreevenfooting.TheRedArmy’stankscorps

hadbeendisbandedinNovember1939onlytobere-formedanddoubleinsize

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aftertheGermanvictoryinFrance.Thesecorpswouldbeequippedwiththe

newKV-1andT-34tankstoreplacetheT-26andBTseriestanks.Over5,000

ofthesenewtankswereorderedandhadtobereadytofullyequiptheTank

corpsbymid-1942.However,StalinrealizedtheGermanswereexpanding

theirpanzerdivisionsandwantedanother11,000tankstobeproducedand

formanevenlargerTankcorpsasquicklyaspossible.Withplantsoperatingat

fullycapacitythiswasunlikelytobemetbylate1943.Thereorganizationand

expansionoftheTankCorpsledtodisarrayinJune1941.

StalinlikeHitlerhadmadethreeassumptions.Thefirstbeingthatadequate

warningofanimpendingGermanassault.GivingtheRedArmytimeto

prepareanddeploy.TheredArmyalsoassumeditcouldholditsownagainst

theGermanswithadequatetraining,logisticsandpreparation.ThethirdSoviet

strategicassumptionwasthatindustrialmobilizationwasthekeytovictoryand

thatcampaignswouldbedecidedbythesidethathadthegreaterabilityto

sustainitsforcesinprotractedoperations,notbyfancymanoeuvres.Stalin’s

misunderstandingmeantthefirstassumptionunderminedthesecond

assumption.Thiserrorledtothedestructionofmostofthepre-wartankforce

withinthefirstthreemonthsoftheGermanassault.However,unlikeHitlerthe

thirdassumptiondidcometofruitionandinturnenabledthesecond

assumptiontocometofruition.Inthissense,StalinandtheRedArmyendedup

inabettertacticalposition.TheSovietnumericalsuperiorityactedasa

counterweighttothesuperiorpanzertactics.

Hitlerhaddeployedfourpanzergroupsforatotalofseventeenpanzer

divisionsand3,106tanksforOperationBarbarossa.Inaddition,two

independentpanzerbattalions,Pz.Abt.40andPz.Abt.211,weredeployedin

Finlandwith124tanks(incl.twentyPz.III).The2and5.Panzer-Divisionwere

refittinginGermanyaftertheGreekCampaigninApril1941andwerein

reserve.GermanywasinessencecommittingallofitsPanzerdivisionsto

OperationBarborossa.Bymid-1941theGermanswereproducingaround250

tanksaweek.

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TheRedArmybyJune1941woulddeploy9,500tanks.TheGermansbased

theirassumptionsandputtogetherahandbookaboutSoviettanksforthe

panzergroups,whichdescribedthevariousmodelsoftheT-26,T-28,T-35and

BT-5/7indetail.ThehandbookalsoincludedinformationaboutanewSoviet

heavytankequippedwith60mm-thickarmourand76.2mmmainarmamentthat

hadbeenusedagainsttheFinnsinDecember1939;thiswastheSMK

prototype,whichtheGermansmistakenlylabelledastheT-35C.Whatwasnot

fullyrealisedwastheexistenceoftheKV-1,alsotrialledatthesametimeasthe

SMK.OnlyoneSMKwasevermadeasitprovedtonotbeaverygooddesign

afterbeingusedintheWarinFinland.AlthoughKinzelwasawarethatthe

Sovietshadfieldedaprototypeheavytankeighteenmonthspriorto

Barbarossa.Hefeltthoughthatexistinganti-tankweaponswouldbeableto

defeatit.

AnotherissuewasthatGermanplannershadnoappreciationfortheSoviet

militaryphilosophyofechelonedattackanddefence,whichmeantthat

defeatingtheRedArmyinasinglecampaignwouldprovefarmoredifficult

thantheFrenchArmyin1940.Theentireessenceoftheso-calledBlitzkrieg

wastouseconcentratedarmouredformationsinshort,powerfuljabsto

dislocateanenemy’sdefencebyisolatingtheirbestforces.

Thiswouldleadtothesurrenderoftheforcescutoffandsurrounded.

However,StalinandhisRedArmyhadnointentionofsurrendering.Especially

whentheyrealisedHitlerwantedtoexterminatethem.Theymayaswellfight

tothedeathratherthanbecomePOWsandbekilledanyway.Thissocalled

‘warofannihilation’madeitimpossibleforHitlerandhisWehrmachtto

succeedagainsttheRedArmy.Thiswaswithoutfactoringtheharshweather

andterrainthattheGermanshadnotforeseenorevenplannedfor.TheRed

Armyhadalreadylearntthesepainfullessonsaboutthelimitationsof

mechanizedunitsinforestedterrainandwinterconditionsduringthe1939–40

Russo-FinnishWar.AnotherlargerareathattheGermansleftunconsidered

wasthecrossingthemassofRiversintheSovietUnion.Although,theGerman

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hadsomeamphibioustankstoaidingettingacrossrivers.However,the

bridgingcapabilitiesofthe1941–42panzerdivisionswereratherrudimentary

–aBrüfckenkolonneBorKcouldconstructa50-meterlongpontoonbridgein

abouttwelvehoursthatcouldjustsupportaPz.IIImediumtank,butthePz.IV

andlaterTigerandPanthersneededproperbridgestogetacrosssignificant

waterobstacles.TheGermanslaggedbehindtheAlliesinassaultbridging,

havingnothingliketheBritishBaileybridge.Whenbridgesorfordingsites

werenotavailable,armouredoperationscametoafullstop.

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CHAPTERSIX–EasternFront

DuringthewarontheEasternFrontbothsidestendedtoclaimeveryenemy

tankhitasa‘kill’,butagoodpercentageofhitseitherbouncedoffthearmour

orfailedtopenetrate.Baseduponpost-battleanalysisofbothsides’records,

theGermansappearedtohaveonmanyoccasionsexaggeratedtheirtank‘kills’

byupto200percentandtheSovietsby500percent.Tanksarecomplex

weaponsystemsthatrequireseveralsub-systemsandthecrewtofunction

properlyinordertoprovidethevehiclewithitskeycharacteristics:firepower,

protection,mobilityandcommunications.Tankcrewsvaryinsize,with4–5

beingthenormalsizeforafull-strengthcrew.Combatandnoncombat

casualtiesalongwithdiseaseandsicknessinwintermonthscouldreducecrews

bothinsizeandfightingability.ThiswastrueofeitheraGermanorRedArmy

crew.Itwasessentialthateachmemberofthecrewperformedtheirdesignated

tasktothebestoftheirabilityforthetanktoachieveitsfullcapability.A

poorly-trainedloadermightbethelowestmaninthetankcrewhierarchy,but

hisinabilitytoreloadmaingunroundsquicklyincombatcouldeasilyleadto

histanklosingagunneryduelagainstafasteropponent.Thetankdriver ’s

abilitytomanoeuvreoverroughterrainandusecoverandconcealed

approachesiscriticalforthecrew’ssurvival.Thedriverneededtofully

understandthetankslimitsondifferentkindsofterrain.

HereisadiaryextractfromUnteroffizierErichHager,aPanzerIVdriverin

the6PanzerRegiment39.ThisextractrecordshisactionsnotfarfromVenev

ontheEasternFront:

Nowthefunstarts…42-tonneronfire.Greattowatch.Abitfurtheron

another2down.Weattack13tanks.Onetankdestroyed.LKWsonfire.Lotsof

Russianinfantrydestroyed.Runoverbythetanks.Thenthebestbit.Weattack

two42-tonnersandstartarealharehunt.Hecouldn’tturnhisturretafterthe

firstdirecthitandtookoff.Wewereafterhimwithforce,20metersbehindhim.

Halfanhourthehuntwentonforuntilhelostatrackandfellintoaditch.We

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fired30shotsintohim.Nothinggotthrough.Thatdayourvehiclefired110

rounds…Havenomorerounds.

The42tonnerrelatestotheKV-1tankandLKWisshortfortheGerman

expressionLastkraftwagenmeaningtruckinEnglish.

TheTigersfirstappearanceontheEasternFrontwasunsuccessful.Tigers

werefirstissuedtothe1stplatoonofthe502BattalionofHeavyTanks

(SchwerePanzerAbteilung502).OnAugust29,1942,fourTigersarrivedat

theMgarailwaystationnearLeningrad.Assoonastheyarrivedtheywere

unloadedandmadereadyforbattle.At1100hours,thetanksmadetheirwayto

theirbattlestations.MajorRichardMerkerwasincommandoftheplatoon,

whichincludedfourTigers,sixPzKpfwIIIAusf.LandJ,twoinfantry

companiesandseveraltrucksofthetechnicalsupportunit.Arepresentativeof

theHenshelfirm–HansFrankeaccompaniedtheunitinaVWKubelwagen

rightbehindthefirstTiger.Aftertheattack,itwasrealisedthattryingtousethe

heavyTigertankonsoftgroundwasanerrorasitsabilitytomanoeuvrewas

severelyreduced.TheTigeralreadyhadaslowermovingturret,topspeedand

slowerturnthanthelikesoftheT-34.Thiswasthetrade-offforhavingamuch

morepowerfulgunandthickerarmour.

Duringthebattle,Russianinfantryretreated,andtheirartilleryopenedheavy

firetocoverthetroops.MajorMerker ’sunit,dividedintotwogroups,started

toattackontwoparallelsideroad.ThefirstTigerwassoonabandoned

becauseoftransmissionfailure.Thesecondonewasabandonedafewminutes

laterafterenginefailure.InspiteofRussianfire,theHenschelrepresentative

startedtoinspectthetanks,beforeMerkercamebywithhisTigerandsaidthat

thethirdtankwasdisabledbecausethesteeringcontrolfailed.Duringthe

night,allthreedamagedTigerswereevacuatedusingSdKfz9primemovers.

IttookthreeoftheseperTigertorecover.TheGermanshadbeenluckythat

theRedArmyhadnottriedtocapturethedisabledtanks.Sparepartswere

flowninandallfourTigersrepairedbythe15Septemberreadyforbattle.

Sadly,thesecondactiontheTigersparticipatedinwasnobetterthanthefirst.

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September22,sawfourTigers,supportedbyPzKpfwIIItanks;accompanythe

170thInfantryDivisioninattackingthe2ndSovietArmy.Theterrainwas

highlyunsuitable,thegroundagainwastoosoftafterheavyrain,andMerker

opposedtheuseofTigersinthisoperation.AfteradirectorderfromHitler,

theTigerswentintobattle.Notlongaftertheattackbegan,thefirstTiger

receivedadirecthitinthefrontarmourplate.Theshelldidnotpenetrate,but

theimpactcausedtheenginetostallandtherewasnotimetorestartit.The

crewabandonedtheTigerbeforetheythrewhandgrenadesintothefighting

compartment.

TheotherthreeTigersreachedtheRussiantrenches,butverysoonwere

damagedbyRedArmyartillerycrossfireastheylosttheirabilityto

manoeuvreonthesoftground.Again,thethreeTigershadtobeabandoned

andthefourthwasdestroyedtopreventitfrombeingcaptured.

TheWehrmachtwasadamantthatcrewsreadtheTiger ’smanualbefore

chargingintobattlewithoneoftheThirdReich’smostvital(andexpensive)

piecesofhardware.However,experienceshowedthatyoungtankershadlittle

interestinporingoverpagesofdryinstructionsandboringschematics.Totry

toenticecrewsintoreadingtheTigermanualitwasrenamedtheTigerfibel

andusedpoetry,humourandillustrationsincludingscantilycladillustrations

ofwomentomakecrewswanttoreadit.Asimilarmanualwasalsowrittenfor

thePanthertank.ThemanualwaswrittenbyLt.JosefvonGlatter-Goetz.In

contrasttotheusualtediumofinstructionmanuals.

Themanualmostlycoveredthemaintenanceofthetankhoweveritalso

containedsupplements,likeavehiclerecognitionchart,whichdisplayedgood

blackandwhitephotographsanddiagramsoftheAlliedtanksaTigertank

crewcouldencounter.

TheTigerfibellalsoincludeddiagramsillustratingthevulnerabilityof

enemytanksandtherangesatwhichthearmourcouldbepenetrated.There

weredetaileddiagramsofthesetanks,whichrevealedthevulnerablespotsin

thefront,sideandbackarmour.Themanualstoodoutnotjustforits

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humorousandplayfultone,butalsoforitsstrikinggraphicdesign,which

ironicallywasinspiredbythe‘degenerate’and‘communist’Bauhausschoolof

the1930ssodetestedbyNaziideologues.Eachpageofthemanualwasprinted

usingjustblackandredinkwiththetextbrokenupbyillustrations,cartoons,

andeasy-to-readtechnicaldiagrams.Itprovidedaninfluentialmodelforfuture

armymanuals

Finally,Tigershadasuccessfulthirdbattle.January12,1943,sawthe502nd

supportthe96thInfantryDivisionopposinganattackofRussiantanks.Four

TigersdestroyedtwelveT-34tanks.ThisforcedtherestoftheSoviettanks

intoretreat.

January16,1943theRussiansfinallycapturedtheirfirstTigerduringa

GermanattackneartheShlisselburgontheLeningradfront.Thistankwas

immediatelydeliveredtotheKubinkaProvingGroundsandinspectedby

SovietEngineers.ThismeanttheSovietsknewallofitssecretsandcoulduse

thisknowledgetobuildtheirowntanksandknowthebestmethodtoattackand

destroyaTiger.

Inearly1943,theRedArmyhadnocomparableanswerintermsof

firepowertotheTigerandits8.8cmKwK36L/56gunoritsheavyarmour.

Forclosecombat,theRedArmyInfantryhadthePTRD-41andPTRS-41anti-

tankrifles,whichhada4-footbarrelfiring0.57inchor14.5mmshellswith

tungstencores.ThisweaponwasnotabletoknockouttheTiger,but,inthe

righthands,coulddestroythetank’sopticdevicesordamagethesuspension,

slowingdownitsprogressorimmobilizingaTiger.However,itwaspretty

muchuselessagainsttheheavyGermantanks,andlaterSoviettroopsused

capturedPanzerfausts.

ArtillerywasthemainweaponoftheRedArmy.Although,notallRussian

artillerycouldpenetrateTiger ’sarmour.Iffirewasconcentratedfromseveral

gunsontoasingleTiger,theTigercouldbeheavilydamaged.

The76.2mmZIS-3cannon,usinganti-tankshells,couldpenetrateTigerside

armouratdistancesbetween300-400meters.TheZIS-3couldalsodestroythe

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runninggear,butcouldnotpenetratetheTiger ’sfrontalarmour.TheTigers

poormanoeuvrabilityaidedintheuseofanti-tankguns.Althoughittookthe

85mmor122mmA-19cannontodestroyaTigeratlongerranges.The

Sovietsmademanyanti-tankguns,upto100mminborediameter.

WhentheTigerIfirstappearedontheEasternFront,theRedArmyhadtheT-

34/76anddifferentmodelsoftheKV-1.Untiltheautumn1943,RedArmyhad

onlytwotypesofSPguns:theSU-122MediumAssaultGunandtheSU-76

LightSelf-PropelledGun.NoneofthesewereeffectiveagainsttheTigerat

rangesover500meters.TheTigerhadagreatadvantageoverlongdistances.

DuringthefamoustankbattlenearProkhorovka,theSovietcommanderstried

totakeadvantageofthegreatermobilityoftheT-34andtheassaultgunsby

closingintoshortrangesandshootingattheTiger ’sthinnersidearmour.The

resultofthebattlewasthatthenewGermantankswereequaltoolderSoviet

tanksbecauseofthecorrectchoiceonthebattlefield.Thiswasagreat

manoeuvreonthepartofGen.Col.RotmistrovandGenLeut.Zhadov.The

battleendedwithalmostequallosses,buttheSovietskeptmoretanksin

reserveforacounterattack,whileGermanswereunabletocontinuewiththeir

offensive.

InFebruaryof1944,theT-34wasrearmedwiththenewlong-barrelled

85mmS-53gunThiswasan85mmAAgunwasananti-aircraftgunwithout

anyspecialmodifications.Inmid-1944with85mmZIS-S-53.TheZiS-S-53

wasamodifiedS-53designedbyGrabin’sDesignBureautosimplifythegun

andreduceitsprice,whileballisticofbothgunsweresame.Thisnewgun

couldpenetratethesidearmourofaTigerfrom800metersandpenetratethe

sideoftheturretfrom600meters.However,theTigercoulddestroytheT-34

from1,500to2,000meters.

Fromearly1943tomid-1944,themainopponentsoftheTigeronthe

EasternFrontweretheassaultgunsbasedonT-34andKV-1chassis.Whenit

wasdiscoveredthattheexistingSU-76andSU-122typescouldnotpenetrate

theTiger ’sarmouratanydistanceunder1,000meters,theSovietsdecidedto

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createanewassaultgun,theSU-85,armedwithanadaptationofthe85mm

anti-aircraftgun.ProductionoftheSU-122wasstoppedandtheSU-85was

adoptedinitsplace.ItwaslaterfollowedbytheSU-100mediumassaultgun.

Bymid-1943,SU-152heavyassaultgunenteredservice.TheSU-152was

basedontheKV-1heavytankandwasarmed152mmhowitzer.Itwas

nicknamedZveroboi(AnimalKiller).Attheendof1943,anewassaultgun,

theISU-152,basedonIS-2heavytankwasproduced.Itwasarmedwithavery

powerful152mmhowitzer.Theshellofthisguncouldpenetrateanypartofthe

Tiger ’sarmourandevencuttheturretfromthehull.TheISU-152was

nicknamed"AnimalHunter".TheweightoftheAP(ArmourPiercing)shell

was48kg,whilethehighexplosiveshellwas41kg.

Usingassaultgunstotheirmaximumability,theRedArmyfoughtasbestas

itcouldagainsttheformidableTiger.ThenewheavytanktheIS-1was

developedattheendof1943.TheRedArmyreceiveditsfirstIS-1tanksin

Februaryof1944.ThiswasfollowedbytheIS-2heavytank.TheIStankshada

lowprofile,lowerthantheTigerortheSherman.Theturretandfrontarmour

platewere100mmthick.Thesidearmourplateswere75mm.TheIS-1tank

wasarmedwithan85mmD-5TandtheIS-2withamorepowerful122mmD-

25Tgunthathada16-foot-longbarrel.ThedownsideoftheD-25Twasthatit

usedaseparateshellandpowdercharge,resultinginalowerrateoffireand

reducedammunitioncapacityduetohavingtocarryachargeandprojectile,

whichputtheIS-2atadisadvantage.Sovietproving-groundtestsclaimedthat

theD-25couldpenetratethefrontalarmourofaPanthertankat1.5miles.

TheIStankshadagreatadvantageincomparisontotheTigerIbecauseof

theirslopedarmourplatesthatgavethembetterpenetrationresistance.With

thesetanks,theRedArmyfinallyhadarmourthatwasbetterthantheTigerand

equaltotheKingTiger.DuringMarch1944,thefirstIS-2sweretestedin

actionandprovedtheirpower.Morethan3,000IS-2tankswereproducedby

theendofthewar.IntheopinionofHassovonManteuffel,itwasthebesttank

ofWWII.AlthoughothersstateitwasthePantherorTiger.

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CHAPTERSEVEN–ValleyHigh

March1943

Germanarmourontheothersideofthevalleyopenedup,bringingdownan

intensebarrageoffireonthegroupofT-34s.ThefirstT-34wasjustaboutto

moveoutofsight,thoughstilladvancingtowardstheGermanarmour.Itwas

lettingoffrounds,whichhittheTigersfrontalareaandjustbouncedoff.The

Tigerfiredbackandtheshellsslammedintotheturretknockingitcleanoff.

BehindthefirstT-34wasasecondT-34advancingtowardstheGerman

permissionandfiringatthesametime.OneofitshellshitaMarderIIIand

blewthegunnercleanoutoftheopentopgunner ’sposition.Hisbodywas

rippedintwobytheforceoftheblast.TheMarderIIIwasatankdestroyerwith

acapturedSoviet76.2mmF-22Model1936divisionalfieldgunorGerman

7.5cmPaK40,inanopen-toppedcupolaontopofaPanzer38(t)chassis.

Theyofferedthecrewverylittleprotectionandthethinarmourmadethem

vulnerablebuttheyprovedtobeveryreliable.ThePak40gunwasoriginally

ananti-tankgundevelopedin1939-1941byRheinmetall.ThePak40formed

thebackboneofGermananti-tankgunsforthelatterpartofWorldWarII,

mostlyintowedformmountedonavariouschassisastheMarderI,IIandIII.

TheMarderIwasbuiltonthebaseoftheTracteurBlindé37L(Lorraine),a

Frenchartillerytractor/armouredpersonnelcarrierofwhichtheGermanshad

acquiredmorethanthreehundredaftertheFallofFrancein1940.Mounted

withthesamePak40gun.TheMarderIIusedeithercapturedandre-

engineeredSoviet7.62cmgunsfiringGermanammunitionorthePak40gun

andwasmountedonaPanzerIIchassis.

Thenoisefromallthegunsfiringatoncewasimmense-almostdeafening.

Volleyaftervolleyoffirecriss-crossedthevalley.ThesecondT-34washit

multipletimesshearingoffitsfrontsprocketandmultipleroadwheels.It

continuedtofirebeforeafinalshottothesidecausedtheammunitionto

explodeenvelopingthetankinalargeballofflameandblowingthehullapart.

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AthirdT-34appeareditturretswingfromlefttoright,unsureofwhichtarget

tohitfirstasalineofMardersandTigerswerelaidoutinfrontofit.Inan

almostaclassicAmericanWesternfilm,thiswasdowntowhowouldbe

quickestonthedraw.Insteadoftryingtoflee,thisloneT-34continuedto

advance.ItmanagedtogetonewildshotoffbeforetheMardersandTigers

openedupastheT-34pickedupspeedandcontinuedtoadvance.Rounds

startedtoslamintothefrontoftheT-34butitcontinuedtoadvance,more

roundsslammedintoitandasmallfirecouldbeseencomingfromtherearof

thetank.Roundspiercedtheturretandblewfragmentsawayasthefireatthe

rearofthetankintensified.Thedrivermusthavebeenkilledandhadslumped

overhiscontrolscausingittodriveautonomouslytowardstheGerman

armour.AnotherroundslammedintothesideoftheT-34rippingoffittracks.

SuchwasitsmomentumtheT-34continuedforquiteadistancebeforefinally

comingtoastop.Roundscontinuedtoraindownonthetankbeforearound

causedthehulltoliftupandrevealtheinsideburningintenselyasthe

ammunitioncookedoffandblewtheturretoff.Thecrewinsidedidnotstanda

chanceandeitherhadbeenveryheroicoranactoftotalmadness.

TheMardersandTigersstoodfirmforawhile,waitingforafurtherattack

thatnevercame.Ratherthanwaitandbecomesittingducksthetanksdecidedto

advancetowheretheenemytankshadcomefrombeforemovingrighttomeet

upforresupplyandrepairs.Theproblemwithre-supplywasthattherewasnot

alwaysenoughfuelandammunitiontogoaround.Thefuelissuewould

becomeanevengreaterissueintheclosingstagesofthewarwhentankcrews

wouldscavengeforfuel.

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CHAPTEREIGHT–Panther

ThePanthertankwasdevelopedduetotheGermantankcrisisthatbecame

apparentduringtheinvasionofRussiain1941.Itwasachangefrom

traditionalmediumtanksthathadalwaysbeenofacomparableweightto

Alliedtanks.However,thePantherwasacompromise.Whilsthaving

essentiallythesameengineastheTiger,ithadmoreefficientfrontalhull

armour,bettergunpenetration,waslighterandfaster,andcouldtraverse

roughterrainbetterthantheTiger.Thetrade-offthoughwasweakerside

armour,whichmadeitvulnerabletoflankingfire.

TheGermanshadusedthespeedandmobilityoflightertanksthroughlighter

armourandfirepower.ThecurrentPzKpfwIIIandPzKpfwIVweredurable,

reliabletanksalthoughnotfullysuitedtotankvtankengagements.By1942,

Germanywasbeginningtostrugglewithstretchedsupplylinesandwellas

fightingontoomanyfronts.WiththeEasternFrontprovingtobemuchmore

difficultthananticipated.Thislead,theGermanArmyintoamoredefensive

situationandrequiredarmourthathadgreaterfirepowertotakeonRedArmy

tanksthatwerenownumericallysuperior.TheGermansrequiredalongrange

75mmgunthatcouldtakeonRedArmytanksontheflatplains.The75mm

gunwastheprimaryfocus,buttheamountofarmourandofferingabetter

armouredtankbecamepartofthedesignbrief.Thisledtotheweightofthe

Panthercreepingupwithitsheavierarmour.ThePanthersweightwentfrom

22tonnesto40tonnesbythetimethePantherenteredproduction.However,

suppliesofcrucialsteelyalloysandothermaterialsrequiredcompromises

withhighcarbonsteelbeingused.Theuseofthismaterialrequiredcomplex

interlockingplatesbecauseofweldingissues.Theincreasedweightwasnot

factoredinwithregardstothepower,transmissionandsuspensionsystems.

Thetransmissioninparticularsufferedreliabilityproblemsduetotheextra

weightitnowhadtopropel.IntheendthePantherwasreallyaheavytankas

opposedtoamediumtank.ItcostmuchmoretoproducethanthePzKpfwIII

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andPzKpfwIVandwasmuchmorecomplextomanufacture.

ThedesignlikethatoftheTigerwasmoreaboutoverengineeringand

craftsmanshipthandesigningatankthatcouldbequicklyandeasilyproducein

vastnumbers.

Oneexampleisthatofsuspensionwithatorsionbarasopposedtothemore

traditionalleafspringdesign.Torsionbarsuspensiongaveabetterridebut

offerednotacticaladvantage.ThePantheralsohadcomplicatedinterleaved

roadwheelsleadingtoaddedmanufacturingcostsandmaintenanceissues.

ThismeantthePanthercouldneverbeproducedinthenumbersrequiredjust

liketheTigeranditwouldalwaysbeoutnumbered.

InSeptember1942,Hitlerdemandedthatarmouredproductionreach1,400

vehiclespermonthbyspring1944,including600Panthers.TheAdolfHitler

PanzerProgramputforwardbyAlbertSpeer ’sMinistryofArmamentsand

WarProductioninJanuary1943wasonly1,200armouredvehiclespermonth.

Infuriated,HitlersummonedSpeerforameetingatwhichheincreasedthe

productionobjectiveto1,500–2,000vehiclespermonth.Thiswascomparable

toSovietorAmericanproduction.Again,thecomplexdesignsandcontinued

bombingoffactoriesinGermanymeantthistargetwasnevermet.However,

Hitlerdidmanagetodoubletankproductionasgreaterprioritywasgivento

armouredvehicleproduction.In1942,6,180vehicleswereproducedandin

1943,12,013vehicleswereproduced.

ReliabilitydoggedthePantherwitharoundone-quarterofthePanthertanks

deployedinthepanzerregimentsbeingoperationalatanygiventime.Teething

problemswithanynewsystemiscommonplace,butthePantherwasworse

thanaverage.OneexamplewasthePanther ’sAK7-200transmission.Ithad

beendesignedformassproductionandindoingsocompromiseshadbeen

madetospeedupproduction.TheoriginalMANproposalhadcalledforthe

Panthertohaveaplanetarygearingsysteminthefinaldrive,likethatusedin

theTigerI.Ashortageofgear-cuttingmachinetoolsandthatthePantherwas

intendedtobemass-producednumerouscompromisesweremadeagainstthe

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designerswishes.Thecompromiseseffectivelyweakenedthetransmission.

MultigearedsteeringthatpermittedthePanthertopivotturnbyrunningthe

tracksononesideinonedirectionandtheotherintheoppositedirection.This

meantthePanthercouldturnonitsownpivot.However,thisjustaddedtothe

alreadybadlyoverstressedtransmissionasthishigh-torquemethodofturning

couldcausefailuresofthefinaldriveandcausedprematurestrippingofthe

thirdgear.Themoreserioustransmissionproblemwasthefinaldrive,which

hadanominallifeexpectancyof1000miles.Inpractice,thiswassometimesas

lowas100miles.Anotherfactorwasthedifficultyingettingtothe

transmissionforrepairs,whichnecessitatedafullstripdownofthefront

portionofthetankjusttogettothetransmission.Thesingle-teethspurgears

tendedtostripmorereadilythanthemorerobustdoubleherringbonedesign

usedonothertankssuchastheAmericanM4Sherman.Toreplacethe

transmission,themechanicshadtounboltaheavyrectangularplatefromthe

hullroofabovetheradiooperator.Themechanicswouldneedtounboltthe

transmissionfromthehullanddriveshafts,beforeacranewasusedtoliftit

outofthetank.Beforeanewonewasloweredinandbolteddown.Thiscould

takenearlyadayforaskilledteamofmechanics.

Although,someshortcomingswereslowlyaddressedoverthePanthers

servicelifeparticularlyin1943.OneexamplebeingthePanther ’sengine

compartmentthathadbeendesignedtobewaterproof.Thishadledtoengine

overheatingduetopoorventilationinearlyPanthers.Fuelconnectorsonthe

earlyPantherswerenon-insulated,leadingtotheleakageoffuelfumesintothe

enginecompartment.ThisledtoenginefiresintheearlyPanthers.Extra

ventilationwasaddedtodrawoffthesegases.Althoughthisonlypartlysolved

theproblemofenginefires.Toreducethisproblem,thecoolantcirculation

insidethemotorwasimprovedandtheyaddedareinforcedmembranespring

tothefuelpump.ThePantherhadaverysolidfirewalltoprotectthecrew

fromanenginefire.

ThePanther ’soperationalraterosefromaverylow16%attheendofJuly

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1943nearlydoublebutstillpoor37%byDecember1943.Animproved

version,confusinglycalledthePantherAusf.A,enteredproductioninAugust

1943.Thisversionstandardizedimprovementsthathadbeengradually

introducedintothePantherAusf.Dandincludedanimprovedturretwithanew

commander ’scupola.Additionalchangescontinuedtobeincorporatedintothe

designthrough1943andinto1944.Theseimprovementsbegantoinfluence

theavailabilityrateofthetanksdeployedontheEasternFront,going37%

percentinFebruary1944to78%bytheendofMay1944.

TheGermantankindustrywassparedfrommajorstrategicbomberattacks

through1943,andnoneofthePanthertankplantsweresignificantlybombed

untilsummer1944.ThisaidedinPantherproductionalthoughthegoalof600

permonthwasneverreached.However,theAlliesrealisedthatPanthersand

TigerswerepoweredbyMaybachengines,theMaybachplantwasstruckbythe

RAFonthenightofApril27and28,1944.ThishaltedMaybachengine

productionforfivemonths.Thankfully,asecondsourceofenginesfromthe

Auto-Union(nowAudi)plantatSiegmarwassecured.Toaidinproductionthe

Pantherdesignwassimplified.Suchasasimplifiedsidearmourplatedesign,

whichalsoincreasedsidearmourprotectionfrom40to50mm.Manysmall

changeswerealsointroduced,includingredesignedhullcrewhatches,anew

traversabledriver ’speriscopemounting,andanimprovedpowertraincooling

system.ThePantherwasoneofthebesttanksofWWIIanditsdesignhelped

post-warAmerican,BritishandRussiantankdesigns.Itsdelicatetransmission

andthelackofcertainalloysduetowarshortageswasthemainreasonits

impactinbattlewasnotasbigasitcouldhavebeen.

GeneralHeinzGuderiansentinthefollowingpreliminaryassessmentofthe

PanthersinJuly1943:

Duetoenemyactionandmechanicalbreakdowns,thecombatstrengthsank

rapidlyduringthefirstfewdays.Bytheeveningof10Julytherewereonly10

operationalPanthersinthefrontline.25Panthershadbeenlostastotal

writeoffs(23werehitandburntandtwohadcaughtfireduringtheapproach

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march).100Pantherswereinneedofrepair(56weredamagedbyhitsand

minesand44bymechanicalbreakdown).60percentofthemechanical

breakdownscouldbeeasilyrepaired.Approximately40Panthershadalready

beenrepairedandwereonthewaytothefront.About25stillhadnotbeen

recoveredbytherepairservice...OntheeveningofJuly11,38Pantherswere

operational,31weretotalwrite-offsand131wereinneedofrepair.Aslow

increaseinthecombatstrengthisobservable.Thelargenumberoflossesby

hits(81PanthersuptoJuly10)atteststotheheavyfighting.

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CHAPTERNINE–CounterAttack

June1943

ThePanthersandTigersalongwithGermaninfantrywereeagertocounter

attack.TheyweredeterminedtodrivetheSovietsback.ThePanthercrewhad

faithintheirtankwithitshigh-velocitycannonandgood,slopedarmour

protection.CrewsfeltfurtherreassuredhavingfourPanthersandsixTigersto

pushhomethecounterattack.Theywouldstillnothavethenumerical

advantagethough.Assoonasitwasdawnandthesmallestglimmeroflight

begantoappearonthegleamingwhitehorizon-crewsmadefinal

preparations.ThePanthercrewclosedtheirhatchesandthecommanderslid

downintotheturretbeforeclosinghishatch.Hemadeuseofhisperiscopeto

surveytheareainfront.Lookingatthelandscapeandtryingtoseebothareas

thatweregoodforcoverandareasthatanenemytankmayusetoconceal

itself.Theearlymorningmistgavethetanksalittlebitofcoverastheymoved

forwardintotheirattackpositions.Thegunnerkepthiseyeonthegunsight

triangletolineupwithatarget.AsthePantherbouncedupanddownonthe

roughterrain.Theloaderbehindhimwasholdingthenextroundreadytoload.

T-34shadbeenspottedbuthadnotyetcomeintosight.Finally,aT-34popped

outoftheearlymorningmistabout1000yardsaway.Thecommanderrotated

theturretontothetargetandgavethegunnerfinalcontrolofmovingthegun

ontothetarget.Oncethetrianglereticulewasonthetargettheshotwasall

linedup.TheT-34appearedongroundbelowthePantherjusttoitsleftandits

distinctiveshapewasunmistakable.Thegunnerplacedthetriangleontheturret

asthelowerpartofthetankwasconcealedbydeadground.Thepanther

gunnerfired.TheroundburstoutofthePanthersbreach.ThePantherbucked

gently,asthemuzzlebrakeandhydraulicdampersabsorbedthegun’srecoil.

Thelong75mmguncouldachievethesamevelocityasthe88mmonthe

Tiger,butwithamuzzlebrakeanddampersystemtherecoildidnotmakethe

Panthermoveaboutverymuch.TheAProundhittheT-34intheturret.Before

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thePanthersshellcasehaddroppedintotheanti-gasbox.TheT-34gotashot

offafterseeingthemuzzleflashfromthePanther.ThePantherhadmanagedto

partlyconcealitselfattheedgeofthevillage.TheshotmissedbutthePanthers

shotknockedtheT-34sturretcleanoff.AsecondT-34cameintoviewandthe

Panthergunneraimedashotatthefrontcornertryingtohitthefrontsprocket

anddisablethetankorgetaroundintothecrewcompartment.Theroundtook

thefrontsprocketcleanoff.Ittravelledseveralyardsrippingoffsometrack

links.TheT-34movedacoupleofyards’furtherforwardsbeforegrindingto

ahalt.TheT-34hadnowpresenteditsmuchweakersidearmourtothePanther.

ThenextroundthePantherfiredwentstraightintothemiddleofthesidehull,

towardstherearblowingtheenginecovercleanoff.Theforceoftheimpact

hadcompressedthedieseltankscausinganexplosionthatblewapartthe

engineandrearpanels.Thebrightorangeflameshotintotheairandbeganto

consumethetankanditscrew.Oneofthecrewflewoutfromanescapehatch

completelyonfire;hedisappeareddownthesideofthetank.Frombehindthe

burningT-34,anothertwoT-34sappeared,oneoftheotherPanthersscoreda

directhitstraightintotheammunitionstorageareacausingamassive

explosionthatflippedthetankontoitsside.Asthecrewescaped,roundsfrom

thePanthersMGcutthemdownbeforetheygotveryfar.TwoT-34shadbeen

takenoutinamatterofminutes.ThiswasjustthestartofaRedArmy

offensive.Therewouldbemoreontheirway,nowtheyknewthePanthers

position.Thisvillageforsomereasonseemedtobeofgreatimportancetothe

Soviets.

GermanCommanddecidedthatinsteadofwaitingforreinforcementsthe

Germantankswouldcounterattack.TheTigershadmovedroundontothe

PanthersleftflankandhadengagedacoupleofSU-85salongwithaKatyusha

multiplerocketlauncher.TheGermanscalledthem“Stalin'sorgan”duetothe

visualandauralresemblancetoachurchorgan.Theycoulddelivermultiple

rocketsmuchquickerthanconventionalartillery.However,theywereless

arcuateandtooklongertoload.Whicheachsalvoofrocketstakingaround50

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minutestoload.Theyhadarangeofbetween4.5and13milesdependingon

themanyrocketvariantsusedduringandafterthewar.Therocketswere

mountedinparallelonthebackofvarioustrucktypessuchasaZis-6,six

wheeledtruck.

OneTigerhadbeenlostintheshortexchangeoffirebetweentheSU-85sand

Katyusha.AlthoughtheSU-85wasacapabletank,the85-mmgunwasnot

adequateenoughtopenetratethearmourofthelargerGermanarmoured

fightingvehiclessuchasthePanther,TigerandKingTigeratlongrangeor

headon.The76mmgunontheoriginalT-34scouldnotpenetrateaTigers

armourfromthefrontandonlythesideataverycloserange.

ThetwoPantherspushedforwardwithGermaninfantryinsupport.Theplan

wasforthetwoPantherstofollowthetreelineattheedgeofthevillageand

descendontothelowergroundwheretheycouldisolateandattackenemy

tanks.TheonlyissuewiththisplanwasifthePantherhadtofireonthemove,

asthegunnerdidnothaveaperiscopesightforgeneralobservationduring

travelandreliedonthecommanderfortargetinginstructions.IfthePanther

wasstaticandlookingfortargets,itwasnotanissue.However,onthemove

thefiringcycleslowedto20-30seconds.Onreceivingthecommander ’s

instructions,thegunnerfirsthadtosearchforthetargetusingthe2.5xpower

magnification,switchto5xmagnificationfortheactualengagement.The

gunnerflippedthereticuletothecorrectammunitiontypedependingonthe

commander ’sinstructions.Thegunnerusedthecommander ’srangeestimate

tomakethenecessaryelevationadjustment.Thegunnerhadtwofootoperated

controlsforthehydraulicturrettraverseandabackupwheelifthehydraulics

failedortheenginewasnotoperating.Gunelevationwasundertakenbyusing

awheelbythegunner ’slefthand.Theguntriggerwasalsolocatedonthe

elevatingwheelandwasanelectrictrigger.Whenthegunfired,itejectedthe

roundagainstadeflectorplateandintoanautomaticallyopeningandclosing

bin.

OncethePanthershadengagedtargets,theTigerswouldactasacutoffand

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flankprotectionforthePanthers.Theareawasquiteundulating,whichgave

opportunitiesforthePantherstohideandpopouttoattackRedArmytanks.

ThePanthersbegantheirattackwithdawnlightandearlymorningmist

offeringsomecover.Althoughsparkscomingfromtheexhaustsonthe

Pantherscouldeasilybeseen.Germaninfantryfollowedclosebehindusing

thetwotanksforcover.AsthePanthersmoveddownthelineoftrees,the

commanderspottedanincomingIlyushinthatletoffavolleyoffirein

completelythewronglocation.ItroaredoverthePanthersbeforeturning

sharplyforasecondpass.Thesecondpasswasnobetterthanthefirstand

completelymissedthePanthers.Afterthesecondpass,theinfantryreappeared

fromthetreeswheretheyhadtakenshelter.OnePanthermovedforwardand

theotherturnedlefttowardsamound.AsthePanthergottothemoundseveral

trucks,containinginfantrycameintoview.ThePantherchangedtoHErounds

beforefiringatthefirsttruck.Thesingleroundobliteratedthetruckandparts

ofitscatteredinalldirections.Asecondroundwasquicklyloadedandfiredat

thesecondtruck.ThetruckwastornapartastheHEroundimpactedwiththe

truck.Threetruckswerenowablaze.TheSoldiersthathadbeenonthebackof

thetruckswerejumpingandscatteringinalldirections.Manyofthemwereon

fire,screaminginpainastheyburnttodeath.ThePantherfiredanotherround

atthenexttruck.TheHErounditthetruckinthecentreblowingitapartinto

twopieces.Thedriverandpassengerwerethrownintotheairbytheforceof

theblastbeforetheirlifelessbodiesitthehardfrozenground.

ThecommanderofthesecondPantherspottedaKV-1movinguptowardsthe

firstPanther.OneoftheTigersonflankprotectionhadalsoseentheKV-1.

BoththecommanderoftheTigerandthePantherlineduptheirsightsandlet

offtwoAProundsalmostinstantaneously.ThefirstrounditthesideoftheKV-

1andappearedtodonothing.ThesecondroundfromaTigerhittherearof

theKV-1andblewtherearendoftheKV-1apart.Acridblacksmokebelched

outfromtheKV-1,whichhadnowstoppedmoving.Theroundfromthe

PantherhadenteredthesideoftheKV-1takenouthalfthecrewbeforeexiting

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outtheotherside.

ThreeT-34sweremovingtowardsthePanthers.OneT-34gotaroundthat

disabledthemaingunofthesecondPanther.Germaninfantrybegantofire

theirheavymachinegunsattheapproachingT-34s.TheotherPantherwashit

severaltimesbysmallanti-tankguns.Afterthehugenoiseandechotheirshots

bouncedoffthePanthersangledarmour.WhatTankcrewsfearedmorewere

theshouldermountedant-tankweapons.TheGermanshadthe‘Panzerschrek’

(‘tank-terror ’),becauseithadashapedchargeprojectilethatdidnotneedto

evenpiercethearmour.Onimpact,thewarheadcausedashockwavetotravel

throughthesteelplate,whichblewabigscabofplateofftheinside,which

immediatelycutthroughanyoneoranythingitstruckinsidethetank.The

Pantherhadnowbecomeexposedtoenemyfireandneededtogetontoabetter

positionasdidthePantherjustbehind,three75mmroundshadhitthefrontal

armourandbouncedoff.Aroundfinallypenetratedthesideandcausedthe

turrettojam.AsthePanthertriedtoturn,itstransmissionfailedaswelland

couldnolongerturnormove.Itsenginewasjudderingandoilsmokewas

pouringfromitsvents.ThePantherwaspittedandscarredfrommultiplehits

byAProunds,itshatchespartlyblownoffandthreewheelsmissingonone

side.Insidethecrewhadfelttheimpactandfragmentsofshatteredsteelhad

shotaroundinsidethetank.Thegunnerhadalargelacerationtothehead.The

commanderacuttohislegwithbloodalmostspurtingout.Thedriverhadlost

afingernailandsufferedacuttohishand.

ThePantherwaseffectivelyimmobilised.Theuninjuredloaderthrewopen

thehatchbeforehelpingtohaulthecommanderoutwhowasstrugglingdueto

hisleginjury.Therestofthecrewmanagedtohaulthemselvesoutandflee

intothewoodsbehindthemwhilstunderheavyMGfireandroundsthrowing

updirtandstonesallaroundthem.

TheTigersbynowhaddecidedtomoveuptowardsthelonePantherandgot

acoupleoflonger-rangeshotsoff.Oneblewthetrackandthreewheelsoffa

T-34,thefinalT-34startedtoreverseoutofrangewhenthePantherfiredoffa

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shotthathitthedriversviewingwindow;purelybychancekillingthedriver

instantlyandknockingoutthetankstransmission.ATigergotashotintothe

sideofanotherT-34.TheturretontheT-34blewofflikepopcornexploding.

Itflewseveralfeetintotheairtrailingallkindsofdebrisbehindit.Suchwas

theforceoftheblasttheturretspunoverinmid-airbeforecrashingtothe

groundseveralfeetawayonfirefromtherestoftheT-34.Germaninfantry

nowpushedforwardlayingdownheavyMGfireontheadvancingRedArmy.

Thisendedwithbloodyhandtohandfightingandcompleteanduttercarnage

asbothGermanandRedArmyinfantrycuteachotherdownusinganyweapon

theyhandtohand.ThePanthercontinuedtouseitsMGtocutdownasmany

RedArmysoldiersaspossiblebeforerunningoutoffuel.Thecanvasbags

containingemptyshellswasnofullandsmokingfromtheheatofallthehot

shellcasings.

AKV-1whichhadconcealeditselfinahollow,decidedtoappear.Insteadof

goingforwardtheKV-1reversedatspeed.Thiswastoavoidexposingits

lowerplate.ThetankletoffonewildshotandanotherthathittheTigers

frontalarmour.ThefirstroundfromtheTigermissedjustbouncingoffthe

cornerofthefrontalarmour.TheKV-1gotoffanothershotandhittheTigers

leftdrivesprocketwithahugeimpact.TheTigerrespondedwithseveral

rounds,whichblewofftheKV-1srighttrackandhithisdriver ’svisor.The

KV-1triedtomoveforwardbackintothehollowithadreversedoutfrom.In

doingthistheKV-1exposedtheenginedeckandgrills.Thegunnerofthe

Tigersawthisasanopportunitytoogoodtomissandgotashotoff.Theshot

hittheKV-1asitmovedforwardoutofsight.Nothinghappenedforafew

secondstherewasanalmightyexplosionasalargefireballeruptedfromthe

hollow.Partsofthetankwerethrownintotheairalongwithacoupleofthe

tankcrew.Thehollowwaslikeacauldron,bubblingwithburningfueland

throwingoutexplodingheavycalibreammunition,whichwentspinningoutof

controlinalldirections.TheKV-1hadbadlydamagedtheTigerthough.The

rightwheelandtrackweredamagedandtheTigerreversedandmoved

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forwardtotestthelevelofdamage.IftheRedArmygottothemwithhand-

heldrocketlaunchers,theycouldknockoneorbothofourtracksoff.Theleft

drivewheelwasnotoperating,andtheycouldonlymoveonthelefttrack.This

meanttheTigercouldonlymoveataslowspeedotherwisetheywouldcurve

sidewaysoutofcontrol.IftheTigerneededtoberecovered,itwouldrequire

specialistequipment.ThiswouldbeatleasttwotothreeBergePanther

recoveryvehicles,whichwerenotreadilyavailableinthecurrentarea.The

onlyoptionlefttotheTigercrewwastowithdrawbyslowlyreversingback.

TheRedArmyinfantryweresteadilybeingoverrunbyGermanInfantry.

Althoughtowatch,itwasquitesimplyanatrocity.RedArmysoldierswhohad

nothingtoloseusingalltheyhadagainsttheattackingGermans.OneGerman

soldierwasobviouslyoutofammunition-wasslashingandstabbingatthe

Soviets,hisbayonetfixed,lashingoutinalldirectionsslashinghandsnecksin

adueltothedeath.AnothersoldierthrewhisMP40toonesideandusedhis

entrenchingtooltobeatanotherSovietsoldiertodeath.Beforebeinghitby

somehighcalibrefirethatblewhisheadapart,beforehisheadlesscorpse

droppedtothefloor.TheTigersdidtheirbesttolaydownsomeheavyMG

firecuttingtheSovietsdownastheyadvancedlikeanangryhoard.Thebattle

fieldhungheavywiththestrongsmellofcordite.Steamfromhotweapons

couldbeseenrisinginalldirectionsasthebattlefieldfinallydroppedquiet.

Thankfully,theRedArmyattackhadfinallybeenrepelledforthelossofone

PantherandoneTiger.ThebiggestissuethePantherandTigersnowfacedwas

beingverylowonfuelandammunitionafterashortbutintensebattle.They

reversedbackintodeadgroundkeepingawatchfuloutforanysignsof

lingeringenemyforces.WhenapairofIlyushinscamescreaminginwitha

hailofbulletsrainingdowntheyswoopedupanddownandtwistedlikeapair

ofEagleshuntingfortheirprey.Thankfully,aSd.Kfz.251Hanamogmounted

withfour20mmFlakcannonshadseentheIlyushinsroaringinandbeganto

pumpoutflak.Thecrewsofthetanksleaptoutandinaninsanemovebeganto

firetheirMP40satthemaraudingaircraft.Itwasprettyineffectivebutallowed

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thecrewstoventtheiranger.Finally,awell-placedflakroundtookthetipof

thewingoffanIlyushin.Itcarriedonflyingforawhilebeforetherightwing

startedtodipandthepilottriedtocorrect,butovercorrectedwithhisrudder

andcausedtheIlyushintoenteraspin,whichwasunrecoverableatitscurrent

altitude.Ithitthegroundwiththesameforceasasmallbombbeforeerupting

intoafireball.Thepropellerintheprocesswasblownoffandlandedwitha

fewfeetofapairofTigersbeingpropelledthroughtheairlikeaNinja

throwingstarandembeddingitselfuprightintotheground.Withallits

ordnanceusedupandnothingtoshowforitapartfromahandfulofdead

Germaninfantry,theIlyushinbrokeoffandheadedforhome.

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CHAPTERTEN-BattleofKursk

TheBattleofKursk(July4-July20,1943)wasadecisivebattleonthe

EasternFront.ThebattlewasanattemptbytheGermanstogetontheoffensive

afterthemajordefeatattheBattleofStalingrad.TheSovietcounterpart,

however,hadgoodintelligenceabouttheGermanpreparations.TheRedArmy

establisheddeepdefensivepositionsandgatheredlargeforcesinreserve.The

BattleofKurskwasoneofthegreatestarmouredbattlesinhistorythatledto

thelargestlossinasingleday.ThefamoustankcrewatProkhorovkawaspart

oftheBattleofKursk.TheGermanforceswereunabletobreakthroughthe

Sovietlines,andeventuallytheSovietforcescounterattacked.TheGerman

sidenamedthebattleasOperationCitadel,whiletheSovietside,hadtwo

namesforit-OperationKutuzovforthedefensiveandOperationPolkovodets

Rumjantsevfortheoffensivepart.

TheBattleofKurskwasthelastmajorGermanoffensiveontheEastern

Front,afterKursktheinitiativeshiftedtotheRedArmy.TheSovietbattleplan

anditsexecutionwasexemplaryandisstillasubjectofstudybothinhistorical

andmilitarycircles.TheBattlewasadirectcontinuationoftheBattleof

Stalingrad.AfterthePaulusarmywassuccessfullyencircled,theSoviet

commandmadeaseriousmistakeandfailedtosurroundandeliminatethe

entireNaziforceontheDonandintheNorthCaucasus.

FieldMarshalManstein,whohadbeenallowedtogetawayfromthe

Caucasus,duringFebruarytoMarch1943,inflictedacrushingdefeaton

Sovietforces,retakingKharkovandBelgorod.TheGermansdidnothave

enoughfirepowerforKursk,hencetheKurskBulge,aprojectiongoingdeep

intotheGermanfront.Withinthatbulge,apowerfulSovietforcewas

concentrated,andtheGermanswereouttogettheSovietsinrevengefor

Stalingradbyencirclingandroutingthem.

AfterJune1941,theGermansdidnotprepareanyotheroffensiveoperation

asthoroughlyastheydidOperationCitadel.Preparationscontinuedforalmost

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fourmonths;thetroopsreceivedasubstantialamountofmodernhardwareand

equipment,includingTigerandPanthertanks,Elefantself-propelledguns,Fw-

190fighters,Ju-87bombers.

Preparationsweremadeamidtheutmostsecrecy,butthatsecretwasknownto

everyone.TheaxisoftheupcomingGermanstrikewasfartooobvious.Soviet

intelligenceservicesmerelyconfirmedtheGermanplans.Soviettroops

preparedforacounteroffensiveoperationjustasthoroughly.TheSovietshad

neverbuiltsuchstrong,deeplylayereddefensiveinstallations.

Itisamilitary-scienceaxiomthatanattackingforceshouldhaveatleasta4

to1superiorityoveradefendingforce.AtKursk,inthesummerof1943,the

Germansdidnothaveanysuperiorityatall.TheSovietCentralandVoronezh

Frontshada20percentto50percentsuperiorityovertheopposingCentreand

SouthGroupswhiletherewasalsoawholereservefront-theSteppeFront,

makingSovietsuperiorityovertheGermansmorethantwofold.Tocapitall,

theyknewexactlywhentheGermanoffensivewastobegin.

Insuchconditions,OperationCitadelwasasuicidemissionfortheGermans.

ItisworthmentioningthatHitlerwaswellawareofthat,buttheGerman

generalswereresolvedtotaketheirrevengefortheStalingradhumiliation.

TheoffensivebeganonJuly5,1943.Inlessthanaweek,anarmoured

contingentofTigers,Panthers,andElefants,escortedbyJu87s,despitefierce

resistancebySovietforces,breachedallthreedefencelinesoftheVoronezh

FrontcommandedbyGenVatutin.

ByJuly12,theGermansgainedoperationaldepth.Inordertorectifythe

situation,whichwasgettingdesperate,theSovietcommandmountedacounter

attackwiththeassetsandforcesoftheFifthGuardsTankArmyunderGen

Rotmistrov.

ThiswouldbecomethehistoricbattleofProkhorovka.Itconsistedofseveral

separatesmallerbattles,thetotalnumberofSoviettanksreaching660withthe

Germanshavingnomorethan420.Duetothenumberoftansinvolved,

Prokhorovkacannotberegardedasthelargesttankbattleinwarhistory.Even

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duringtheBattleofKurskthereweremorewide-rangingengagements,while

inlateJune1941over1,500tanksonbothsideshadbeeninvolvedinabattle

inWesternUkraine.

TheSovietslostaround500vehicleswhiletheGermanslostaround200.

WithsuchSovietlosses,itwasdifficultfortheSovietstoclaimvictory.As

Rotmistrovhimselfrecalledlater,“whenhelearnedaboutourlosses,Stalin

flewintoarage.Afterall,accordingtotheSupremeHighCommandplans,the

tankarmywasdesignedtotakepartinacounteroffensive,nearKharkov,but

nowithadtobereconstitutedandreinforced.

Thesupremecommanderdecidedtodismissmefromcommandandallbut

havemecourt-martialled.”

ToanalysethebattleofProkhorovka,StalingaveorderstosetupaState

DefenseCommitteecommission,whichjudgedtheoperationaclassicfailure.

Manstein'svictory,however,provedhollow.Germanlosseswereenormous

eventhoughtheyweresmallerthanSovietlosses.TheGermanshadnoassets

lefttoexploittheirsuccess.GenModel,whoattackedtheKurskBulgefromthe

north,movingtowardManstein,becamestuckinthedefencelinesofthe

CentralFrontcommandedbyGen.Rokossovsky.

OnJuly12,hewasattackedfromtherear,whenSovietWesternFronttroops

begananadvanceonOrel.Finally,BritishandAmericantroopslandedon

SicilycausingHitlertopanic.Thesubsequentcourseofthewarshowedthat

thealliesdidnothaveachanceontheItalianFront,butinJuly1943,Hitler

orderedtroopstoberedeployedfromtheEasternFronttoItaly.ByJuly17,

1943Mansteinbegantoretreat.TheGermans‘achievedadefeat,’showingthat

theywerestillsuperiorfighterswhiletheSoviets‘sufferedavictory’sincethe

battlehadfromthestartbeenhopelessfortheGermans.

EverythingcouldhavebeendifferentatKurskhadtheGermansattackedhead

oninsteadofthebaseofthebulge,whereSovietforceswereexpectingthem.

ByattackingheadontheGermanswouldhavecomeacrossvirtuallyno

defensivelines.Thiswouldhavemeanttheywouldhavereachedtherear

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servicepositionsofboththeCentralandtheVoronezhFrontonthesecondday

oftheoperation.ThiswasexactlywhatMansteinwantedtodo,andMarshal

Zhukovrecognizedthedangerafterthewar.Hitlerwasalsoinclinedtosupport

thatplan.

ButbeingproductsoftheclassicalPrussianmilitaryschool,Wehrmacht

generalsrefusedtobreakcanons.Theydideverythingproperlyandlost.After

that,theGermans,havinglosttheireliteunits,wereunabletoattack

successfullyuntiltheendofthewarwhiletheSovietstookanotherstepto

victory,onceagainpayinganexorbitantpriceforthat.

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CHAPTERELEVEN-Stuggered

January1944

ThecrewoftheSturmgeschütz(StuG)IVhadayoungDanishdriverwho

volunteeredattheageofseventeentojointheWaffenSS.Hewasoneof

severalDanishteenagerswhohadvolunteered.Theywereintentonholding

backtheSovietswhomtheyhatedpolitically.Afterhisinitialtrainingthe

youngdriverwaspostedtoanarmourunitinGermany.Thetankhehadbeen

allocatedtoowastheStuGIVaself-propelledanti-tankgunbasedonthe

chassisofthePanzerIVchassiswitha75mmgun.Itshighreliabilitywithquite

goodarmourprotectionandlowprofilemadeiteasytoconceal.Alongwith

thedrivertheStuGhadtwogunners’andacommanderallofGermanorigin.

ThecrewhadbeensenttotheEasternFront.TheyloadedtheirStuGontoa

railcarbeforemakingthelongjourneytotheirintendedareaofoperations.

Railtransportwasusedextensivelytomovearmourtotheirareaofoperations.

TheStuGonceunloadedandmovingunderitsownpowerpassedlonglinesof

refugeesfleeingthefightinginRussia.SomehatedtheSovietsasmuchasthe

GermansandwantedtogetintoareasliberatedbytheBritishandAmerican

forces.TheStuGgotitselfdugintopositionbydiggingalargeshellscrapeto

concealitself.AswellastwootherStuGsontheleftflank.Therewasacolumn

offiveTigersreadytopushforward.ThecommandingpositiontheStuGshad

placedthemselvesinofferedacommandingview.Justbehindthemwasa

mortarteam.TheStuGcrewsmadefinalpreparationsreadyforthebattle.The

crewtriedtogetafewhours’sleeponthehard,coldflooroftheStuG.

However,atlowtemperaturesonacoldandhardmetalflooritwashardtoget

comfortable.

AsdawndrewnearaheavyartillerybarragecourtesyoftheRedArmy

begun.TheroundsimpactedclosetotheStuGssendingshockwavesthatwere

strongenoughtorockthetankonitssuspension.Aswellasartillery,the

SovietshadKatyusharocketlaunchersfiringupintothedawnskylikeadeadly

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fireworkdisplay.OutofthegloomatthefootoftheplainseveralIS-2tanks

cameintoview.Thesewereformidabletanksandmorethanamatchforthe

TigersletalonetheStuGs.TheIS-2hadinfantrysoldiershitchingalift

huddledbehindthemainturret.TheStuGsopeneduptheirshellsdoingvery

littledamageotherthandisplacingtheinfantryridingontherear.Atotalof

eightIS-2sadvancedatfullpacefiringontheGermanarmour.ATigerwas

knockedoutalmostinstantlyfroma122mmroundthatpenetratedthelefthand

frontcorneroftheTiger.Killingthreeofthecrewinstantlyasshrapnelflew

aroundtheinteriorofthetankinflictingfatalwounds.Roundsstartedtohitthe

StuGsbutluckily,theydidlittledamageinitiallyastheyweredeflectedbyits

armour.TheStuGsconcealmentmadethemmuchhardertohit,especiallyin

theirweakerareas.TheStuGs75mmroundscontinuedtohittheIS-2sbutstill

didnotinflictanythingmorethanveryminordamage.The88mmonthe

Tigerswashavingmoreluck.Onehitfroman88mmroundjammedtheIS-2s

turretandanotherblewanotherIS-2strackoff.TheSovietinfantryfollowing

theIS-2sandweremucheasiertargetsforthevariousMGgunnerstocut

down.RoundsfromtheIS-2skeptcomingatquitearate.AlthoughtheD-25T

gunevenwithasemi-automaticbreachcouldonlyfireuptotworoundsa

minute,whichwasslowerthanthePantherandtheTiger.Anotherissueforthe

IS-2swasthattheyonlycarried28rounds.Thiswasduetolimitedspaceand

sizeofthe122mmroundsandusingaseparateshellandpowdercharge.

Evenwithitslefttrackblownoff,theIS-2continuedtofire.Finally,around

hitaStuGkillingitsgunner.Asecondroundmanagedtopassstraightthrough

thefrontalarmourbeforebouncingofftherearbulkheadandkillingeveryone

elseexcepttheDanishdriver.Theroundhadstartedanenginefire-sowithno

otherchoicethedriverleaptoutoftheStuGandranbackwardstotheGerman

mortarteams.ThethirdandfinalStuGexplodedafteraHEroundhittherear

sectionandignitedtheengineandfueltankssendingdebrisinalldirections.

TheIS-2sstilladvancedasaTigerhitanothercausingitsammunitionto

explodeinalargeballoffire.

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Thewholeareawasnowfilledwithburntbodiesineverydirection.Some

hangingoutofarmouredvehiclessomelyingincontortedpositionsinthe

snow.Onbothsides,loseswerebeginningtomountup.Germaninfantrywas

tryingtodisableIS-2swithPanzerfausts.TousethePanzerfaust,thesoldier

tookoffthesafety,aimed,and,withalittlesqueeze,firedtheprojectile.One

soldiergotluckywithaPanzerfaustandcausedanenginefirethatledtoits

crewbailingoutbeforebeingcutupbyheavyGermanMGfire.

ThenanotherTigerexplodedfromseveralhitsfromIS-2s.Thisleftthree

TigersagainstfiveIS-2s,whichwereadvancingrapidly.Theyjustrolledover

theGermaninfantrycrushingthemtodeath.Theirtracksrippingarmsand

legsoffintheprocess.Theirdeathcriescouldevenbeheardoverthe

deafeningnoiseofbattle.TheMGgunnersontheIS-2scuttheGerman

infantrydownastheyapproached,literallyshreddingtheirbodiesinthe

process.

TheTigerscontinuedtofireanddestroyedanotherIS-2withawell-placed

roundtothesidethatkilledallthecrewinsideinstantaneously.Inrevengethree

IS-2sopeneduponthesingleTigerblowingittobitsinamatterofseconds.

It'sturrethalfhangingoffandthecrewburningtodeathinside.Thefinaltwo

TigersbegantoretreatbackwardsstillfiringontheremainingIS-2s.ATiger

asitreversedbackwardsscoredanotherIS-2hit,justbelowthetrackstowards

therear.Itcausedtherearenginepanelstoblowoffbeforeanexplosionblew

theturrethatchopen.Amuchbiggersecondaryexplosionsentahugetowerof

redandorangeflamehighintothesky.Blacksmokepouredoutoftherearas

dieselandoilcaughtfire.TheTigersreverseddownoutoftheIS-2slineof

fire.Theycontinuedtopointtheirgunstowardstheridgeinanticipationfor

theIS-2sappearingovertheridgeline.

ForwhateverreasontheIS-2sneverappearedandtheTigercrewsbreatheda

sighofrelief.TheTigerscontinuedtoreverseintoabetterpositionbefore

requestingresupplyandrepairsbeforethenextencounter.BoththeTiger

crewsweresufferingfromexhaustion,butknewthattheystillhadtofight.The

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RedArmyhadproventobeamuchmoretenaciousinbattlethantheyever

thoughttheycouldbe.Thecoldjustaddedtotheirmiseryandvaluableenergy

wasbeingwastedjustkeepingwarm.

OneIS-2hadbeentakenoutaftermultiplePanzerfausthitstoitsrear.German

infantryswarmedovertheotherIS-2asitmovedalong.WithGermaninfantry

franticallytryingtogetthehatchesopenbeforethrowinginacoupleof

grenadesandkillingthecrewinside.TheIS-2finallygroundtoahalt.TheRed

Armyadvancedhadbeenhaltedbutnotwithoutthelossofseveraltanks.

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CHAPTERTWELVE-LeadTiger

January1944

FromovertheridgeamixtureofT-34s,IS-2sandSU-100sappeared.Allof

thesetankswouldbeaformidablefoe.TheleadTigercommanderthroughhis

binocularsawtheapproachingSovietArmyandshoutedovertheintercom

“FEINDLICHEPANZERVONWESTEN.”TheT-34swerenotquiteasmuch

ofaworryastheIS-2sandSU-100self-propelledguns.TheSU-100was

essentiallyanupgradedSU-85,whichhadbeenrenderedobsoletewithitsgun

beingmountedontheT-3485.AlthoughtheT-3485couldstillnotquite

matchtheTiger,asaTigercoulddestroyaT-34from1,500to2,000meters

comparedtothe600metresoftheT-3485.TheSU-100tookthesameT-34

chassisasusedontheSU-85andaddedstrongerarmour,whichwentfrom

45mmto74mminthickness.Italsohadabetterventilationsystemcompared

totheSU-85.Finally,itwasfittedwiththe100mmD-10Sgun,theSU-100

couldpenetratearound125mmofverticalarmourfromarangeof1.2miles

andthesloped80mmfrontarmourofthePantherfrom0.93miles.Theygot

giventhenameCatHuntersastheycouldtakeoutTigerandPanthertanks.

TheTigersgotoffthefirstshotsfollowedbytwoPanthers.Thefirstround

bouncedoffthehugefrontalarmour.ThesecondTigerroundhittheleft-hand

track.Thetrackshatteredandtracklinksblewoffinalldirections.TheSU-100

stillfireditsgunandtheroundscreamedtowardstheGermanarmourbefore

findingthesideofPanzerIVandknockingoffitsslimarmourcoveringthe

wheels.TheGermancrewsfeltfearful,astheyknewtheywereupagainstsome

powerfultanks.Itwasacaseofkillorbekilledasthecrewsloadedthenext

salvoofroundsintotheirgunbreaches.Moreshellsscreamedoverfromthe

SU-100s,theIS-2shadmovedoutofsightandweregoingtotryandflankus

totheleft.JustbehindtheSU-100swerethreeT-34s.TheHEroundsfromthe

SU-100sexplodedinthesnowaroundtheGermanarmour.Throwingup

shrapnelthatcouldbeheardbouncingoffthetankarmour.Theyhadbeen

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luckysofar,withnotoneroundhavingknockedasingletankoutfar.

Bothsidescontinuedtofire,witharoundfinallyhittingthetopofaSU-100

causingittoexplode.OneoftheT-34sbehindwashitintheturret,whichwas

blownoffbytheforceoftheround.AnotherSU-100washitinthefrontand

theroundpenetratedthearmour,causingittofallsilent.Thecrewwereeither

deadorhadbeenknockedunconscious.

APantherwasstruckintheturretbya100mmroundfromanSU-100,the

subsequentexplosioncausedtheturrettoliftofffromthehullofthePanther

androlloffthehullandenduponitsideafewfeetaway.Thecrewlaydead

insidebeforethetankexplodedthrowingoutbodypartsinalldirectionsthat

fellbackontothehullandintothesurroundingsnow.

ThePanthercontinuedtoburnuntiltherewasnothinglefttoburnandthe

remainingcrewinsidehadbeenincinerated.AnotherSU-100washitbya

Tigershell,itseemedtomovebackwardsslightlyinalargeplumeofdirty

greysmokebeforecatchingfire.FurtherTigerfirehitanotherSU-100inthe

tracksandhull,splittingopenasectionofthehullandallowingadismembered

crewmembertofalloutlifelessontothesnow.TheGermanarmourhadan

elevationadvantageandwereabletofireshotsattheweakertopsectionsofthe

SU-100shull.AnotherSU-100washitinthetransmissionanditgroundtoa

halt,stillfiringback.TryingtohitanotherPanther,whichitdidwithgreat

successknockingoutthedriverandrighthandtrack.TheGermaninfantrywas

orderedtobeginanattackonthelasttworemainingSU-100susinga

Panzerfaust.TheIS-2ssuddenlyreappearedobviouslyhavingbeenorderedto

cometotheaidoftheSU-100s.Indoingsotheyexposedtheirweakerhulland

thefirstIS-2haditslowerhullblownapart.ThedeadMGgunnerwashalf

hangingouttheholemadebytheexplosion.TheIS-2continuedtomoved

forwardbeforeawell-aimedshotthroughtheexistingholewithaHEround

causedthewholetanktoliftupafewfeetintotheairwithaverylargeand

loudexplosionrippingthroughthehullasifitasmadeoftissuepaper.Inside

thecommanderdesperatelytriedtoopentheturrethatchashewasengulfedin

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flamesscreamingandwailingawaybeforefallingdownintotheinferno

raginginthehull.Ammunitionstartedtocookoffandexplodeandthisblack

oilyresiduestartedtorundownthehulloftheIS-2whichwasnowfullablaze.

TheotherIS-2spushedforwardmissingthevolleyofroundsbeingfiredfrom

theTigers.Thespeedatwhichtheyweremovingmadeitdifficultforthemto

getaproperaimandtheirshotsmissedtheTigerscompletely.TheGerman

InfantrywerecutdownbytheIS-2sMGgunstheirbodiesandheadsexploding

asroundsimpactedonthem.Oneinfantrymanhadhisinsidesblowncleanout

byasinglewellplacedMGround.Another88mmshellfromaTigerhitanIS-

2strackandblewthreeroadwheelscleanoffintheprocess.TheIS-2swung

roundexposingitsweakersidearmourandanotherwell-placedroundhitthe

rearsideofthetank,blowingtheenginecleanoutofthetankandcausingthe

fueltankstoexplode.Whilstdieseldoesnotburneasily,whenitbecomes

compresseditignitesquiteeasily,especiallyanycompresseddieselvapour.

Thepressurewavecausedbytheimpactofawell-placedroundwasenoughto

putthedieselunderenoughpressuretocauseittoigniteintoafireball.

Finally,anIS-2roundfounditsmarkonaTigerandpenetratedthefrontal

armourkillingallthecrewinaninstant.Ittookthreeroundsinrapid

successiontoimmobilizetheadvancingIS-2.Thefirstroundpunchedthrough

thelowerhull,thesecondroundhitthefrontsprocket,blowingitoffandthe

thirdhitthelowerhullcausingittogooutofcontrolandtipoverafterfalling

intoaditch,withsmokepouringoutasitlaystranded.Asthecrewtriedto

escapetheywerecutdownbyGermanMGgunnerswhohadwitnessedthe

sametankmowingdownandshootingattheirfriendsandfellowsoldiers.

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CHAPTERTHIRTEEN–ForestFire

March1944

Throughthegunsight,thegunnergothisfirstglimpseoftwoT-34smoving

atfull-speeddownahillgoingfromlefttorighttowardsatreeline.Their

vulnerableflankswererightinthePantherslineofsight.Thegunnertraversed

thegunontothetargetensuringthetargetingtriangleontheleadtankwasin

thecentreofthetarget.Allowingforthemovementofthetarget.Dirtyblack

exhaustplumesemanatedfromtheirtwinexhaustsfromtherearofthetanksas

theybeltedalongontheroughtrack.Russiahadveryfewpavedroads,most

werejuststonytracksthatbecamehardinthewinterandsummer.Thenturned

intoathickgooeymudasthesnowmelted,causingmen,horsesandarmourto

becomestuck.

About65%oftheRussianterritoryisunderlinedbypermafrost.Mostareas

ofRussiaincludingEuropeanRussia,inthesouthofWestSiberiaandinthe

southoftheRussianFarEast,includingthecitiesofMoscowandSaint

Petersburg,experienceahumidcontinentalclimate.SaintPetersburg(formally

Leningrad1924-1992)whichenduredan872-daysiegebyGermanforces

fromSeptember1941toJanuary1944.Ithasatemperatureaveragelowof-

9°C(recordlowof-36°C)inthewintertoanaverageof24°C(recordhighof

37°C)inthesummer.

ThegunnerfiredandtherewasanexplosionofmetalastheroundhittheT-

34strackcausingittoveeroffviolentlytooneside.ThesecondPanthershot

anAProundstraightthroughtherearflank,hittingtheengine-causingthe

rearenginecovertoblowoff.

ThegunnerofthefirstPanthertraversedhisgunslightlyontothesecondT-

34andscoredasecondhit,thistimeontheturretcausingaflashoflight

aroundtheturretring.Thehatchestothetanksuddenlyflewopenasthickgrey

smokepouredoutofthehatches.Thecrewscrambledoutandwenttoground

beforetheycouldbehitbythePanthersMGgun.TheT-34startedtoburn

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fiercelyandthecrewhadmadealuckyescape.AthirdT-34appearedbefore

veeringofftowardsthetreelineandrelativesafetyoftheforest.Thetwo

Panthersgotanothercoupleofshotsoff.Oneshotmissedandtheotherhitthe

T-34inthecentreline.Thiscausedalargeexplosionasammunitioninsidethe

tankexplodedcausingthemainturrettorolloff.Beforethehullofthetank

wasengulfedinflames.ThreeT-34swerenowdisabledfornolossesorhits

onthePanthers.

ThefirstPantherwashitbya76-mmroundfromanotherT-34,thisroundhit

thePantherinthefrontalareacausinganenormousbangandthecrewcould

feelthePanthershake.ThisT-34hademergedfromthetreelineandjusttothe

rightoftheT-34wasaSU-85aself-propelledgunbasedonaT-34chassis

withaD5-T85mmgun.Originally,thegunwasan85-mmairdefencegun

M1939(52-K).ItwasdevelopedbytheD-585mmgun.Thoughmuchtoo

largefortheT-34turret,itcouldbemountedinthechassisoftheSU-122self-

propelledguntocreateatankdestroyer.ForittobefittedtoaT-34anew

turretwouldberequired.ThiswaslaterundertakentocreatetheT-3485.The

D-5couldpenetratethesidearmouroftheTigerIfrom800metersandthe

turretsidefrom600meters.

AluckyshotfromaPantherhittheT-34sglacisplateandwasnotdeflected.It

blewofflargechunksofarmourplate.Aflashofflameemanatedfromthe

rearoftheturretbeforethickblacksmokestartedtopouroutanyopenings.

ThecrewthrewtheirhatchesopengrabbingtheirPPSh-41sandmakearunfor

itdeeperintotheforest.Everyfewmetresturningaroundandfiringoffafew

roundsfromtheirPPSh-41s.Oneofthecrewwasonfireashisfierytorso

disappearedintotheforest.

TheSU-85openedupandthePanthercrewsfiredmoreroundsfromtheir

extremelyhotbarrels.AroundfromtheSU-85hitthefirstPanthersgun

mantleknockingthegunneroutanddamagingtheelevationmechanism.The

Pantherwasnowunabletofirebackanddecidedtoreversebackoutoffiring

rangeandundertakerepairs.WithonePantherleftandanSU-85.Itwasgoing

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tobeadualtothedeathofonetankoranother.

ThePanthergotthefirstroundoffhittingthefontalarmoursendingchunks

ofarmourflyingoff.TheSU-85stoppedandfiredanAProundstraightatthe

Panthersturret,jammingthePanthersturretfromtraversing.ThePanther

insteadturnedonitstracksforalessthanpreciseaimatthefrontoftheSU-85

andletoffanotherround,ithitnotmuchfurtherawayfromthefirstfrontal

impactandthistimepenetratedthearmourandstoppedwhenithittheengine

block,knockingtheengineout.Thedriverwasstillinjuredfromthefirst

impactandonlythecommanderalongwiththedriverhadsurvived.The

commanderpulledthedriveroutofhisseatandoutoftheescapehatchbefore

landinginaheaponthefloor.ThePantherwasoutofMGammosowas

unabletofinishthemoff.Insteaddecidingtoreverseandmakeahastyretreat

beforeanymoreSovietarmourappeared.TheSU-85crewhadmadealucky

escape.TheSU-85wassmokingheavilybuthadnotcaughtfire.Otherthana

coupleofbruisesandafewcuts,thegunneranddriverhadmanagedtoget

awayprettymuchunscathed.Theywouldmorethanlikelywithin24hoursbe

backonthefrontlinewithadifferenttankcrewtofillincapsleftbylosses.It

wasnotunusualtoloseaGermantankcommanderduetosniperfire.Standing

upintheircupola,theymadeaneasysnipertarget.

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CHAPTERFOURTEEN–KingTiger

August1944

TheTigerIIcombinedtheheavyarmouroftheTigerIwiththeslopped

armourofthePanther.ItwasacompletelydifferenttanktotheTigerIand

weighed70tonscomparedtothe56tonsoftheTigerI.TheKingTigerwas

firstusedinactioninNormandyinJuly1944beforebeingusedontheEastern

Frontthefollowingmonth.TheTigerIIalsocalledthekingTigerwasthe

mostpowerfultanktobedeployedanywhereduringWorldWar2.Together

withthePantherformedaGermanspearheadfortheBattleoftheBulgein

December1944.Theoffensivethoughpeteredoutduetoalackoffueland

manyTigersendedupbeingabandoned.

DespiteitssuccessincombattheTigercontinuedtoexperiencemany

problems.Theoverlappingsuspensionwasone,whichcouldeasilybecome

cloggedwithmud.DuringtheRussianwinter,thismudwouldfreezeand

wouldneedtobechippedawaybeforethetankcouldmove.Theenginewas

duetobereplacedbytheMaybachHL234,whichwasbeingdeveloped.

Essentially,thiswasthecurrentHL230engineextensivelyupgradedand

modifiedwiththefittingoffuelinjectorswhichwouldhaverisentheengine

powerto800-900hppartiallyaddressingtheunderpoweredissue.Although,

thisenginethoughneverreachedproductionbeforethewarended.Thiswasto

addressthesameunder-poweredproblemsufferedbytheTiger.

Incomparison,amodernBritishChallenger2tankwhichhasaweightof62

tonswithmuchstrongerChobham2armour,amorepowerful120mmgun

andaV-12dieselengineproducing1,200hp.Thisgivesapowertoweightof

19.2hpcompared13.8hpfortheTigerIand10hpfortheTigerII.Atthesame

time,itshowshowadvancetheTigerIIwasforitsday.Withtankengineand

transmissiontechnologyatthetime,beingtheonlyrealweakareaGermans

hadnotovercome.

Only492KingTigerswereproduced,withproductionbeingseverely

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disruptedbyalliedbombingraids.TheKingTigersturretwasdesignedto

mountthe8.8cmKwK43L/71gun.TheKwK43wasover1.3meterslonger

thanthatofthe88mmKwK36L/56usedfortheTigerI.Thecartridgewas

alsoconsiderablylongerandwiderthanthatusedinKwK36,allowingfora

muchheavierpropellantcharge.Theguns'extremelyhighmuzzlevelocityand

operatingpressurescausedacceleratedbarrelwear,resultinginachangetoa

two-piecebarrel.Thismadeitmucheasiertochangewornoutbarrels.The

turretcouldberotated360degreesin60secondsinlowgear,in19secondsin

highgearatidleenginespeed,andwithin10secondsatthemaximum

allowableenginespeedinhighgear.Makingitquicklyabletoswinground

ontoatarget.

AfterinitialsuccessinNormandyinJuly1944,theTigerIIorKingTiger

madeittotheEasternFront.ItwasfirstusedinangeronAugust12,1944by

the501stHeavyPanzerBattalionresistingtheLvov–SandomierzOffensive.

TheKingTigersattackedaSovietbridgeheadovertheVistulaRivernear

BaranówSandomierski.However,ontheroadtoOględów,threeTigerIIs

weredestroyedinanambushbyafewT-34-85s.DuetotheseGermantanks

sufferedammunitionexplosions,whichcausedmanycrewfatalities.Thisalso

ledtomaingunammunitionnolongerbeingstoredintheturrettoreducefatal

explosions.Indoingsothisreducedthenumberofroundscarriedto68.On

August11,1944,threeKingTigersapproachedandstartedtoattackabridge

overtheVislulaRiver.However,astheybegantheirattacktheyhadalready

beenspottedbyOskinaRedArmytankcommander.HisT-3485alongwith

twoothershadbeenwellhiddenandheavilycamouflaged.Theyalsohadan

SMGplatoonsupportingthem.

RatherthanengagestraightawayhedecidedtowaituntilthethreeKing

Tigersweremuchcloserandmorelikelytosufferfataldamage.Hewaited

untiltheKingTigerswereabout200metresawayandopenedfire.TheKing

TigersweresideontotheT-3485sandatthisrange,theD5-Tgunshouldbe

abletopenetratethesidearmour.UsingbothAPDS(AmourPiercing

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DiscardingSabot).Whichiskineticenergyprojectilethatenabledbetter

penetrationofthickarmour.ThefirsttworoundsfiredononeKingTigerdid

notpenetratethethirdhittheturretandcausedtheammunitionstoredinthe

turrettoexplodedliftingitawayfromitsturretring.Theexplosionalso

causedtheKingTigertocatchfirekillingallitscrewinaninstance.TheKing

Tigershadyettofindtheirtargetletalonefireoffanyrounds.TheT-34s

continuedtofireandanotherKingTigerwashitthreetimesbutitsarmourwas

notpenetratedastheyturnedintothelineoffirewiththeirmuchstronger

frontalarmour.Afourthroundhitjustunderneaththemainturretandagain

causedammunitiontoexplodekillingtheentirecrewonceagain.Twomighty

KingTigerswerenowburningferociouslywithoutasingleT-3485having

beenhit.Outintheopenandnowheretohide,thefinalTigerdecidedtotryand

escapebymovingatfull-speed.Usingsmoke,theT-34susedtheirgreater

speedandmanoeuvrabilityandmanagedtooutmanoeuvretheKingTiger.The

T-34sfiredoffseveralshotsintothesideoftheKingTiger.

ThistimetheymanagedtodisabletheKingTigerwithoutitgoingupin

flames.Theroundsbouncingoffbutcausingchunksofarmourtocomeoff

andflyaroundtheinsidecuttingthecrewtoshreds.Threeofthecrewwere

killedbytheshrapnelandthefinalcrewmembermanagedtoescapeslightly

injured.HewascapturedandtakenasaPOWbytheSMGplatoon.Itwasan

outstandingoftanktactics,fromatankthatwhilstfasterandmore

manoeuvrablewasoutgunnedunlessitgotupclosetotheKingTiger.

ItwasanappallinglossofGermany’snewsupertankandcausedareviewof

tacticsanddoctrine.Twelvetankcrewmembershadbeenlostwithonenowa

SovietPOW.TheimmobilisedTigerwascapturedbytheSovietsandrepaired

beforebeingmovedtotestinggroundsatKubinkafortheSovietstoevaluate.

ThiswasoneoftwoKingTigerscapturedinAugust1944.

Duringtheevaluation,theSovietsfoundoutquicklythattheKingTigerhada

tendencytobreakdown.Duringthetransfertotheirtestinggroundsandgetting

tosuitablerailtransportthecoolingsystemwasfoundtobeinsufficientforthe

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excessivelyhotclimaticconditionsoftheRussiansummer.Theenginetended

tooverheatandcauseaconsequentialfailureofthegearbox.Theright

suspensionofoneofthetankshadtobecompletelyreplaced,anditsfull

functionalitycouldnotbere-established.Thetankdownagainaroundevery10

miles.The8.8cmKwK43intermsofpenetrationandaccuracywasfoundto

beonparwiththe122mmD-25T.Itprovedcapableofpassingaround

straightthroughandoutoftheothercapturedKingTiger ’sturretatarangeof

at430yards.Thearmourofonevehiclewastestedbyfiringatitwithshells

between100and152mmcalibre.TheweldingoftheKingTigerevenwiththe

usualcarefulworkmanship,wassignificantlyworsethanonsimilardesigns

eventheTigerI.

ThismeantthatwhenshellswereunabletopenetratetheTigersarmourthey

causedtheplatestobreakintosmallerpieces,whichwouldhavecausedinjury

ordeathtothecrewsittinginside.Thesemetalfragmentsalsodamagedthe

sensitivetransmissionandrenderedtheKingTigerinoperable.Thearmour

platewasfoundtonotbeasstrongasthatontheTigerIorthePanther.Further

analysisfoundthatthearmourplatewaslackinginmolybdenumduetoaloss

ofsupplyandreplacedwithvanadiumwhichloweredthemalleabilitymaking

themetalmorepronetoshattering.Althoughtothisdayithasnotbeen

recordedifthefrontalarmourofaKingTigerwaseverpenetratedinbattle.

TheRedArmyalsolearnttobestwaytotakeoutKingTigerwastodoitin

stages.ThefirststagewastouseHEroundsanddestroypartoftherunning

gear.Withthetankimmobilizedthenextstagewastoatcloserangefiringinto

therearandsidestodestroyit.T-34swiththeirgoodmanoeuvrabilitystooda

goodchanceofbeingabletooutmanoeuvrethetraversingturret.Anattack

manoeuvremademoredeadlyiftheT-34sattackedinnumbers.

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CHAPTERFIFTEEN–VillageLiberation

ThegroupofKingTigersraceddowntheroughtrackwiththeforest

flashingbytotheleft.BehindthecolumnofKingTigerswasGermanInfantry

whoalllookedverywarwearyandbedraggled.TheKingTigerssuspension

struggledtotakeinalltheundulations–thesevibrationswentstraightintothe

hull,causingthecrewtobobupanddownandswayleftandrightintheirseats.

SmokebelchedoutfromthetwinexhaustsasKingTigersenginesroaredin

unisononfullbore.TheRedArmyhadbegunanattackonavillageandthe

attackinginfantrywasnowpinneddownandindesperateneedofbackup.As

theKingTigerscrewdrewnear,theyranintoanartillerybombardment.

Stalin’sOrganscouldbeheardplayingtheirdeadlytunenottoofaraway.The

artillerybombardmentwaseffectivewithroundsimpactingclosebyfollowed

bybitsofshrapnelandstoneflyingoffinalldirections.Theshrapneland

stonescouldbeheardbouncingofftheKingTigersarmour.

Theinfantrysoldier ’sfollowingthetankssoughtcoverintheforestasthe

KingTiger ’scontinuedtopushahead.Thecrewshopedtheycoulddriveaway

fromthebombardmentastheycontinuedtoraceforward.Artilleryshellsfell

totheleftandtherightuprootingandshatteringtreesintheprocess.The

infantrydecidedtoflankleftandcontinueintothewoodstowardsthevillage

undersiege.AstheTigerscametothetopofahilloverlookingthevillage,

theysloweddowntoastopandbegantoscanthehorizonforanypotential

targets.Thevillagewasjusttotheirleftandjustunderamileaway;the

shatteredroofsofhousescouldclearlybeseen.Smokepouredoutofshell

damagebuildings,almostcreatingasmokescreenobscuringthefighting

goingoninthestreets.AbandonedT-34s,PanthersandTigerscouldbeseen

aroundthevillage.

Ratherthanbecomeanartillerytarget,theKingTigersdecidedtopush

forward,inthehopetheycouldhelpclearthevillagebeforetheinfantry

followedtofinishoffanyremnantsoftheRedArmy.Makinguseoftheir

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frontalarmourand88mmgun,theKingTigergunnerscannedthehorizon,

readytofireassoonashelocatedatarget.TheKingTigerswantedto

minimizetheirtimeintheopenandseeksomeformofcover.TheKing

Tiger ’stracksrippedatthegrasslandthrowinghugegrasssodsintotheair

behindthem.Astheydrewtoabouthalfamile,smallarmsfirebegantostart

bouncingoffthearmour.TheRedArmyhadbeenalertedtotheirpresence.

However,indoingsowouldtaketheirattentionawayfromtheadvancing

GermaninfantryaboutamilebehindtheKingTigers.AstheTigersgotcloser

tothevillage,theRedArmybegantofireM-42guns,the45mmshells

bouncingofftheKingTigersfrontalarmour.

OneM-4245mmshellhitanotherKingTigeronthefrontplatethatcaused

Commandertobitehistongue.Anotherroundhitturretclosetohis,feeling

likehehadbeenpunchedtothesideofthehead.TheKingTigercontinuedlike

adogchasingacat.RepeatedM-42roundswerenowbeingdeflectedoffthe

thickKingTigerarmour,flyingoffinalldirectionsbeforelandingharmlessly

inthegrasswithshrapnelflyinginalldirections.TheM-42wasanupgradeof

the45mmanti-tankgunM1937(53-K).TheM-42hadalongerbarreland45

mmshellswithmorepowerfulcartridges.Itwasquiteeffectiveagainstlighter

vehiclesandcouldpiercethesidearmourofPantherandPanzerIV,butnot

againstaKingTigerthatgenerallytookatleasta57-mmanti-tankgunmodel

1943orsimilartopiercesidearmour.

M-42shadbeenplacedaroundthevillageandduginwithmoundsofsoil

surroundingthem.TheTigersstartedtotargettheangryM-42gunsonthe

move.AKingTigerfiredaHEshellatanM-42gun.Ithitthesoilsurrounding

itandexploded;theforceoftheblasttwistedthebarreloftheM-42gunand

killedthesoldier ’soperatingitinaninstance.

AstheKingTigersdrewnear,anotherM-42guncrewdecidedtofleerather

thanfallvictimtoaKingTiger.Theyknewtheirgunwouldstruggletodoany

formofdamagetoaKingTigerandhadnotslowedanyofthemdownsofar.

TheMG34gunnerwasfiringawayatRedArmysoldiers.AnotherM-42gun

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wastakenoutbyaTiger-theHEroundsenttheentireM-42gunintotheair,

almostspinningoveronitsself.ThiswasthelastroundfiredattheM-42guns

astheTigerTankshadreachedtheirpositionsracingatfullspeedandusedall

their67tonstosmashthroughandcrushtheremainingM-42guns.Astheir

crewsleaptoutofthewaytoavoidthemaraudingtanks.

ThesoilmoundssurroundingtheM-42gunshadbeenflattenedbytheweight

oftheKingTigersandtheirdistinctivetrackpatternimprintedintothesoil.

TheM-42gunswerenowjusttwistedlumpsofmetalcompletelysmashedand

rendereduseless.SmallarmsfirewasstillbouncingofftheKingTigers

armourasthetanksswungleftandheadeddownthefirststreet.TheMG34

gunnercontinuedtofireawayatthefleeingRedArmy.Acoupleofwell-

placedHEroundstookoutacoupleofMGpositionsmountedinthesecond

flooroftworuinedbuildings.TheKingTigerscontinueduntiltheycametoa

stopalongsidearowofshops.AstheGermaninfantrystartedtostreamdown

thehilltowardsthevillage.Theirdistinctivegreyandblueuniformsstanding

outagainstthegrassastheymovedintoanextendedlinetotakethevillage.

Thesunbegantobreakoutfrombehindthecloudsandaddanunwelcome

heattothetankcrewsalreadysweatinginsidetheirtanks.RedArmyartillery

openeduponceagain.FiringitsshellsontheGermaninfantryrapidly

approachingthevillage.Mencouldclearlybeseenbeingblownapartas

roundshitthegroundallaroundthem.Theinfantrysoldierswerenowzipping

leftandrighttoavoidthebombardment.Somebeingluckyandothersnot

beingquitesolucky.Moreshellsexplodedthistimeonlybitsofshrapnel

hittingtheadvancinginfantry.FromtheKingTigersthecrewwatchedthe

sheerterrortheGermaninfantrymustbegoingthroughastheydodged

artilleryshellafterartilleryshell.

AstheKingTigersslowlymovedforward,someRedArmysoldierspopped

outofashopdoorwayinfrontoftheKingTigers.AstheRedArmysoldiers

poppedoutahailoffirefromtheKingTigersMG34cuttingthemdownin

theirtracks.TheKingTigerscontinuedtomoveforwardfollowingtheruined

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shopsalongtheedgeofthevillage.

AstheGermanyinfantryenteredthevillage,theyimmediatelyfannedoutand

begantosearchforanyhiddenRedArmysoldiers.Itwasnottoolongbefore

smallarmsfirecouldbeheardasRedAmysoldierswerelocatedandshot.

TherewouldbenumerousRedArmysoldiershidingincellarsorinthe

shatteredruinsofabuilding.Notwantingfightandmuchratherbecapturedby

theGermans.Anythatdidsurrenderwerecapturedandwouldbeusedasslave

labour.Theartillerybombardmenthadprettymuchstoppedfornow.Theodd

shellstilldroppingclosetothevillage.TheRedArmyseemedtoalmostbe

avoidinganyfurtherdamagetotheirpreciousvillage.

Ittookafurtherhourfortheinfantrytosweepthevillageandrootoutallthe

RedArmy,intheprocesstakingaroundonehundredprisoners.Corpsesof

deadciviliansstilllayinthestreetinanadvancedstateofdecomposition.

AbandonedweaponsandRedArmytruckswerefoundinatthecentreofthe

village.Thisalmostseemedlikethelullbeforethestorm.Resistancehadbeen

fartoolightandnotonepieceofenemyarmourinsight.

ApairofIlyushinsappearedatlowlevelracingtowardsthevillage.Asthey

gotclose,theyfiredtheircannonstheirroundsbouncingoffbuildingsina

flurryofsmallsparks.TheGermanscurrentlyhadnoflakcoverandallthey

coulddowasfindcoverandwaitfortheIlyushinstorunoutofammunition.

TheKingTigersmovedthemselvesclosetoacoupleofbuildingsafterfour

passesandtheirammunitionspenttheIlyushinsbrokeoffandheadedfor

home.Otherthanafewdeadinfantrysoldiers,theyhadnothitaKingtigeror

causedanysignificantdamage.Thevillagehadbeentakenhadbeenasmallbut

insignificantsuccessfortheGermans.

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CHAPTERSIXTEEN–LastStand

Thecommanderstoodupinhiscupolatoseebetter,asthecolumnofKing

TigerswithtwoPanthersandaJagdpantherfollowing.TheJagdpantherwas

basedonthechassisofthePanthertankwiththepowerful8.8cmPaK43

cannonoftheKingTiger.Itenteredservicelatein1944andsawservicein

boththeEasternandWesternFronts.

Asthetankcolumngotclose,thetownlookedverypeaceful.However,inthe

streetsandinthegardens,wasthebodiesofsoldiersandcivilians.Thistown

hadseensomefiercefightinglikesomanyothers.Bodilyfluidswereleaching

outandalmosteatingintotheroughlypavedstreetsandroads.Thestenchwas

horrific,almostbringingwatertothecrew’seyes.Thesmellofrotting

garbagewaslikeafineperfumeincomparison.

TheKingTigerspositionedthemselvesonthemainroadthroughthetown.

Germaninfantrywasspreadingthroughthetownundertakinghousebyhouse

clearanceevenifitmeantburningabuildingdowntothegroundsome

unrecognisableaseverhavingbeenhuman.AnybodiesofRedArmysoldiers

wereturnedoverprodded.Iftherewasanythoughtthat,theywerestillalive.

Theywerehithardintheheadafewtimeswiththeirriflebuttsinordertosave

preciousammunition.ManyoftheTown’soccupantswerestilltryingtoflee

theragingwarthathadbeenbroughttotheirdoorstep.Cartswereloadedup

withbelongingsandpeople,othershadtheirentirelifeontheirbacks.

TheKingTigerscontinuedtomovecautiouslyuptheroadpassingburning

buildingsandtheoddbodycrunchingunderneathitswidetracks.Theusual

artillerybombardmenteruptedintolife.Shellsbegantodropontothestreet

withpinpointaccuracy,theKingTigerspickedupspeedandthegapbetween

themgrewwidertoaidinavowingoneshelltakingoutseveralKingTigersin

onego.Partsofthestreetandbodieswerethrownhighupintotheairand

rainedbackdownontheTankswitheachexplosion.Germaninfantrywasalso

caughtupinthedeadlyblastkillingandmaimingmanythathadnotbeenable

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toseekcoverquickenough.Theexplosionsshatteredanyglassremainingin

thewindows.ThestreetwassoonclearofanylifeotherthantheKingTigers.

ThetwoPanthersandtheJagdpantherhadtakenadifferentroutearoundthe

perimeterandhadbeensparedfromtheartillerybombardmentfornow.The

flashesoflightfromtheexplodingshellswasalmostblindingforthedriveras

hepeeredoutthroughhisnarrowslittryingtonavigatearoundthecratersleft

bytheartilleryshells.

Anycarsthathadremainedintactonthestreetwerenowtwistedburning

metal.TheKingTigersploughedonthroughtheexplosionsastheyburstin

multiplesatthefrontrearandsidesoftheKingTigers.AstheTigersgot

towardstheendofthemainroadthroughtheTown–KrugertheCommander

oftheleadtankcouldseetheRedArmyinfantryfleeingfromtheedgeofthe

townastheartillerybombardmentcontinued.

TheywouldeithertraptheKingTigersbyblockingthemsotheartillery

couldfinishthemofforpossiblyfleeingasGermanarmourandinfantry

approached.TheRedArmyweregoodtacticiansandshouldneverbe

underestimated.TheKingTigertraverseditsturretslightlytosearchfor

targets.AnIS-2hadappearedtotheleftofthefleeingRedArmyinfantry.This

lookedlikethestartofaRedArmycounteroffensive.TheIS-2hadappeared

fromthesideofabuilding.

TheJagdpantherhadmovedintosomecovernearagroupoftreesandthe

twoPanthershadmovedclosertothebuildingontheperimeteroftheTown.A

shotfromtheIS-2hitthegunmantleontheJagpanther.Itcausedthe

Jagpanther ’smainguntojerkupwardsandindoingsobrokethejawofthe

gunnerandknockedhimoutcold.Theroundhaddamagedthemechanismfor

raisingandloweringthegunandthemaingunwasnowstuckinaraised

positon.TheJagdpantherhadnochoicebuttoreverseandtrytogetitselfout

ofthelineofsightoftheIS-2.TheslowreloadingtimeoftheIS-2wouldaid

intheJagdpanthersescapeandallowittogetawayforrepairs,althoughit

wouldnowbeoutofactionforatleast24hours.Thegunnerwouldalsoneed

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tobereplacedbymostlikelya16-17-year-old,whomhadhadnobattle

experienceandtheminimumamountoftraining.

TheIS-2wasjoinedbyapairofT-34s.AKingTigerquicklygotoffaround.

The88mmHEroundhitthefirstT-34intheturretandblewitsturretoff,the

turretblewoffandfellontotherearofthesecondT-34inflames.Ratherthan

staywiththeirtankthecrewofthesecondT-34,thoughttheyhadbeenhitand

whereonfireandbailedoutoftheT-34.Theymusthavegotabitofashockto

seeaT-34turretrestingontheirreardeck.

ThefirstT-34wasnowfullyablazeandroundwerestartingtocookoffas

theheatinsidethehullbecamemoreintense.WithoneT-34knockedoutand

anotherabandoned,aKingTigerstillfiredaroundintothesideabandonedT-

34,justtomakesureitcouldnotbereused.

WiththeT-34threatneutralized,attentionwasnowdrawntothemuch

deadlierthreatposedbytheIS-2andits122-mmgun.TheIS-2hadnow

reloadedandwasslowlymovinguptogetintoposition.TheKingTigers

couldnotgetafixontheIS-2astheirviewwasblocked.ThetwoPanthershad

alineofsightontheIS-2andbothgotashotoff.Thefirstshothittheleft-hand

cornerdoingsomeminordamagetothefrontcornerandthesecondshot

missedtheIS-2totally.

TheIS-2gotanothershotoffwithanAProundandthishitthePanthers

frontalarmour.Theshellmanagedtoprisetheinterlockingplatesofthe

frontalarmourapart.Theweldedjointhadcompletelyfailed.Insidethetank,

shrapnelflewaroundcausingaseverelacerationtotheMGgunner ’sleg.The

commanderhadbeenhitinhisstomachandhisgutshadfallenoutontothe

gunner ’slap.ThesceneinsidethePantherwashorrific.TheimpactoftheAP

roundhadalsoshatteredthefinaldrive.ThePantherwasalsoimmobilized.

Withnotimetowaste,thecrewscrambledouttheescapehatchandsought

refugeinabuildingtotherightofthePanther.Withonlyonecrewmember

deadandacoupleofnastycuts,thecrewhadmadealuckyescape.

TheremainingPantherfiredanotherroundattheIS-2,thisslammedintothe

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turretoftheIS-2causingalargechunkofarmourtocomeoff.Italsoknocked

thecommanderandgunneroutcold,givingfurthervaluablesecondsforthe

Panthertofireagain.TheKingTigershadstartedtomoveupandtryto

outflanktheIS-2.Astheyreachedagapbetweentwobuildings,theyfinallygot

sightofthefrontalareaoftheIS-2,itsmightygunpointingoutinfront.

TwoKingTigersfiredofftheir88gunsandbothroundshitthefrontofthe

IS-2.OneroundsplitthefrontoftheIS-2openandtheotherroundpiercedthe

lowerfrontalarmourbeforegoingrightthroughthecrewareaandbecoming

buriedintheenginebay.Theshockfromtheimpactsenttheenginetimingout

ofphase,causingthevalvestoimpactwiththepistonsandtheengineseized.

Theinteriorofthetankwasfilledwithcarbonmonoxidefumesthatquickly

causedthecrewtobecomelightheaded.ThePantherhadtriedtomanoeuvre

awaysoitcouldfireintothesideoftheIS-2.ThePantherfiredoffanother

roundthathitpiercedtheIS-2ssidearmourplate,causingtheammunitionto

explodeandtheturrethatchtoblowoffandalargetowerofflametoshootout

ofthehatch.

TheMGgunner ’sintheKingTigerscontinuedtofiretheirMGsspittingout

thousandsofroundsatthefleeingRedArmy.Justthen,ananti-tankrocketflew

fromafleeingRedArmysoldierinalongtrailoffireandexplodedagainst

oneofthewheelsofaKingTiger.Thiscausedthewheeltoflyoffandlandthe

othersideofthestreetproppedupagainstawall.Thecommandergrabbedhis

MP40andjoinedinlayingdownfire-asthegunnermovedtheturretroundto

thefleeingRedArmy.UsingthelastofhisHErounds,hefiredintothecentre

oftheswarmingmess.TheroundexplodedandRedArmysoldierswere

thrownupintotheair,theircontortedbodiessilhouettedagainstthebright

flashfromtheHEround.ThiscausedtheRedArmysoldierstomoveinall

directionstryingtomakeittothenearestavailablecover.TheTigers

continuedtomoveupandfireofftheirremainingrounds,stoppingattheedge

oftheTownasfuelandammunitionsupplieswerenearlyexhausted.

TheRedArmyhadbeenrepelledfornow,butthiswouldbeoneofthelast

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victoriestheGermanArmywouldhave,beforeperformingafightingretreat

allthewaybacktoBerlinandthefalloftheThirdReich.TheTigershad

proventhemselvestobeagreattankandmorethanamatchforthefinest

Soviettanks.TanktechnologyhadmovedforwardimmenselyduringWWII

andwhathadbeenlearntonthebattlefieldsoftheEasternandWesternFront

wouldstillberelevanttomoderntankbattlesoftoday.

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TANKPROFILES

PANZRKAMPFWAGENII–ThePzKpfwIIwasinaninterimlighttank

orderedin1934tobridgethegapbetweenthePanzerIandnewarmoured

fightingvehiclesthePzKpfwIIIandPzKpfwIV.Thespecificationcalledfora

ten-tonarmouredfightingvehiclewitha20-mmguninafullyrevolving

turret.Henschel,KruppandMANofAugsburgallresponded.Kruppsproposal

wasthesimplest.Involvingthemountingofa20-mmcannonandmachinegun

intheexistingPzKpfwI,butitwasthetankdevelopedbyMANthatwas

selectedforproduction.MANproducedseveralprototypesunderthecover-

nameLandwirtschaftlicherSchlepper(industrialtractor)andthetankwas

acceptedforproduction.MANwasresponsibleforthechassisandDaimler-

Benzforthesuperstructure.ThefirstproductionAusfuhrungAtankswere

deliveredin1935andproductioncontinuedwellinto1942,despitethe

experienceoftheFrenchcampaignin1940showingthatthetankwasobsolete.

Severalvariantswereproduced,oneofthemostinterestingbeingan

amphibiousversionintendedfortheinvasionofEnglandin1940.The

PanzarkamfwagenIIwaspoweredbyasixcylinderMaybachHL62TR140hp

petrolengine.Withatopspeedof24mphandarangeof124miles.Itweighed

9.5tons.

PANZRKAMPFWAGENIII–ThePzKpfwIIcameaboutastheGerman

Armydecreedthateacharmouredbattalionshouldbeequippedwiththree

companiesofrelativelylightmediumtanksandonecompanyofheaviermore

powerfulsupporttanks(thelatterbecomingthePanzerIV).ThePanzerIII

tankswasdesignedbecauseofthis.WhilethePanzerIVwasdesignedfor

infantrysupportrole,thePanzerIIIwasintendedtofightanddestroyother

tanks.Massproductionofthetankbeganin1939.Thefirstthreeproduction

modelsAusfuhrungenA,BandCwerebuiltinrelativelysmallnumbersand

wereusedduringtheinvasionofPolandinSeptember1939.TheDmodel

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whichcamenexthadthickerarmourandarevisedcupola.In1940,

AusfuhrungFenteredproduction.Thislastproductionvarianthada50mm

gunandwasfittedwithjustsixroadwheels.TheAusfuhrungGhadsimilar

armament,butwasfittedwithamorepowerfulengine.Bymid-1941the

PanzerIIIwasthemostpopularGermantankandmostofthePanzerIIIshad

beenfittedwitha50mmgun.ItwasusedsuccessfullyagainsttheBritishArmy

inNorthAfricain1941,wheneverytypeofBritishtankwasoutgunned.TheF

modelwasfittedwithaMaybachHL120V-12300hppetrolengine.Ithadatop

speedof25mphandarangeof102.5miles.Itweighed19.2tons.

PANZRKAMPFWAGENIV–ThePANZRKAMPFWAGENIVwasoneofthe

mostimportanttanksofWWII.ThePanzerIVwasintendedtobeusedinthe

infantrysupportroleleavingthePanzerIIItodealwithenemyarmour.Krupp

wastomanufacturethePanzerIV.Withthefirstrollingofftheproductionline

in1937.Thedrivingforcebehindthedevelopmentofthetwotanktypeswas

ColonelHeinzGuderian.HisplanwastoconcentratePanzerdivisionsinstead

ofsplittingthemupinpackagesbetweenthefieldarmies.Itwasaformulathat

workedwithdevastatingeffect.ThePanzerIVwasarmedwithashort75mm

lowvelocitygun.ThegunfiredHEroundsandwaseffectiveagainst

fortificationsaninfantry.But,itlackedaccuracy.In1941,afterthefirst

encountersbetweenPanzerIVandtheT-34,thePanzerIVAusfuhrungFwas

equippedwitharedesignedturretmountingamorepowerful75mmL/43anti-

tankgun.InthisguisethePanzerIVF2,laterrenamedthePanzerIVG.This

variantbecametheworkhorseoftheGermanarmoureddivisionsand

remainedunchangedexceptforupgradestoitsmainarmamentandarmour.

Theseupgrades,particularlyingunsandsightingsystemsenablethePanzerIV

toholditsownwiththeRussianT-34andAmericanShermanwhichit

encounteredforthefirsttimeinNorthAfricain1942.ThePanzerIVremained

inproductionthroughoutWWII,someofthetanksbeingsuppliedto

Germany’ssatellites.About40wereconvertedtoamphibioustanks.Thiswas

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originallyfortheprojectedinvasionofEnglandandwereusedintheinvasion

oftheSovietUnion.Others,werefittedwithadditionalradioequipment,were

usedascommandvehicles.ThelastvariantwastheAusfuhrungJ,which

appearedinMarch1944.Inall9000PanzerIVsweremade.ManyPanzerIV

chassiswereconvertedtospecialistrolessuchastankdestroyers,self-

propelledhowitzersandrecoveryvehicles.ThePanzerIVcontinuedtobeused

after1945,notablybySyria,whopurchasedanumberofthesetanks.They

werealsousedtoshellIsraelisettlementsfrompositionsontheGolanHeights

duringthebrief‘WaterWar ’conflictin1965.ThesurvivingPanzerIVswere

capturedbyIsraelduringtheSix-aywarof1967andbecamemuseumpieces.

ThePanzerIVF2waspoweredbyaMaybachHL120TRM,V-12300hppetrol

engine.Ithadatopspeedof25mphandarangeof130miles.Itweighed22

tons.

KV-1–WhentheKV-1firstappearedin1941theKlime-VoroshilovKV-1was

themostformidableTankintheworld.Itwasdevelopedin1938asa

successortotheT-35takingitsnamefromKlimentiVoroshilov,whowasthe

commissarforDefence.TheTankwasevaluatedunderoperationalconditions

inthewarwithFinlandandorderedintoproductionastheKV-1Awithalong

barrelled76mmgunandtheKV-2witha122mmgun,whichmadetheKV-2

veryponderoustouse.TheKV-2hadatallslab-sidedturretstoodoutasa

temptingtargetforenemygunner ’s.TheKV-1washowever,aformidabletank

thatservedtheRedArmywellduringthewarontheEasternFront.Itbiggest

drawbackwasitslackofmobilitywhichwasaproblemonthevastexpansesof

theRussianplain.Itwasatitsbestformingthespearheadofanarmouredattack

whenitwasusedasabatteringramtobreakthroughenemydefences,creating

agapthatcouldbeexploitedbyT-34s.ItwaspoweredbyaV2KV-12550hp

dieselengine.Atopspeedof21mphalthoughbarleyachievedandarangeof

93miles.Itweighed42tons

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T-34–TheT-34wasanadvanceddesignforitsdayandwastheresultof

continualupgradingandrefinementofthelessthansuccessfulBT-17.This

upgradingproducedtwodesignsknownastheA-20andA-30.Both

developmentsoftheBT-1S.TheywererejectedinfavouroftheT-32acruiser

tankwithamorepowerfulgunandheavierarmour.Itappearedin1939and

hadmostofthefeaturesoftheT-34.Thetanwasdesignedbyagroupunder

theleadershipofMikhailIlyichKoshkin.Hewasasickmanwithlessthantwo

yearstolive,butembarkedonupgradingthearmouroftheT-32.Tisbecame

theT-34.TheT-34wasaproductofrobustcommonsenseandowedits

existencetoateamofmenwhocouldenvisageamodernbattlefieldmuch

moreclearlythananyoftheirwesterncounterparts.TheT-34wentintomass

productioninlate1940astheT-34/76A.BythetimeoftheGermaninvasion

oftheSovietUnioninJune1941,itwasalreadywellestablished.Thelongand

fluidnatureofthefrontmeantthatitwasinitiallyusedaspointsofgreatest

danger,leavingoldertankstotrytostemtheGermanadvanceelsewhere.The

T-34wasproducedinmanyvariantsandwasthesecondmostwidelyproduced

tankofalltime.ThemostwidelyproducedwasitssuccessortheT-54/55.The

T-34/8appearedin1943.Itwasanimproveddesignmodelandwasthe

versionthatafterthebattleofKurskin1943wouldputGermanarmourallthe

waybacktoBerlin.By1945,theT-34hadreplacednearlyeverytypeofSoviet

tankinproduction.AftertheSecondWorldWar,T-34sequippedthearmiesof

manycountrieswithintheSovietsphereofinfluence.In1950afullbrigadeof

120T-34sspearheadedtheNorthKoreanattackonSouthKorea.Inall,39

countriesusedtheT-34andproductionfinallyendedin1958.Morerecently

theT-34wasusedinconflictsintheformerYugoslaviaandT-34sacquiredby

CubasawactioninAngola.TheT-34hadatopspeedof25mphandarangeof

268milesontheroadand228overroughterrain.ItwaspoweredbyaV234

V12dieselengineproducing550hp.Itweighed31tons.

PANZRKAMPFWAGENVPANTHER–Itwasveryclearbytheendof

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1941thatRussianarmourwasoutperformingGermanarmourandthis

imbalanceneededtobeaddressed.TheT-34hasalreadyprovenitselfandwas

morethanamatchforthePanzerIV.TwoGermancompanies–MANand

DaimlerBenzweregiventhetaskofdesigningamorepowerfultank.The

MANdesignwastheonethatwasacceptedinMay1942.BySeptember1942a

prototypewasbeingtested,andthevehicledesignatedPanzerkampfwagenV

Panther.Itwasorderedintoimmediateproduction.Thebattlewasfirstused

duringthebattleofKurskinJuly1943anddidnotperformwell.Itwas

plaguedwithanumberofproblems.OnJuly10outof200Panthers,only38

wereavailableasserviceable.Oncetheseearlyteethingproblemsweresolved

thePantherbecameaformidabletank.ItwaswidelyusedinNormandythe

precedingweeksafterD-dayaswellasontheEasternFront.TheFrench

continuedtousethePantherforsometimeafterWorldWarTwoaswell.The

Pantherhadatopspeedof34mph,witharangeof110miles.Itwaspowered

byaMaybachHL230P30V12petrolengineproducing700hp.Itweighed45

tons.

PANZRKAMPFWAGENVITIGER–AlthoughtheTigerwasaveryrobust

designwitha700bhpengineandaneightspeedgearboxwithfourreverse

gears.Itstillshowedseveredeficienciesunderoperationalconditions.Its

rangewasonly70milesandevenwiththewellthoughtoutinterleavingofthe

bogiesinthetorsionbarsuspensiontoenhancemobility,itwasincompatible

withthefastmovingPanzerdivisions.Thismeantitwasrejectedbythe

Germantankleaders,whopreferredthemoremobile,smallertankswhich

couldbemanufacturedingreaterquantity.Despitethis,theTigerIcouldeasily

exchangeshotswithenemytanksatlongranges.Itsdeepwadingabilitieswas

uniqueamongstGermantanks.Thetigerwasoriginallynamedasthe

PzKwVIAusfuhrungH,althoughitbecameknownastheTigerafterbeing

nameassuchbyFerdinandPorsche.EventhoughtheTigerIhasanumberof

technicalproblemswhichcombinedtoreduceitsoperationalefficiency.It

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performedverywellontheEasternFrontandinTunisia.Comparativelyfew,

howeverwereusedinNorthAfricaasaresultofairandsubmarineattacks

Axissupplyconvoys.TheTigersfrontalarmourprovedhighlyeffectiveat

stoppingroundsfrommostanti-tankguns.TheTigercouldknockoutitsmost

commonopponentstheT-34,ShermanandChurchillIVatrangesexceeding

2000metres.TheT-34couldnotpenetrateaTigersfrontalarmourfromany

range.AlthoughcouldpenetrateaTigerssidearmouratmuchcloserranges.

ThismeantShermanswouldattackaTigerinfoursandatcloserangetogeta

shotintoeitherthesideortherearofthetanks.InthelatterstagesofWorld

WarTwoaircraftwithrocketsbecameadeadlierfoe.TheTigerIwasphased

outfromJanuary1944withtheintroductionoftheTigerIIwithatotalof

1355Tigershavingbeenproduced.ItisstillahighlyregardedTankandsome

wayswasslightlyaheadofitstime.Ithadatopspeedof23mphonflatground

orroadsandwaspoweredbyasingleMaybachHL230P45V-12petrolengine

producing700hp.Itweighed57tons.

PANZRKAMPFWAGENVITIGERII–TheTigerIIcombinedtheheavy

armouroftheTigerIwiththesloppedarmourofthePanther.Itwasa

completelydifferenttanktotheTigerI.BeingfirstusedinactioninNormandy

inJuly1944beforebeingusedontheEasternFrontthefollowingmonth.The

TigerIIalsocalledthekingTigerwasthemostpowerfultanktobedeployed

anywhereduringWorldWarTwo.TogetherwiththePantherformedaGerman

spearheadfortheBattleoftheBulgeinDecember1944.Theoffensivethough

peteredoutduetoalackoffuelandmanyTigersendedupbeingabandoned.

DespiteitssuccessincombattheTigercontinuedtoexperiencemany

problems.Theoverlappingsuspensionwasone,whichcouldeasilybecome

cloggedwithmud.DuringtheRussianwinterthismudwouldfreezeandwould

needtobechippedawaybeforethetankcouldmove.TheTigerIIchassiswas

usedasthebasisfortheJagTigerBwhichwasarmedwitha128mmgun.With

arangeof105milestheKingTigerhadanimprovedrangeovertheTigerI’s

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70miles.Ithadatopspeedof22mphonfatgroundorroad.Itwaspowered

byaMaybachHL230P30V-12petrolengineproducing700hp.Itweighed70

tonswiththeproductionturret.

IS-1TheIS-1wasdevelopedfromtheKVseriesoftankstocombatGerman

tankssuchastheTigerandPanther.ItsdesignwasnamedtheKV-13.Marshal

Klimenthadfallenoutofpoliticalfavour,however,andsothenamewas

changedtoIosif(Joseph)Stalininstead.Thefirstbatchusedforevaluation

werecalledtheIS-85.TheISmadeuseofthe85mmgunoftheKV-85,but

productionmodelswerefittedwiththelong122mmgun.Thishadgreater

penetratingpowerandalsoenoughstrengthtoblowoffatanksturretevenifit

failedtopenetratethearmour.Thismodificationledthetanktobecalledthe

IS-2.ThefirstIS-2sappearedin1944.AfurthervarianttheIS-3retainedthe

122mmgunbuthadamuchmoreroundedandredesignedturret.TheIStank

wasusedtospearheadthefinalassaultonBerlininApril1945,theirpower

andprotectionenablingthemtobreakthroughenemydefencebarriers.TheIS-

1waspoweredbyaV-2IS12cylinder550hpdieselengine.Ithadatopspeed

of25mphandarangeof155miles.Itweighed45.3tons.Withoutadoubta

greattankbutwithshortcomingslikesomanyWorldWarTwotanks.Engine

developmentwascertainlyonefactorwithheavytanksfromallsidesoften

beingunderpowered.

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GLOSSARY

Bazooka–TheBazookaisaman-portablerecoillessrocketantitankweapon,

mainlyusedbytheUSArmy.Alsoreferredtoasthe"Stovepipe",thebazooka

wasamongstthefirst-generationofrocketpropelledanti-tankweaponsusedin

infantrycombat.InWorldWarTwotheM1andstartingwiththeinvasionof

SicilytheM1A1.Bothhadarangeof400feetandaneffectiverangeof150

feet.

FockeWulfFW-190–TheFW-190wasaGermansingle-seat,single-engine

fighteraircraftdesignedbyKurtTankinthelate1930sandwidelyusedduring

WorldWarII.Poweredbyatwin-rowBMW801radialenginethatpowered

mostoperationalversionsenabledtheFw190toliftlargerloadsthantheBf

109,allowingitsuseasadayfighter,fighter-bomber,ground-attackaircraft

and,toalesserdegree,nightfighter.

Hanomag-TheSd.Kfz.251wasahalf-trackarmouredfightingvehicle

designedandfirstbuiltbytheHanomagcompanyin1939ndwasused

throughoutWorldWarII,andbasedontheirearlier,unarmoredSd.Kfz.11

vehicle.TheSd.Kfz.251wasdesignedtotransportthepanzergrenadiers-

Germanmechanizedinfantrycorpsintobattle.Sd.Kfz.251swasthemost

widelyproducedGermanhalf-trackofthewar,withatleast15,252vehicles

andvariantsproducedbyvariousmanufacturers,andwerecommonlyreferred

tosimplyas"Hanomags"bybothGermanandAlliedsoldiers.heinitialidea

wasforavehiclethatcouldbeusedtotransportasinglesquadof10

panzergrenadierstothebattlefieldprotectedfromenemysmallarmsfire,and

withsomeprotectionfromartilleryfire.Inaddition,thestandardmountingof

atleastoneMG34orlateraMG42machinegunallowedthevehicleto

providesupportbyfirefortheinfantrysquadoncetheyhaddisembarkedin

battle.Laterinthewar,doctrinechangedastheyfoundtheycouldfightthe

battlefrominsidethevehicle,andgreaterweaponrywasaddedtoincrease

firepower.

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Jagdpanther–TheJagdpantherwasbasedonthechassisofthePanthertank.It

enteredservicelatein1944andsawserviceontheEasternandWesternFronts.

TheJagdpanthercombinedtheverypowerful8.8cmPaK43cannonofthe

TigerIIandthecharacteristicallyexcellentarmourandsuspensionofthe

Pantherchassis.Atotalof415JagdpantherswereproducedfromJanuary

1944untiltheendoftheWarinEurope.TheJagdpantherhadagoodpower-

to-weightratioandapowerfulmaingun,whichenabledittodestroyanytype

ofAlliedtank.BasedontheexistingPantherAusfGchassis,thevehicledidnot

suffertoomanymechanicalproblems.Ithadanupgradedtransmission(theZF

AK7-400heavyduty)-whichhadbeenplannedforthePantherII-andfinal

drivetocounterthePanther'smainweakness.Itwasmannedbyacrewoffive:

adriver,radio-operator,commander,gunnerandaloader.

Jeep-TheWillysMBU.S.ArmyJeep(formallytheTruck,1/4ton,4x4)and

theFordGPWweremanufacturedfrom1941to1945.Thesesmallfour-wheel

driveutilityvehiclesareconsideredtheiconicWorldWarIIJeep,andinspired

manysimilarlightutilityvehiclessuchastheoriginalLandRover.Witha

simplethreespeedgearboxcoupledtoaWillysL1342.2Lengineproducing

60hpandlightweightconstructiontheJeepweighedjust1040kg.

JunkersJu87–TheJu87orStuka(fromSturzkampfflugzeug,"dive

bomber")wasatwo-man(pilotandreargunner)singleengine,fixed

undercarriageandinvertedgullwings.Itwasdesignedasaveryaccuratedive

bomberandground-attackaircraft.DesignedbyHermannPohlmann,theStuka

firstflewin1935andmadeitscombatdebutin1936aspartoftheLuftwaffe's

CondorLegionduringtheSpanishCivilWar.TheStuka'sdesignincluded

severalnewatthetimefeatures,includingautomaticpull-updivebrakesunder

bothwingstoensurethattheaircraftrecoveredfromitsattackdiveevenifthe

pilotblackedoutfromthehighacceleration.TheJu87wasaneasytargetfor

modernfightersofthetimeandsufferedheavylossesduringtheBattleof

Britainduetoitspoormanoeuvrabilityandspeed.

JunkersJu-52-TheJu52wasaGermantrimotortransportaircraft

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manufacturedfrom1932to1945.Itsawbothcivilianandmilitaryservice

duringthe1930sand1940s.ItsfirstflightwasinOctober1930andcontinued

inservicewithcivilianairlinesuntil1952.

MesserschmittBf109–TheBf109wasasingleengineGermanfighter

aircraftdesignedbyWillyMesserschmittandRobertLusserduringtheearlyto

mid-1930s.Itwasoneofthefirsttrulymodernfightersoftheera,including

suchfeaturesasall-metalmonocoqueconstruction,aclosedcanopy,a

retractablelandinggear,andwaspoweredbyaliquid-cooled,inverted-V12

aeroengine.ItfirstflewinMay1935andwaspoweredbyaDaimler-BenzDB

605A-1liquid-cooledinvertedV12,developing1,455HP.Itwasstillbeing

usedbytheSpanishAirForceupto1965.TheBf109hastheaccoladein

scoringmoreaerialkillsthananyotheraircraftduringWorldWarTwo.

MesserschmittBf110-TheBf110wasatwin-engineheavyfighter(Zerstörer

—Germanfor"Destroyer")intheserviceoftheLuftwaffeduringWorldWar

II.HermannGöringwasaproponentoftheBf110,andnicknamedithis

Eisenseiten("Ironsides").Itmadeitsfirstflightin1936andwasintroducedto

theLuftwaffein1937.TheBf110soldieredonuntiltheendofthewarin

variousroles.

MesserschmittMe262-TheMe262wasworld'sfirstoperationaljet-powered

fighteraircraft.PoweredbytwoJunkersJumo004turbojetengines.Design

workstartedbeforeWorldWarIIbegan,howeverengineproblemsprevented

theaircraftfromattainingoperationalstatuswiththeLuftwaffeuntilmid-1944.

ComparedwithAlliedfightersofitsday,includingtheBritishjet-powered

GlosterMeteor,itwasmuchfasterandbetterarmed.Itwasoneofthemost

advancedaviationdesignsinoperationaluseduringWorldWarII,andthe

helpedtheAmericansafterthewardevelopaircraftsuchastheF86Sabre.The

Me262wasusedinavarietyofroles,includinglightbomber,reconnaissance

andevenexperimentalnightfighterversions.

MG34-TheMaschinengewehr34,orMG34,isaGermanrecoil-operated

air-cooledmachinegun,firsttestedin1929,introducedin1934,andissuedto

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unitsin1936.Itacceptsthe7.92×57mmMausercartridge,andisgenerally

consideredtheworld'sfirstgeneral-purposemachinegun.TheMG34wasa

veryversatileweaponandwasmountedintomanyGermantankstoprotect

againstenemysoldiers.AtthetimeofitsdevelopmenttheMG34wasthemost

advancedmachinegun.Itscombinationofexceptionalmobility–beinglight

enoughtobecarriedbyoneman–andhighrateoffire(ofupto900rounds

perminute)wasunmatched.Itenteredserviceingreatnumbersfollowing

Hitler'srepudiationoftheVersaillesTreatyin1936,andwasfirsttestedby

GermantroopsaidingFranco'sNationalistsintheSpanishCivilWar.

Mortar–AMortarisaweaponssystemthatconsistsofanadjustabletubethat

pointsupwardsusuallymountedonatripodtypedesign.Rocketpropelled

grenadesarethendroppedintothetubetobefiredatasettarget.Theycomein

avarietyofsizesandarehighlyeffectiveagainstsofttargets.Largermortars

canhavesomesuccessagainstmorehardenedtarget.Theroundscanbeeither

HE(HighExplosive)orSmoke.

MP40-TheMP40isasubmachinegunchamberedforthe9×19mm

Parabellumcartridge.ItwasdevelopedinNaziGermanyandusedextensively

duringWWII.Designedin1938byHeinrichVollmerwithinspirationfromits

predecessortheMP38,itwasusedbyinfantrymen,paratroopers,platoonand

squadleadersontheEasternandWesternFront.Itsadvancedandmodern

featuresmadeitafavouriteamongsoldiersandpopularincountriesfrom

variouspartsoftheworldafterthewar.AlthoughtheMP40wasgenerally

reliable,amajorweaknesswasits32-roundmagazine.From1940to1945,an

estimated1.1millionwereproducedbyErmaWerke.

P-47Thunderbolt–TheP-47wasasingleenginefighterbomberpoweredby

aPratt&WhitneyR-2800DoubleWaspengine.Itwastheheaviestfighterof

WorldWarTwoandusedinavarietyofroles,frombomberescortto

bombingandinterdiction.IthaditsfirstflightinMay1941and15,560wenton

tobebuiltbytheendoftheWar.Duetoitsaircooledengineithadamuch

greatersurvivabilitythanmanyothercontemporaryfightersoftheday.

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Panzerfaust-ThePanzerfaust("Tankfist”,orPzfinshort.)Thesesimplebut

effectiveanti-tankweaponsprovedtobedevastatingagainstAlliedtanks

duringsecondhalfofthewar,and,moreimportant,theseweaponssetthe

patternformostpost-wardevelopmentsinthefieldofman-portableantitank

weapons.ThePanzerfaust60Mdoubledtheeffectiverangeoffirefrom30to

60metersbyusinglaunchingtube/barreloflargercalibreandmore

powerfulpropellantcharge.Theactualwarheadstayedthesame.InNovember

1944afurtherimprovedversionappeared,thePanzerfaust100M,which

extendedeffectiverangeto100metersbyusingatandempropellantcharge.

Thesemi-experimentalPanzerfaust150MservedasapatternforfirstSoviet

post-warRPG,theRPG-2

PIAT-ThePIAT(Projector,Infantry,Anti-Tank)wasaBritishhandheldanti-

tankweapondevelopedduringtheSecondWorldWar.ThePIATwasdesigned

in1942inresponsetotheBritishArmy'sneedforamoreeffectiveinfantry

anti-tankweapon,andenteredservicein1943.ThePIATwasbasedonthe

spigotmortarsystem,whichlauncheda1.1kgbombusingapowerfulspring

andacartridgeonthetailoftheprojectile.Itpossessedaneffectiverangeof

approximately110minadirectfireanti-tankrole,and320minanindirect

fire'house-breaking'role.ThePIAThadseveraladvantagesoverother

infantryanti-tankweaponsoftheperiod,whichincludedalackofmuzzle

smoketorevealthepositionoftheuser,andaninexpensivebarrel;however,

thiswascounteredby,amongstotherthings,adifficultyincockingthe

weapon,thebruisingtheuserreceivedwhenfiringit,andproblemswithits

penetrativepower.

PPSh-41–ThePPSh-41isamagazine-fedselectivefiresubmachinegun

usinganopen-bolt,blowbackaction.Madelargelyofstampedsteel,itcanbe

loadedwitheitheraboxordrummagazine,andfiresthe7.62×25mmTokarev

pistolround.

ThePPShsawextensivecombatuseduringWorldWarIIandtheKoreanWar.

ItwasoneofthemajorinfantryweaponsoftheSovietArmedForcesduring

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WorldWarII.AroundsixmillionPPSh-41sweremanufactured.

ShermanTank-TheShermanevolvedfromtheGrantandLeemediumtanks.

Itkeptquiteabitofthepreviousmechanicaldesign,butaddedamain75mm

gunmountedonafullytraversingturret,withagyrostabiliserenablingthe

crewtofirewithreasonableaccuracywhilethetankwasonthemove.The

designersensuredithadmechanicalreliability,easeofproductionand

maintenance,durability,standardisationofparts.Althoughbeingapetrol

enginewitha400hpandlater470hptheywerepronetocatchingfire.These

factorsmadetheShermansuperiorinsomeregardstotheearlierGerman

lightandmediumtanksof1939-41.TheShermanendedupbeingproducedin

largenumbersandformedthebackboneofmostoftheAlliedoffensives,

startinginlate1942.

SS–ThesewerethedefencecorpsoftheNazipartyandcommandedby

Himmler.TheSSwasamajorparamilitaryorganisationunderAdolfHitler

andtheNaziParty.Itbeganattheendof1920asasmall,permanentguardunit

knownasthe"Saal-Schutz"(Hall-Protection)madeupofNSDAPvolunteersto

providesecurityforNaziPartymeetingsinMunich.Laterin1925,Heinrich

Himmlerjoinedtheunitwhichhadbythenbeenreformedandrenamedthe

"Schutz-Staffel".UnderHimmler'sleadership(1929–45),itgrewfromasmall

paramilitaryformationtooneofthelargestandmostpowerfulorganizations

inNaziGermany.BuiltupontheNaziideology,theSSunderHimmler's

commandwasresponsibleformanyofthecrimesagainsthumanityduring

WorldWarII.

V-2–TheV-2wasthesecondoftheGermanterrorweaponsaftertheV-1and

unmanneddronewithahighexplosivewarhead.TheV-2wasanevenmore

advancedweaponandessentiallythefirstcruisemissile.Itwasbasedonrocket

technology.TheV-2useda74%ethanol/watermixture(B-Stoff)forfueland

liquidoxygen(LOX)(A-Stoff)foroxidizer.

AtlaunchtheV-2propelleditselfforupto65secondsonitsownpower,anda

programmotorcontrolledthepitchtothespecifiedangleatengineshutdown,

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afterwhichtherocketcontinuedonaballisticfree-falltrajectory.Therocket

reachedaheightof50miaftershuttingofftheengine.TheV-2wasguidedby

fourexternalruddersonthetailfins,andfourinternalgraphitevanesatthe

exitofthemotor.TheLEV-3guidancesystemconsistedoftwofree

gyroscopes(ahorizontalandavertical)forlateralstabilization,andaPIGA

accelerometertocontrolenginecutoffataspecifiedvelocity.TheV-2was

launchedfromapre-surveyedlocation,sothedistanceandazimuthtothe

targetwereknown.Fin1ofthemissilewasalignedtothetargetazimuth.

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BIOGRAPHY

Tanks:100YearsofArmouredWarfare–RobinCross;11Aug.2016

TankWarfareontheEasternFront1941-1942:RobertForczyk;28Feb.2014

TigerIandTigerII(ImagesofWarSpecial)AnthonyTucker-Jones;15Jul

2013

Document Outline


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