How did the frontal armor of the tigers penetrate. The hidden truth about the Nazi monster that killed the allies: “The Tiger tank is a waste of time

Memoirs of the commander of the "thirty-four"

It is incorrect to compare the possibilities of the average Soviet tank T-34 and heavy German tank "Tiger" T-VI. Such a completely logical statement can be found in many works of military historians.

That's just the realities of the war involuntarily forced to make such a comparison of those whose life depended on the capabilities of the "thirty-four" and "Tiger" - fighting tankers.

How real, for example, was the possibility of hitting the Tiger from the T-34-76 cannon? Usually this question causes the most heated discussions.

And how did those who met with them in battle on the "thirty-four" assess their fire capabilities in the battle with the "Tiger"?

In the memories of the Hero Soviet Union Pavel Kuleshov, who fought in the ranks of the famous Ural volunteer tank corps, there is such an episode:

“Here I recall such a case when I fought in a direct battle with the Tiger T-VI tank. I went out alone. There was a settlement there, and this one was hidden on its outskirts. german tank"Tiger". And it turned out that I was going against him ... T-VI was much different from our car. Our machine is excellent, but they had an electric launch of the cannon and machine guns, an electric turret rotation ...

Hero of the Soviet Union Kuleshov P.P. and a graduate of the 63rd Guards Tank Brigade Anatoly Yakushin.

The commander of the car was like a circus worker. With his right hand he turned the tower, with his left hand he turned the cannon, and the foot trigger was mechanical, and the right foot stood on this one foot trigger. You walk, you are shaking like this: you can see a piece of the sky, a piece of the earth. You stand, in fact, on one left leg and work like that. A mechanical descent is the same system of levers. By the time these levers work, the target is already gone. And they were all electric! I walked, maneuvering back and forth, in a kind of zigzag: the driver and I worked out this system even earlier. One leg was supposed to work on the lever and even on the driver, give him pushes in the head, to the right, to the left.

And the "Tiger" could achieve a hit from a distance of up to one and a half kilometers and break through our "thirty-four". He has a direct shot - 2 kilometers! We also had a 76-mm cannon, we could hit German tanks of the "Tiger" type at a distance of 400-500 meters. And so, maneuvering on the battlefield, it was necessary to calculate such a moment that my projectile would be accurate.

When I chose this position, when I approached a close distance, I gave a short stop. The "Tiger" began to turn around - it wanted to leave - and set up a board for us! I fired a shot, I see that my shell hit, the German tank caught fire. Then I stopped shooting: I think I'll go further. But it turns out that my projectile hit the transmission compartment, where the gearbox, side clutches are located, and this is what burned in the tank. But the Germans took advantage of this moment, deployed a cannon and fired a shot at my car.

The shell hit us on the right side under the turret, pierced the turret: the loader was torn to pieces, the radio operator's head was blown off ... When the shell hit, the driver's hatch was ajar on the latches - he opened the lid and jumped out. I also tried to jump out, but my hatch was closed. And when I opened it, immediately there was a draft, and the flame reached out to me. From the tank helmets there is a four-wire wire to the radio station, to the tank intercom, and a chip that is inserted into the socket. I jumped out, but forgot to pull the chip, and I was pulled back into the burning tank ...

Then I don't remember how I jumped out, what, where... Somehow I managed to run back about 30 meters - and only then I heard a big explosion: the tank was torn apart, the ammo rack exploded. I began to shake my head: I can’t hear anything, I can’t pronounce anything! I was not even scratched, only shell-shocked, and then I came to my senses; I was treated in the medical battalion for 10 days and began to speak and hear a little.

The German tankers did not leave their burning Tiger, but took revenge on the impudent "thirty-four", whose crew managed to set fire to their car from a 76-mm cannon. What opponents clashed in this battle ...

Testing the armor strength of the "Tiger" and the power of the T-34-85 gun in front of Marshal Zhukov

But Pavel Kuleshov had a chance to test the capabilities of the T-34-85 gun in the fight against the armor of the "Tiger" in conditions that were not too familiar for a front-line officer:

“I received a T-34-85 tank. Senior Lieutenant Potapov drove them in: he stayed on one tank himself, and I took the second “eighty-five”. At this time, our tank industry began to produce new modernized tanks: the T-34-85 tank with an 85-mm gun. These machines were equipped with a new sight TSh-15, electric start of the cannon and machine guns, a motor for turning the turret...

An order came that to conduct ostentatious firing from this new car. And I was an excellent shooter: I had successful shooting fights all the time. The Germans were on the defensive, covered. And my crew was ordered to withdraw the tank at night and bring it to the site, where they dragged two German tanks, both Tigers. One was placed in frontal armor, and the second was placed in side armor.

I took my car out and put it somewhere at a distance of 1700 meters from the targets. This gun could hit German tanks at a distance of up to 2 kilometers! The "Tigers" were installed next to each other, and I was ordered to conduct shooting for the command staff of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Zhukov was the commander of the front at that time. There was something else here: the T-34-85 had a commander's turret, and the commander of the vehicle no longer fired himself - the gunner and loader fired. But I landed the gunner, sat behind the gun myself. I had time, I sent three test shells, and not a single shell hit, - it takes the jitters! I don’t understand what’s the matter, but I shot very well! You can’t change the car - it’s already dawn, the Germans will notice. The projectile weighs a pood - 16 kilograms. When you send it to the breech, the bolt wedge rises and knocks down the sight - it turns out that it had to be brought down a little. A failure per millimeter in a tank sight - and at a distance of 2 kilometers it turns out 3-4-5 meters, which is why I "flew" with the projectile.

Our brigade commander Fomichev is standing: “What are you doing?” - “Comrade Colonel, Mikhail Yuryevich, I have already understood my mistake. I will shoot, everything will be fine.” Then Zhukov drives up. I reported that the crew was ready for ostentatious firing, and they gave me the order to fire three shells at the side armor and three shells at the frontal armor. I shot better than the top five, I reported to Zhukov.

All three shells fired by me into the frontal armor pierced it and exploded inside. And those that hit the side pierced both walls, and only then exploded. The distance between the holes was approximately 40-60 centimeters - that's how accurate! For these ostentatious firing, he was awarded Marshal Zhukov with a nominal watch, for which a certificate was issued: “Issued to the Guards Junior Lieutenant Kuleshov Pavel Pavlovich ... Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov.”

From a distance of 1700 meters, all three shells pierced the frontal armor of the Tiger and exploded inside, and three shells into the side pierced both walls. Isn't the test result too good? Maybe the veteran, after so many decades, did not quite remember exactly the distance from which he fired? Yes, the wording is “somewhere at a distance of 1700 meters” and does not imply absolute accuracy - “somewhere” is “somewhere”.

But here we must take into account one more circumstance. After the Soviet troops captured several T-VIBs (“King Tiger”) in Kubinka in August 1944, the captured vehicles were tested at the NIBT Polygon. To assess the armor resistance, shelling of captured vehicles was carried out. It turned out that the quality of the armor of the Tiger-B tank had deteriorated sharply compared to the quality of the armor of its predecessor tanks: “Cracks and spalls form from the first single hits. From a group of shell hits (3-4 shells), large spalls and breaches are formed in the armor. What was the matter?

One of the reasons for the deterioration of the quality of the armor was the limited mineral resources of Germany.

When studying the armor of German tanks in the laboratories of TsNII-48, it was noted that “a noticeable gradual decrease in the amount of molybdenum (M) on German tanks T-VI and T-V and its complete absence in T-VIB. The reason for replacing one element (M) with another (V-vanadium) must obviously be sought in the depletion of existing reserves and the loss of bases that supplied Germany with molybdenum.

If the complete absence of molybdenum in the T-VIB led to a sharp deterioration in the quality of the armor, then what could be the results of a gradual decrease in its amount on the T-VI? It is logical to assume that it also worsens, but not as sharp.

Pavel Kuleshov did not indicate the exact date of the tests. But from his memoirs one can understand that we are talking about the spring of 1944. Perhaps the deficiency of molybdenum, with the results corresponding to the armor of the "Tiger", was already observed among the Germans then?

P.S.
I'll add a little.
Of course, it is incorrect to compare the T-34 and the Tiger - completely different weight categories of vehicles.
The T-34-76 had little to withstand the "Tiger" in open battle. Therefore, the crews of "thirty-fours" in a collision with German heavy tanks tried to act from ambushes, hitting them in the sides or stern. Well, when the T-34-85 appeared, then our medium tank could go one on one.

The German was very afraid of the balanced Soviet rival IS-2.

Problems with molybdenum and armor began with the Germans towards the end of 1944 and mainly on the Royal Tigers.

Of the advantages of the Tigers, of course - this is armor, a gun, optics.

Of the minuses: the Tiger was not mass-produced, not repairable in the field, often broke down, not maneuverable, very expensive to manufacture + required skilled workers + the very time the finished product came out, had the specifics of delivery to the battlefield by rail. Also needed was a shoe for caterpillars during transportation.
Also: big turret turn time. Petrol engine (consumption).

As an anti-tank weapon, the Tiger is good. But the tank is intended to have many more other functions in which the Tiger is already weak.

1. The Germans, after their T-1, T-2, T-3, and even the early T-4s, could not effectively fight either the T-34 tanks or the KV tanks, decided that new tanks should be equipped with armor-piercing weapons. Due to this, such long-barreled guns appeared on their tanks, but with a relatively small caliber (88 mm and 75 mm).
But such tools were not so effective if, for example, it was necessary to destroy the bunker or work in trenches with the help of land mines. Our concept was that a tank is a breakthrough, offensive and suppression machine.

2. Based on the first paragraph, the USSR increased the caliber of the T-34-85 tank, killing 2 birds with one stone. HE projectile became more powerful, and allowed to beat manpower. And also increased armor.
An uber cannon was put on the IS-2 tank, like a breakthrough tank. 122 mm long barrel. The kinetic energy of the projectile was so high that when testing the cannon, when firing just with a steel blank, they knocked out the front and rear armor plates of the Panther tank from a distance of 2000m. Just broke. Having hit the Tiger from the same distance in the forehead of the tower, and without breaking through it, since the shell collapsed, the tower itself displaced the tiger by more than half a meter. That is, the tank has come to a pipets.
As for the high-explosive impact of the 122mm projectile, there is no need to explain anything at all. This is a killer of small buildings, bunkers and bunkers.

It’s a pity our T-44 didn’t have time to fight against German cats, if he would have beaten them. He did not fight, although by the spring of 1945 it was possible to complete the entire tank army from the units produced. With a mass of 31.5 tons (approximately the same as that of the famous 34-ki, even lighter), in terms of its combat qualities it completely surpassed the German heavy (57 tons) tanks.

By the way, the first prototype of the T-54 appeared in January 1945. And this, by the standards of that time, was quite a space tank.

"Tiger" or what?

Many are still worried about the question of what kind of tank was best tank Second World War. They carefully compare the TTX tables, talk about the thickness of the armor, the armor penetration of shells, and many other figures from the TTX tables. Different sources give different figures, so disputes begin about the reliability of the sources. Behind these disputes, it is forgotten that the numbers in the tables themselves do not mean anything ...

Aviation of the USSR

Remember that MiG

The I-200 fighter (hereinafter - the MiG-1 and MiG-3) can be called a distant descendant of the I-16, which differed in many respects from it, but nevertheless retained certain "generic features". .

The first of the new generation fighters in January1940 of the year, the aircraft of the aircraft designer A.S. went to the test,Yakovlev I-26, later renamed Yak-1.

The most prominent representative of the "wooden style" in the Soviet fighter aviation during the war was the aircraft of aircraft designers S.A. Lavochkina, V.P. Gorbunova and M.I. Gudkov I-301, which received the designation LaGG-3 at the launch of the series, as well as its further development - La-5 and La-7

Aircraft of the Luftwaffe

Here is such a thing

The disdainful assessment of the Yu-87 dive bomber was in our literature as commonplace as the praise of the Il-2 attack aircraft ...

CITY DESTROYERS

Give the most reliable assessment of the effectiveness of the actions of the German bomber aviation can be based only on the evidence of the party that suffered losses from its impact. That is, according to the reports and reports of the commanders of different levels of the Red Army. And these reports testify to the high performance of German pilots ...

There are many cases where theory is at odds with practice. A theoretical comparison of different combat vehicles led to certain results, and their collision in practice ended in a completely different way than previously expected. For example, during the Great Patriotic War the most massive and advanced Soviet heavy tank IS-2, having significant advantages over the German Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. H1 Tiger, sometimes could not finish the fight in his favor. Let's try to consider this technique and determine the reasons why ours could not always realize the advantages of their tanks.

Technique and its characteristics

The most massive Soviet heavy tank of the Great Patriotic War went into production at the end of 1943. The production of machines of the IS-2 type continued until June 1945. In about a year and a half, industry handed over 3,385 tanks to the Red Army. For obvious reasons, some of the tanks of the latest series did not have time to get to the front. During the operation, the units that were armed with the IS-2 lost a significant amount of such equipment. However, mass production covered all losses and allowed the fighting to continue. Moreover, the existing fleet of equipment remained in service for many years after the end of the war; a significant number of tanks were transferred to third countries.

Soviet heavy tank IS-2 of the first version. It differs from later machines in the characteristic frontal part of the hull.

The IS-2 had the most powerful protection among all Soviet wartime tanks. Initially, such tanks had a frontal assembly of sheets 60, 100 and 120 mm thick, installed at angles. In 1944, a new version of the forehead appeared with an upper frontal part 120 mm thick and a lower 100 mm thick. The sides had a thickness of 90 mm, feed - 60 mm. The tower received all-round protection in the form of 100 mm armor. There was also a mask of equal thickness on the forehead. It should be noted that on some production tanks, instead of rolled parts, cast parts were used, which were less resistant to shelling.

The tank was equipped with a 12-cylinder diesel engine V-2IS with a power of 520 hp, which, with a combat weight of 46 tons, gave a specific power of just over 11 hp. per ton. On the highway, the car accelerated to 35-37 km / h, on rough terrain - up to 15 km / h. Provided overcoming various obstacles.

Taking into account the experience of previous battles, the IS-2 tank was equipped with a 122-mm D-25T rifled gun, which, as expected, could effectively destroy any armored vehicles of the German army. The D-25T was a revised version of the A-19 gun with some new elements. The guns of the first series had a piston breech, but at the beginning of 1944 it was replaced by a semi-automatic wedge. To reduce the recoil momentum, there was a muzzle brake. The gun used separate loading shots. A circular horizontal guidance was provided by turning the tower with the possibility of precise guidance using separate mechanisms on the installation.

Armor scheme of the IS-2 tank. Top right shows the hull of the tank of the first version, below - later, with a redesigned forehead

When using a sharp-headed caliber armor-piercing projectile of the BR-471 type, the D-25T gun at a distance of 500 m at a meeting angle of 90 ° could penetrate 155 mm of homogeneous armor. At a distance of 1 km, armor penetration decreased to 143 mm. At twice the distance - up to 116 mm. Thus, the gun of the IS-2 tank, in theory, posed a great danger to almost all German armored vehicles. In some cases, penetration should have occurred with known consequences, in others - fatal damage to external units.

The tank's ammunition included 28 rounds of separate loading. Each BR-471 projectile weighed 25 kg, the Zh-471 cartridge case with a variable charge - from 13.7 to 15.3 kg, depending on the material used. The need to work with large and heavy elements of the shot led to a reduction in the rate of fire to 3 rounds per minute.

To control the gun, the IS-2 gunner used the TSh-17 telescopic sight and the PT4-17 periscope. From a certain time, serial tanks lost their periscope sight, instead of which they installed another viewing device. Situational awareness improved, but the tank lost the ability to fire independently from a closed position.

IS-2 with a new forehead in one of the domestic museums

The most massive German heavy tank was the Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. H1, also known as the Tiger. This machine went into production at the end of the summer of 1942 and was produced for two years, until August 1944. The tank turned out to be quite difficult to manufacture and expensive; for the entire time of production, the industry produced only 1350 units of such equipment. From the beginning of service in 1942 until the end of the war, the German army lost the vast majority of these vehicles. The main losses, for well-known reasons, took place on the Eastern Front and are the merit of the Red Army.

A characteristic feature of the Tiger tank was powerful armor. The forehead of his hull consisted of rolled sheets 100, 80 and 63 mm thick, assembled into a box-shaped assembly of a recognizable shape. The sides were assembled from 80- and 63-mm parts, and the feed had a thickness of 80 mm. The forehead of the turret was made of 100 mm sheet and reinforced with a gun mantlet of variable thickness: from 90 to 200 mm. The side and rear of the tower had the same protection in the form of 80 mm armor.

Tanks of different series were equipped with Maybach HL210P30 and HL210P45 12-cylinder carburetor engines with an HP 700 power. With a mass of 57 tons, the Tiger tank had a specific power of no more than 13 hp. per ton. Without limiting the engine speed, the tank could develop a speed of 44 km / h on the highway. On rough terrain, the speed was limited to 22-25 km / h. The car had a fairly high cross.

The main German "Tiger" was a tank gun 8.8 cm KwK 36 L / 56 with a rifled barrel of 88 mm caliber. The gun was equipped with a semi-automatic wedge breech, an electric ignition system and a recognizable muzzle brake. With KwK 36, unitary shots 88x570 mm R were used, completed with shells different types. An important feature the German cannon had a flat trajectory, which to some extent compensated for errors in vertical aiming.

Shot components for the D-25T cannon (from right to left, shown from two sides): a cartridge case with a propellant charge, OF-471N high-explosive fragmentation projectile, armor-piercing BR-471 and armor-piercing BR-471B

To destroy tanks, the KwK 36 cannon could use several types of projectiles: two kinetic ones (one with a tungsten core, the other with a ballistic cap and an explosive charge) and a number of cumulative ones. The latter in all conditions pierced up to 100-110 mm of homogeneous armor at a meeting angle of 90 °. The most effective projectile Pz.Gr.40 with a tungsten core at a distance of 500 m pierced 200 mm of armor, at 1 km - 179 mm. At a distance of 2 km, he saved energy to defeat a 143-mm barrier. The Pz.Gr.39 projectile, assembled without the use of expensive materials, pierced 151, 138 and 116 mm of armor, respectively, at the same distances.

German-made unitary shots with 88 mm shells were over 1150 mm long and weighed just under 21 kg. The ammunition load of the KwK 36 gun included at least 90 rounds. Later, German engineers found a way to bring it up to 120 rounds. Due to the relatively light shot with a unitary loader, it was possible to obtain a technical rate of fire of up to 6-8 rounds per minute.

Most of the Tiger tanks were equipped with binocular optical sights TZF-9b. On the machines of the latest series, TZF-9c products were used. The first had a fixed magnification of 2.5x, while the magnification of the second was adjustable from 2.5x to 5x.

Advantages and disadvantages

It is easy to see that the most massive heavy tanks of the USSR and Nazi Germany had similar indicators of mobility and maneuverability, but at the same time they differed most seriously in terms of protection and weapons. The simplest comparison of two tanks "on paper" shows in what areas the samples in question could have an advantage over each other.

Museum tank "Tiger"

The Soviet IS-2 of the early series had frontal armor in the form of sheets 120, 100 mm and 60 mm thick, which, taking into account the slope, gave a reduced thickness of about 195, 130 and 115 mm, respectively. The frontal assembly of the tank Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. H did not have large installation angles of parts, and therefore their reduced thickness remained at the level of 100-110 mm. However, for an inclined 80 mm sheet, this parameter reached 190 mm. However, the inclined part did not take up much space in the overall frontal projection of the tank, and therefore its influence on general level protection was not decisive.

From the point of view of turret protection "on paper", the two tanks are similar. At the same time, the Tiger has the advantage of a thicker gun mantlet, while the IS-2 turret has thicker sides and stern.

In general, the advantage in the field of protection remains with the Soviet tank. However, it must be taken into account that the survivability of a combat vehicle depends not only on the characteristics of its armor, but also on the capabilities of the enemy’s weapons.

The upper frontal plate of the IS-2 tank with a reduced thickness of 195 to 240 mm, depending on the series, can be considered an extremely difficult obstacle for all KwK 36 cannon shells at reasonable distances. The situation could be corrected only by the most effective and expensive projectile with a tungsten core. In turn, the IS-2 with the BR-471 projectile, under ideal conditions, could hit the Tiger in the frontal projection at distances of at least 1 km.

Frontal projection of a German tank: sheet slopes are minimal

In this case, one should take into account the possibility of incapacitating the enemy without breaking through the armor. Fragments of a projectile that hit the hull or turret, as well as knocked out pieces of armor, were capable of damaging the gun, optical instruments, etc., at least disrupting the normal operation of the combat vehicle. So, during the tests, the D-25T gun not only pierced the armor of the captured Tiger, but also made breaches in it, and was also able to tear the turret off the shoulder strap.

The undoubted advantage of the German tank was a higher rate of fire associated with a smaller caliber of the projectile and a different way of loading. Soviet tankers needed at least 20 seconds to prepare for a shot, while a German loader could do it in 8-10 seconds. Thus, the "Tiger" could quickly adjust the aiming and make a second shot with greater accuracy. However, it is necessary to remember the ratio of the armor penetration of German shells and the characteristics of the armor of the IS-2. In order for the second shot to lead to the defeat of the Soviet tank, the German "Tiger" should not have been at the greatest distance from it.

The side projections of the IS-2 and "Tiger" had protection in the form of 90 and 63-80 mm of armor, respectively. This means that both tanks could effectively hit each other at all distances that take place in a real battle. After a single well-aimed shot with a hit on the side, the enemy was put out of action, at least until the repair was completed.

Loading unitary 88-mm shells into a tank

The German tank, which was distinguished by better mobility, could quickly reach an advantageous position. On rough terrain, the Tiger was able to reach speeds of up to 20-25 km / h - depending on the terrain. Max speed IS-2 was smaller - up to 12-15 km / h. An experienced crew could use this advantage to their advantage, and for under-trained tankers without proper experience, additional kilometers per hour would not bring any benefit.

Thus, with a simple and superficial consideration performance characteristics two heavy tanks of the USSR and Germany, we can draw certain conclusions and assumptions. IS-2 had advantages over Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. H Tiger in some characteristics, but lost in others. At the same time, he had serious advantages in terms of armor and weapons. German tankers in the event of a collision with the IS-2 would have to rely on better mobility and a higher rate of fire.

Clash in reality

It is known that the IS-2 and Tiger tanks have repeatedly met in battle since the spring of 1944. However, according to reports, such battles did not occur too often, since different tactical roles usually spread them along different sectors of the front. Nevertheless, certain information about the collisions of heavy tanks between the two countries has been preserved, allowing us to consider the current situation and correct the previously drawn conclusions.

According to known data, the IS-2s first encountered Tiger tanks in April 1944 near Ternopil. The tankers of the 11th Separate Guards Heavy Tank Regiment were the first to take the fight. Subsequently, this regiment and other units repeatedly met with heavy German tanks and fought with them. For objective reasons, it is no longer possible to establish all the results of these battles, but it is known that both sides inflicted significant damage on each other.

Considering the available data on the collision of the "Tigers" and the IS-2, you can see several main features of such battles. The tanks repeatedly attacked each other from a distance of about 1000-1500 m, and in such a battle the Soviet IS-2s more often won. At the same time, there are cases when the Tiger attacked a Soviet vehicle from a distance of more than 1 km and pierced the lower frontal part, which led to the ignition of the fuel tanks. However, at distances of more than 1 km, the advantage remained with the Red Army tankmen.

Fights at shorter distances, despite the advantages of both tanks, turned out to be difficult for both sides. At distances from 400-500 to 900-1000 m, the IS-2 and the Tiger could, with varying success, attack each other head-on and confidently hit each other on the side. With a further reduction in the distance between tanks, the chances of victory and survival were equalized. At the same time, under these circumstances, the role of mobility and rate of fire could probably increase. Accordingly, the potential of German technology increased slightly.

German tank crews are examining a dent in the Tiger's armor. It was clearly not the gun of the IS-2 tank

Thus, the two heavy tanks of the opposing sides seriously differed from each other in certain design features and characteristics, which led to the emergence of various advantages over the enemy. However, there were quite serious problems in this context. Not always a real combat clash with enemy tanks could go according to the optimal scenario, allowing you to fully use your advantages. In practice, this led to the fact that the Soviet tankers tried to keep the "Tigers" at a dangerous distance, but they themselves sometimes found themselves too close to enemy positions.

Contribution to victory

Heavy tanks Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. H Tiger and IS-2 did not see each other very often in battles, which was due to the different tactical roles of these combat vehicles. Because of this, armored vehicles of other types became their main opponents. And in this case, Soviet heavy tanks showed themselves in the best possible way. The 122-mm gun made it possible to attack and destroy almost all existing types of enemy equipment, and powerful armor protected against many retaliatory attacks. In addition, IS-2 tanks were produced in significant quantities, which made it possible to strengthen the armored forces in the desired way.

Of course, the IS-2 heavy tanks were not without flaws and, according to some characteristics, they lost to enemy vehicles of their class, which led to losses. Nevertheless, the machines to be restored were returned to service, and the industry supplied newly built equipment. A little over a year and a half series production The Soviet Union built almost 3,400 tanks of this type. 1350 German Tiger vehicles against this background do not look too convincing, and about 500 assembled Tiger IIs could hardly improve the situation.

Ultimately, it was the IS-2 tanks that successfully supported the attack on the enemy’s positions and inflicted serious damage on him, contributing to the advance of the Red Army. Despite their shortcomings and advantages of the opposing side's equipment, Soviet armored vehicles made a significant contribution to the defeat of the enemy and the victory over Nazi Germany. Soviet IS-2 tanks, along with other armored vehicles, clearly showed how high performance, quality and quantity of combat vehicles turn into victory.

According to materials:
http://armor.kiev.ua/
http://aviarmor.net/
http://battlefield.ru/
http://tiger-tank.com/
https://vpk-news.ru/
http://alanhamby.com/
http://russianarms.ru/
http://ww2data.blogspot.com/
Solyankin A. G., Pavlov M. V., Pavlov I. V., Zheltov I. G. Domestic armored vehicles. XX century. – M.: Exprint, 2005. – T. 2. 1941–1945.
Baryatinsky M.B. Heavy tank IS-2. Our answer is "Tiger". – M.: Yauza, Eksmo, 2006.

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In this fight, it would seem that the winner is predetermined. 45 ton German medium tank, armed with an excellent gun capable of penetrating the armor of most Allied medium and heavy tanks from several kilometers, equipped with excellent observation devices and sights, far surpassed the light Soviet T-70 tank.

The weight of the latter is 9.8 tons, two people in the crew, nominal armor and a 45-mm tank gun of the 1932/38 model, and also the rate of fire is only 3-5 rds / min. (the commander had to be both loader and gunner).

It happened on March 26, 1944, when the T-70 tank of junior lieutenant Grigory Pegov conducted reconnaissance, during which he discovered an enemy tank column. She intended to launch a counterattack on the advancing units of the Red Army. This could not be allowed.

Pegov disguised his tank and prepared for the battle, which was to be his last - at the head of the column were the formidable German cats - "Panthers".

Letting them up to 150 meters, Pegov opened fire. The first few shots pierced the side of the Panther, and it caught fire, Pegov broke the caterpillar of the second tank, after which the crew of the damaged vehicle retreated. Deciding that they had stumbled upon a powerful anti-tank defense, the Germans hurried to retreat. Grigory Pegov received the "Gold Star", but only on March 24, 1975.

T-34-76 against 12 "Tigers"

T-34-76 is a medium Soviet tank, which with the advent of "Tigers" and "Panthers" could no longer successfully fight Wehrmacht tanks. Its 76-mm cannon did not penetrate the latest tanks in the forehead, and the "Tiger" could only take it on board from a distance of less than 100 meters. 45 mm armor no longer saved German guns from fire, the optics were not best quality, and it is inconveniently located.
The "Tiger" had impregnable frontal armor, excellent optics, and a powerful 88-mm gun that hit the T-34 from several kilometers - the shells tore off the turrets from thirty-fours on impact. And yet, when on January 25, 1944, during the breakthrough of the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky "bag", 12 Tiger tanks reached the command post of the 49th tank brigade under the command of Alexander Burda, threatening to destroy the headquarters, the brigade commander, who at that time had only one T-34-76, decided to join the battle. Burda single-handedly attacked 12 enemy heavy tanks and burned two of them.

During this time, the brigade headquarters managed to get out of the fire, and valuable documents were saved, but several blanks hit Burda's thirty-four at once. The brigade commander was mortally wounded by shrapnel from broken armor. On April 24, 1944, Guards Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Fedorovich Burda was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, in total, the Soviet ace tankman had 30 destroyed enemy tanks.

T-34-85 against the "Royal Tiger"

"Tiger II" or "Royal Tiger" is the most protected serial heavy tank of Nazi Germany. Its sloped frontal 150 mm armor was invulnerable to most Allied tank and anti-tank guns. The projectile of the 88-mm cannon of the "King Tiger" could penetrate the 80-mm vertical armor plate from a distance of 4 km, and the excellent optics made it possible to shoot at such a distance. From a distance of a kilometer, the projectile pierced 240-mm armor.

The T-34-85 boasted only good mobility and maneuverability, as well as an 85 mm gun mounted in a new spacious turret with 90 mm frontal armor. The thickness of the frontal part of the hull remained unchanged - 45 mm.

August 1944, the Sandomierz bridgehead, the offensive of the 501st heavy tank battalion of the Wehrmacht.

The reconnaissance of the Red Army worked quickly, and the visit of the German heavyweights was waiting for the T-34-85 disguised in haystacks. The commander of one of them, Alexander Oskin, did not know that the new enemy tanks were practically invulnerable.

In the morning, 11 "Royal Tigers" went on the attack. A T-34-85 shot pierced the side of one of the heavy tanks, and a flame immediately shot up above it, then the second one caught fire from the well-aimed fire of Oskin’s tank, the third managed to turn the turret towards the Soviet tank, but the thirty-four turned out to be faster, and over the "King Tiger" the flames flared up again.

Later, in one of the battles in which Oskin's crew participated, three "Royal Tigers" were captured in full serviceability. September 23, 1944 Alexander Oskin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

With an ax against Pz.38(t)

Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda did the seemingly impossible. Armed with an ax, he entered the battle with a German tank (Czech-made) Pz.38 (t), emerged victorious from it and captured the crew of a German vehicle.

It all started with the fact that in August 1941, in the Daugavpils region, the Germans noticed the smoke of the Soviet camp kitchen on a captured Pz.38 (t). Not at all doubting their superiority, they decided to attack. Near the kitchen there was only one fighter - the Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda, who was preparing dinner.

Seeing a German tank, instead of running, the soldier grabbed the ax with which he was chopping wood and rushed to attack the tank. The crew of the Pz.38(t) immediately slammed all the hatches and hurried to take cover behind the armor, opened fire from a machine gun.

This did not bother Sereda at all, he climbed onto the tank and bent the machine gun barrel with blows of an ax, covered the viewing slots with a piece of tarpaulin. Then he began to knock on the armor with the butt of an ax, while giving orders to non-existent Red Army soldiers. Some time later, the completely demoralized German crew surrendered.

As a result, when fellow soldiers of Sereda approached, they saw not only lunch, but also a captured tank, as well as a tied crew nearby. Ivan Sereda was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on August 31, 1941.

Many researchers believe that it is incorrect to compare these machines, since they are in different "weight categories".

"Panther".

However, it is still possible and necessary to compare, especially since these tanks have repeatedly encountered on the battlefield.

"Tiger".

In many works devoted to the history of the Tiger tank, there are discrepancies about the armor penetration of its 88-mm gun, as well as the durability of its armor when fired from Soviet guns. Without going into a discussion, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with two Soviet documents - the shelling of the captured "Tiger" of the T-34 and KB tanks before this battle. These documents are interesting in that the shooting was carried out with real live projectiles from real distances, and not with reduced charges from one distance, as was most often done at firing ranges. So, the first document: "Report on testing the shelling of T-34 and KB tanks from an 88-mm German tank gun, carried out at the NIBT training ground on May 12, 1943.

KV-1.

CONCLUSIONS.

1. Armor-piercing projectile of the German 88-mm tank gun pierces the frontal armor of the hulls of the KV-1 and T-34 tanks from a distance of 1500 meters.
2. The high-explosive fragmentation projectile of the German 88-mm tank gun produces minor destruction of welds in the armor of the hulls of the KV-1 and T-34 tanks and does not disable the tanks.
3. Armor penetration of the armor-piercing projectile of the domestic 85-mm anti-aircraft gun approaches the armor-piercing of the armor-piercing projectile of the German 88-mm tank gun from a distance of 1500 meters.
In some cases, an armor-piercing projectile of an 85-mm cannon, when shelling 75-mm armor from a distance of 1500 meters, burst prematurely on the surface of the armor, while producing a dent with a diameter of 100 mm and a depth of 35 mm.
4. The armor and welded seams of the KV-1 tank hull are less destroyed by shells than the T-34 tank hull.

CONCLUSION.

1. An armor-piercing projectile of the German 88-mm tank gun mounted on the T-VI "Tiger" tank pierces the frontal part of the hulls of the KV-1 and T-34 tanks from a distance of 1500 meters.
When hit in the frontal sheet of the T-34 tank hull, the projectile ricochets, but makes a breach in the armor.
The domestic 85-mm anti-aircraft gun, according to its combat data, approaches the German 88-mm tank gun, and is suitable for fighting German T-VI "Tiger" tanks.
To increase the armor resistance of the armored hulls of the KV-1 and T-34 tanks, it is necessary to improve the quality of the armor and welds."
It should be added here that at the training ground in Kubinka near Moscow, the "Tiger" from the 502nd battalion of heavy tanks, captured near Leningrad in early 1943, was tested.
The next acquaintance of the Red Army units with the new German heavy tank took place in the summer of 1943 during the fighting on the Kursk Bulge. Here, on the Central Front, in the field, a shelling test was also carried out on one of the captured "Tigers", which was part of the 505th battalion of heavy tanks:
"Report on the production of experimental firing artillery of the 9th tank
The results of the shelling of the hull of the T-34 tank by the 88-mm cannon of the "Tigr" tank from a distance of 1500 meters of the hull against the T-VI tank, carried out on July 20 and 21, 1943.

armor penetration table.

1. The tank "Tiger" was tested on the battlefield, knocked out by our troops. In firing at the tank, the crews of the 37 mm M3A, 45 mm, 76 mm and 85 mm guns were missed. Shooting was carried out at a stationary tank with armor-piercing and sub-caliber shells of all the indicated systems in a position where the tank goes to a firing position in the forehead and flank movement.

RESULTS.

A). When firing at the frontal armor of a tank, not a single projectile from all systems missed in firing at a distance of up to 200 m penetrates the armor.
At distances up to 400 m, 45-mm and 76-mm shells disable weapons and jam the turret. From a distance of 400 m, an armor-piercing 85-mm projectile enters the armor and remains at a depth of up to 12 cm.
b). When firing at the side of the tank (on the side), the 37-mm projectile does not penetrate it, makes small dents, pierces the rollers and tracks from a distance of 300-400 m.
A 45-mm sub-caliber projectile penetrates the armor of both the side and the turret, from a distance of 200 m and closer, an armor-piercing projectile does not penetrate armor.
The 76-mm armor-piercing projectile does not take armor, at all distances, it jams the turret and dents in the side armor up to 30-40 mm. A sub-caliber projectile penetrates armor from a distance of 400 m and closer.
An 85-mm armor-piercing projectile penetrates armor from 1200 m and closer, both side and turret.

When organizing anti-tank defense against T-VIs, it is necessary to build defenses taking into account flank fire. The task of the anti-tank guns is to let the "Tiger" into the close range of a direct shot for 76-mm and 85-mm guns (76-mm fires with sub-caliber shells) and hit it, if possible, with flank fire with the task of having a direct hit on the side armor " .
It should be clarified here that the 85-mm armor-piercing blunt-headed projectile was produced until the beginning of 1944, after which it was replaced in production by a new sharp-headed armor-piercing one, which had higher armor penetration characteristics. It was the sharp-headed armor-piercing shells that were included in the ammunition load of the T-34-85 tanks. In addition, we should not forget that around the spring of 1944, the armor of German tanks becomes more fragile due to a shortage of alloying elements. This fact is noted in all Soviet reports on German armor, starting from the spring - summer of 1944. But before that time, the war had been going on for another half a year, and at that time the task of fighting the Tiger tanks was very difficult, requiring great courage and skill from the crews of thirty-fours. And they coped with this task, although often at a high price, bringing our Victory closer.
In this regard, I would like to cite three small fragments of the memoirs of Soviet tankers who fought during the war years on "thirty-fours"
So, the former commander of the T-34 tank said the following:
"We were afraid of these "Tigers" on the Kursk Bulge, to be honest. From his 88-mm cannon, he," Tiger ", with a blank, that is, an armor-piercing projectile, from a distance of two thousand meters, pierced our" thirty-four "through and through. And we are from 76- millimeter cannons could hit this thickly armored "beast" only from a distance of five hundred meters and closer with a new sub-caliber projectile... Moreover, with this very projectile - and they were issued on receipt for three pieces per tank - I had to hit between the road wheels on the side, behind which the shells were placed , under the base of the tower - then it will jam it, after the barrel of the gun - then it will fly off, along the back, where the gas tanks are located, and between them the engine - the "Tiger" will light up, along the idler wheel, drive wheel, along the road wheel or caterpillar - that means All the rest of the "Tiger" did not succumb to our cannon and the armor-piercing ones bounced off its armor like peas off the wall."
Gunner-radio operator from the 32nd Tank Brigade of the 29th Tank Corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army S.B. Bass recalled the following:
“I remember they fired at the Tiger, and the shells bounced off, until someone knocked down its caterpillar first, and then put a shell into the side. But the tank did not catch fire, and the tankers began to jump out through the hatch. We shot them with a machine gun.”
Another testimony of a tanker of the 63rd Guards Tank Brigade of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps N.Ya.Zheleznov:
“Using the fact that we have 76-mm guns that can take their armor head-on only from 500 meters, they stood in an open area. And try to come up? He will burn you at 1200-1500 meters! They were impudent! There was no 85-mm cannon, we, like hares, ran from the "Tigers" and looked for an opportunity to somehow wriggle out of it and slam it into the side. It was hard. If you see that at a distance of 800-1000 meters there is a "Tiger" and starts "to baptize" you, then while driving the barrel horizontally, you can still sit in the tank, as soon as you start driving vertically - better jump out! , here it was already possible to go one on one. "
Summing up the above, we can say that the T-34-76 had little to withstand the "Tiger" in open battle. Therefore, the crews of "thirty-fours" in a collision with German heavy tanks tried to act from ambushes, hitting them in the sides or stern. The appearance of the T-34-85 tank generally leveled the chances - the new 85-mm cannon could hit the "Tiger" in the forehead at a distance of 1300-1500 meters. True, the German tank had superior armor over the T-34, but the T-34 could compensate for this with its greater maneuverability and mobility.

T-34-85.

As you know, the first combat use of "Panthers" took place on the southern face of the Kursk Bulge in July 1943. At the same time, Soviet specialists were able to get acquainted with this combat vehicle. Already from July 20 to July 28, 1943, in the section of the breakthrough of our front by German troops along the Belgorod-Oboyan highway, 30 kilometers wide and 35 kilometers deep, a special commission of the GABTU KA inspected the wrecked Panther tanks. As a result of the survey, a report was drawn up entitled "The fight against the German heavy Panther tanks." It is interesting in that it is the first document of its kind and contains some interesting statistical calculations.
Of the 31 vehicles studied, 22 (71%) were hit by artillery, of which:
- to the tower - 4 (18%);
- on board the hull - 13 (59%);
- in the stern of the hull - 5 (23%).
In addition, three tanks (10%) were blown up by mines, one (3%) was destroyed by a direct hit from an aerial bomb, one got stuck in a rifle trench and four (13%) failed for technical reasons.
Of the 24 "Panthers" hit by artillery fire, ten tanks burned down, which is 45% of the total number of tanks hit. The report specifically noted that "when a projectile hits the engine compartment, regardless of the place of entry of the projectile (side or stern), Panther tanks burn."
In total, 58 shell hits were counted on 24 Panthers, which were distributed as follows:
a) in the frontal part of the tank - 10 hits (all ricocheted);
b) in the tower - 16 hits (through penetrations);
c) on board - 24 hits (through holes);
45-mm armor-piercing and sub-caliber - 15 (31%) and 85-mm armor-piercing - 5 (10%). At the same time, two "Panthers" had 6 and 8 shell hits, six from 3 to 4, and the rest 1-2.
One "Panther" after the withdrawal of the Germans was subjected to test fire from the 76-mm gun of the T-34 tank. In total, 30 shots were fired with armor-piercing shells from a distance of 100 meters, 20 of them on the upper and ten on the lower front plates. The top sheet had no holes, all the shells ricocheted, there was only one hole in the bottom sheet.
Based on the inspection of the wrecked Panthers, it was concluded that they were affected by:
a) with an anti-tank gun - into the lower side plate of the hull from a distance of 100 meters and closer (at a right angle);
b) a sub-caliber projectile of a 45-mm cannon - with the exception of the frontal part;
c) with an armor-piercing projectile of a 76-mm cannon - with the exception of the frontal part;
d) an armor-piercing projectile of an 85-mm anti-aircraft gun;
d) feed - 7 hits (through holes);
e) cannon - 1 hit (barrel pierced).
As seen, the largest number hits (47) fell on the side, turret and stern of the tanks, which was characterized as "the correct actions of the Red Army anti-tank weapons and their rapid mastery of methods of dealing with new Panther tanks."
As for the caliber of the shells that penetrated the armor, most of them were 76-mm armor-piercing shells - 28 (59%), as well as e) anti-tank mines (caterpillars).
It is interesting to cite the "conclusions" contained in the report:
"1. In the Belgorod direction, German troops during their offensive in July 1943 for the first time used Panther heavy tanks. T-VI Tiger tanks were used in small numbers. Panther tanks were used throughout the entire period of the offensive, and tanks " Tiger" only in the initial period of the offensive.
2. The heavy tank "Panther" is a more powerful tank than the T-34 and KB tanks and has an advantage in frontal protection and artillery armament. It should be noted that the viewing holes of the driver and radio operator of the Panther tank are closed with covers flush with the front plate, so the shells ricochet from them. In the T-34 tank, the upper front plate is weakened due to the protruding driver's hatch and the machine gun mantlet. The impact of shells in these places causes the destruction of the upper frontal sheet.
3. The tactics of using Panther tanks has the following features:
a) tanks are used in combat mainly along roads or in the area of ​​roads;
b) Panther tanks are not used separately, but as a rule they are escorted by groups of medium tanks T-III and T-IV,
c) "Panther" tanks open fire from long distances, using their advantage in artillery armament, trying to prevent our tanks from approaching;
d) during the attack, the Panthers move in one direction without changing course, trying to use their advantage in frontal protection:
e) during the defense, Panther tanks act from ambushes;
f) when withdrawing, the Panthers retreat to the nearest shelter in reverse, trying not to expose their sides to artillery fire.

During the retreat, the Germans blow up all the wrecked and faulty Panther tanks. Undermining is carried out by a special charge carried on tanks. The charge has a detonator ignited through a fickford cord, the cord is ignited by a special charge.
The 75-mm tank gun of the 1943 model, mounted on the Panther tank, hits our T-34s from a long distance of 1-1.5 kilometers.
Thus, in 1943, the "thirty-four" in a head-on collision with the "Panther" had little chance and could only oppose the fire of the Pz V with maneuver and speed. In fairness, it should be said that on the battlefield, head-on collisions, when opponents went straight at each other, were not a frequent occurrence. And when maneuvering, the 76-mm T-34 gun could easily hit the Panther on the side of the hull or turret from a distance of 600-800 meters, and under favorable conditions, from an even longer distance. And with the advent of the T-34-85 tank, the superiority of the Panther in armament was eliminated.