German encounter of Soviet T-34 and KV tanks
Encyclopedia
Prior to the invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...

 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the German armed forces
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

 were not aware of two new Soviet tanks, the T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...

 and KV
Kliment Voroshilov tank
The Kliment Voroshilov tanks were a series of Soviet heavy tanks, named after the Soviet defense commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov. The KV series were known for their extremely heavy armour protection during the early war, especially during the first year of the invasion of the Soviet...

. As a result they were surprised when they met them in combat in June 1941. The Germans had great difficulty as their standard anti-tank weaponry proved ineffective. The experience caused a notable leap in tank development in Nazi Germany.

The Soviets had already deployed a significant number of T-34 tanks, concentrating them into five of their twenty-nine mechanized corps. In these formations T-34 medium tanks were usually accompanied by a third as many KV heavy tanks.

Initial encounters

At the beginning of Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...

, Germany expected little more of the opponent's forces than the old T-26
T-26
The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used during many conflicts of the 1930s as well as during World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and is widely considered one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s....

 and BT tanks. While most of the Soviet Union's tank forces were composed of such tanks, they also surprised the enemy with two new notable designs; the T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...

 and KV tanks. Both types were encountered very quickly, on the second day of the invasion – 23 June 1941.
The KV tanks were usually assigned to the same units as the more numerous T-34, and although they were much larger in size their overall performance was quite similar; many sources discuss impact of both types together. The most used model of KV tank was the KV-1. It was in the Battle of Raseiniai
Battle of Raseiniai
The Battle of Raseiniai was a tank battle fought between the elements of the 4th Panzer Group commanded by Gen. Erich Hoepner and the 3rd Mechanized Corps commanded by Major General Kurkin & 12th Mechanised Corps commanded by Major General Shestapolov in Lithuania 75 km northwest of Kaunas...

 where German forces encountered the Soviet KV tanks for the first time. The Soviet 2nd Tank Division from 3rd Mechanized Corps attacked and overran elements of the German 6th Panzer Division near Skaudvilė
Skaudvile
Skaudvilė is a city in the Tauragė district municipality, Lithuania. It is located north-east of Tauragė....

 on 23 June. German Panzer 35(t)
Panzer 35(t)
The Panzerkampfwagen 35, commonly shortened to Panzer 35 or abbreviated as Pz.Kpfw. 35, was a Czechoslovak-designed light tank used mainly by Nazi Germany during World War II. The letter stood for tschechisch...

 light tanks and antitank weapons were practically ineffective against the Soviet armored giants—some of them were out of ammunition, but closed with and destroyed German antitank guns by literally driving over them. An account by the Thuringian 1st Panzer Division describes this battle.

The next day, a single KV heavy tank managed to cut off at a crossroads in front of Raseiniai elements of the 6th Panzer Division which had established bridgeheads on the Dubysa
Dubysa
Dubysa, at 131 km, is the 15th longest river in Lithuania. It originates just a few kilometers from Lake Rėkyva near Šiauliai city. At first it flows south, but at Lyduvėnai turns southeast and near Ariogala - southwest. Dubysa is a Samogitian river...

. It stalled the division's advance for a full day while being attacked by a variety of antitank weapons, until it finally ran out of ammunition.

Tank versus tank engagements

Historians initially believed the new tanks were "scattered" among the army in small numbers, but recent scholarship identifies the exact opposite. The new tanks had been produced in large numbers, and concentrated into a dedicated type of formation, mechanized corps.
Selected Soviet mechanized corps on 22 June 1941
Soviet corps Soviet divisions Total Soviet tanks T-34 and KV
6th Mechanized Corps  4th, 7th, 29th 1131 452On June 1 there were 114 KV tanks, 238 T-34 tanks, but another 100 T-34 tanks were received until June 22 1941 (Solonin 2007, pp. 99–100). The number is confirmed in Glantz 2010, p. 37.
4th Mechanized Corps  8th, 32nd, 81st 979 414
8th Mechanized Corps  12th, 34th, 7th 899 171
15th Mechanized Corps  10th, 37th, 212th 749 136
3rd Mechanized Corps  2nd, 5th, 84th 672 110
7th Mechanized Corps  14th, 18th, 1st 959 103
16th Mechanized Corps  15th, 39th, 240th 478 76
2nd Mechanized Corps
2nd Mechanized Corps (Soviet Union)
The 2nd Mechanised Corps was a formation in the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War.Initially formed in June 1940 in response the German victories of 1940 it was attached to the Odessa Military District, & attached to the 9th Army in the Odessa fortified region in Soviet Union It was under...

 
11th, 16th, 15th 527 60
22nd Mechanized Corps  19th, 41st, 215th 712 31
11th Mechanized Corps  29th, 33rd, 204th 414 20
5th Mechanized Corps  13th, 17th, 109th 1070 17
Total   8590 1590

German disposition of tanks on 22 June 1941
German corps German divisions Total German tanks Tanks with 37 mm cannon
(incl. Panzer 38(t)
Panzer 38(t)
The Panzerkampfwagen 38 was originally a Czech tank of pre-World War II design. After Czechoslovakia was taken over by Germany, it was adopted by the German Army, seeing service in the invasions of Poland and Russia. Production ended in 1942, when its armament was deemed inadequate. In all, over...

 and Panzer III
Panzer III
Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III translating as "armoured battle vehicle". It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and...

)
Tanks with 50 mm or larger cannon
(incl. Panzer III
Panzer III
Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III translating as "armoured battle vehicle". It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and...

 and Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...

)
XXXXI Panzer Corps (Germany)
XXXXI Panzer Corps (Germany)
XXXXI Panzer Corps was a tank corps in the German Army during World War II.-Formation and actions:...

 
1st, 6th  390 155 121
LVI Panzer Corps (Germany)  8th  212 118 30
XXXIX. Armeekorps mot (Germany)  7th, 20th  494 288 61
LVII Panzer Corps (Germany)  12th, 19th  448 219 60
XXXXVII Panzer Corps (Germany)  17th, 18th  420 99 187
XXXXVI Panzer Corps (Germany)  10th  182 0 125
XXIV Panzer Corps (Germany)  3rd, 4th  392 60 207
III Panzer Corps (Germany)  13th, 14th  296 42 140
XXXXVIII Panzer Corps (Germany)  11th, 16th  289 47 135
XIV Panzer Corps (Germany)  9th  143 11 80
Any other unit of Army Group North, Center, or South 0 0 0
Total   3266 1039 1146

Among the mechanized corps (MC), four formations were especially well equipped; on the day of German invasion, about 70% of the total T-34 and KV tanks produced at that time were deployed in the 6th, 4th, 8th, and 15th MC. The 6th MC operated in Białystok area, and all of the others in the Soviet Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

. All of their engagements with German tanks happened during or just before the Battle of Brody (1941)
Battle of Brody (1941)
The Battle of Brody was a tank battle fought between the Panzer Group 1's IIIrd, XLVIII Army Corps and five Soviet Mechanized Corps of the Soviet 5th Army and 6th Army in the triangle formed by the towns Dubno, Lutsk and Brody in Ukraine between 23...

:
  • the 15th MC destroyed 43 German tanks for the loss of 13 KV, 6 T-34, and 32 BT tanks from 22 to 26 June 1941;
  • the 8th MC lost up to 95% of tanks fiercely fighting in Dubno
    Dubno
    Dubno is a city located on the Ikva River in the Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Dubno Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...

     area between 26 June and 1 July 1941.


Tank-to-tank battles were rare at the beginning of operation Barbarossa as Germans did not seek them; they preferred to bypass the Soviet armor when possible. The two standing-out formations, 4th and 6th MC, lost almost all of T-34 and KV tanks during movement, not coming under any German attack. Both corps tried to assemble counterattacks against German infantry (not against panzers), but the counterattacks had no impact and were barely noticeable. Same pertained to the 15th MC after 26 June.

In the first two weeks of invasion, the Soviet Union suffered the loss of most of its T-34 and KV tanks, as well as the loss of most of the older tanks:
  • By 12 July 1941, the 4th MC had 45 new tanks out of the original 414.
  • By 27 June 1941, the 6th MC had ceased to exist having lost all 450 new tanks.
  • By 7 July 1941, the 8th MC had 43 tanks (both old and new) out of original 899.
  • By 7 July 1941, the 15th MC had 66 tanks (both old and new) out of original 749.


On one hand, these corps had within weeks lost most of their T-34 and KV tanks, but on the other hand, German reports did not note such a massive elimination in combat.German reports mentioned small-scale encounters with these troublesome, unexpected tank types. They regarded the use of T-34 and KV tanks as "scattered". The number of non-combat losses was unprecedented.

German anti-tank capability

In the first weeks of invasion, the main German anti-tank weapon was the 3.7 cm Pak 36 gun. The new 5 cm Pak 38 gun had just been entering service in small numbers, with a maximum of two guns per infantry regiment. Both types were practically useless against the T-34.
German tanks of the time used similar types of guns,3.7 cm KwK 36
3.7 cm KwK 36
The 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/45 was a German 3.7 cm cannon used primarily as the chief weapon of variants of the German medium tank the SdKfz.141 Panzerkampfwagen III...

 was a turret-mountable version of the standard 3.7 cm Pak 36 infantry gun. The short-barreled 7.5 cm KwK 37
7.5 cm KwK 37
The 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 was a German 75 mm tank gun used during World War II, primarily as the chief weapon of the Panzer IV tank....

 (intended for infantry suppport against fortifications) and the new 5 cm KwK 38
5 cm KwK 38
The 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 was a German 5 cm cannon used as the main armament of variants of the German SdKfz.141 Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank. It was used in vehicles that saw action in the Second World War. There were no towed anti-tank gun for this variant.-Ammunition:* PzGr * PzGr...

 had worse anti-armor capability than the long-barreled towed 5 cm Pak 38.
ineffective against the armor of new Soviet tanks. Generally the T-34 clearly outclassed the existing Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tanks.
Attempts to destroy the T-34 and KV tanks concentrated on first immobilising them by firing at their tracks and then by tackling them with field artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....

, anti-aircraft guns, or by blowing them up at close range by shaped charge grenades
Hafthohlladung
The Hafthohlladung, also known as the "Panzerknacker" was a shaped charge anti-tank grenade used by German forces in World War II.-Details:...

.

Impact on tank design worldwide

At the insistence of General Heinz Guderian
Heinz Guderian
Heinz Wilhelm Guderian was a German general during World War II. He was a pioneer in the development of armored warfare, and was the leading proponent of tanks and mechanization in the Wehrmacht . Germany's panzer forces were raised and organized under his direction as Chief of Mobile Forces...

, a special Panzerkommision arrived on 20 November 1941 on the Eastern Front to assess the T-34. To respond to the Soviet tanks, the Germans were forced to adopt new, heavier designs such as the Panther
Panther tank
Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...

 and Tiger
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...

, which in turn forced upgrades to the Soviet, United States and British tank fleets. Perhaps more significantly to the ultimate course of the war, the move to more complex and expensive German tank designs overwhelmed the already critically strained German tank-production capability, reducing the numbers of tanks available to German forces and thus helping to force Germany to surrender the initiative in the war to the Allies.
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