23 replies to this topic

[Crimson_Fart]

On 23-24 June 1941 a single KV-2 of 2nd tank division conducted an armored road block in southern Lithuania (near Rassaynjay town), holding up the German advance. The Germans found themself in a trouble when they lost whole supply truck column. Numerious attacks including a battery of 50mm anti-tank guns (which were destroyed at 500m distance), Flak 88 (the Soviets allowed to mount this gun at 700m distance and then killed it) and an engineer unit attack all failed to silence the Russian tank. Artillery fire of 105mm howitzers achieved a hit to the track and the KV was partially immobilised. This heavy tank held the only road and surrounding swamps, made German troops supply (with ammo, fuel and food) and wounded soldiers evacuation impossible. The Germans were forced to use cheap trick: 50! tanks immitated an attack, so it became possible to set another 88mm flak, which managed to eliminate the tank.

After two days it held up the advance of the entire 6th Panzer Division.
The Stukas were not used because a commander not allowed an operation "against one tank".
By the Germans' accounts, the crew could have escaped easily several times before the final attack, but the heroes always chooses their own fate...

DERP Power!

Moved to historical discussion section of the forums.   ~ Brygin

http://wio.ru/tank/aces/kv2-dead.jpg

[Garbad]

This isn't kolbanov, is it? He had other tanks with him.

[FeeTFooD]

No that was Krasnogvardeysk, 5 KV-1 against a panzer company.

[Crimson_Fart]

Dont know, took it from a Russian site with some neat pictures and stories.
wio.com

[LarryTheCombatSpy]

i'm pretty sure it was a KV-1 that did that not a KV-2

[Rdm1]

If only i could play that epic...

[Rudkav1tch]

If only it was true.

[Sealteam6]

If I remember, it was a KV1, The Germans ended up distracting them by having Tanks beating up & down the rd just out of its range to create dust & the Illusion of an eminent Tank attack until another 88mm could be set up, this gun ended the Battle, it was the only gun at this stage of the War that could Pen Russian Armour as all other German AT weapons were small Caliber at that time.

Imagine if Every Russian Tank became a pill box at the start of the War?

[Garbad]

 Sealteam6, on Mar 16 2012 - 23:41, said:

If I remember, it was a KV1, The Germans ended up distracting them by having Tanks beating up & down the rd just out of its range to create dust & the Illusion of an eminent Tank attack until another 88mm could be set up, this gun ended the Battle, it was the only gun at this stage of the War that could Pen Russian Armour as all other German AT weapons were small Caliber at that time.

Imagine if Every Russian Tank became a pill box at the start of the War?

Most of the russian tanks were terrible at the start of the war. There were only a few T-34s and KVs at that point.

[American_Dragon]

Yeay, my birthday. That's the power of the derp.

[Scratchy2]

plus 1. i like historical posts. i believe the story. in the beginning of ww2 the kv could only be destroyed by a shot in the rear at point blank. if they couldn't flank it, they couldn't destroy it. in 1 instance a kv took 117 hits, and was still in working order. the germans had a similar story with their tiger... 107 hits... they both go steel wall.

[Scratchy2]

 Rudkav1tch, on Mar 16 2012 - 23:39, said:

If only it was true.

it probably is.

[Sealteam6]

 Garbad, on Mar 16 2012 - 23:44, said:

Most of the russian tanks were terrible at the start of the war. There were only a few T-34s and KVs at that point.

Yeah, about 500 of the KV series were available at the beginning, spread very thin from the Baltic to the black sea.

[supershutze]

 Garbad, on Mar 16 2012 - 23:44, said:

Most of the russian tanks were terrible at the start of the war. There were only a few T-34s and KVs at that point.

And most german tanks at the start of operation barbarossa were Pz2's and 37mm armed Pz3's, which were comparable in performance to the russian BT tanks and T26's. The KV's and T-34's the Russians did have shocked the germans, who often had nothing comparable. When the war started, the KV tank was the heaviest tank in the world, and the T-34 was probably the best overall by a sizeable margin in 1941.

[Rudkav1tch]

It amazes me how 71 years later it appears on the internet.....so it must be true. Now I am not saying it is or it is not. But think about it....a single tank taking on an armored division for 2 days. And the german airforce refused to attack a single tank.....lol. I suspect if it did happen, itdid not go down quite the way the russian site said it did. If it did happen as they said. No wonder Germany lost the war.

[Fireguard]

I don't think the guy on the front of that tank is sleeping.

[supershutze]

 Rudkav1tch, on Mar 16 2012 - 23:39, said:

If only it was true.

 Scratchy2, on Mar 16 2012 - 23:47, said:

it probably is.

It is.

[Fireguard]

 supershutze, on Mar 16 2012 - 23:58, said:

And most german tanks at the start of operation barbarossa were Pz2's and 37mm armed Pz3's, which were comparable in performance to the russian BT tanks and T26's. The KV's and T-34's the Russians did have shocked the germans, who often had nothing comparable. When the war started, the KV tank was the heaviest tank in the world, and the T-34 was probably the best overall by a sizeable margin in 1941.

The bigger issue was the complete lack of independence at any unit level, and inability to fight a modern, mobile war. The purge of the Red Army in the late 30's killed off most of their tactical thinkers and innovators.

[montanakennedy]

It's on Wikipedia. It must be true...

The article credits Zaloga so that lends it more creedence.

[montanakennedy]

 bindybindy, on Mar 17 2012 - 00:05, said:

The bigger issue was the complete lack of independence at any unit level, and inability to fight a modern, mobile war. The purge of the Red Army in the late 30's killed off most of their tactical thinkers and innovators.

Or shipped them off to the gulag... Rokossovsky comes to mind...