Chad Harrison
08-31-2002, 09:24 PM
CMBB COMPLETE ARMORED RESOURCE LIBRARY
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The time is now upon us! The CMBB demo is due this weekend, and the full version will finally ship shortly thereafter! Things are going to be different and better in every way in the Combat Mission world, but some things are not going to be familiar to some of us. There may be a few of you who are completely foreign to the history of the Eastern Front of World War Two!!
That is the purpose of this resource library. Someone who was new to WWII history could learn CMBO’s vehicles very quickly, namely because there were relatively few vehicles, and a lot of those vehicles were redo’s with minor modifications. However, the CMBB vehicle is by no means small; and a lot of the main battle tanks (especially of the Russians) may be very unfamiliar to some. So I have put together a resource library for those who are not too familiar with the Easter front’s Armored vehicles. The purpose of this library is to make the transfer from the Western Front to the Eastern Front a little easier for those who don’t know where they are going!
This CMBB Armored Resource Library is comprised of three sections, and they will follow in this order:
</font> WWII EASTERN FRONT INTERNET LINKS</font> MOST COMMON MAIN BATTLE TANKS OF THE RUSSIAN AND GERMAN ARMY BY YEAR</font> BRIEF ANALYSIS OF RUSSIAN AND GERMAN ARMOUR WITH LINKS</font>Before we get into the good stuff, I would like to first thank all those who provided great amounts of information for this (you know who you are!). Since this guide is most likely going to be most useful to those new to CM, we once again we see the board’s support in helping those new to the world of Combat Mission! The CMBB Armored Resource Library now follows:
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WWII EASTERN FRONT ARMOURED INTERNET LINKS.
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Achtung Panzer! (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/profiles.htm): This is by far the best web site I have been able to find about German Armour in WWII. Very informative with lost of great pictures! Just about every German tank of the war is covered in detail on this site. The detail that each tank is covered with is immense! If you are looking for a quick look about a certain tank, this is not the website for you (WWII Vehicles is better for that). This is where you go when you have 10 minutes to study, not read, about a certain German tank. Site also contains over 50 links to additional WWII websites.
The Russian Battlefiled (http://www.battlefield.ru/): Websites about the Russian Armored forces in WWII are harder to come by, but this is one of the best one that I have found! Great information, pictures, and historical background for a LOT of the Russian armor. It includes a lot of historical accounts on battles, with stories from those who were there. The information on the armored forces of the Russians is a great resource. A whole section devoted to pictures of knocked out tanks!
WWII Vehicles.com (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/index.htm): This website contains information on all tank producing combatants in WWII, really a great site. Both German (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/germany/index.htm) and Russian (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/index.htm) tanks can be found here with lots of information and specific model details. Axis minor tanks can also be found here. If you are looking for a lot of details about each model, in a nice streamlined fashion, this is the link for you. In writing the information about each tank model, this was the website that I came to most often. Gives you the facts without a lot of talking.
The previous three websites should provide nearly all the information you will need to know about the Armored conflict on the Eastern Front from June of 1941 to May of 1945. I will list some other websites, with brief explanations, that also contain some great information regarding the Eastern Front:
Tanks on the Prowl (http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/4635/index.htm): Site that covers both Russian and German armour during WWII.
Operation Barbarossa (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/2941/index.html): Covers the Eastern conflict from 1941 to 1945.
The Battle for Stalingrad (http://users.pandora.be/stalingrad/):Website devoted to the history of the Battle for Stalingrad, August 1942 to February 1943.
Grossdeutschland for Combat Mission (http://members.shaw.ca/grossdeutschland/):A wealth of information about the Eastern front from our very own Michael Dorosh.
Outside of Armoured links, there were a number of other links that were posted that deal with the Eaastern Front. They deal with everything from losses to Finnish weapons. A lot of ‘grog’ information in these websites, so feel free to fill your ‘grog’ canteen here! I will list them as follows:
Kursk - Day by Day (http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/avenue/vy75/dbds04.htm), AFV News: Re. Turan Tank (http://www.activevr.com/afv/muzzle.html#TURAN), The Moscow Battle (http://www.serpukhov.su/dima/war/eng/eindex.htm), Finnish Ground Troops (http://www.ankkurinvarsi.net/jaeger/LIBRARY_MAINPAGE.shtml), Russian Weapon Data (http://ww2rustc.www5.50megs.com/weapons.html), Hungarian Troops on the Eastern Front (http://www.hungary.com/corvinus/lib/thou/thou14.htm), Strengths and Losses (http://www.angelfire.com/wi2/foto/ww2/proh/page4.html), Soviet Storm Group Tactics at Stalingrad (http://www.mca-marines.org/Gazette/Fath.html), Soviet Union Fact Book re. Kursk (http://www.skalman.nu/soviet/books-review-battleofkursk.htm), and the Zhukov Website (http://web.mitsi.com/zhukov/).
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MOST COMMON MAIN BATTLE TANKS OF THE RUSSIAN AND GERMAN ARMY BY YEAR
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CMBO was relatively simple when it came to knowing which tanks were around during any given month of the game. We only had to deal with less than one year of armored changes; most of which were just improvements, not new designs altogether! CMBB is not going to be so easy. Imagine starting out with small, light, fast tanks armed with light guns and machine guns in 1941, and then going to fielding the mammoth IS-2 and King Tiger in 1945!
With the help of a lot of input, we have now put together a list that will help those not too familiar with what to expect year to year. This list is meant only as an approximation of what you would be most likely to find in an ‘average’ tank battle for that year. Obviously this can only be approximate, and it is meant to be that way. Regarding the tank models, this is also only giving a feel for what you would be up against. BFC has developed a list 20 times longer than this, so you will be seeing a lot more specific tank models that what are listed below. The list is broken up by into each year from 1941 to 1945, with each side’s most common armor at that time (sorry Axis minor!). Just because a certain tank does not show up on this list does not mean that it was not available at that time. It means that it was not overly common at that time. The list follows:
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Russian Armoured Forces:
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-----1941-----
T-26 series
BT-5 and BT-7
KV-1 (KV-1 M41 becoming more common later in the year)
T-34 M40 (Model M41 becoming more common later in the year)
-----1942-----
T-34 M41
KV-1 M41
T-60 and T-70
T-26 series still lingering
-----1943-----
T-34 M41 (with model M43 becoming more common later in the year)
KV-1 and KV-1S
T-70 (numbers decreasing towards end of year)
SU-122 and SU-152
-----1944-----
T-34 M43 (model M41 still used, but with decreasing numbers)
T-34/85
IS-2m making first appearances in late '44
SU-85, ISU-122 and ISU-152
SU-76M
-----1945-----
T-34 M43 and T-34/85
IS-2m
SU-100, ISU-122 and ISU-152
SU-76M
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German Armoured Forces:
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-----1941-----
Panzer Mark III Models F and G (with model H becoming more common later in the year)
Panzer 38(t) Models A and E
StuG IIIB (and other early models)
Panzer Mark IV Models D and E (and other early models)
Panzer Mark II Models F and F(1)
-----1942-----
Panzer Mark IIIH (models J and L becoming more common later in the year)
Panzer Mark IVF(1) (with model IVF(2) becoming more common towards the end of the year)
StuG III Models B, F, and G
Marder II and III(t)H
-----1943-----
Panzer Mark IV Models F(2), G, and H
Panzer Mark III late series still common
StuG IIIG
Marder Series
Panzer Mark VD and Panzer Mark VIE making first apearances
-----1944-----
Panzer Mark IV Models G and H
StuG IIIG
Panzer Mark V Models D and G (model D being replaced as the year went on)
Panzer Mark VIE and VIE(L)
JagdPanzer Series
-----1945-----
Panzer Mark IV Model H and J
StuG IIIG
Panzer Mark VG
Panzer Mark VIE and VIE(L)
JagdPanzer Series
So hopefully with this list, you will have a ballpark idea of what to expect when playing that QB TCP/IP game. That way you wont be too surprised to see a Tiger or Panther show up in 1943! Or to have that T34 M40 show up June 1941 and walk all over you’re Panzer Mark III’s! So you read that list and did not recognize more than one or two names of the tanks? Just keep reading then.
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BRIEF ANALYSIS OF RUSSIAN AND GERMAN ARMOUR WITH LINKS
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What I hope to accomplish here is to give a brief verbal explanation of the tanks listed above. Some of you may have no idea what a T-34 is, or why everyone wants to see the IS Series in action? I will talk a few moments to give a brief explanation on each vehicle listed above, but your best resource would be to click on the link (each tank name is a link) provided. These links will take you to a web page dedicated to the specific tank. All web links are from websites above, so this is provided as a convenience (you could research all this and more with the links above). Any direct quotes were either taken from the web page that that the tank is linked to, or from the Advanced Squad Leader vehicle description list (ASL). The descriptions follow:
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Russian Armored Forces:
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T-26 Series (http://www.battlefield.ru/t26.html): The T-26 series was the most common tank in the Russian army when the Germans invaded in 1941, with the Model 1933 and Model 1937/39 being the most common (over 12,000 total were built). The M33 and M37/39 were armed with the Russian 45mm gun (same turret at the BT series), and only the M37/39 series had machine guns. The armour on the M33 series was too thin to be effective, it could be penetrated by an ATR. The M37/39 series had its frontal armour upgraded, but that came as a cost to the overall speed of the vehicle (which was not too impressive in the first place).
BT-5 and BT-7 (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/bt.html): The BT (Bistrokhodny Tank: Fast Tank) Series was designed in the 1930’s as a ‘Fast Tank’ for the Russian Army. This tank was indeed fast (around 50 mph), and it was armed with the Russian 45mm gun and a few machine guns, but its armor was too thin to be effective (the BT-5 could be penetrated by an ATR) for too long on the modern battlefield. Production ended in 1940, so only the leftovers were around for the German attacks in 1941 and they quickly disappeared. But, what other tank could catch that much air (see picture in link)! The chief difference between the BT-5 and BT-7 was redesigned armor, and a new engine/drive train.
KV-1 M40, M41, and KV-1s (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/kv.html): The KV-1 (Klementi Vorishilov) Heavy Tank Series remained common in the Russian army up to the start of 1944. The combination of heavy armor, and the Russian 76mm gun made them a very formidable foe in 1941 and 1942 where it took a lot of hits from German armor to knock one out. The M39 model saw production in 1940 and it had clutch and transmission problems, but despite these problems, it could not be knocked out by Finnish AT weapons in the Winter War of 1940. The M40/41 models had a better 76mm gun, more armour, and therefore a slower speed. The KV-1s was designed with less armor than before, a faster turret, and has a higher top speed. The KV-1s was produced in 1942 and 1943, and a few were lingering around until the end of the war. A great advantage of the KV-1 was its ammo load out: 100+ rounds!
T-34 M40, M41, M43 (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/t34.html): If there was one tank that the Russian victory rode on, it would without a doubt be the T-34. Even if you knew nothing of the Eastern Front conflict of WWII, and even less about the Russian armored forces, you would probably still know of the T-34 and the joy that it brought to the Russians, and the dread it brought to the Germans. “At the time of its introduction, the T-34 was the most revolutionary AFV in the world. Its combination of medium velocity 76mm gun, well-sloped armor, high top speed, and excellent mobility across soft ground, placed it generations ahead of all other existing tanks.” (ASL) Production of the T-34 series began July 1940, and by the time of the German attack, 967 T-34’s were waiting there on the frontier. The thick armor with a great slope was nearly invincible to the German guns at that time. The T-34 left such an impression on the Germans, that all captured T-34’s were pressed into German service. But, the T-34 M40 had it flaws. Only a two man turret (requiring the Commander to also serve as a loader), no radio, inexperienced crews, and being prone to breakdown evened things out with the German armor. The major production versions were the Models A M40, B M41, and Model D M43. The Model B M41 main improvement was a longer 76mm gun, which improved armored penetration. The Model D M43 addressed a lot of the mechanical failures of the T-34, and most of all, finally gave the T-34 a three man turret that allowed the Commander a lot more freedom. By the time production of the T-34/76 ended in 1944, more than 35,000 had been built. Production of the T-34/76 ended because of the new T-34/85.
T-60 (http://www.battlefield.ru/t60_1.html): The T-60 was designed as a light, recon tank in 1940. It was armed with a 20mm automatic gun, and a machine gun. Its armor was actually decent for a recon tank, which allowed it to take on German armor in 1941 and 1942. With special ammunition, the 20mm cannon could even knock out Panzer Mark III’s and early Mark IV’s. Its greatest effectiveness was against armored cars though. Model M42 had more armor and was in service into 1943 (at lower numbers however). Its strong points were a decent speed and a very low silhouette. Attempts were made to up-gun and modernizer the T-60, but by that time, the T-70 was more desirable.
T-70 (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/t70.html): The T-70 was the Russians attempt to finding the right tank design that would balance “firepower, mobility, and protection in a light tank.” (ASL) While it was a good design, it was not nearly as good as the T-34 Series that was a much better design. Nevertheless, it was seen that it was better for some units to have light tanks rather than no tanks. So from 1942 to 1943, 8,200 T-70’s were produced. While they did have a decent gun for their time, low silhouette, and decent armor, by 1943, they could not go toe to toe with the new German panzers. They did however remain in service for the remainder of the war, used in a light tank role.
SU-122 (http://www.battlefield.ru/su122.html) and SU-152 (http://www.battlefield.ru/su152.html): The German StuG Assault guns impressed the Russians enough to design their own line of Assault guns. Assault guns were cheaper to build, and roomier inside, which allowed larger guns to be installed. The SU-122 fielded a 122mm Howitzer (that later was given a HEAT round) and was built on the T-34’s chassis. It had good mobility and provided great direct fire capabilities and was even able to take on Germany’s bigger tanks, including the Tiger tank. The SU-152 had a 152mm gun and was developed on the hull and chassis of the KV-1s. The 152mm gun amazingly had a AP round that was so effective against ALL German armor that the SU-152’s nickname became “Zvierboy”, Animal Killer (against the Tiger, Panthers, Elefants, ect.). Both made appearances in 1943, and were involved in Kursk.
T-34/85 (http://www.battlefield.ru/t34_85.html): With the Germans introduction of the Panther and Tiger tanks, the T-34/76 was less effective at dealing with them. Plans began to upgrade the T-34 to house the 85mm gun (two different types of 85mm guns used). The result was the T-34/85 which had the three man turret also. Their effectiveness at introduction to battle in 1944 caused the production of the T-34/76 to cease. Becoming very common as 1944 went on. A total of almost 30,000 T-34/85’s were produced during the war.
SU-85 (http://www.battlefield.ru/su85.html) and SU-100 (http://www.battlefield.ru/su100.html): Just as the new Panthers and Tigers brought on the T-34/85, they brought on the SU-85. Essentially, the SU-85 is the SU-122 mounted with the 85mm anti tank gun. It was used in the role as a tank destroyer. They SU-85 hit the front in the later months of 1943. About 2,000 SU-85’s were built. When the production on the T-34/85 began, the 85mm gun was redundant, and so the Russians looked to upgrade the SU-85. The SU-100 was the result. The SU-100 was mounted with a 100mm gun (adapted from a 100mm naval gun) to deal with the newer German armor. The SU-100’s production was delayed and did not see combat until the later months of 1944. By the end of the war, about 1,700 SU-100’s were produced.
SU-76 (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/su_76.html): The SU-76 was designed to act both as a tank destroyer and as an assault gun. As the Russians saw the great number of self propelled guns that the Germans had, they began producing the SU-76 in 1942. Developed on the T-70 chassis it had somewhat decent armor to withstand early war guns, but towards the end of the war, the only safety it had was in its smaller size. It fielded the long barrel 76mm gun, and carried all sorts of rounds (including HEAT rounds). A total of 12,600 were built from 1942 to the end of the war, however it was not like by its crews.
ISU-122 (http://www.battlefield.ru/isu122_152.html) and ISU-152 (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/isu.html): So successful had the SU-122 and SU-152 been that when the IS chassis was developed, the Russians immediately sought to upgrade the SU’s to the new IS chassis. What came of this was two greatly feared tanks. Both guns had incredible armor penetration capabilities, and it showed. The ISU’s could engage anything the Germans put onto the battlefield at long ranges with great success. They also had greater armor than the SU’s predecessors, which combined with the large guns made them quite the opponent to the Germans. The ISU-122 did have better armor penetration than the ISU-152, but they were both used in a tank destroyer/assault gun role. The main drawback was ammo supply: ISU-122 had 30 rounds, the ISU-152 had 20 rounds. Yet, they made great use of those few rounds. Production began in 1943, and by the end of the war, about 4,000 of both types had been produced. On a personal note, I cant wait to field one of the ISU-152’s with that big fat gun!
IS Series (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/is.html): The IS (Iosef Stalin) Series is the Russians versions of the King Tiger. The difference though was that the IS’s started showing up on the battlefield in early 1944. Designed off of the KV series hull, it had just about everything redone, and upgraded to a more ‘modernized’ standard. First in testing the IS-1 had a 85mm gun, then a 100mm gun, and final production versions had the impressive 122mm gun. Only a few IS-1’s were produced, and when the IS-2 production began, the old IS-1’s were upgraded. The IS-2 had a new turret to house better the 122mm long barreled gun, and much more armor at a better slope. More IS-2’s were built than any other IS series tank. Finally, the IS-3 came along just in time for the battle of Berlin (questioned as to whether or not it ever saw combat though). With a much lower turret, and extremely sloped armor, this tank set the standard for post war and cold war era Russian armor.
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German Armored Forces:
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Panzer Mark II Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz1.htm#panzer2): The Mark II Panzer was meant to fill a gap in time before the Mark III and IV were ready for production. The Mark II was a light tank, with okay armor for its time, decent mobility, and a 20mm gun which fired 280 rounds per minute. Combat in the Spanish Civil War determined that the Mark II was already obsolete. By the time that Eastern front hostilities began, the Mark II was even more obsolete and was used as a recon vehicle for the most part.
Panzer Mark III Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz8.htm): Before the war began, the German army wanted to have two medium tanks: one with an anti-tank gun, and the other to support that tank with HE rounds. The anti-tank tank is the Mark III, the support tank is the early Mark IV. The original Mark III’s (Models A-F) were equipped with a 37mm gun. In 1940, Hitler ordered it to be produced with a long barrel 50mm gun. Instead, a shorter barreled 50mm gun was installed in Models G, H, and J. It wasn’t until December 1941 that the Mark III finally got the longer barreled 50mm gun, and it was sorely needed by that time to battle the T-34 and KV-1 tanks. The Mark III series had good armor protection to the Russian guns, short of the 76mm gun. It was unable to go toe to toe with the T-34 or KV-1, even after the 50mm KwK 39 L/60 gun was installed. Production of the Mark III ceased in July 1942. The most common models were the Model J (1,549 built) and Model J1 (with longer 50mm gun, 1,067 built). Expect to see them in nearly every armored force during 1941 and 1942 as they were the mainstay of the early war German armored forces.
Panzer Mark IV Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz3.htm#panzer4): With about 9,000 Mark IV’s being built during the war, this tank was one of the most common tanks on the battlefield, and it was the only German tank to be produced the entire war. What began as a design for a close support tank with good HE capabilities, ended as the best medium tank that Germany could put on the battlefield. The Mark IV was the backbone of the German Panzer divisions throughout all of 1944 and 1945. Despite its not too grand armor, the later versions of the Mark IV could go toe to toe with the T-34 and expect a fairly even match. Many models were produced (Models A, B, C, D, E, F1, F2, G, H, and J) with Models G, H, and J being the most common model in late war years. The original Models A-F1 were armed with the short barreled 75mm gun. This gun was not the best at armor penetration, and so Models F2, G, H and J were equipped with the longer barreled 75mm KwK 40 L/43 or L/48 in later models. Armor was upgraded with models, but were never able to stop the Russian 76mm gun with consistency. Once mid 1943 rolled around, if there was one German tank that always seemed to be there, it was the Mark IV.
Panzer Mark V "Panther" Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz4.htm#panther): This was the Germans answer to the T-34. As early as 1935, the Germans were looking to produce a ‘heavy tank’. But it wasn’t until the T-34 showed up so strongly that development of the Mark V really got rolling. A group of developers went and inspected captured T-34’s and the first development models of the Mark V were nearly exact replications of the T-34. What followed was the Panzer Mark V, better known as the ‘Panther.’ The Panthers mobility, very slopped armor, and hard hitting gun (a L/70 75mm gun!) were a direct answer to the T-34/76. So effective was the original Panthers (outside of mechanical problems), that the Russians immediately began development on the T-34/85 to somehow answer this new threat. The Mark V made its appearance in 1943 and took part in Kursk. The long barreled 75mm gun could KO anything that the Russians had on the field. It had good mobility even on soft grounds, and was loved by the crews for its safety and hard hitting gun, but not for its mechanical failures. Model D was the first production model, and it had bad mechanical problems. Most of these problems were fixed by the later Model G, that went into production March 1944. The biggest drawback of the Mark V is that there was never enough to go around. About 5,000 total were built during the war.
Panzer Mark VI "Tiger" Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/tiger.htm): Just as the T-34 is the most remembered Russian Tank, the Panzer Mark VI ‘Tiger’ tank is the most remembered German tank of the world. Oddly enough, only 1,300 of them were produced during the war, but the impression that they left on the world has lasted to this very day. By Hitler’s own request in 1942, he wanted a heavy tank that fielded the impressive German 88mm gun. The result of development that began back 1937 then was finished and production of the new Tiger tanks began July 1942. The Tigers armor at that time could scarcely be penetrated by anything short of point blank flanking shots. The 88mm L/56 could dispatch ALL Russian armor at hundred’s of yards. Yet its chief drawbacks were its great weight (57 tons), and poor mechanical reliability. Nevertheless, even the sound of a Tiger starting up was enough to bring fear into the hearts of the Russians (and Americans for that matter). Unfortunately for the Germans, the Tiger was such a great vehicle that it took too long to build (twice as long as to build a Panther), and so only 1,300 were built. The Model E(L) made improvements to the mechanical problems of earlier models.
StuG III Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/stug.htm): The StuG was originally much like the Panzer Mark IVC, developed as a close support platform for the infantry. It was built on the chassis of the Mark III tank and was mounted with the short 75mm gun (Models A, B, C, D, and E). It performed well in the close support area, but as the T-34 and KV-1 wreaked havoc on the Germans, Hitler ordered that it be upgraded to field the longer barreled 75mm gun (this was done at the same time for the Mark IV tank). What resulted was the StuG III Models F, F/8, and G. Since the assault guns where cheaper and quicker to built than turreted tanks, and they had a much lower profile without the turret, production increased significantly as the Germans began to operate more and more on the defense. After that, they were used both in German Tank Destroyer and Assault gun units. The later model StuG III’s were quite effective against the Russian armor, especially in an ambush role. Outside of the Panzer Mark IV tank, they were the second most common tank of the German army with about 8,600 produced.
Jagdpanzer Model 38 (t) "Hetzer" (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/hetzer.htm) and Model IV (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz10.htm#jagd4): The need for cheap, quickly produced, and effective tank destroyed became more apparent as the war went on. The result of the demand for better tank destroyers than what had previously been used (Marder’s were less than impressive) was the JgdPz 38(t) “Hetzer” and the JgdPz IV. The JgdPz 38(t) was developed on the chassis of the Panzer 38(t), and was designed to be a very light, and small tank destroyer. It had great sloped armor, but its small size made it very cramped inside and difficult to fire and reload. Nevertheless, about 2,500 saw action and proved to be effective in their role as tank destroyers. It made its appearance around the summer of 1944. The JgdPz IV was intended to replace the StuG III, but was used as a dedicated tank destroyed instead. It was developed on the chassis of the Mark IV, and had greater armor than the Hetzer. A Model IV/70 was developed that had the longer barreled 75mm gun. The gun was so long and heavy though, that it was hard to control the tank on uneven ground, and the gun even made steering a burden. About 1,600 Model IV series were produced, with appearances being made around March 1944.
Panzer 38 (t) Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pzcz.htm): A Czech tank design, the Germans had them produced after their occupation. It had a 37mm gun, with multiple machine guns. Mobility was actually fairly decent, and it had a good combat speed. Numerous models were produced, most notably the Model 38(t)E which was a up armored version. Between 1939 and 1942, 1,400 38(t) Series tanks were produced and remained in service until the end of 1942. At the time of the German invasion in 1941, quite a few 38(t)’s were present in the German armored formations, and performed quite well against the lightly armored Russian light tanks and armored cars.
Marder Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/marder.htm): The Marder tank series was the Germans attempt to fill a gap in the armored forces to deal with the Russian heavies until better tanks could be produced. The Marder I was fitted with either the Russian 76.2mm gun, or the Germans long barrel 75mm gun, and put onto one of a number of different chassis’. The lack of any good armor protection made these tanks ineffective outside of ambush situations. The Marder II followed the same story, but was mounted this time on the Panzer Mark II chassis. The Marder III was mounted on the Panzer 38(t) chassis and was the final Marder series to be produced. The Marder I was produced from 1942 to 1943, the Marder II from 1942 to 1944, and the Marder III from 1943 to 1944. All Marder’s thin armor kept them from being too effective in many roles, but a good shot from a concealed position could knock out nearly any of the Russian armor.
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That concludes this edition of the CMBB Armored Resource Library. It is my hope that this has helped someone out there to become more familiar, and comfortable, with their knowledge of the armored forces of the Eastern Front! If you would like a printer friendly version of this, just post here and ask for one and I will email it to you in Word format. Thanks again too all those who provided a lot of information on this! If you see any mistakes that are making you loose sleep, just email me and I will correct the errors. See you on the Battlefield!
Chad Harrison smile.gif
(this is also posted in the Combat Mission forum, but I thought I would put it here for those looking for advice)
[ August 31, 2002, 06:26 PM: Message edited by: Chad Harrison ]
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The time is now upon us! The CMBB demo is due this weekend, and the full version will finally ship shortly thereafter! Things are going to be different and better in every way in the Combat Mission world, but some things are not going to be familiar to some of us. There may be a few of you who are completely foreign to the history of the Eastern Front of World War Two!!
That is the purpose of this resource library. Someone who was new to WWII history could learn CMBO’s vehicles very quickly, namely because there were relatively few vehicles, and a lot of those vehicles were redo’s with minor modifications. However, the CMBB vehicle is by no means small; and a lot of the main battle tanks (especially of the Russians) may be very unfamiliar to some. So I have put together a resource library for those who are not too familiar with the Easter front’s Armored vehicles. The purpose of this library is to make the transfer from the Western Front to the Eastern Front a little easier for those who don’t know where they are going!
This CMBB Armored Resource Library is comprised of three sections, and they will follow in this order:
</font> WWII EASTERN FRONT INTERNET LINKS</font> MOST COMMON MAIN BATTLE TANKS OF THE RUSSIAN AND GERMAN ARMY BY YEAR</font> BRIEF ANALYSIS OF RUSSIAN AND GERMAN ARMOUR WITH LINKS</font>Before we get into the good stuff, I would like to first thank all those who provided great amounts of information for this (you know who you are!). Since this guide is most likely going to be most useful to those new to CM, we once again we see the board’s support in helping those new to the world of Combat Mission! The CMBB Armored Resource Library now follows:
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WWII EASTERN FRONT ARMOURED INTERNET LINKS.
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Achtung Panzer! (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/profiles.htm): This is by far the best web site I have been able to find about German Armour in WWII. Very informative with lost of great pictures! Just about every German tank of the war is covered in detail on this site. The detail that each tank is covered with is immense! If you are looking for a quick look about a certain tank, this is not the website for you (WWII Vehicles is better for that). This is where you go when you have 10 minutes to study, not read, about a certain German tank. Site also contains over 50 links to additional WWII websites.
The Russian Battlefiled (http://www.battlefield.ru/): Websites about the Russian Armored forces in WWII are harder to come by, but this is one of the best one that I have found! Great information, pictures, and historical background for a LOT of the Russian armor. It includes a lot of historical accounts on battles, with stories from those who were there. The information on the armored forces of the Russians is a great resource. A whole section devoted to pictures of knocked out tanks!
WWII Vehicles.com (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/index.htm): This website contains information on all tank producing combatants in WWII, really a great site. Both German (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/germany/index.htm) and Russian (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/index.htm) tanks can be found here with lots of information and specific model details. Axis minor tanks can also be found here. If you are looking for a lot of details about each model, in a nice streamlined fashion, this is the link for you. In writing the information about each tank model, this was the website that I came to most often. Gives you the facts without a lot of talking.
The previous three websites should provide nearly all the information you will need to know about the Armored conflict on the Eastern Front from June of 1941 to May of 1945. I will list some other websites, with brief explanations, that also contain some great information regarding the Eastern Front:
Tanks on the Prowl (http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/4635/index.htm): Site that covers both Russian and German armour during WWII.
Operation Barbarossa (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/2941/index.html): Covers the Eastern conflict from 1941 to 1945.
The Battle for Stalingrad (http://users.pandora.be/stalingrad/):Website devoted to the history of the Battle for Stalingrad, August 1942 to February 1943.
Grossdeutschland for Combat Mission (http://members.shaw.ca/grossdeutschland/):A wealth of information about the Eastern front from our very own Michael Dorosh.
Outside of Armoured links, there were a number of other links that were posted that deal with the Eaastern Front. They deal with everything from losses to Finnish weapons. A lot of ‘grog’ information in these websites, so feel free to fill your ‘grog’ canteen here! I will list them as follows:
Kursk - Day by Day (http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/avenue/vy75/dbds04.htm), AFV News: Re. Turan Tank (http://www.activevr.com/afv/muzzle.html#TURAN), The Moscow Battle (http://www.serpukhov.su/dima/war/eng/eindex.htm), Finnish Ground Troops (http://www.ankkurinvarsi.net/jaeger/LIBRARY_MAINPAGE.shtml), Russian Weapon Data (http://ww2rustc.www5.50megs.com/weapons.html), Hungarian Troops on the Eastern Front (http://www.hungary.com/corvinus/lib/thou/thou14.htm), Strengths and Losses (http://www.angelfire.com/wi2/foto/ww2/proh/page4.html), Soviet Storm Group Tactics at Stalingrad (http://www.mca-marines.org/Gazette/Fath.html), Soviet Union Fact Book re. Kursk (http://www.skalman.nu/soviet/books-review-battleofkursk.htm), and the Zhukov Website (http://web.mitsi.com/zhukov/).
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MOST COMMON MAIN BATTLE TANKS OF THE RUSSIAN AND GERMAN ARMY BY YEAR
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CMBO was relatively simple when it came to knowing which tanks were around during any given month of the game. We only had to deal with less than one year of armored changes; most of which were just improvements, not new designs altogether! CMBB is not going to be so easy. Imagine starting out with small, light, fast tanks armed with light guns and machine guns in 1941, and then going to fielding the mammoth IS-2 and King Tiger in 1945!
With the help of a lot of input, we have now put together a list that will help those not too familiar with what to expect year to year. This list is meant only as an approximation of what you would be most likely to find in an ‘average’ tank battle for that year. Obviously this can only be approximate, and it is meant to be that way. Regarding the tank models, this is also only giving a feel for what you would be up against. BFC has developed a list 20 times longer than this, so you will be seeing a lot more specific tank models that what are listed below. The list is broken up by into each year from 1941 to 1945, with each side’s most common armor at that time (sorry Axis minor!). Just because a certain tank does not show up on this list does not mean that it was not available at that time. It means that it was not overly common at that time. The list follows:
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Russian Armoured Forces:
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-----1941-----
T-26 series
BT-5 and BT-7
KV-1 (KV-1 M41 becoming more common later in the year)
T-34 M40 (Model M41 becoming more common later in the year)
-----1942-----
T-34 M41
KV-1 M41
T-60 and T-70
T-26 series still lingering
-----1943-----
T-34 M41 (with model M43 becoming more common later in the year)
KV-1 and KV-1S
T-70 (numbers decreasing towards end of year)
SU-122 and SU-152
-----1944-----
T-34 M43 (model M41 still used, but with decreasing numbers)
T-34/85
IS-2m making first appearances in late '44
SU-85, ISU-122 and ISU-152
SU-76M
-----1945-----
T-34 M43 and T-34/85
IS-2m
SU-100, ISU-122 and ISU-152
SU-76M
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German Armoured Forces:
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-----1941-----
Panzer Mark III Models F and G (with model H becoming more common later in the year)
Panzer 38(t) Models A and E
StuG IIIB (and other early models)
Panzer Mark IV Models D and E (and other early models)
Panzer Mark II Models F and F(1)
-----1942-----
Panzer Mark IIIH (models J and L becoming more common later in the year)
Panzer Mark IVF(1) (with model IVF(2) becoming more common towards the end of the year)
StuG III Models B, F, and G
Marder II and III(t)H
-----1943-----
Panzer Mark IV Models F(2), G, and H
Panzer Mark III late series still common
StuG IIIG
Marder Series
Panzer Mark VD and Panzer Mark VIE making first apearances
-----1944-----
Panzer Mark IV Models G and H
StuG IIIG
Panzer Mark V Models D and G (model D being replaced as the year went on)
Panzer Mark VIE and VIE(L)
JagdPanzer Series
-----1945-----
Panzer Mark IV Model H and J
StuG IIIG
Panzer Mark VG
Panzer Mark VIE and VIE(L)
JagdPanzer Series
So hopefully with this list, you will have a ballpark idea of what to expect when playing that QB TCP/IP game. That way you wont be too surprised to see a Tiger or Panther show up in 1943! Or to have that T34 M40 show up June 1941 and walk all over you’re Panzer Mark III’s! So you read that list and did not recognize more than one or two names of the tanks? Just keep reading then.
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BRIEF ANALYSIS OF RUSSIAN AND GERMAN ARMOUR WITH LINKS
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What I hope to accomplish here is to give a brief verbal explanation of the tanks listed above. Some of you may have no idea what a T-34 is, or why everyone wants to see the IS Series in action? I will talk a few moments to give a brief explanation on each vehicle listed above, but your best resource would be to click on the link (each tank name is a link) provided. These links will take you to a web page dedicated to the specific tank. All web links are from websites above, so this is provided as a convenience (you could research all this and more with the links above). Any direct quotes were either taken from the web page that that the tank is linked to, or from the Advanced Squad Leader vehicle description list (ASL). The descriptions follow:
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Russian Armored Forces:
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T-26 Series (http://www.battlefield.ru/t26.html): The T-26 series was the most common tank in the Russian army when the Germans invaded in 1941, with the Model 1933 and Model 1937/39 being the most common (over 12,000 total were built). The M33 and M37/39 were armed with the Russian 45mm gun (same turret at the BT series), and only the M37/39 series had machine guns. The armour on the M33 series was too thin to be effective, it could be penetrated by an ATR. The M37/39 series had its frontal armour upgraded, but that came as a cost to the overall speed of the vehicle (which was not too impressive in the first place).
BT-5 and BT-7 (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/bt.html): The BT (Bistrokhodny Tank: Fast Tank) Series was designed in the 1930’s as a ‘Fast Tank’ for the Russian Army. This tank was indeed fast (around 50 mph), and it was armed with the Russian 45mm gun and a few machine guns, but its armor was too thin to be effective (the BT-5 could be penetrated by an ATR) for too long on the modern battlefield. Production ended in 1940, so only the leftovers were around for the German attacks in 1941 and they quickly disappeared. But, what other tank could catch that much air (see picture in link)! The chief difference between the BT-5 and BT-7 was redesigned armor, and a new engine/drive train.
KV-1 M40, M41, and KV-1s (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/kv.html): The KV-1 (Klementi Vorishilov) Heavy Tank Series remained common in the Russian army up to the start of 1944. The combination of heavy armor, and the Russian 76mm gun made them a very formidable foe in 1941 and 1942 where it took a lot of hits from German armor to knock one out. The M39 model saw production in 1940 and it had clutch and transmission problems, but despite these problems, it could not be knocked out by Finnish AT weapons in the Winter War of 1940. The M40/41 models had a better 76mm gun, more armour, and therefore a slower speed. The KV-1s was designed with less armor than before, a faster turret, and has a higher top speed. The KV-1s was produced in 1942 and 1943, and a few were lingering around until the end of the war. A great advantage of the KV-1 was its ammo load out: 100+ rounds!
T-34 M40, M41, M43 (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/t34.html): If there was one tank that the Russian victory rode on, it would without a doubt be the T-34. Even if you knew nothing of the Eastern Front conflict of WWII, and even less about the Russian armored forces, you would probably still know of the T-34 and the joy that it brought to the Russians, and the dread it brought to the Germans. “At the time of its introduction, the T-34 was the most revolutionary AFV in the world. Its combination of medium velocity 76mm gun, well-sloped armor, high top speed, and excellent mobility across soft ground, placed it generations ahead of all other existing tanks.” (ASL) Production of the T-34 series began July 1940, and by the time of the German attack, 967 T-34’s were waiting there on the frontier. The thick armor with a great slope was nearly invincible to the German guns at that time. The T-34 left such an impression on the Germans, that all captured T-34’s were pressed into German service. But, the T-34 M40 had it flaws. Only a two man turret (requiring the Commander to also serve as a loader), no radio, inexperienced crews, and being prone to breakdown evened things out with the German armor. The major production versions were the Models A M40, B M41, and Model D M43. The Model B M41 main improvement was a longer 76mm gun, which improved armored penetration. The Model D M43 addressed a lot of the mechanical failures of the T-34, and most of all, finally gave the T-34 a three man turret that allowed the Commander a lot more freedom. By the time production of the T-34/76 ended in 1944, more than 35,000 had been built. Production of the T-34/76 ended because of the new T-34/85.
T-60 (http://www.battlefield.ru/t60_1.html): The T-60 was designed as a light, recon tank in 1940. It was armed with a 20mm automatic gun, and a machine gun. Its armor was actually decent for a recon tank, which allowed it to take on German armor in 1941 and 1942. With special ammunition, the 20mm cannon could even knock out Panzer Mark III’s and early Mark IV’s. Its greatest effectiveness was against armored cars though. Model M42 had more armor and was in service into 1943 (at lower numbers however). Its strong points were a decent speed and a very low silhouette. Attempts were made to up-gun and modernizer the T-60, but by that time, the T-70 was more desirable.
T-70 (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/t70.html): The T-70 was the Russians attempt to finding the right tank design that would balance “firepower, mobility, and protection in a light tank.” (ASL) While it was a good design, it was not nearly as good as the T-34 Series that was a much better design. Nevertheless, it was seen that it was better for some units to have light tanks rather than no tanks. So from 1942 to 1943, 8,200 T-70’s were produced. While they did have a decent gun for their time, low silhouette, and decent armor, by 1943, they could not go toe to toe with the new German panzers. They did however remain in service for the remainder of the war, used in a light tank role.
SU-122 (http://www.battlefield.ru/su122.html) and SU-152 (http://www.battlefield.ru/su152.html): The German StuG Assault guns impressed the Russians enough to design their own line of Assault guns. Assault guns were cheaper to build, and roomier inside, which allowed larger guns to be installed. The SU-122 fielded a 122mm Howitzer (that later was given a HEAT round) and was built on the T-34’s chassis. It had good mobility and provided great direct fire capabilities and was even able to take on Germany’s bigger tanks, including the Tiger tank. The SU-152 had a 152mm gun and was developed on the hull and chassis of the KV-1s. The 152mm gun amazingly had a AP round that was so effective against ALL German armor that the SU-152’s nickname became “Zvierboy”, Animal Killer (against the Tiger, Panthers, Elefants, ect.). Both made appearances in 1943, and were involved in Kursk.
T-34/85 (http://www.battlefield.ru/t34_85.html): With the Germans introduction of the Panther and Tiger tanks, the T-34/76 was less effective at dealing with them. Plans began to upgrade the T-34 to house the 85mm gun (two different types of 85mm guns used). The result was the T-34/85 which had the three man turret also. Their effectiveness at introduction to battle in 1944 caused the production of the T-34/76 to cease. Becoming very common as 1944 went on. A total of almost 30,000 T-34/85’s were produced during the war.
SU-85 (http://www.battlefield.ru/su85.html) and SU-100 (http://www.battlefield.ru/su100.html): Just as the new Panthers and Tigers brought on the T-34/85, they brought on the SU-85. Essentially, the SU-85 is the SU-122 mounted with the 85mm anti tank gun. It was used in the role as a tank destroyer. They SU-85 hit the front in the later months of 1943. About 2,000 SU-85’s were built. When the production on the T-34/85 began, the 85mm gun was redundant, and so the Russians looked to upgrade the SU-85. The SU-100 was the result. The SU-100 was mounted with a 100mm gun (adapted from a 100mm naval gun) to deal with the newer German armor. The SU-100’s production was delayed and did not see combat until the later months of 1944. By the end of the war, about 1,700 SU-100’s were produced.
SU-76 (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/su_76.html): The SU-76 was designed to act both as a tank destroyer and as an assault gun. As the Russians saw the great number of self propelled guns that the Germans had, they began producing the SU-76 in 1942. Developed on the T-70 chassis it had somewhat decent armor to withstand early war guns, but towards the end of the war, the only safety it had was in its smaller size. It fielded the long barrel 76mm gun, and carried all sorts of rounds (including HEAT rounds). A total of 12,600 were built from 1942 to the end of the war, however it was not like by its crews.
ISU-122 (http://www.battlefield.ru/isu122_152.html) and ISU-152 (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/isu.html): So successful had the SU-122 and SU-152 been that when the IS chassis was developed, the Russians immediately sought to upgrade the SU’s to the new IS chassis. What came of this was two greatly feared tanks. Both guns had incredible armor penetration capabilities, and it showed. The ISU’s could engage anything the Germans put onto the battlefield at long ranges with great success. They also had greater armor than the SU’s predecessors, which combined with the large guns made them quite the opponent to the Germans. The ISU-122 did have better armor penetration than the ISU-152, but they were both used in a tank destroyer/assault gun role. The main drawback was ammo supply: ISU-122 had 30 rounds, the ISU-152 had 20 rounds. Yet, they made great use of those few rounds. Production began in 1943, and by the end of the war, about 4,000 of both types had been produced. On a personal note, I cant wait to field one of the ISU-152’s with that big fat gun!
IS Series (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/ussr/is.html): The IS (Iosef Stalin) Series is the Russians versions of the King Tiger. The difference though was that the IS’s started showing up on the battlefield in early 1944. Designed off of the KV series hull, it had just about everything redone, and upgraded to a more ‘modernized’ standard. First in testing the IS-1 had a 85mm gun, then a 100mm gun, and final production versions had the impressive 122mm gun. Only a few IS-1’s were produced, and when the IS-2 production began, the old IS-1’s were upgraded. The IS-2 had a new turret to house better the 122mm long barreled gun, and much more armor at a better slope. More IS-2’s were built than any other IS series tank. Finally, the IS-3 came along just in time for the battle of Berlin (questioned as to whether or not it ever saw combat though). With a much lower turret, and extremely sloped armor, this tank set the standard for post war and cold war era Russian armor.
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German Armored Forces:
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Panzer Mark II Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz1.htm#panzer2): The Mark II Panzer was meant to fill a gap in time before the Mark III and IV were ready for production. The Mark II was a light tank, with okay armor for its time, decent mobility, and a 20mm gun which fired 280 rounds per minute. Combat in the Spanish Civil War determined that the Mark II was already obsolete. By the time that Eastern front hostilities began, the Mark II was even more obsolete and was used as a recon vehicle for the most part.
Panzer Mark III Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz8.htm): Before the war began, the German army wanted to have two medium tanks: one with an anti-tank gun, and the other to support that tank with HE rounds. The anti-tank tank is the Mark III, the support tank is the early Mark IV. The original Mark III’s (Models A-F) were equipped with a 37mm gun. In 1940, Hitler ordered it to be produced with a long barrel 50mm gun. Instead, a shorter barreled 50mm gun was installed in Models G, H, and J. It wasn’t until December 1941 that the Mark III finally got the longer barreled 50mm gun, and it was sorely needed by that time to battle the T-34 and KV-1 tanks. The Mark III series had good armor protection to the Russian guns, short of the 76mm gun. It was unable to go toe to toe with the T-34 or KV-1, even after the 50mm KwK 39 L/60 gun was installed. Production of the Mark III ceased in July 1942. The most common models were the Model J (1,549 built) and Model J1 (with longer 50mm gun, 1,067 built). Expect to see them in nearly every armored force during 1941 and 1942 as they were the mainstay of the early war German armored forces.
Panzer Mark IV Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz3.htm#panzer4): With about 9,000 Mark IV’s being built during the war, this tank was one of the most common tanks on the battlefield, and it was the only German tank to be produced the entire war. What began as a design for a close support tank with good HE capabilities, ended as the best medium tank that Germany could put on the battlefield. The Mark IV was the backbone of the German Panzer divisions throughout all of 1944 and 1945. Despite its not too grand armor, the later versions of the Mark IV could go toe to toe with the T-34 and expect a fairly even match. Many models were produced (Models A, B, C, D, E, F1, F2, G, H, and J) with Models G, H, and J being the most common model in late war years. The original Models A-F1 were armed with the short barreled 75mm gun. This gun was not the best at armor penetration, and so Models F2, G, H and J were equipped with the longer barreled 75mm KwK 40 L/43 or L/48 in later models. Armor was upgraded with models, but were never able to stop the Russian 76mm gun with consistency. Once mid 1943 rolled around, if there was one German tank that always seemed to be there, it was the Mark IV.
Panzer Mark V "Panther" Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz4.htm#panther): This was the Germans answer to the T-34. As early as 1935, the Germans were looking to produce a ‘heavy tank’. But it wasn’t until the T-34 showed up so strongly that development of the Mark V really got rolling. A group of developers went and inspected captured T-34’s and the first development models of the Mark V were nearly exact replications of the T-34. What followed was the Panzer Mark V, better known as the ‘Panther.’ The Panthers mobility, very slopped armor, and hard hitting gun (a L/70 75mm gun!) were a direct answer to the T-34/76. So effective was the original Panthers (outside of mechanical problems), that the Russians immediately began development on the T-34/85 to somehow answer this new threat. The Mark V made its appearance in 1943 and took part in Kursk. The long barreled 75mm gun could KO anything that the Russians had on the field. It had good mobility even on soft grounds, and was loved by the crews for its safety and hard hitting gun, but not for its mechanical failures. Model D was the first production model, and it had bad mechanical problems. Most of these problems were fixed by the later Model G, that went into production March 1944. The biggest drawback of the Mark V is that there was never enough to go around. About 5,000 total were built during the war.
Panzer Mark VI "Tiger" Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/tiger.htm): Just as the T-34 is the most remembered Russian Tank, the Panzer Mark VI ‘Tiger’ tank is the most remembered German tank of the world. Oddly enough, only 1,300 of them were produced during the war, but the impression that they left on the world has lasted to this very day. By Hitler’s own request in 1942, he wanted a heavy tank that fielded the impressive German 88mm gun. The result of development that began back 1937 then was finished and production of the new Tiger tanks began July 1942. The Tigers armor at that time could scarcely be penetrated by anything short of point blank flanking shots. The 88mm L/56 could dispatch ALL Russian armor at hundred’s of yards. Yet its chief drawbacks were its great weight (57 tons), and poor mechanical reliability. Nevertheless, even the sound of a Tiger starting up was enough to bring fear into the hearts of the Russians (and Americans for that matter). Unfortunately for the Germans, the Tiger was such a great vehicle that it took too long to build (twice as long as to build a Panther), and so only 1,300 were built. The Model E(L) made improvements to the mechanical problems of earlier models.
StuG III Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/stug.htm): The StuG was originally much like the Panzer Mark IVC, developed as a close support platform for the infantry. It was built on the chassis of the Mark III tank and was mounted with the short 75mm gun (Models A, B, C, D, and E). It performed well in the close support area, but as the T-34 and KV-1 wreaked havoc on the Germans, Hitler ordered that it be upgraded to field the longer barreled 75mm gun (this was done at the same time for the Mark IV tank). What resulted was the StuG III Models F, F/8, and G. Since the assault guns where cheaper and quicker to built than turreted tanks, and they had a much lower profile without the turret, production increased significantly as the Germans began to operate more and more on the defense. After that, they were used both in German Tank Destroyer and Assault gun units. The later model StuG III’s were quite effective against the Russian armor, especially in an ambush role. Outside of the Panzer Mark IV tank, they were the second most common tank of the German army with about 8,600 produced.
Jagdpanzer Model 38 (t) "Hetzer" (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/hetzer.htm) and Model IV (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz10.htm#jagd4): The need for cheap, quickly produced, and effective tank destroyed became more apparent as the war went on. The result of the demand for better tank destroyers than what had previously been used (Marder’s were less than impressive) was the JgdPz 38(t) “Hetzer” and the JgdPz IV. The JgdPz 38(t) was developed on the chassis of the Panzer 38(t), and was designed to be a very light, and small tank destroyer. It had great sloped armor, but its small size made it very cramped inside and difficult to fire and reload. Nevertheless, about 2,500 saw action and proved to be effective in their role as tank destroyers. It made its appearance around the summer of 1944. The JgdPz IV was intended to replace the StuG III, but was used as a dedicated tank destroyed instead. It was developed on the chassis of the Mark IV, and had greater armor than the Hetzer. A Model IV/70 was developed that had the longer barreled 75mm gun. The gun was so long and heavy though, that it was hard to control the tank on uneven ground, and the gun even made steering a burden. About 1,600 Model IV series were produced, with appearances being made around March 1944.
Panzer 38 (t) Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pzcz.htm): A Czech tank design, the Germans had them produced after their occupation. It had a 37mm gun, with multiple machine guns. Mobility was actually fairly decent, and it had a good combat speed. Numerous models were produced, most notably the Model 38(t)E which was a up armored version. Between 1939 and 1942, 1,400 38(t) Series tanks were produced and remained in service until the end of 1942. At the time of the German invasion in 1941, quite a few 38(t)’s were present in the German armored formations, and performed quite well against the lightly armored Russian light tanks and armored cars.
Marder Series (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/marder.htm): The Marder tank series was the Germans attempt to fill a gap in the armored forces to deal with the Russian heavies until better tanks could be produced. The Marder I was fitted with either the Russian 76.2mm gun, or the Germans long barrel 75mm gun, and put onto one of a number of different chassis’. The lack of any good armor protection made these tanks ineffective outside of ambush situations. The Marder II followed the same story, but was mounted this time on the Panzer Mark II chassis. The Marder III was mounted on the Panzer 38(t) chassis and was the final Marder series to be produced. The Marder I was produced from 1942 to 1943, the Marder II from 1942 to 1944, and the Marder III from 1943 to 1944. All Marder’s thin armor kept them from being too effective in many roles, but a good shot from a concealed position could knock out nearly any of the Russian armor.
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That concludes this edition of the CMBB Armored Resource Library. It is my hope that this has helped someone out there to become more familiar, and comfortable, with their knowledge of the armored forces of the Eastern Front! If you would like a printer friendly version of this, just post here and ask for one and I will email it to you in Word format. Thanks again too all those who provided a lot of information on this! If you see any mistakes that are making you loose sleep, just email me and I will correct the errors. See you on the Battlefield!
Chad Harrison smile.gif
(this is also posted in the Combat Mission forum, but I thought I would put it here for those looking for advice)
[ August 31, 2002, 06:26 PM: Message edited by: Chad Harrison ]