German vs Soviet Tanks | Animated History

the soviet tankers swelter inside of their kv-1 until their tracks are repaired they're stuck in the remains of a farming village isolated from the fight against the fascists as their driver clambers back into his seat the tank is engulfed in a white cloud of smoke and where there's smoke there's german armor another red tank explodes as the gun carriage rocks back the german commander can't wrap his head around the russians suicidal strategy of driving their tanks straight at his dug-in position suddenly the communists pull up short tanks scattering looks like they want a gun battle looks like a real fight the soviet tank crew watches flabbergasted as yet another shell whizzes harmlessly by the germans must be getting desperate if they're sending out crews that can't shoot the soviet gunner lines up his shot homing in on a king tigers glossy putting to the test how thick this cat's hide really is hi i'm griffin johnson the armchair historian with the success of our infantry squad videos it seemed only fitting that we tackle tanks as well in today's video we'll be viewing a set of three fictional battles between vermost and red army tanks each battle will take place at a different stage of the war starting with operation barbarossa and ending with the soviet invasion of germany although we've done our best to depict each vehicle accurately it is an undeniable truth that such match-ups were unlikely to occur in reality both sides practiced combined arms warfare and even isolated tank platoons would almost certainly be accompanied by infantry or other support while we've tried to create reasonable scenarios for each of our battles please remember that our primary purpose is to match up tanks and see how they perform against each other not perfectly recreate historical engagements developing the analytical mindset needed for research is never an easy task often we have to track down old archives review grainy footage from the 1940s or have foreign sources painstakingly translated into english fortunately today's sponsor brilliant is a website and app designed to get you thinking like a professional with dozens of unique courses all designed to help you improve your problem-solving skills and enhance your academic performance recently brilliant has been focusing on bringing their interactive content to a new level on both new and old courses i recommend their scientific thinking course designed to help you gain key insight into how the physical world works without overloading you with complicated mathematical equations or mind-numbing technical data start your journey now by visiting brilliant.org armchair historian to sign up for free furthermore the first 200 people to use the link get 20 off of an annual premium subscription a russian gunner blinks the stars from his eyes wiping a thin trickle of blood from his face then a sudden hard slap brings him rudely back to his senses it's the commander the gunner shakes his head reaching for a shell as he inches back to consciousness next to him the driver strains against the control levers poorly oiled hinges screeching their defiance the valine obelisk is poor tank country and the ukrainian summer turns this t26 into an oven with a gun the gunner slams his shell home limp arms pulling him to his sight the turret traverses at a glacial pace finally target acquired the gunner wipes another bloody trickle away as his concussed eye focuses in on a panzer iii the commander barks the order the panzer crew braces as the russian shell whistles toward them slamming into the ukrainian loam the panzer commander can't help but chuckle soviet gunnery at its finest the german gunner rams another shell home focusing in on the stricken t26 the young tanker gives his weapon an affectionate path the russians are protected by just 15 millimeters of armor far less than what their 50 millimeter shell can easily penetrate the driver scoffs as the gunner squares his shot this isn't war this is sport the gunner signals the commander pauses for effect then orders the shot another soviet tank falls before the mighty panzer battalions his reverie is interrupted by an urgent radio call it is critical they surround and destroy the blind behemoth lest it find a way out and cost more german lives the gunner looks at the redirac their panzer granata 40 rounds could penetrate the kv-1's turret but only at point-blank range the commander acknowledges the radio call and after a moment's reflection switches to the intercom band looks like they're going for a drive the gunner of the kv-1 drums on the receiver of his l-11 cannon the metal is warm to the touch like everything else in the cramped turret clanging on the hole the driver clambers back into the turret wiping grease and sweat from his face the track has finally been repaired and they can try to free themselves from the ruined building now the commander rolls his shoulders and peeks into his optics suddenly the gunner hears a shocked cry from the commander bringing his own periscope round the gunner sees nothing but a cloud of dense white smoke he curses feeling the hole vibrate as the driver starts easing them out of the wreckage heart pounding he hears the clunk of the gun breach as the loader shoves a shell into place somehow he knows it will likely be the last round his gun will ever fire and he intends to make it count the torsion bar suspension provides a remarkably smooth ride over the roughly paved road surface riding head out the german officer talks to his driver via throat mic warning him to avoid potholes and piles of debris smoke rounds from the lone panzer iv stationed on a nearby hill mark the enemy while the panzer 3 and 38ts keep their attention there are twin t34s in the village but they are caught reloading with one tungsten cord 50 millimeter projectile punching straight through an unlucky tank's turret ring the other tank attempts a repost and the hurried shot manages to hit home striking the ammo rack on a panzer 38t in a surprisingly tame explosion soviet fireworks the russians can't help but cheer in their turret until a panzer granata 40 decides to invite itself to the celebration the shell slams headlong into the t-34's armor failing to penetrate but causing a cloud of shrapnel to burst from the back of the impacted plate the soviet crew are shredded by this erzatz buckshot killed by the very armor that should have protected them with no unit cohesion the remaining soviet tanks are little more than armored coffins and the survivors of the german ambush surrender the moment they realize their foes are inside the village the greatest threat remains however as the kv-1 retreats to a more favorable position the panzer 3s boldly give chase one breaks through a gap between two t-34 carcasses as the other pushes down the street to flank the panzer closest engages head-on a critical mistake the panzer iv atop the hill is unable to support as its vision is obscured by foliage and smoke by the burning t-34s the upstart tank is left scrambling to load a new round as the enemy turret slews toward it it's not enough the german commander ducks down into his turret as debris thunks against his tank he scrambles into the main compartment to scream at the gun the barrel of the 50 millimeter gun depresses sharply before firing armor piercing round slicing through the exposed right track of the kv-1 and mangling the leading road wheel now immobilized the heavy tank is helpless to pursue the two remaining panzers rather than try to engage it again the officer radios the panzer iv to load high explosive and bring the buildings around the metal menace down in an instant it's trapped again and unable to shoot at anything beyond point-blank range although still dangerous the tank is no longer an active threat and can be safely ignored until sappers or artillery are available to destroy it with clear advantages in communication and leadership the germans almost took the field in our first engagement only the superior durability of the kv-1 prevents us from declaring this a true german victory during the initial stage of operation barbarossa soviet tanks were numerically superior and some were better armed and armored than their german counterparts but their advantages in firepower were often undermined by a crippling lack of unit cohesion the early t34 models also featured such bad optics that some took dozens of hits from german 37 millimeter guns before even realizing that they were under attack the few kv tanks that were made also suffered from similar issues while the bt-7 and t26 models were too lightly armored to be used in the anti-tank role german tanks were also lightly armored but featured superb ergonomics and intercom systems that let their crews perform far better than their soviet adversaries but it was not all to be sunshine and sauerkraut as the germans soon discovered a chilling fact even as the russians suffered loss after loss they were learning it's a fine summer day in the fields of prakarovka the sun is shining a gentle breeze shakes the barley t-34s are coming over the hills t-34s are coming over the hills a german gunner sends a round flying from the barrel of his panzer iv lighting up a soviet tank in a spectacular explosion as the loader racks the breach and scrambles to bring a new round up from the ready rack the gunner scans the horizon through his optics a seemingly endless wave of red tanks have come to reclaim this territory for the communists the loader gives the gunner a tap and he lines up a shot on yet another t-34 a radio call echoes through the cupola between their panzers and incoming tigers the germans might just repel this mad soviet charge as he sends his shell flying the gunner can't help but wonder why the hell are the soviets just driving straight at them the soviet driver jams his throttle as wide as it will go the commander anxiously grips his handrails looking through his optics as the german tanks grow closer and closer another shot from that tiger another one of his comrades literally blown away it seems like madness but this reckless charge has a grim purpose even with their improved 76 millimeter guns the t-34s have no hope of penetrating the heavy german tiger tanks at long range so their orders are to close the distance as fast as possible but as he peers through his periscope the commander spots something odd the muzzle flashes are far too dim he focuses in on one he's realized a mistake the commander pulls his radio barking in order to the mass of t-34s around him those are not tiger tanks disperse and prepare to fire these soviet tanks peel off breaking formation and pulling up at various ranges along the front so scattered the commanders hope to buy enough time to pick off the german tanks at medium range it's about time the russians pulled their heads out of their borscht the german commander gives his driver a chuck on the shoulder now this should be a fight these soviets begin shooting back for the first time all day a ragged volley shredding some unlucky trees and carving deep holes into the ukrainian soil the germans traversed their turrets in all directions lining up shots and picking off the now isolated t-34s but the russian numbers begin to assert themselves as the german's fire is answered with a near-constant though inaccurate barrage from the t-34s soon each tank is bracketed like a battleship every german tanker knows that's the last shot fired before the end the soviet shells begin hitting home and the germans suffer their first losses of the day then something comes over the radio a tiger tank crests the hill behind the panzers as the sole member of its group that didn't break down on the way this tiger will turn the tide the russian commander gazes in shock at the road junction that's the tiger it cannot end like this as his sub commanders begin filling the airwaves with panicked requests for orders our commander shouts to his driver the t-34 takes off like an armored bat out of soviet hell tearing across the remaining distance and avoiding german fire through sheer luck a handful of tanks follow suit and as the t-34s close to near point-blank range the commander orders his driver to floor it they'll dash through the remaining panzers and engage the tiger in a desperate tank melee victory will be theirs and this field will be retaken for the glory of the soviet the commander is suddenly thrown forward into his optics the brass mounting knocking him out cold in one strike the t-34s crashed spectacularly into an old anti-tank ditch hidden in the scrub just before the german position a ditch that retreating soviet infantry had dug just the day before the tiger slowly descends the hill scattering what t-34s were not foolhardy enough to follow their commander into the hole but a couple soviet shells slam into the thick cat's armor and some spawn goes into the assistant gunner's eyes looks like someone just earned a wound badge this field belongs to germany [Music] by mid-1943 the red army was almost exclusively focused on the production of new t-34s the need to shift soviet industry across the urals had consumed a vast amount of time and resources leaving few opportunities to experiment with new designs or update existing ones as a result the t-34 was completely outmatched by newer german designs like the tiger or panther but maintained superiority in numbers furthermore as the tides turned against the axis many german tank designs fell into enemy hands where they were analyzed for strengths and weaknesses with room to breathe these soviets could finally come up with designs able to go toe-to-toe with the finest of german armor our final battle will pit the results of these programs against germany's own last-ditch efforts to secure dominance in the field of armored warfare the loud war of engines fill the air around the soviet-held town of sandomirsch as a column of eight heavy tanks bulldoze their way out of the rubble-strewn streets and into the fields beyond sitting inside the turret of his is-2 with the radio station mere inches away the commander listens carefully to the reports being fed to him by reconnaissance elements in the area the atmosphere inside the vehicle is tense but controlled the four crew members all sharing a long history in the red army a transmission on the radio informs the men that the german counter-attack is imminent t3485s have already engaged a column of panthers a few miles away but the commander is certain that it's just a distraction so he's kept his heavy tanks back near the bridgehead his suspicions are confirmed when he peers out of his cupola and spots something moving in the trees a few hundred meters away the king tiger's transmission audibly grinds with the effort of pushing the gigantic vehicle through the thick undergrowth the german officer can't help but wince at every tortured sound the engine makes as his inexperienced driver fumbles with these stiff controls taking his platoon through the woodland was an enormous gamble but it appears to have paid off so far now with the engine struggling to push them to their top speed of about 10 miles an hour the king tigers finally rumble into the open ready to bombard sandomirsch until reinforcements can arrive but luck like so many other things is not on his side as soon as the tigers emerge from the forest the officer sees a formation of soviet tanks already rolling out to meet him seeing he is faced with is-2s the officer makes a snap decision charge he doesn't trust his rookie crews to win a long-range duel and the huge 122 millimeter soviet guns require special two-piece ammunition that makes them much slower to reload than the german 88 millimeter counterparts the two vehicles on the flanks launch smoke grenades for cover while the others make ranging shots with high explosive rounds the accuracy of his inexperienced gunners leaves more to be desired at the best of times much less on the move and these soviet tanks react remarkably fast none hit but these shock waves are felt through the holes of every vehicle the site of five tiger twos emerging from the tree line briefly shocks the soviet platoon commander it's an unexpected play but years of fighting the cunning germans has made him quick to adapt fully expecting his first salvo to miss he takes precautions by ordering his gunner to wait for the smoke of the volley to clear then adjust his aim accordingly now the enormous gun breach violently flings itself back towards emily the 122 millimeter shell landing just two feet from its intended target luckily it was a high explosive round and the 3.6 kilogram warhead turns the left track of a king tiger into metal confetti the enemy formation collapses the other tanks either grinding to a halt or swerving to avoid further aimed fire only the two leading vehicles stay together presenting their sloped millimeter thick frontal plates toward the enemy now the soviets must endure the fury of the german kwk-43s while their crews scramble to reload the near instant immobilization of one of his tanks only serves to further dishearten our german officer but the zoldat draws upon his last reserves of resolve and begins shouting his formation back into order his gunners hands shake as they align the sights on target and the first armor-piercing round falls hopelessly short as a result as the loader slams the next round into the breach the gunner takes a deep breath and aims more carefully this time the projectile strikes true striking an is-2 in the turret facing and cleaving straight into the armor the sight seems to inspire the other crews and soon the tigers are firing in a steady rhythm easily managing three or four shots every one sent in return in moments another is-2 is destroyed then another and for a few minutes it seems as if the tide has turned but then two 122 millimeter shells strike a tiger ii in its upper glossy plate the armor holds but the welding points don't and the entire plate slumps downward almost six inches leaving a giant gap it's the last straw for the rookies and the two undamaged tigers both start to reverse back toward the tree line but one unlucky tiger begins to shake violently belching acrid smoke as its engine gives its last metallic whale cursing his terrible luck the german officer tries to rally his men but is interrupted by a new message the panthers acting as a distraction a few miles away have been overwhelmed and forced to withdraw reinforcements have not arrived and now several dozen t-34 t-3485s are racing toward his position isolated and outnumbered at least five to one his gambit has clearly failed all that's left is to go down fighting [Music] towards the end of the war german forces were constantly on the defensive however their tanks were ill-suited to such operations and heavy crew losses meant that many of germany's most advanced war machines were being operated by raw recruits meanwhile the red army had developed its own core of battle-hardened veterans who had learned from their mistakes and knew how to fight back even when faced with superior opposition the adoption of new guns such as the 122 millimeter for the is-2 and the 85-millimeter for the t-34 also gave soviet crews a fighting chance against even the heaviest german armor german tankers were constantly tasked with near-suicidal missions while shortages of critical alloys meant that inferior substitutes were often used in the construction of their heaviest vehicles huge lumbering tanks like the king tiger also lacked mobility preventing their commanders from engaging in the fast adaptive tactical maneuvers that had defined their successes during the earlier phases of the war in the end germany was simply outnumbered outgunned and out thought on every level so [Music] you

Channel: The Armchair Historian

Views: 1,647,198

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Id: krFyvrxtsHU

Length: 24min 10sec (1450 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 25 2021