Did any Soviet T-35 tanks see German service?
Moderator: sniper1shot
Did any Soviet T-35 tanks see German service?
Does anyone know if any of the behemoth Soviet T-35 tanks (5 turrets, 12 man crew) were used by the Germans after their capture? Many T-35's were captured/destroyed early on in the Barbarossa campaign near Lvov (most in June and July 1941). I know many other captured/rehabilitated Soviet tanks went on to serve under the German flag in various units/roles. Did any T-35's see German service?
A man who takes a stand is sometimes wrong. A man who never takes a stand is always wrong.
No. In fact, it's still under debate whether the T-35 ever saw any action. Only a relatively small number was manufactured, and it was not used in the Winter War (despite many reports to the contrary).
T-35 was apparently used against Germans in 1941. But I've also heard that they weren't used in combat, but were abandoned and destroyed by their crews before they reached the front -- perhaps T-35 was mechanically unreliable. Certainly they weren't used by Germans -- if any were captured, the numbers were too small and the tank itself totally unsuited for the kind of war the Germans waged with tanks.
If someone out there has more info, I'd be interested to hear it.
T-35 was apparently used against Germans in 1941. But I've also heard that they weren't used in combat, but were abandoned and destroyed by their crews before they reached the front -- perhaps T-35 was mechanically unreliable. Certainly they weren't used by Germans -- if any were captured, the numbers were too small and the tank itself totally unsuited for the kind of war the Germans waged with tanks.
If someone out there has more info, I'd be interested to hear it.
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Robert Hurst
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Did any Soviet T-35 Tanks see German Service?
Hi 19Kuban43 & Mikko
In 'Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two', by Steven J Zaloga and James Grandsen, it states that 'The T-35 equipped the 5th Independent Heavy Tank Brigade which participated in the annual Moscow parades. In service it proved a disappointment; its enormous length amde it difficult to steer and the multiple guns were difficult to fire accurately unless the tank was stationary. It would seem that production was maintained as much to keep the annual parades amply supplied with an awe-inspiring, albeit thinly armoured behemoth, rather than for anyb tactical requirement. Only one battalion of T-35s actually became operational because so many of the tanks were permanently stationed in Moscow.
Total T-35 production was only 61 tanks.
Regards
Bob
In 'Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two', by Steven J Zaloga and James Grandsen, it states that 'The T-35 equipped the 5th Independent Heavy Tank Brigade which participated in the annual Moscow parades. In service it proved a disappointment; its enormous length amde it difficult to steer and the multiple guns were difficult to fire accurately unless the tank was stationary. It would seem that production was maintained as much to keep the annual parades amply supplied with an awe-inspiring, albeit thinly armoured behemoth, rather than for anyb tactical requirement. Only one battalion of T-35s actually became operational because so many of the tanks were permanently stationed in Moscow.
Total T-35 production was only 61 tanks.
Regards
Bob
Thanks for the information guys. I own photos of 5 different T-35's that were taken by German soldiers. Two of my photos clearly show T-35's of 67th and 68th Tank Regiment (taken in Grodek-Jagiellonsky on the road to Lvov) , the other 3 can't be determined as to the exact unit. As to the comment that it is "debatable as to whether the T-35 saw any action at all", I'd have to say that yes, the T-35 saw action. I own a Polish language book on these tanks, and it has several photos of T-35's near Lvov. All of the photos show disabled/abandoned T-35's, and some are flanked by disabled T-26 tanks. This would indicate (to me) that the T-35's were heading somewhere, whether it be west to face the Germans, or east in retreat, with T-26's in support of them. I agree that the T-35 probably never saw action in any "pitched battle", as I have seen no photographic evidence of battle damage. But, the T-35 did play a small role in holding up the German advance in the early days, as many were used as rudimentary "road blocks". After their utter uselessness was realized by the Russians, they were simply abandoned in the middle of roads, in hopes of halting the German advance. So, theoretically, the T-35 did see "action". The Soviets used this "road block" technique to their advantage on several occassions. A KV-1a was strategically placed on the Dunaberg-Leningrad road, and it halted the German advance for 24 hours, as the wehrmacht waited for engineers to build a new road around it!!
A man who takes a stand is sometimes wrong. A man who never takes a stand is always wrong.
At this link:
T-35 losses
there is listed causes of the losses for more than 40 T-35's. Almost all were lost because of mechanical problems.
T-35 losses
there is listed causes of the losses for more than 40 T-35's. Almost all were lost because of mechanical problems.
Kuban,
Here is the link:
http://www.battlefield.ru/library/books ... sses1.html
Interesting how many were lost due to "clutch failures!"
Regards,
--Mike
Here is the link:
http://www.battlefield.ru/library/books ... sses1.html
Interesting how many were lost due to "clutch failures!"
Regards,
--Mike