KV-2

I remember reading about one of the first times the Germans had to deal with one of these things. The 50/37's were nothing but door knockers to it, but they finally knocked off the track(s). Two disastrous attempts by engineers to reduce it during the night also failed.
Some 88's were brought up (from wherever they were) to deal with it. The KV-2 got two of them before they could get set up.
One 88 then put two rounds through the back of the turret. End.
I don't remember how many hits it took, or how many weapons/men it took out before it died, but I'm sure they got their money's worth !

 

I believe it was a KV-1, in fact I am certain because the turret had the rear overhang for the ammo. It was somewhere around Orel (?) I believe and the KV-1s had orders to prevent the Germans from taking the railroad yards. The German retreated into a town and the KVs followed them, bad move. I think it was Eichman or Bach.

The KV-2 on the bridge held out for almost 3 weeks blowing the hell out of anything that showed itself. They tried mines which removed the treads but couldn't blow the tank. There was only rear echelon troops available to remove it also, the front line having moved far to the east. Someone finally got a batallion of PZ3s on the scene and some 88s. While the PZ3s attacked from the front the 88s moved into the rear of the tank and blew it to pieces. This I am sure is a KV-2.

 

And lost many panzers in the process.

 

Thanks Chuikov, That is the incident I remembered.
When and where was it ? So I can find it again in my books. It was a total shock to the Germans, and something (at the time) right out of the war of the worlds. Invincible monster stuff.

 

The incident of the tank on the bridge I'm not sure. I have been told it happened at Brest and near a village called Pavelkovo west of Minsk. I read a very interesting account of it in the Smolensk library which seems to be the most accurate and only states that it happened west of Minsk. Keep in mind though that during that time no one really knew where anything happened. When? July or August?

I do not think it was in Brest because the Citadel there held out for a long time but they had no tanks. At least not kvs.

 

It depends on how much air, specificly oxygen, is disolved in the lake water. Those sort of lakes frequently have 'dead' water begaining a couple meters below the surface. Without the dissolved oxygen there is very little corrosion. If silt or other inert sediment quickly covers the metal then corrosion is highly inhibited. Conversely a lake or river with a steady circulation of water from surface to bottom will have pleanty of dissolved oxygen for corrosion. If the water is acidic then the corrosion occurs all the more quickly.

The timber industry used to take advantage of 'dead' lake water to sink & preserve surpluss logs, instead of building expensive storage sheds. Occasionally forgotton caches of now rare hardwoods are turned up to the delight of cabinet makers.

 

Remarkable page on the KV2 posted by a Russian gent on a.n.other forum:
Translated version of http://mechcorps.rkka.ru/files/kv2/kv2.htm
(Quite long loading time... Many pictures)
Appears to be an attempt to correlate pictures of every example made, quite fascinating.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

T-35- 3.43 m
KV2- 3.3 m

So the T-35 is taller.

 

Info about KV-2 :

The Russian Battlefield - KV-2: development history and combat employment
KV-2 Model 1940
ë÷-2
World War II Tanks - Russia's KV-2 Heavy Tanks
KV-2 gallery
TANK KV-2
GALERIE TANKU KV-2

 

Bump, as I always found this an interesting machine!

 

Ya the whole KV series was an interesting model though clearly they fell outta favor as the war progressed for variety of reasons.

The story of a KV holding a entire division is true though there is some disagreement on whether its was a KV-1 or 2...but basically its situated itself on key crossroad and took out all comers. A number of 50mm AT guns tried and failed. A 88 was brought forward but was destroyed before getting in a good shot. Engineers tried to blow it up with charrges on the tracks, and one around the barrel..this too failed.

Finally a number of 38t's were brought forward to distract it...(as the 37mm wasn't going to knock it out) while another 88 was brought forward. That 88 succeeding in penetrating a number of times and smoke poured out of it. Engineers came up to it in order to ascertain what shots had penetrated and the turret started to move...finally someone dropped a hand grenade through one of the 88 holes and that finished it off, or actually tank was still functional, but the squishy human stuff inside was not.

The other story mentioned earlier was of a KV being knocked out by a shot through the barrel. This one is also true...I believe it was Franz Bake or someone in his squad who put a shot through the barrel in a 38T. Amazing that they were able to even hit the barrel!

It truly was the Tiger of its time.

Germany converted a number of these monsters...usually in the field when circumstances dictated. In one of the Osprey books ( i think the KV1-2 book) there is a picture of a KV-1 that its gun removed and replaced with a 75mm L43 and had a German style cupola added.

Its major drawback was its weight, speed and reliability. Commanders were often displeased with them as they were unable to keep up with speedier T-34s, not to mention they often destroyed bridges so that following troops and vehicles were stuck. By '43 their armor was no longer sufficient to prevent long nosed Mark 4's from penetrating..as well by this point it was a rather dubious proposition to build a tank that was much larger than T-34 but had basically the same gun. Too much tank for too little gun.

At that stage the Russians needed a better gun not more armor. There was an attempt to improve the KV's automotive weakness by lowering its armor protection to lighten it up..this was the KV-1s..but again what was the point?

T-34 was already a lighter and more mobile tank with the same gun..so the KV fell outta favor until the JS tanks began to appear..though there was also a KV-85 that was the body of a KV-1s with a JS 1 turret...but I don't recall that many of these were made.

 

Pretty sure that is from Paul Carrel's "Hitler Moves East."

I'd hate to be the vehicle commander in one of those things. I'd get vertigo!