II I

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GERMAN AND SOVIET ARMOUR FROM BARBAROSSA TO THE FALL OF BERLIN

Edited by David Grummitt

~
Guideline
LICENSED
Publications
W
arpaint Armour is an
exciting new series
by Guideline License
Publications. Each title will
cover an important
confl ict or period,
looking at the
tanks and other armoured
fighting vehicles that shaped
pivotal moments in the
history of modern warfare.
Illustrated throughout with
archival images and specia lly
commissioned colour profiles,
it wi ll showcase the latest
research with articles written by
an internationa l team of
experts, providing information
and inspiration to modellers
and military history enthusiast s
alike.
In each volume you will
find eight features articles
covering both well-known and
more obscure AFVs, as well as
accounts of campaigns and the
role of armour in both war and
peace. The series will take us
from the origins of armoured
warfare on the Western Front to
the latest in military technology
and the preparations made
by today's militaries for future
conflict.
In conjunction with Acrylicos
Vallejo and Military Modelcraft
International, the UK's number
military modelling monthly,
the articles are written with a
modeller in mind. Each volume
also features a modelling
gallery, showcasing some of
the finest models that have
been seen in Miltary Modelcraft
International over the last
decade, as well as some that
have not previously been seen
in print.
Future titles in the series
include:
• The Early Years of Armour:
World War I and the Interwar
Period
• Blitzkrieg: from Case Yellow
to Barbarossa, 1939-1941
• War in the West: North
Africa, Italy and France, 1942-
1945
• The War in the Pacific: from
Pearl Harbour to Nagasaki
• The Cold War (1): Red Power
from Hungary to t he War in
s Red Army Medium
Armoured Cars
James Kinnear examines some
stalwarts of the Red Army.
SU-76 Self-Propelled Gun ,..
16 James Kinnear tells the story
of a Red Army stalwart.
••
•
• .. •nc~
(
r
-~ r r r. r r r
.t. . .ft. A . .... .A. if'.·
The Soviet KV Heavy Tank
2S James Kinnear looks at an
important Soviet tank development
Donbass, 1956-2015
of World War II.
• The Cold War (II): NATO
Armour, the West's Defender,
1945-1994
• The Cold War (Ill): Korea and
The IS Heavy Tank Series
Vietnam, 1950-1975
• The Cold Wa r (IV): Middle
33 James Kinnear looks
at the Red Army's cn=== = ==::l
Eastern Wars, 1945-1991
answer to the Tiger tank.
• Armou r Today (1): NATO
Armour from the Bosnia to
Today, 1992-2020
• Armour Today (II):
Modelling Gallery
Contemporary Russian and
Chinese Armour, 1989-2020. 42 Some modelling projects
inspired by the AFVs featured in this book.
Strange Bugs
Published by
Guidelines Licensed Publications
47 Thomas Anderson re-evaluates
Germany'slate-war light Panzers.
Unit 6, Kensworth Gate,
200-204 High Street South,
Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3HS.
Tel: +44(0)1582 668411
e-mail: tom@guidelinepublications.
Langrohr [long-Barrel]
co.uk
Distributed by Acrylicos Vallejo
S9 Panzer IV
Thomas Anderson looks into the
AP.337-08800Villanova i Ia Geltru development of the long-barrelled
Barcelona
Panzer IV.
Copyright
© Guideline Licensed
Publications Kanonenwagen
No parts of this book may be
reproduced, lent, resold or otherwise
68 Thomas Anderson tells the story
of thedevelopment and employment of
disposed without the written the Sd.Kfz. 251/9.
permission of the Publisher.
All material and artwork drawings
and plans used in this book become
the publishers copyright under Sturmgeschiitz Ill
copyright law.
Guideline licensed Publications Ltd
75 Ausf. F/8 and G
Thomas Anderson explores some
cannot be liable in any way for any of the improvisations that kept the
errors or omissions. SturmgeschUtz Ill an effective fighting
vehicle to the end of the War.
 he war on the Eastern Front during World War 11-

T or the 'Great Patriotic War' as it is remembered in

Russia - was a titanic conflict, the greatest clash
of arms in history. On 22 June 1941 Nazi Germany and
its allies invaded the Soviet Union along a front of
1,800 miles with some 3.8 million men, nearly 7,000
AFVs, and over 5,000 aircraft. Ranged against them
was the nearly three million-strong Red Army, with
over 10,000 AFVs and some 9,000 combat aircraft. The
initial campaign resulted in huge Soviet losses and
took the invaders to the gates of Moscow. The winter
counter offensive almost destroyed the Wehrmacht,
yet in the summer of 1942 the Axis powers launched
a second great offensive which took them to the city
of Stalingrad. There the Nazis suffered their greatest
defeat to date in a battle often characterised as a
turning point in World War II. Nevertheless, in the
summer of 1943 the German war machine once
again went on the attack. The effort to destroy the
Kursk salient resulted in the greatest tank battle ever
known and ended in another major defeat. From then
on the war on the Eastern Front was one of
II
attrition as the Nazis were pushed back out
of Soviet territory and into Poland and the
Baltic States. In July 1944 a major offensive
by the Red Army, Operation Bag ration, destroyed
Army Group Centre. Defeat was now inevitable, yet
the scale and savagery of the fighting only intensified
as the Soviets approached the territory of the
Third Reich. The first five months of 1945 saw more
Germans die than had perished in the previous five
years of war. The fighting in Hungary, East Prussia and
Berlin was among the most intense of the entire war
and by 8 May the Third Reich lay in ruins and most of
Eastern and Central Europe was under Soviet control.
The war on the Eastern Front was one of annihilation,
driven by the Nazis' racial policies and their desire for
Lebensraum in the East. Over a million German and
Austrian soldiers died on the Eastern Front, while
another million were reported missing in action or
taken as POWS, as well as hundreds of thousands of
their allies and civil ians also lost their lives. Soviet
losses were unimaginable: over 8.5 million military
deaths and a further 22 million wounded or sick, while
n October 1922, at the end For some years these World War the industrial capacity of the 4x2 chassis, modified from

I
as many as 18 million civi lans died as a direct result of
of the Russian Civil War One era vehicles continued to fledgling Soviet Union increased that used on the AMO-F-15
the conflict.
that followed the Russian provide stellar service, but as exponentially during the truck then entering series
This volume, the first in a major new series by
Guideline License Publications and the team that 3 Revolution, the Raboche- might be expected maintenance 1920s and the country began production in the Soviet Union.
brings you Military Modelcraft International, examines Krestyanskoi Krasnoi Armii and obtaining spares for to produce its own military The B-27 featured a riveted
some of the AFVs that shaped the war on the Eastern (RKKA)- the Red Army - had these widely different trophy vehicles including tanks and hull surmounted by a riveted
Front. The subjects are chosen with the modeller in acculumated approximately 300 vehicles became more difficult armoured cars, utilising the best hexagonal turret armed with
mind and each article will provide both reference armoured cars of22 different as the vehicles wore out and of foreign ideas and technology a 37mm PS-1 (Hotchkiss) tank
and inspiration using authoritative text, archival and types, the majority of which spares were unobtainable as might be procured from gun and (ultimately) a 7.62mm
walkaround photos, and specially commissioned were foreign built war trophies. due to sanctions. Meanwhile abroad by willing governments DT co-axial machine gun. Power
colour profiles. There is also a modelling gallery of and industrial partners. was provided by a four-cylinder
some of the best Eastern Front-themed models that AMO engine developing 35hp.
have appeared in the magazine over the past decade.
I The first Soviet series production
medium armoured car was
the BA-27, based on the modified
BA-27
The first Soviet designed
The B-27 was accepted for
production by resolution of
The Wehrmacht crew of an Sd.Kfz. 231 8-rad armoured car relax
1 somewhere in the Ukraine prior to summer offensive of 1943. (Photo:
Erdmann)
AMO F-15Sp 4x2 truck chassis. medium armoured car
was the B-27, developed in
the RVS- the Revolutionary
Military Committee- on 24
An SU-122, an 120mm M30S howitzer mounted on aT-34 chassis, 1926 in accordance with a October 1928 as the BA-27
2 was aSoviet attempt to replicate the successful German StuG Ill. The
122mm howitzer, however, was not an effective anti-tank gun.
directive by the GUVP - the
Main Direct orate of Military
('BroneAvtomobil', armoured
car). The BA-27 was produced
AMarder II Ausf. D, acaptured 7.62cm M1936 anti-tank gun mounted
3 on an obsolete Panzer II Au sf. Dchassis, on the Eastern Front during
1943. (Photo:Anderson)
Production, which worked
with the Moscow AMO plant to
from 1928 to 1931, with a
maximum of approximately 215
• build the first indigenous Soviet built, though original sources
Acommon sight on the Eastern Front: one of over 35,000 T-34/76s
4 produced by the Soviet Union between 1940 and 1944 knocked out
during the Kursk offensive in 1943. (Photo: Kadari)
4
medium armoured ca r, initially
designated the AMO F-15 GUVP.
are slightly conflated on the
exact number produced.
The new armoured car was built After the BA-27, the majority
on a strengthened AMO-F-15Sp of future Soviet indigenous

The Eastern Front 1941-1945

medium armoured car designs
were designated 'BA' or
BroneAvtomobil followed by a
somewhat illogical numerical
sequence. The well-known 'BA'
series of medium armoured
cars developed and produced
at the lzhorsky plant at Kolpino
near Leningrad in the 1930s
consisted of the BA-1, BA-3, BA-6
and BA-10 in various guises and
modifications. The first vehicle
was however designated BA-1
(BroneA vtomobi1-/zhorsky)
rather than numerically
as the BA-1, though later
modifications were designated
numerically. It is a specific of
Russian military nomenclature
that the original vehicle
produced does not have
a suffix, hence BA-1 rather
than BA-1, BMP rather than
BMP-1 or BRDM rather than
BRDM-1, and when a modified
version is developed, t he '1'is
retrospectively applied to the
original design to d istinguish
it from the later variant.
BA-1
The BA-27 was in period a
durable, well-armed and
armoured vehicle, but had been
built on modified imported
4x2 chassis which was not best
suited for a relatively heavy
armoured body, the weight of
which would be better spread
over a 6x4 chassis. Spares
and maintenance for these
'hand built' vehicles had also
proved problematical not least
due to sanctions preventing
FIATfrom delivering new
spares for the mechanical
components, and the Soviet
State thereby required a new
and ind igenous armoured car
design. Accordingly, at the
turn of the decade the lzhorsky
plant located a Kolpino nea r
Leningrad began work on a
new med ium armoured car,
the BA-1or Broneavtomobil-
lzhorsky. The lzhorsky plant also
built a small lot of fifteen D-13
armoured cars developed by
the designer Dyrenkov, but this
vehicle did not ultimately meet
the RKKA design specifications
orTTTs and was not therefore
adopted for series production
and service with the Red Army.
The BA-1was developed in
1932 under the direction of
chief designer A.D. Kuzmin, and
was mounted on an imported
Ford-Tim ken 6x4 chassis. The
Ford-Tim ken Company had
contracted w ith the Soviet
government to provide 1000
6x4 chassis (essentially a
Ford-AA 4x2 chassis with an
additional driven axle) for
assembly in the Soviet Union,
these chassis being delivered
to the Soviet Union in two lots,
in June and October 1931.
The hull and turret of the
BA-1 was now of largely welded
construction- particularly
advanced in AFV construction
at the time - with an armour
basis of 4-8mm. The armament
remained a 37mm PS-1
(Hotchkiss) gun and co-axia l
7.62mm DT machine gun, but
now mounted in a redesigned
cyl ind rical turret, w ith an
additional 7.62mm DT machine
gun located in the front of
the fighting compartment
beside the driver-mechanic.
It had a ma in ammunition
complement of 34 rounds and
3024 rounds in 48 discs for
the DT machine guns. The 4
cylinder GAZ (Ford) AA engine
gave the vehicle a road speed of
63km/h and a range of 150km.
The BA-1prototype was tested
at the NIBT polygon on 5 August
1932 and accepted for service
with the Red Army. Assembly
was undertaken at the lzhorsky
plant, with the hull and turret
sets for the BA-1 delivered from
the Vyksunsky DRO plant near
Gorky. Production was modest
by later Soviet standards, with
a total of 110 vehicles built.
BA-3
The pace of Soviet milita ry
development in the early
1930s was such that even as
the BA-1was being tested for
service acceptance with the
Red Army, the lzhorsky plant
received orders to develop a
modified version to be armed
with a more powerful45mm
tank gun as main armament.
The hull of the new design was
not greatly changed from the
BA-1, but the BA-3 was fitted
with a new and much larger
turret, the construction of
which was identical to that used
on the T-261ight tank, but with
thinner (8mm) armour. The
BA-3 was armed with a 45mm
M-1932 (20K) tank gun with a
co-axial7.62mm DT machine
gun. The turret provided
additional ammunition
stowage, such that the overall
ammunition complement was
now increased to 60 rounds.
The prototype BA-3 was
displayed on 1 May at the
'Workers and Peasants' parade
on Uritsky Square in Leningrad
in 1933, long before it entered
series production. Series
production began at the
lzhorsky plant at Kolpino in
October 1934, but was initially
slow due to the Vyksunsky
DRO plant which produced
the hull and turret armour
sets being loaded with other
work, includ ing building the
hull and turret sets for the
light FA-I armoured car also
assembled at the lzhorsky plant.
A total of 174 BA-3 med ium
armoured cars were built.
BA-6
In 1935, the design bureau
at the lzhorsky plant
received instruction from the
Directorate of Motorization
and Mechanization (UMM) to tl
redesign the BA-3 on the basis
of the indigenous GAZ-AAA
chassis, wh ich had entered
production at the GAZ plant in
Gorky. There were numerous
other detail changes to the
vehicle, including marginally
wider t rack, and the use of
'GK' bulletproof tyres, but
the change was essentially
mounting the BA-3 hull
and turret onto a new and
indigenous chassis. The main
ammunition complement
remained 60 rounds, with
3339 rounds of7.62mm
ammunition in 53 discs for t he
secondary armament. The BA-6
was powered by a 4 cylinder
GAZ-AA engine developing
40hp. A small but important
improvement was the standard
use of'overall'tracks, which
could be fitted over the rear
wheels of all BA series medium
armoured cars, improving
all-terrain performance. The
•
Ll
 U
1 BA-1 OM, operated by the Red Army in support of
British forces in Iran, September 1941. Finish is in
overall Protective Green 4BO (Vallejo 71 .017 Russian
BA-1 0, attached to the 55th Army, Red Army,
.., leningrad Front, late 1942. Finish is in overall
Protective Green 4BO (Vallejo 71.017 Russian Green 4BO),
Green 4BO). The vehicle also carries what appears to be with a heavy coat of Flat White B(Vallejo 71 .001 White).
avery rough and patchy coat of desert paint, possibly Meandering and irregular bands of 4BO have been left to
taken from British stocks and thought to be akin to Light break up the vehicle outline.
Stone (Vallejo 71 .143 Light Stone*). The turret roof and
commanders hatch carries a roughly painted White cross
as an air itl~>n,tiht·~tin

Z BA-10,1-17-37, attached to an unidentified

unit, Red Army, operating on the leningrad
S A-10,'476' attached to the 1st Special Reconnaissance
Battalion, Red Army, Leningrad Front, early 1943. The
4BO finish has been completelycovered with asolid but
Front, during the autumn of 1942. Again, finish is in
wearing coat of Flat White B. The company code is apparent-
4BO, with patched areas of Brown 7K (Vallejo 71 . 283
ly in Black with the individual vehicle number in Red.
Russian Tan 7K). The vehicle code is in White.

. . BA-lOM, after capture by Japanese Forces and

W operated by the Manchukuo Imperial Army,
3 BA-lOM (Pz Sp Wg BAF 203(r)), captured and operated by
byWehrmacht forces during 1941/42. Finish is (probably) in
overall Panzer Grey RAl 7021 (Vallejo 71.052 German Grey), with a
February 1940. Captured during the Battle of Khalkin
Gol in 1939, the vehicle was passed over to Manchukuo
thick overcoat of dust. (Visible) identification markings are carried forces and still carries the original Red Army Protective
on the front and sides of the stowage bins. Note the flag for air Green 4BO finish. Of note are the Manchukuo star
identification tied to the top of the bonnet. insignia on the vehicle sides.

For more details about Vallejo's range of colours,

Colour profiles
All paint references are please visit www.acrylicosvallejo.com
Protective Green 480 Brown 7K Panzer Grey RAL7021 UK Light Stone BS 361 Flat White B by Mark Rolfe.
to Vallejo Model Air
(Vallejo Russian
Green 480 71.017)
(Vallejo Russian
Tan 7K71 .283)
(Vallejo German
Grey71 .283)
(Vallejo UK Light
Stone 71 .143)
(Vallejo
White 71.001) vallejo
Warpaint Armour No.1 The Eastern Front 1941-1945
riveted track stowage mounting
points were deleted on the
BA-6 and replaced with a
si m ple bracket arrangement,
which was done primarily to
improve armou r integrit y. The
BA-6 was series produced at
the lzhorsky plant from 1936
until t he end of 1938, with a
total of 394 BA-6 vehicles built.
BA-6M
In the autumn of 1936, the
lzhorsky plant built a prototype
BA-6M on a modified GAZ-
AAA 6x4 chassis shortened by
600mm, and provided wit h
an uprated GAZ-M1 engine
developing SOhp, a new 4 speed
gearbox and strengthened
front suspension and modified
brakes among other changes.
The BA-6M was fitted wit h a
new and smaller welded conical
tu rret armed with a 4Smm
M-1934 (20K) tank gun and co-
axial DT machine gun, with as
before a secondary DT machine
gun mounted in the front of the
hull fighting compartment. Due
to the use of a sma ller turret,
the ammunition complement
was reduced to 49 rounds
for the main armament and
2,079 rounds of secondary
7.62mm ammunition, but
the vehicle was a more
compact desig n with better
armour distribution and
overall vehicle performance.
A si ngle prototype was built
and tested, with the BA-6M
accepted for service with the
Red Army in April 1937 as the
BA-10 med ium armoured car.
BA-1 0 I BA-1 OA
The BA-10 series was the final
series production model of
the BA medium armoured car
series. Due to delays in the
changeover in production
from the BA-6 at the Vyksunsky
armou r and lzhorsky final
assembly plants, the BA-10
entered series production on ly
in January 1938, now with
minor additiona l modifications
and designated BA-1OA. The
BA-1OA had a combat weight
of S120kg, w ith a road speed
of S3km/h and a road range
of 300km. The BA-1OA was
produced from Jan uary 1938
unti l the summer of 1939.
BA-10M
The final production version of
the BA-10 series, the BA-1OM,
had some changes, the most
obvious being the addition of
additionaiS4.5 litre capacity
box section fuel tanks mounted
on the rear wheel guards and
movement of the 'overall'
track stowage to the rear
of the vehicle. The changes
increased the combat weight
of the BA-1OM to SSOOkg. A
total of 97S BA-1OMs were
produced in 1940, with 3331
BA-1OA and BA-1OM medium
armoured cars being produced
in total before production
ceased at the lzhorsky plant
in September 1941 as the
Wehrmacht advanced and
the town of Kolpino in the
suburbs of Leningrad became
the front line in the prelude
to the Siege of Leningrad.
Prototypes and
Other Variants
With the exception of the
definitive production model
BA-1 0; the number of series
production BA series medium
armoured cars produced
was relatively modest by
comparison with typical Soviet
tank production numbers.
The series production BA-1,
BA-3, BA-6 and BA-10 are all
well known, but there were
also numerous other medium
armoured car developments
during the 1930s.
The BA-S prototype was a
medium armoured car built
on the heavier and more
powerful ZiS-6 6x4 chassis
in 193S, with a longer hull
and significantly better crew
ergonomics. The BA-S did not
enter series production, but
the idea of a using a heavier
and more powerful chassis
resu rfaced fou r years later. The
BA-11 was the final variant of
the BA medium armoured car
series, based as with the earlier
BA-S prototype on the heavier
ZiS-6 rather than t he GAZ-AAA
chassis, shortened as the ZiS-6k
(korotkoe- short) for use with
the BA-11. The prototype was
completed in Ma rch 1939, with
production of an Establishment
Lot of 1S vehicles authorized,
with the batch to be completed
. .. ..
\
-
• •••
• •.
·~ •
 by 15 April1940, including one
prototype w ith a ZiS D-7 engine,
the BA-11 D. The BA-11 did not
enter series production, but of
•
the 17 BA-11 series armoured
cars built in total a number
were used in service during the
initial stages of World War Two.
Several prototype BA
series medium armoured cars
were built for the testing of
alternative armament options,
including variants of the BA-3
armed with 12.7mm DK and
ShVAK weapons and recoilless
guns, and the later BA-9 which
was a modification of the BA-
6M prototype armed with a
12.7mm DShK heavy machine
vy;'' •-"»..
<. .. gun in place of the standard
45mm armament. The PB-4 and
later PB-7 were amphibious
medium armoured car designs,
both of which were developed
to prototype stage and tested
for Red Army service. Small
numbers of BA-6ZhD and
BA-1OZhD armoured rail scout
vehicles were built, fitted with
removable steel rail wheels for
accompanying armoured trains
and for railroad reconnaissance
purposes. The Red Army used
a number of these veh icles
during the late 1930s and at
the very beginning of World
War Two on the Eastern Front.
A small numberofBA-10
chassis based KS-18 chemical
vehicles entered service with
the Red Army. Half-track
prototypes were developed,
included the BA-6S half-track
medium armoured car and
the B-3 half-track A PC. There
was even an experimental
BA-10 with concrete armour,
the BA-1OTs, but this was not
developed beyond concept
stage. The idea sounds fantastic,
~
butT-34 prototypes were also
built with cement armour.
The BA-22 was an armoured
medical evacuation vehicle
developed to prototype stage
in 1938 on t he GAZ-AAA chassis
at the Vyksunsky DRO plant. The
vehicle could accommodate
four stretcher cases or ten
seated wounded. The original
'BA'medium armoured car, the
BA-27, was also modified on
a 6x4 GAZ-AAA chassis in the
summer of 1937 at Armour
Repair Base (BroneRembaza)
No2 at Mitkovo near Leningrad.
Combat Service
The BA series of medium
armoured cars was used in
combat long before World
War Two, and in many less
well- known regions. The
combat debut of the BA series
of medium armoured ca rs
was in an obscure Red Army
operation against Basmachi
rebels in Central Asia in 1929,
specifically in the Tajik Soviet
Socialist Republic, where BA-
27 armoured cars and MS-1
tanks were deployed at the
end of a decade of rebellion
in what had previously been
known as SovietTurkestan.
The Soviet Union delivered
20 FAIIight armoured cars, 3
BA-3 and 37 BA-10 medium
armoured cars to Spain in the
summer of 1936. These were
used under Soviet control
during the Spanish Civil War,
supporting the Republicans
against the Fascist forces of
General Franco. In a curious
trade deal, 60 BA-6 armoured
cars were also exported to
Turkey in the mid 1930s
together with ZiS-5 and other
military transport vehicles.
In 1939, Red Army BA-3, BA-6
and BA-1 0 medium armoured
cars were deployed to the
region of the river Khalkin
Gol in a series of clashes with
the Japanese in the region.
370 medium armoured
cars were deployed du ring
these operations against the
Japanese, of which 203 were
BA-1 0 armoured cars, with
lesser numbers of earlier types.
In action against light Japanese
armour, the armoured cars fared
better than during Operation
Barbarossa two years later.
BA-1 0 medium armoured
cars were included in the Red
Army contingent that crossed
the Soviet border into Poland
in September 1939, which
led to the sight ofWehrmacht
troops and Red Army tank
forces inspecti ng each other's
m il itary vehicles as the Soviet •
and German forces met in
Poland during the brief period
...• •
•
of Soviet-German collaboration. .I
Only two months after the Red
Army advance into Poland,
the Red Army deployed 640
armoured cars during the
Russo-Finnish 'Winter War' of
November 1939 - March 1940,
of which 430 were BA-3, BA-6
and BA-10 medium types.
Finland captured examples
of all of these types during
the disastrous campaign, and
post-war modernised some
BA-1 0 vehicles with a Ford V-8
engine, with two vehicles being
retained in service for training
purposes as late as 1959. One
of these was subsequently
converted as a mobile crane and
served further with the Finnish
Army until as late as 1978.
During the early months of
World War Two, the Red Army
lost the majority of BA series
medium armoured cars in
combat or for reasons such as
breakdown or lack of fuel and
ammunition as the Wehrmacht
advanced rapidly east. A
significant number survived
however in the Leningrad
region where they were built,
and a number that were
stationed in the Soviet Far East
survived the war intact. The
Wehrmacht captured a number
of medium armoured car
types that were subsequently
used in German service, with
the BA-10 being for instance
designated the BA-203(r).
One of the more curious
service outings of the BA series
of medium armoured cars
was with the Red Army in Iran,
REL
where BA-1 OA and BA-1 OM
vehicles were used to secure
the route related to Lend-Lease
shipments through the country.
As in Poland in 1939, this led to
the curious sight of Allied British
forces inspecting Red Army
armoured cars in the country
as the newly formed Allies
secured the land and sea route
from the Persian Gulf overland
and then via the Caspian Sea
into the Soviet'mainland: an
interesting story in its own right
as to how the Soviet Union
was supplied overland by the
Allies during World War II. . .
- --
- -
 engineering reasons, so the SU- headed by the engineer
76 is not unique in this respect. Semeon Alexandrovich
Ginzburg, was specifically
SU-76 Prototypes
tasked with developing
As with most Soviet armoured
light self-propelled artillery
vehicles, the SU-76 (SU-12)
mountings (SAU in Russian) for
as it entered production was
genera l artillery, anti-tank and
the culmination of several
anti-ai rcraft purposes, which
ea rlier designs developed
resulted in various alternative
to prototype stage. The
design projects being
design specifications (TTTs in
undertaken by the specialist
Russian) for the SU-76 (SU-12)
design bureau. Development
considered the mounting of
of the SU-76 (as it was later
a relatively powerful dual-
known) under the direction
purpose gun on a chassis based
of Ginzburg incorporated the
on T-60 and T-70 components
prior design experience of
which could, like the T-60
several ea rlier developments
and T-70, be assembled in
undertaken in the field of light
automotive plants with lighter
SAUs at different production
production tooling, such as
plants into what would become
GAZ, rather than at dedicated
the series production SU-76
tank plants.
(SU-12).
The first prototype which
Engineer-Colonel Ginzburg
considered the mounting of a
had started his tank design
76.2mm M-1942 (ZiS-3) dual-
life working on the T-26 light
purpose gun on an extended
tank, a Soviet development of
chassis using T-60 and T-70
the British Vickers 6 ton light
components was developed
tank. As part of the t echnology
at Plant N237 in 1942. A similar
transfer arrangements,
prototype designated SU-71,
Ginzberg had visited the
also based on a mix ofT-60 and
Vickers plant in 1930, before
laterT-70 components, was
being briefly posted to the
developed at the GAZ design
Kazan Tank School in the final
bureau (KB) in 1942 under
years of Soviet cooperation
the direction of N.A. Astrov.
he Soviet SU-76 self- a world where reality is long after the tide had turned Further, the much-maligned w ith Germany on tank design

T
propelled gun has always
been a largely maligned
Red Army combat vehicle.
The SU-76 was after all lightly
armed, thinly armoured and
had its mechanical nuances,
hence while the later IS-3 heavy
tank was named 'shuka' (after
the sharp nosed pike), the
SU-76 was in service subject
to various derogatory terms
by its crews, including 'Bratsky
Magi/' (a common grave) and
also something that rhymes
with 'shuka' in Russian but has
something to do with female
dogs ...
Preconceptions are exactly
that, and we today live in
I
sometimes tricky to identify,
even in military technology
matters. But the SU-76, for all
its early production mechanical
fa ults, was clearly not nearly
as bad a combat vehicle as has
often been made out. If it was
such a bad vehicle, it is difficult
to imagine that it would have
continued to be produced
in such numbers that overall
production was second only
to the T-34 medium tank for
the duration of the 1941 -45
war in the Eastern Front. As to
the armament, the 76.2mm
ZiS-3 dual-purpose gun was
the same weapon that proved
an effective tank killer until
in the Soviet Union's favour
and the SU-85 and SU-100 took
over the tank destroyer role.
The 57mm ZiS-2 had slightly
better anti-tank capability in
the same way as the British '6
pounder' equiva lent, but the
76.2mm gun provided the best
compromise between anti-tank
and field gun roles, hence its
longevity in Red Army service.
The early production SU-76
(SU-12) did have significant
mechanical issues, primarily
related to synchronisation
of power output from the
parallel engine and gearbox
installation, but these problems
were quickly addressed.
B SU-76 (M) rather than the 'in-
SU-76 remained in service
until the very end of the war
and made it all the way to the
streets of Berlin in the early
summer of 1945. According ly,
the common perception
of the machine should be
considered relative to its overall
contribution to the Red Army
war effort, bearing in mind
that a huge percentage of
Wehrmacht tank losses at the
Battles of the Kursk Salient
were for-instance also due
to mechanical breakdown.
Mechanical failure is a reality
that has always afflicted
most if not the majority of
armoured vehicles for obvious
The SU-71 resembled the
later series production SU-76,
but featured a fully enclosed
fighting compartment - as
did the initial SU-76 (SU-12)
design. The SU-71 was based
on an extended chassis with
six road wheels, and mounted
the same 76.2mm ZiS-3 gun
main armament as on the
later SU-76. The fully enclosed
fighting compartment featured
sharply sloped side and
rear armour plates. Further
development ofthe SU-71
was eventually cancelled
after a field trials comm ission
report dated 19 November
1942 described a long list of
defects. Consequently, GAZ
would ultimately undertake
production of the 'team effort'
house'SU-71 design.
The 'SU-76' SKB Design
Bureau
In March 1942, the various
design efforts by competing
plants on light self-propelled
gun developments were
amalgamated under a new
special design bureau (SKB)
under the direction of the
Ministry ofTank Production
(NKTP) . The new bureau,
and tactics. He was based
at the OKMO design bureau
in Leningrad from 1932 as
the T-26 was entering series
production and al ready being
redesigned w ith a single turret
armed with a 45mm 20K tank
gun. The OKMO bu reau was
absorbed into Plant N2174
where Ginzburg continued
to work before becoming
deputy design director to
Zh. Ya. Kotin who directed
design work at Plant N21 85.
By the time Ginzburg began
work on the SU-76 (SU-12)
at Plant N238 in 1942, he
had directly worked on the
design of the T-33 and T-43
amphibious reconnaissance
tanks, the T-29 medium and
T-100 heavy ta nk prototypes,
and in preparing the T-26 and
T-50 light, T-28 medium and
T-35 heavy tanks for series
production. He was thereby an
immensely experienced tank
designer. In the war years he
worked within the KB (design
bureau) of NKTP- the Ministry
ofTank Production before
taking on the SKB described
above responsible for light SAU
development that would result
in the SU-76 (SU-12).

Warpaint Armour No.1

 In the spring of 1942 the KB
at Plant N238 in Kirov under
the direction of M.N. Shu kin
had b een re-established at its
new location after evacuation
from Kolomna. Alt hough
it would ultimately begin
series production of the initia l
production SU-76 (SU-12), it
was at the time already loaded
with other m ilitary production.
Ginzburg became the ch ief
designer of new SAUs at t he
SKB w ithin the Kirov Plant, with
the plant's new task of being
the lead developer of light
SAUs being added to its already
considerable workload. The
base specification for future
light SAU designs, which had
been issued on 29th January
1942, called for vehicles
based on the then current
T-60 chassis, including an SAU
armed with a 76mm USV or
ZiS-5 g un, with a maximum
speed of not less than 45km/ h.
As Ginzberg's team worked
on such developments, which
would in time involve more
T-70 and less T-60 components,
uprating t he engine for a
larger and potentially heavier
armoured vehicle was a major
concern. The decision was
taken to install two GAZ-202
engines {as used in the T-60)
mounted in parallel, each
working though its own clutch
and gearbox, and featuring
fina l drives with an 'elasticated'
clutch to t ake up the shock
loadings. Meantime, the new
76.2mm ZiS-3 d ivisional gun
developed by the V.V. Grabin
design bureau had been
modified for armoured vehicle
use under the designation
ZiS-3Sh (Shturmovaya - assault
gun). The Ural mash plant in
Sverdlovsk was at the time
converting to T-34 assembly,
and wou ld soon produce t he
SU- 122, and later the SU-85
SAUs. Plant N238 in Kirov had
meantime as noted been
tasked with taking the lead in
light SAU development and
assembly, and would develop
the first series production
model of the SU-76.
SU-76 (SU-12)
The first series production
variant of the SU-76 (SU-12)
was developed from April 1942,
and was originally intended
for production at Plant N237.
Development and initial SU-
76 production was as noted
earlier then moved under the
direction of Ginzburg at Plant
N238, with the prototype being
built in May-June 1942. The
eng ine layout on the original
SU-76 (SU-12) consisted of
two GAZ-202 engines, each
developing 70hp, mounted
in parallel, for a total engine
output of 140hp. The twin
engines were coupled to twin
transmissions with flexible
couplings on t he final drives
intended to take up the shock
loadings as described above.
The driver-mechanic on the
original SU-76 was seat ed
between the engines. This
engine and transmission
arrangement was inherited
f rom the T-70 design; the first
production batch ofT- 70 light
tanks were also bu ilt w ith
parallel GAZ-202 engines rather
than a tandem mounted GAZ-
203 engine.
The initial production SU-
76 (SU-12) was built at Plant
N238 in Kirov from December
1942, w ith t he first production
vehicles bei ng provided wit h
a fully enclosed fighting
compartment including
an armoured roof. This was
however quickly dropped
in favour of an open roofed
fighting compartment
arrangement. As the early SU-
76 was being delivered to Red
Army combat units, t here were
immediate reports of gearbox
and final drive synchronization
issues that would continue
to plague the original SU-76.
• a mechanica l redesign was
11
,
An SU-76M from the same unit being
refuelled.
I SU-76Ms during the Vyborg-Petro-
U zavodsk offensive against Finland,
June 1944.
. . An SU-76M entering a German
Ill village, 1st Belorussian Front, April
1945.
1a
SU-76Ms during the Victory
Parade, Harbin, September 1945.
11 SU-76Ms on parade, Leningrad,
1 May 1948. (Photographer -
Chertov)
The feedback from Red Army
combat units was highly critical
of the mechanical set-up, which
proved difficult for driver-
mechanics to operate and
resulted in higher than typical
instances of transmission
failure. The design principle of
using tandem engines coupled
to tandem transmissions
and drive outputs was an
ongoing Soviet design theme.
It re-emerged post-war on
the Zil-135 8x8 all-terrain
truck and the BTR-60 wheeled
armoured personnel carrier
series. The later set-up provided
both the required power and
redundancy in the event of
mechanical failure or damage.
The combat debut of the
original SU-76 was on the
Volkhovsky Front, and the
vehicle performed well with
the aforementioned proviso
on premature transmission
failures. With the SU-76 (SU- 12)
now issued to combat units
and in widespread service,
urgently undertaken, and a
modified SU-76 replaced the
original SU-76 {SU-12) in series
production after only 608 of
the original SU-76 (SU-12)
vehicles (560 per other sources)
had been built. The majority of
original SU-76 (SU- 12) veh icles
were returned to the plant
and were rebuilt to SU-76M
standard.
1Z The SU-76Mlocated at the Tank
Museum at Bovington in the UK
was captured during the Korean War. This is
the vehicle as displayed in 1990.
13 The SU-76M at the Central Armed
Forces Museum in Moscow.
U This SU-76M is actually one of
1 . , the most'relevant'to its location,
being the war memorial outside the design
offices of former Plant N240 in Mytischi,
northern Moscow, one of the three plants
that later built the SU-76M.
1S The SU-76M at the Kubinka Tank
Museum.
SU-76M
The need for light SAUs in the
Red Army was acute when
the transmission problems
with the SU-76 (SU- 12) in
service became known,
and an immed iate solution
was required to rectify the
problems encountered
while not significantly
disrupting production
output. A 'competition' was
thereby announced by the
(recently returned to post)
People's Commissar of the
Tank Ind ustry (NKTP) V.A.
Ma lyshev for the best design
of a modified version of the
SU-76. It was attended by
teams from the 'errant' Plant
N238, Plant N240 under the
leadership of L.F. Popov and
the Gorky Automobile Plant
(GAZ) under the design
leadership of renowned light
tank designer N. A. Astrov.
The prototypes differed in a
number of elements, but the
main common in novation was
replacement of the original
parallel synchronised engine
layout with two GAZ-202
engines, now mounted in
tandem and as used in the
'standard' production T-70 light
tank, t he combined tandem
version being designated GAZ-
203. The engine developed
the same power output but
with a single common output
driveshaft to the final drives,
.. .
., .
. _,
•

~
···...-
.
- ... ··,·:
' . .
..
I SU-76M of an unidentified unit, central Russia, winter
1943/44. Finished in overall Protective 480 with a
patchy winter whitewash.
U SU-76M of 17th Tank Division, Korean People's Army,
... Korea 1950. This tanks, supplied from Red Army
stocks, were finished in overall Protective 480.

Jagdpanzer SU-76(rL 5th SS Pz. Div.,'Wiking; Poland

Z SU-76M of 1st Army of the Polish

People's Army, Pomerania, spring 1945.
5 summer 1944.1nGerman service this SU-76M was
painted in overall Dunkelgelb (RAl7028) with patches of
Finished in overall Protective 480. the Proctective 480 showing.

Colour profiles by
3 SU-76M of 1219th Self-Propelled
Artillery Regiment, lublin, Poland,
Summer 1944.
Slawomir Zajaczkowski.

Dunkelgelb RAL 7028 Flat WhiteS

Protective Green 480
(Vallejo German Dark (Vallejo
(Vallejo Russian
Yellow 71 .025) White 71.001)
Green 480 71.017)

vallejo All paint references are

to Vallejo Model Air
For more details about Vallejo's range of colours,
please visit www.acrylicosvallejo.com

Warpaint Armour No.1 The Eastern Front 1941-1945 a.

~ .· ··.. -
._, 'I
. ,.

elim inating the synchronisation
problems of the earlier
parallel engine and gearbox
installation. The machine
was accordingly redesigned
to accommodate the longer
power plant installation,
which was mounted on the
right side of the vehicle hull.
The armament remained
unchanged, but the SU-
76M had a reduced combat
weight of 10.5 metric tonnes,
significantly less than the
11.2 metric tonnes of the
For Zaltsman, the difficulties
with the origina l production
SU-76 were also not without
State retribution. On 28 June,
as a direct consequence of the
early SU-76 debacle, he was
removed from his position as
minister of tank prod uction.
Production and Combat
Service
The early production SU-
76 with the parallel engine
layout was produced only
at Plant N238. The later SU-
flux, with improvements being
considered even as the ea rlier
model was being prepared for
series production. Plant N238
in Kirov developed t he SU-16
in an attempt to rectify the
initial problems with the SU-76
(SU-12). The SU-16 was similar
in appearance to the SU-76 (SU-
12) but mounted on a shorter
chassis with five roadwheels.
The plant also developed the - ..
....
SU-15, armed with a 76.2mm
S-15 gun, and the SU-38. The
SU-57 (SU-15-57) was a variant
- ~

• •

76M was bui lt at Plant Plant

origi nal SU-76 (SU-12). Series
production of the SU-76M
began in the summer 1943,
the modified variant arriving at
the front in time for the battles
ofthe Kursk salient. From the
end of 1943, the T-70 and
limited production T-80 were
removed from production and
Plant N238, GAZ and the newly
re-established Plant N2 40 in t he
Moscow suburb of Mytishchi
all undertook large-scale
production of the modified su-
76. The modernisation was only
latterly designated SU-76M.
Blame Allocation
As was the norm in Soviet
times, someone had to be
blamed for the deficiencies
in the original SU-76 (SU-
12) design, and a State level
technical commission was
assembled to review the field
performance of the veh icle.
The report was followed by
Resolution GKO N23530 'about
the SU-76 self propelled
unit; issued on 7 June 1943
which stated that the SU-76
recommended by the (then)
Minister ofTank Production
(Zaltsman) and GAU (Main
Artillery Directorate) chief
Yakovlev and taken into
production 2nd December
1942 had suffered from
a significant number of
breakdowns due to gearbox
failure and other defects. The
blame was largely allocated
to Engineer-Colonel Ginzburg
even though the engine and
transmission desig n used in the
in it ial SU-76 (SU-12) had been
in herited from the T-70 light
tank. He was dismissed from
his position and sent to the
front, where he was assigned
to the 32nd tank brigade as
a technical specialist. He was
killed in action on 3 August
1943 near the village of Malaya
Tomarovka in the Kursk region.
of the SU-76 developed at Plant
N238 in Kirov, Plant N240
N238 in 1943, armed with the
in Mytisch i near Moscow
57mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun as a
and GAZ located in Gorky
more dedicated tank destroyer.
(today Nizhny Novgorod).
The variant was also not
Combining the (relatively)
accepted for series production.
limited production SU-76 and
In the spring of 1943, the GAZ
later mass production SU-76M,
KB under the leadership of
the SU-76 series went on to
A.S. Maklakov developed the
become the most massively
theme further with the fully
produced armoured vehicle in
enclosed prototype GAZ-74 on
Red Army service after the T-34.
the T-70 chassis, of which sub-
Post-war, SU-76M production
variants were the GAZ-74B and
continued for a few months,
related GAZ-74D. Design work
wit h series production of the
continued in 1944 on a further
SU-76M being terminated in
modified GAZ-76D (SU-76D)
October 1945. In total 13,684
variant.
modernized SU-76M vehicles
Two consecutive prototypes
were built, of which 9,133 -
were also developed at GAZ
almost 75% of all prod uction
on the standard SU-76M
- were built at t he GAZ
chassis mounting 85mm
automobile plant in Gorky.
calibre armament. The SU-
In combat, the SU-76 was a
85A was developed at GAZ
good general support vehicle,
in September-October 1943,
but in the fina l months of
originally intended to mount
the war cou ld not obviously
a modified version of the
tackle heavier German
ZiS-S-53 as fitted to some T-34-
tanks and other armou r. The
85 tanks. The prototype SU-85A
veh icle's open roofed fighting
was tested at the NIBT polygon
compa rtment was not greatly
at Kubinka in March 1944, now
appreciated by its crews, who
armed with the 85mm LB-2S
were vulnerable to shrapnel
gun. The SU-85B variant was
blast from above, but they
completed at GAZ fou r months
were otherwise protected by
after testing of the SU-85A,
the relatively light fighting
based on the reworked original
compartment armour. That
SU-85A prototype. The SU-85B
the SU-76 and modernised
was also armed with an 85mm
SU-76M remained in service
LB-2S gun.
providing close support fire
The OSU-76 was a late war
for the duration of the wa r
self-propelled gun developed
is testament to the fighting
as a universal SAU for the Red
capability ofthe machine. The
Army ground and airborne
SU-76 (SU-76M) was involved
forces use. The OSU-76 was not
in all combat operations of
developed beyond prototype
the Red Army from the spring
stage, but was the first of
of 1943 until final victory in
several protot ypes t hat wou ld
Europe was achieved in May
result in the post-war ASU-
1945, after which it saw service
57 airborne self-propelled
against t he Japanese in the
gun. The ZSU-37 air defence
autumn of the same yea r.
vehicle was developed on t he
Further Developments and chassis of the SU-76 in 1945,
Variants armed with a 37mm M-1939
In wartime conditions, anti-aircraft gun. A small
Soviet armoured vehicle production batch was built
development was in constant and issued to the Red Army

Warpaint Armour No.1

., . ···...-
.,
.
'·
. . '
for field evaluation purposes,
but the vehicle never entered
series production. A very small
number of SU-76 vehicles
were converted to light ARVs,
and used as mobile workshop
vehicles.
Post War Service
The SU-76M was used by the
Soviet Army for many years
post-war, and was also widely
distributed to Warsaw Pact
countries. The SU-76M was
to be found in the armies
of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia,
East Germany, Hungary and
Poland to name but a few,
whi le some countries such as
Romania retained the SU-76M
in service until as late as 1998 in
a t raining role. The SU-76M was
also exported further afield,
with Korea and North Vietnam
receiving vehicles that were
used in combat against United
Nations and United States
forces respectively.
Preserved SU-76M Vehicles in
Museums
Until recently there were
relatively few SU-76Ms to be
seen in museums worldwide,
the best known having been
the examples at the Tank
Museum in Great Britain and
Aberdeen Proving Grounds
in the United States, both
vehicles having been captured
during the Korean War. The
SU-76M located at the Central
SU-76 and SU-76M Wartime Production (sources conflict*)
Vehicle Production Plant Total production
SU-76 Plant tf-38 560 (first examples with an armoured roof)
(SU-12)
SU-76M Plant tf-38 1,665
SU-76M GAZ 7,523
SU-76M Plant tf-40 2,306
12,054 Total built 1943-45 (to 9May 1945)
*Rebuilt SU-76s were classified as'new build'SU-76Ms which may
account for some of the conflicts in production numbers]
Armed Forces Museum in Acknowledgements
Moscow has now been joined With thanks to the Museum
by several others located in of National Military History, KV-1 tanks with the early welded
private museums in the Russian Padikovo, Moscow for turret and 76.2mm ZiS-S gun.
Federation, including at least providing access to their fully
two in running condition. restored and running SU-76M.- .
he Klimenti (Kiim)
T Voroshilov or KV heavy
tank was accepted into
service with the Red Army in
accordance with Soviet Council
of Ministers Resolution N2443s
dated 19 December 1939. At the
beginning of the Great Patriotic
War, or World War Two as known
in the West, the KV tank was
the Soviet Union's premier
heavy tank. The shock it gave
advancing Wehrmacht forces in
the summer of 1941 was both
technical and psycholog ical.
Technically the tank was by
contemporary standards well
armed and extremely heavily
armoured, and thereby when
encountered in combat order
proved very difficult to destroy.
Psychologically, as Wehrmacht
forces encountered the KV
tank in both KV-1 and KV-2
form within days of the start of
Operation Barbarossa, the very
existence of the KV, together
with the T-34 medium tank,
raised questions as to what other
surprises the Red Army might
have in store for the advancing
German and Axis forces. During
the last pre-war Moscow Red
Square military parade held in
May 1941, at which the German
Defence attache Hans Krebs
t
was present, neither the KV nor mounting a substantial152mm steel turret, later provided with
theT-34 had been displayed,
so the appearance of both
tank types on the battlefield,
calibre artillery weapon. The
support tank was to have the
same overall armour basis as the
additional bolted-on applique
armour, and finally provided
w ith a cast turret. A lightened
albeit in limited numbers, was 'small turret' KV. The new tank version of the KV series was
very much unexpected. development was originally latterly built as the KV-1S,
The KV heavy tank was the known as the KV'with big and via the final KV-85 variant
rationalized result of a series turret' to distinguish it from mounting a larger cast turret and
of tank developments at the the KV (KV-1) and would be in 85mm D-5T gun the tank would
SKB-2 design bureau within time designated as the KV-2. ultimately morph into the losef
the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ)
KV-1 (KV Small Turret) Stalin series of heavy tanks.
intended to replace the ageing
The original KV M-1939 (U-0) In October 1941 , KV
T-35 heavy tank, which had been
prototype for a heavy tank production was evacuated
built in very small numbers in
armed with a 76.2mm tank from LKZ in Leningrad by rail to
Kharkov at the Kharkov Steam
gun was developed at the Chelyabinsk, but throughout the
Locomotive Plant (KhPZ)- also
SKB-2 design bureau within the Siege of Leningrad the original
known as Plant N2183. The twin
Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ) in tank plant continued to repair
turreted T-1 00 and SMK were the
Leningrad under the direction and rebuilt existing KV (KV-1)
preferred original replacement
of Zh. Ya. Kotin. The tank was tanks, which accounts for the
options, against which the
originally built with a welded hybrid hul l/turret combinations
smaller and single turreted KV
was tested for service. The KV
was ultimately accepted as the
more practical proposition from
a production output perspective.
With the KV heavy
tank accepted for service,
work turned towards the
development of a version with
an enlarged turret capable of
1 (right) An early production KV-1
being prepared for shipment from
LKZ. Note the gun and mantlet installation
and early type external fuel tanks.
The Eastern Front 1941-1945
seen on many tanks in the region
during the war. The standard
'small turret' KV was a formidable
tank, but as war approached, an
even more formidable version
had been designed in parallel
with the 'small turret' KY.
KV-2 (KV with Large Turret)
The KV-2 was developed in
answer to a requirement by the
Military Council of the North
West Front (the Front at the time
being against Finland during
Russo-Finnish 'Winter Wa r' of
939-40) for an artillery support
ion of the KV, the role of
ich was primarily to engage
targets such as bunkers
and reinforced artillery positions
which had been encountered on
the Finnish Mannerheim Line in
the Karel ian Isthmus. The new
version was duly developed as
a collaborative effort between
the SKB-2 tank design bureau
within LKZ and the AOKO
artillery design bureau located
within Plant N2172 in the city
of Molotov (today Perm) in the
Ural s region, with the armament
installation at the Kirov plant
under the direction of N.V. Kurin.
The initially planned 152mm
M-1909/30 howitzer installation
was soon replaced by the use of
the 152mm M-1938 (M-1 0) heavy
howitzer in a new 'large turret'
(as known by the production
plant). For installation in the new
KV artillery support tank, the
ordnance was modified at Plant
N2172 (the Motovilikha plant in
Molotov) with a short ened barrel
and reduced recoil, with the
modification being designated
MT-1 (Motovilikha Tankovaya-7 ).
The first production model
KV-2 is often designated as
mounting the'MT-1 turret'
but the designation refers to
the ordnance modification
rather than the turret. The
armament modifications for
tank installation were under
the direction of lead engineers
N.N. llyin and G.N. Ribin.
The 152.4mm M-10 howitzer
was originally intended to fire
only HE-Frag rounds with a
muzzle velocity of 530m/s, but
as there were armour-piercing,
anti-concrete and solid shot
rounds available for the calibre
these were also used to great
effect. The artillery support
tank had the same armour basis
as the 'small turret' KV (KV-1),
namely 60-75mm on the hull
front and sides and a similar
armour basis for the turret,
with the gun mantlet being
11 Omm. The KV-2 as it would
later become known, was as
with its'small turret' sibling
a particularly well-armoured
tank by any pre-war metric. The
chassis, running gear, engine
and transmission on the KV-2
was identical to the 'small turret'
KV, with a V-2K diesel engine
developing 600hp at 2000rpm.
The first KV prototype with
the 'la rgeturret'and 152mm
armament, the future KV-2,
designated U-0 (Ustanovochnaya
Seriya - Establishment Lot -
Modification 0), was built in
February 1940. The number of
KV-2 tanks despatched to the
Karel ian Isthmus for testing
against the fortified Mannerheim
Line has been a contentious
subject over the years. From
plant records it is now clear
that two KV-2 prototypes
were originally intended for
despatch to the North West
Front 'proving ground' in the
company of a single KV (KV-1 )
prototype mounting the 'small'
turret armed with a 76.2mm
tank gun. Prototype U-3, fitted
with a ' large' turret armed with
the 152mm M-1938 M-10
(M-1 OT) howitzer on the hull
and mechanicals of the U-0
prototype was completed at
LKZ and despatched to the
Karel ian Isthmus on 29 February
1940 for testing against Finnish
fortifications. The second
prototype, U-4, also fitted with
the 'large' turret and the same
152mm M-1 0 armament, was
ready to ship from LKZ on 13
March but was not despatched
as the Russo-Finnish War was
over. During operational trials,
the KV-2 prototype despatched
t o Finland travelled a tota l of
139km in 115 hours of engine
running time. Prototype U-4
having missed the opportunity
to participate in the 'Winter War'
against Finland was despatched
to the NIBT polygon at Kubinka
where it was tested alongside
the standard KV (KV-1) in May-
June 1940. The original series
production KV-2 fitted with the
'large turret' armed with the
152mm M-1938/ 40 (M-1OT)
howitzer was latterly designated
KV-2 M-1940. Although design
work had begun in 1939, the
original production KV-2 was
never so designated, being
latterly designated KV-2 M-1940
in line with the year of its
production. The later production
model KV-2 with a modified
and simplified turret design was
technically the KV-2 M-1941
but was not so designated.
..
KV-2 Production
Between 1940 and 1943,
approximately 4,800 KV
tanks of all types were built
(not including the SU-152
self-propelled assault gun on
the KV chassis) of w hich the
number of KV-2 tanks built
was until relatively recen tly a
matter of some conjecture. The
production numbers have in
recent years been researched
by Russian armour historians
such as Maksim Kolomiets using
original plant data however,
and the number of KV-2 tanks
produced is consequently
now more clearly defined.
Earlier published information
showed that the first three
U-3 and U-4 prototypes were
completed in February and
March 1940 respectively, with
the U-4 being accepted for
series production as the KV-2
heavy tank, later known as the
KV M-1940. The original plan
was to build only fifty KV-2 to Chelyabinsk in October 1941 ,
tanks at LKZ, later increased to a though KV-2 production would
projected 230 tanks. Ultimately, appear to have ceased in the
104 series production KV-2s summer. The total is obviously
were built in 1940, and another slig htly hig her than that quoted
100 in May and June 1941 before above, and may include the
production ceased, for a total three original prototypes
of 204'series production' KV-2 before the U-4 became the
tanks built. It is also now known first series production tank.
that Plant N2172 produced only
100 modified gun mountings KV-2 (KVwith Lower
for the later production variant, Large Turret)
which rather dictated the On 28 May 1940, LKZ in
final production output. Leningrad was instructed to
Plant records also show that begin series production of the
between August 1940 and the KV-2 heavy tank, fitted with the
outbreak of war in June 1941, 'large' turret and the modified
LKZ despatched 156 KV-2 tanks, 'MT-1' artillery system with
the majority of which were shortened barrel and recoil.
sent to the Kiev Special Military The original production turret and hence tank combat weight gun was added in the turret rear
District (KOVO) in Ukraine. The was however redesigned in by a not inconsiderable two for local defence. The simplified
tanks despatched from LKZ accordance with a GABTU order metric tonnes, for a new combat turret was also significantly
are accounted for by serial dated August 1940 both for weight of 52 metric tonnes. The easier to manufacture involving
number, unit designation and operational reasons and for ease original bolted access hatch considerably less fabrication
date of despatch. Another 51 of manufacture. The later'lower located in the turret rear for time. The first example of the
KV-2 tanks were despatched big turret' was dimensionally ordnance removal was replaced new turret was completed at
between the outbreak of war smaller, and significantly lower by a hinged hatch, and a ball- the lzhorsky Plant in September
and the relocation of the plant in profile, reducing the turret mounted 7.62mm DT machine 1940 and installed in the first
The Eastern Front 1941-1945
 --·..
•' .
. .
.·' ,·:. .

I KV-1 Model 1941, 716th Tank Brigade,

Leningrad, winter 1941/42. This tank is
currently at the Tank Museum, Bovington,
U KV-1 sekranami, unknown unit,
.., Southwestern Front, 1942. Finished in
Protective 4BO Green. Slogan reads: 'Victory
United Kingdom. Finished in Protective 4BO
will be Ours:
Green with white wash. Slogans read: 'For
Leningrad; 'Leningrad Women to the Fronr

Z KV-1 Model1941, Late Production,

Leningrad Front, 1942. Finished in
athree-colour scheme of Sand 7K, Dark
Brown 6K and Protective 4BO Green.

Pz.Kpfw. II 754(r), Panzer-kompanie

5 z.b.V. 66, Operation Hercules,
planned invasion of Malta, May 1942, later
transferred to Army Group Centre. Finished
in ascheme of Afrika Korps Braun RAL
8020 and Gelbbraun RAL8000.

Colour profiles by
Slawomir Zajaczkowski.
• KV-2, unknown unit, Eastern
• Front, 1941. Finished in Protective
4BO Green. Slogan reads:'Za Rodinu!'
(For Motherland!)

Protective Green 4BO Brown 7K Brown 6K Braun RAL8020 RatWhite B

(Vallejo Russian (Vallejo Russian (Vallejo Russian (Vallejo German Green (Vallejo Camouflage (Vallejo
Green 4BO 71 .017) Tan 7K 71 .283) Brown 6K 71.282) Brown 71.272) Brown 71 .117) White 71 .001 )

vallejo All paint references are

to Vallejo Model Air
For more details about Vallejo's range of colours,
please visit www.acrylicosvallejo.com

Warpaint Armour No.1 The Eastern Front 1941-1945

prototype KV-2 with the new
lower turret, Prototype N2U-7.
KV-2 with 107mm F-42
(ZiS-6) Tank Gun
As war approached, a modified
version of the KV-2 was
developed which would have
proven a potent tank-killer,
had the tank entered service. A
KV-2, built in December 1940
and with serial N2B-9680, was
subsequently re-armed with
the newly developed 107mm
F-42 tank gun built at Plant
N292 under the direction of
V. G. Grabin. The prototype
underwent plant trials in
May and June 1941 , but war
began as the trials were being
completed. The prototype was
subsequently sent to the AN lOP
artillery polygon for firing trials,
conducted from 25 June to
5 July 1941. The 107mm was
tested with armour-piercing
ammunition with a muzzle
velocity of 830m/ s which
penetrated 120mm of vertical
armour plate at 600 metres
range, while the HE-Frag round
also had a relatively high muzzle
velocity of 730m/s. But with the
Soviet Union now in a war for
its very survival, all thoughts of
introducing changes that would
negatively affect overall tank
production output were shelved.
Combat History
Most KV-2s were abandoned or
destroyed in the opening weeks
1 • I •
of Operation Barbarossa, in many
cases due to running out of fuel,
or ammunition, or mechanical
breakdown rather than being
lost in combat. Most Wehrmacht
photographs show nominally
damaged KV-2s that have in
many cases been destroyed by
their crews rather than being lost
directly in combat. Other KV-2
tanks, often having fought from
stationary positions having run
out of fuel, show scars from the
very considerable expenditure of
ammunition required to destroy
them. The KV is often regarded
as a somewhat archaic tank with
superb armour protection but no
advantage over the concurrent
T-34 medium tank. The huge
losses of KV tanks in the opening
weeks of the war are however
consistent with all other Red
Army tank losses at a t ime of
organisational and deployment
chaos. The KV-1 would be further
developed during the war as
the KV-1 S, and up-gunned
as the final production KV-85
which became the basis for the
late losif Stalin series of heavy
tanks, all descended from the
original KV prototype of 1939.
With regard to the number of
KV-2 tanks involved in Operation
Barbarossa, 134 KV-2 tanks are
recorded as being in operational
service with the Red Army as
of 22 June 1941, of which 89
were in the aforementioned
KOVO military district in western
Ukraine, and thereby directly
in the path of advancing
Wehrmacht forces, but with
apparently only a small number
actually deployed with front
line units. The great majority of
KV-2s were lost in service during
the first weeks of'Operation
Barbarossa: with many being lost
t o mechanical breakdown, or a
shortage of fuel or spares rather
than in combat as related earlier.
• •
I I I • •• p I!
The Red Army 4th Tank Division
for-instance lost 22 KV-2s in the
first two weeks of fighting. The
KV-2 was almost exclusively
encountered by the Wehrmacht
deployed in single or small
numbers, but when encountered
was nevertheless a psychological
shock to Wehrmacht troops,
as was the'small turret'KV-1
and the T-34 medium tank.
The KV tank in all variants
proved particularly hard to
destroy and was both feared
and respected byWehrmacht
forces. A German officer of the
1st Panzer Division in his war
diary related his unit's encounter
with a sole KV-2. The tank was
initially engaged at 700 metres
to no effect, with the unit being
then forced to close to a range
of only 50-100 metres. The
tank was eventually overcome,
but on inspection was noted
to have survived 70 direct hits
from 50mm and 75mm anti-
tank rounds. The Commander
of the 11 th Regiment of the
6th Panzer Division on 25 June
encountered a KV-2, which
proved invulnerable to 105mm
field guns and the unit's Pzkpfw-
IVtanks, the best-armed tank
the Wehrmacht had available in
1941. The KV-2 was ultimately
destroyed by manoeuvring an
88mm 'anti-aircraft' gun to flank
the lone tank. The German '88'
deservedly gained a reputation
as a potent tank-killer, but the
necessity of using such a weapon
to engage Red Army tanks never
seen before the Wehrmacht
crossed the Soviet border did
not bode well for the future.
The Wehrmacht captured a
number of KV-2s, which were
pressed into service as the
Pzkpfw KV-11 754 (r). The last
recorded combat engagement
of a KV-2 was with Wehrmacht
forces defending Koenigsburg
(now Kaliningrad) against
the Red Army in the early
weeks of 1945. At least one
captured KV-2 was evaluated in
Kummersdorf, Germany, the
fate of which is unknown. A
small number of KV-2s that were
not lost in combat in 1941 -42
had their turrets removed and
plated over and were used
by the Red Army as ARVs.
Surviving KV-2s
There are several surviving KV-1
tanks, in the Russian Federation,
Finland, France, and of course
the two examples sent directly
by the Soviet Union to Aberdeen
Proving Grounds and Bevington
respectively for Allied evaluation
purposes. The number of original
... . ···.-
..
., '
.
.

surviving KV-2 tanks is precisely

one. The only KV-2 to survive the
war was the KV-21ocated at the
Central Armed Forces Museum
in Moscow, which was originally
within the Kubinka collection
at a time when nobody outside
the Soviet Union knew such
a collection existed. The KV-2
was loaned to the Moscow
museum when it was founded
and opened to the public in the
1950s. The tank, serial N2B-4744,
was one of a batch of ten KV-2
tanks despatched from LKZ to
Velikie Luki on 26 June 1941,
making the tank one of many
that had seen active service
before being added to the
Kubinka closed military museum
collection rather than being a
prototype used for development
trials. The tank, which has now
some non-standard features and
a mix of road wheel types, has
stood in the same position for
literally decades. A second KV-2,
an early turret type production
model, sometimes designated
'M-1940; can now be seen at
the Battle Glory of the Urals
Museum atVerkhnaya Pyshma,
Ekaterinburg. This is however
a reproduction tank, using a
donor chassis and a new turret
fabricated from heavy gauge
steel, making for an impressive
reproduction of the original
production model KV-2, of
which no other example exists.
T he losif Stalin or IS heavy of the Soviet command how they wish to call the tank Siberia. With production of the
With thanks to Maksim Kolomiets
tank was the default structure, in the case of the series. And let's not start on Zh. Leningrad designed KV series
for the KV-2 production data
Red Army heavy tank of IS series being named after Ya. Kotin - ZhosefYakovlevich re-establ ished at Chelyabinsk,
used in this article.
the later war years 1944-45, the 'Vozhd' or leader himself. Kotin ... the relocated design bureau at
The book Tyazheli Tank KV·2(the KV·2 and the heavy tank type that The name V1oc111<j> CTallii1H the plant developed the final
Heavy Tank) in Russian byYauza eventually parked-up under directly translates as losef From KVto IS 'lightened' KV-1S as an attempt
(Moscow, 2011 ) is the definitive guide
the Brandenburg Gate and Stalin in English, but as there The KV heavy tank which to close the performance gap
to the tank, correcting many previous
the Reichstag in Berlin as the is no equivalent letter to 'Ill' was the IS tank series' di rect between medium and heavy
assumptions based on primary source
research on what was always amaligned but definitive symbol of Soviet in English, it is sometime forebear was initially built at tanks In late 1943, it also
also not well understood tank, designed for victory over the perpetrators of translated as Joseph, as it was the Leningrad Kirov Zavod developed the final production
the destruction of hardened defence points 'Operation Barbarossa' in 1941. by Airfix on the Woolworth's (LKZ) before the plant was KV-85, based on the KV-1S
rather than for tank to tank engagements in The tank was named, as was 'Joseph-Stalin 3' kit in a bag evacuated in the autumn of chassis, but fitted with a new
which it became embroiled in June 1941. its predecessor the KV heavy in the late 1960s! As we are 1941 and production re- turret (the design of which
tank, as a politica lly expedient not doing grammar lessons established at Chelyabinsk would later be modified for
U nod to a senior member here, each to their own as to beyond the Ural mountains in the early IS heavy tanks) armed
1 The KV-2M-1940 located at
. , Verkhnaya Pyshma ismade
up of afew original parts with anewly
fabricated turret and many non-original
components, but is the only representative
of the type in existence. (John Ham)

1S Rearviewofthe KV-2M-1940at
Verkhnaya Pyshma. (John Ham)

11:1 The only surviving original KV-2,

serial N2 B-47 44, is that located
at the Central Armed Forces Museum
in Moscow. The tank was despatched
from LKZ to Velikie Luki in the Pskov
Oblast where it saw active combat.
Note the tracks are not KV tracks at all,
but rather from the T-10 heavy tank! . -
with the 85mm 0 -5T gun.
The armament for the IS
heavy tank series was far from
decided at the original design
concept st age, and several
prototypes were built and
tested evaluating different
chassis, turret and armament
layouts. The Obiekt-233 and
Obiekt-234 prototypes were
built and eva luated in the
spring of 1943. The Obiekt-233,
also known as the KV-13 and
as 'IS' Prototype N21, was the
first tank to be developed by
the Prototype Plant at ChKZ
on the basis of the SKB-2 team
evacuated from Leningrad,
w ith development under the
direction of N.V. Tseits. The tank
mounted a late KV type cast
turret similar but not identical
to that used for the KV-1S,
armed with a 76.2mm ZiS-5
gun, installed on a hull wit h
the distinctive stepped bow
of the early production losef
Stalin series, but on a shorter
chassis than t he later series
production 'IS' series, with only
five road wheels on each side.
The engine was a modified
unit, the V-2K, developing
600hp and giving t he tank a
speed of 55km/h, one of the
m ain design drivers at the time
being to improve heavy tank
mobility, specifically speed.
The tank was developed partly
as an attempt to maintain the
KV as an effective tank series
at a time when the armament
oftheT-34 medium was being
significantly upgraded. The
KV-13 was effectively the main
direct design link between the
KV and IS series of heavy tanks.
The Obiekt-234 used t he same
chassis as the Obiekt-233
(KV-13), but mounted a later
production model KV-1 (not
KV-1S) cast turret armed w ith
a 122mm U-11 howitzer. The
Obiekt-234 was also known
as the KV-9 and as the 'IS'
Prototype N22. In some sources,
it is claimed that the Obiekt-233
and Obiekt-234 were both
generic 'IS' prototypes rather
than IS-1 and IS-2 prototypes
respectively, but interestingly;
the original plant photographs
are actually annotated marked
'IS-1' and 'IS-2:
The morphing of the final
series production KV, the
KV-85, into the 'IS' series
of heavy tanks involved a
number of prototypes and
several potentia l armament
Warpaint Armour No.1
alternatives. In July 1943, Plant
NQ 100 built two prototypes, t he
Obiekt-238 (a lso known as the
KV-85G) and the Obiekt-239
(KV-85). The Obiekt-238 was
initially armed with the 76.2mm
ZiS-5 tank gun, and then
re-armed d uring trials with a
prototype 85mm S-31 gun. The
Obiekt-239 was armed with an
85mm 0 -5T gun as used on the
early T-34-85, for the simple
reason that there was only a
single prototype 85mm S-31
gun available and it was being
t est ed mounted on the other
prototype.
In parallel with t he series
production of KV tanks, the
plant had meantime worked
on developing an altogether
more powerful tank with a
larger turret, which could
accommodate a more powerful
main armament. The 85mm
armed KV-85 served as the
basis for the Obiekt-237, but
the speed of tank development
during wartime was such that
the 'IS-85' rapidly became
the 'IS-122' w ith a tangential
consideration of an 'IS-100'
en-route. Obiekt-237 (IS
NQ1 and IS NQ2 variants),
developed at ChKZ in July
1943, mounted a KV-85 turret
and armament on an IS chassis.
The Obiekt-237 was also known
as the IS-85. Obiekt-238 was
as mentioned the KV-85G
(KV-1 S-85) armed with an
85mm S-31 gun mounted
in the smaller KV-1 S turret,
and Obiekt-239 ultimately
became better known as the
production KV-85. As can be
seen by the timescales, the
final production KV-85 and
first prototype 'IS-1' and 'IS-2'
tanks were tested against each
other, w ith the KV-85 and IS-85
being competitively tria lied at
Kubinka in July 1943. The IS-85
(IS-1) entered production in
relatively small numbers, but
it was clear at the time that
85mm armament on a heavy
tank was unacceptable, and
further options were tested,
including t he Obiekt-245 with
1OOmm armament, and the
ultimat e result of the entire
process, the Obiekt-240, which
emerged in November 1943,
armed with the 122mm 0 -25T
tank gun version of the 122mm
M-1931/37 towed Corps level
field gun. This would enter
series production as the IS-2
heavy tank, which was a
 - ......· .
.• ,·;
' ..

Colour profiles by
Slawomir Zajaczkowski.

1 15-2 of an unknown Guards unit, Belarussian Front,

Germany, spring 1945. This tank is unusually painted in
Protective 4BO with acamouflage pattern applied in Dark
Brown 6K. There isalso the very worn remnants of awinter
whitewash.

Z IS-2of 88th Independent Guards Heavy Tank

Regiment, Berlin, April1945. Finished in
Protective 4BO it has the temporary white markings
carried by all Guards IS-2s in Berlin.

3 IS-2 of an unknown Guards unit, Easter Prussia,

winter 1944/45. Finished in Protective 4BO with
a patchy winter whitewash.

U IS-2of the 4th Heavy Tank Regiment, 1st Army

. , of the Polish People's Army, Berlin, April1945.
Finished in Protective 4BO.

S IS-2 with the slogan 'G lory be to Brother's

brotherhood!' of an unknown unit, Russia 1944.
Finished in Protective 4BO.

PrntP•rtiv<>Green 4BO Brown6K AatWhiteB

(Vallejo Russian (Vallejo Russian (Vallejo
Green 480 71.017) Brown 6K 71.282) White 71.001)

vallejo All paint references are

to Vallejo Model Air
For more details about Vallejo's range of colours,
please visit www.acrylicosvallejo.com

Warpaint Armour No.1 The Eastern Front 1941-1945

significant improvement on
the early wartime KV heavy
tank design, and ultimately
a war-winner. The IS-2 would
become the Red Army's 'Victory
Tank' as it became the standard
Red Army heavy tank during
the 'armoured steamroller' drive
into Axis home territories in the
final months of the war. Self-
propelled ISU-122 and ISU-152
assault gun versions ofthe IS-2
were also built at ChTZ, the
primary role of both being tank
destroyers rather than mobile
artillery support.
In Service
The first IS-2s delivered to
the Red Army were assigned
to the 1st, 29th and 58th
regiments of the 1st Guards
Tank Army in February 1944,
and entered combat during the
Proskurovsko-Chernovitskoi
offensive. By July 1944, ChTZ
was building the IS-2, and its
ISU-122 and ISU-152 derivatives
at a rate of over 500 units
a month, the IS-2 and its
derivatives representing 40% of
Red Army tank park on its drive
westwards. In the meantime,
in February 1944- the same
month the first production IS-
2s were being delivered to the
Red Army - work had already
begun at ChKZ on potential
replacements for the IS-2, with
future options being the IS-3,
IS-4 and IS-5.
The IS-2 was replaced in
production by t he IS-3 in 1945.
The IS-3 was from a layout,
mechanical and firepower
point of view nea rly identical
to the IS-2, but featured a
radically redesigned hull and
'inverted frying pan' turret.
The tank had significantly
improved ballistic protection,
not least its triangulated glacis
armour, which earned it the
nickname 'schuka' (pike) in
service. But the tank would
prove troublesome to maintain
in operation, not least due to
cracking of the particularly
thick turret armour casting
and other mechanical stress
related issues. The first batch
of IS-3s built was too late to
participate in World War II,
(albeit they did appear for the
Allied Victory Parade in Berlin)
and so the honour of crashing
into Germany's capital city
went to the venerable IS-2.
The photographs of IS-2 heavy
tanks parked up around the
Reichstag and the Brandenburg
Gate are some of the most
evocative images in world
history.
The Post-War IS-2M
The IS-2 continued in
production for a few months
after the end of World War Two.
Post-war, service IS-2 tanks
were upgraded as the IS-2M
during capital repairs, w ith
improvements to the engine
installation, the addition of side
skirts, night vision equipment,
improved driver-mechanic
vision, deletion of the wartime
turret rear machine gun and
many other detail changes.
The IS-2 tank remained in
service for many years after the
war, not least because of the
production difficu lties with the
IS-3, which had been rushed
into service in 1945, but was
subject to an almost immediate
capital rebuild programme.
In later years IS-2 and IS-2M
tanks were placed in strategic
storage, with the more worn
out examples being placed on
war memorials, converted to
ARVs or scrapped. The ISU-122
was quickly withdrawn from
service post-war, as the su-
100 was standardised as the
default early post-war Soviet
self-propelled tank destroyer.
The ISU-152, being nominally
an artillery support howitzer,
survived for many years longer,
being modernised as the ISU-
152K. Ultimately, the chassis
of both types were converted
to ISU-T ARVs, mounted on
war memorials or scrapped.
The ISU-152K chassis was also
used to mount the first and
second generation of Soviet
'OTR'tactical rockets such as
the 2K2, 8K11 and 8K14, the
'FROGs' and 'Scuds' of Western
nomenclature.
Production Totals
In total, 67 IS-1 and 35 IS-2
tanks were built in late 1943.
In January 1944, another 40
IS-1 tanks were built before
production was halted, with
2210 IS-2 tanks being built at
ChKZ that year. In 1945, 997
IS-2 t anks were built before
Victory in Europe was declared
on 9th May, and another
1150 from May 1945 until
production ceased that year.
Total production of the tank
type at Chelyabinsk was 107
IS-1 sand 4392 IS-2s.
The Eastern Front 1941-1945
 :t
/

Each Aet includeA 8

1\lodel Air colors and
camouflage ])attent.'l draW11
bv
•
Pablo Albon1oz
 STUHL WEISSENBURG
Roger Hurkmans 1/35 scale
(Military Model craft International May 2011)

Sd.Kfz. 25 1/ 9 Au sf. D, 5th SS Panzer Div isio n

'Wiking: Operation Kon rad, January 1945

h ll!lr.,1Ou•n~r.Moh•
Algdtfgw
C~tl th• r.alwl
Cr\1.-c~@t'AA,~
Mto Uy•"-· ·~1

KV·Z EiiEiANT
Luciano Rodriguez
1/48 scale
(Military Modelcraft
I nternationa I
April2011)
KV-2, u nknown unit,
Russia, w inter 1941/42

•
PANZER VDR!
Phil Hyslop 1/35
(Military Modelcraft
A PILLBOX
International ON WHEELS
April2012)

Pz.Kpfw. IV Au sf. J, 7/Pz.Regt. 35, .

5th Panzer Division, Courland Peninsula,
autumn 1944
Murat Ozgul
1/72 scale
(Military
Modelcraft
International
November 2017)
Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. J, Pz.Regt. 29,
12th Panzer Division, Russia, autumn 1942
 Vehicles of Panzer Abteilung (zbV) 66 standing before the
vehicle halls at their home garrison. This picture gives a
good idea ofthe two heavily armoured light tanks, to the
lefttheVK 1601, to the righttheVK 1801. (Anderson)
Rick Lawler 1/35 scale
(Military Modelcraft IS-2, unknown unit,
International May 201 0) Berlin, April1 945
orld War II is often
W described as a war
of tanks. However,
the translation Krieg der Panzer
would certainly fit better,
considering how the Wehrmacht
was the first army to fully
understand the new weapon's
incredible potential. After the
traumatic experiences of the
Great War, followed by the
great economic depression, the
•
German Reich built up its new
armed forces, the Wehrmacht,
with the help of unconventional
staff officers. What was to
emerge as the Panzertruppe
was the child of a tough team
of staff officers, led by Generals
Lutz and Guderian. It is to their
credit that Germany introduced
a new combat arm, the Schnellen
Truppen (rapid forces), which
should later be renamed the
Panzertruppe. According to their
doctrine, tanks, not the infantry,
should play the lead role in a
coming confl ict. Both officers
saw mobility as the prime factor
for battlefield success. The
balance of mobility, firepower
and armour protection- the
trio of factors determining
the success of any tank- had
been altered, influencing both
combat tactics and technology.
The very first experiences with
early dummy tanks and simple
armoured cars would again
affect many other aspects such
as training and organization.
Subsequently, the embryonic
Panzertruppe elaborated on
their tactics, with tactics and
technological development
influencing one another.
When the specifications for
the first German tank designs
were drawn up, the emphasis
was firstly concentrated on
small armoured vehicles. Still
facing severe economical
problems, this decision allowed
the requested mass production.
These first developments
gave the German industry
The crew ofthisVK 1801, also known
1 as PzKpfw I Au sf F, gather in the small
gap in the track cover, standing on the
wide track. They are wearing felt boots and
padded white trousers to fight the extreme
cold in the Russian winter of 1943/44. The
tank is nicely whitewashed. (Anderson)
valuable experiences for
the heavier combat tanks
plan ned for the future.
Early Panzers
The PzKpfw I, or Panzer I (this
designation was equally
familiar) was made by Krupp.
Mass production of the
two versions, Ausf A and B,
amounted to some 2,000
vehicles, and served to equip
the first Panzer Divisions,
ensuring training for thousands
of tank crews. The next model,
the Panzer II, was little more
than an upgraded Panzer I, with
a moderately improved drive
train. The most noteworthy
difference was the adoption
of a 2cm KwK 30, a gun having
some armour penetration
capability, and the increase
of the crew by one to three
soldiers. The commanders of
the Panzertruppe were fully
aware that neither tanks was
able to meet their the most
important requirement:
the ability to engage and
defeat enemy armour.
By 1935, however, the Panzer
Ill and Panzer IV were ready for
production. The first, armed
with a 3.7cm KwK, was designed
to go into battle against tanks,
while the second armed with
its 7.5 em KwK was designed to
provide fire support to infantry.
Both the Panzer I and Panzer
II could justifiably be called
The Eastern Front 1941-1945

light tanks, but a problem of
nomenclature arises: what
defines a 'light tank: First,
light tanks can be defined by
their weight. I don't want to
go too deep into detail here,
but there are, of course, all
the variants of tankettes, MG
carriers and others. Second, the
type of mission. There is a great
variety of missions tanks can
be allotted to. During the war
reconnaissance was possibly
their most important role. Later
light tanks were used, especially
by the Germans, to produce
self-propelled guns. But what
else? Before answering this
question fully it's necessary to
return to the pre-war period.
After the first exercises
on Uineburg Heath in 1935,
General Lutz realized that the
MG-armed tanks used to fill the
first armoured divisions were
merely stop-gap solutions,
substituting the light tanks for
the Panzer Ill and IV was vital
to realize the potential of the
Panzertruppe. Despite these
far reaching planning, the
Reich was unable to quickly
build-up respectively convert
its arms industry to deliver the
needed tanks. Delays in their
production, however, meant
that light tanks had to be used
during the initial campaigns of
World War II. Germany invaded
Poland with some 2,200 light
tanks (1,000 Panzer I and 1,150
Panzer II). Only 87 Panzer Ill, and
some 200 ex-Czech tanks armed
with 3.7cm guns were available.
197 Panzer IV completed the
arsenal. France was attacked
with 1,500 light tanks, 330
Panzer 35(t) and 38(t), and only
570 Panzer Ill and IV. During
these first battles, the light tank's
shortcomings were more than
compensated for by a new way
of warfare and the clear tactical
superiority of the German forces.
The Panzer I, intended for the
quick establishment of the first
Panzer Divisions and for tra ining
thousands of crewmen, had
to be used in combat despite
its shortcomings. The Panzer
II, having a slightly higher
combat value, bore the brunt
of combat. During the attack
on Poland, some 1,150 Panzer
II were deployed. In general,
these tanks performed well.
After action reports submitted
after the campaign showed
only few problems, such as the
commander's limited field of
vision (before the commander's
cupola was retrofitted). During
the invasion of France, the
commander of Panzer Regiment
35 (4 Panzer Division) noted
that his Panzer II were used
with some success, primarily
for combat reconnaissance.
He only criticized the inferior
performance of the 2cm
gun compared with the
French 25mm AT gun.
The Balance Shifts
By 1942, the situation had
changed considerably. In
February of that year Panzer
Regiment 33 (9 Panzer Division)
reported that the Panzer II was
only seldom used in combat.
According to the commander's
statement, when used for
reconnaissance missions,
they proved to be inferior to
all Russian AT guns and tanks.
Correspondingly, the light tanks
were used only by dispatch
riders, as recovery vehicles
for bogged down trucks and
for security missions. In his
summary, the commander
suggested that the Panzer II by
removed from frontline service.
The many negative troop
reports do not necessarily
proof that the design was itself &
flawed. The Panzer II was the
resu lt of an exact specification the war, the German
sheet conceived in the early Organisationabteilung had
1930s. At that time protection begun development works with
against machine gun fire was the aim to provide new and
considered to be sufficient to more sophisticated light tanks.
perform the German doctrine Now specifications for two new
of mobile warfare. The technical tanks were drawn up which in
layout (engine performance, part contradicted the German
transmission and steering unit) concept of mobile warfare.
was developed for a 6-ton VK 1801 - PzKpfw I Au sf F:
tank. The Au sf c, which was first Before the war the German
used in Poland in su bstantial military planners expected
numbers, had already reached to face heavy fortifications
a weight of 7.9 tons, an in Czechoslovakia, Poland,
increase of 30%. The decision and in France. In order to
to add more weight through attack these heavily fortified
additional armour resulted in enemy positions specialized
a light tank of 9.5 tons, a 60% equipment was called for.
overload on the original design. A specification sheet for a
By 1939, the standard German heavily armoured MG carrier
tank battalion was intended was drafted, able to approach
to have two light companies these reinforced enemy lines
(with 17 Panzer Ill and five
Panzer II) and one medium
unharmed, and able to bypass 7
the enemy's light weapons.
company (with 17 Panzer IV and
five Panzer II). This, however,
was far from the reality; tank 8
production could not keep pace
with the ambitious planning.
By 1 Sep 1939, 1 Panzer
Division had an authorized
strength of 136 Panzer Ill yet
only 26 had been delivered!
Thus the Panzer II was pressed
into the role that the 3.7cm-
armed and much better
protected Panzer Ill should
have performed. Despite its
shortcomings, the Panzer
II necessarily remained in
combat roles into 1942. Seen
from the Panzer unit's leader's
point of view, a new German
light tank was needed to fulfil
a specific light tank role.
A New Light Tank?
Before the outbreak of
 However, during the
development phase of the
breakthrough tank, the threat at
the Bohem ian/Moravian border
ended with Czechoslovakia's
partial annexation. The
Polish bunkers proved not
to be a problem, while the
Magi not Line, of course, was
attacked at all, but bypassed
during the summer 1940.
Despite these events, which
fully vindicated the new
concept of mobile warfare, the
development process of the
breakthrough tank continued
unabated. The development of
the heavily armoured MG carrier
was completed after conclusion
of the Polish campaign, and a
limited production order was
given. Thirty vehicles of the
0-series were finished by March
1941. This veh icle received the
designation Pzkpfw I Au sf F,
but it was also known as the
PzKpfw I verstarkt (reinforced),
VK 1801 or SdKfz 101.
Despite the designation,
the Panzer I Au sf F had little
resemblance to the Panzer I
10 Au sf A or B. The very strong
armour of 80mm all round
resu lted in a very heavy vehicle.
Even the roof and bottom
plates were relatively strongly
protected (20-30 mm).ln
comparison, the Panzer IV had
a belly armour of only 1Omm.
In the end the vehicle's weight
reached 21 tons, nearly 20%
over the planned 18-ton limit.
The suspension relied on
five overlapping sets of road
wheels, at that t ime standard
for most new German tank
developments. Very strong
vl'arpaint Armour No.1
tracks in combination with the
thick belly armour increased
the protection against mines.
Although the tracks' width
amounted to 50 em, the
ground pressure amounted
to nearly 1.2 kg/ m 2 • A 150 PS
Maybach engine provided
the tank with a power/weight
ratio of7.5 PS/t, reaching a top
speed of 25 km/h. Armament
consisted of two MG34s in a
heavily armoured turret. Very
much like the earlier Panzer I
Au sf A orB, the commander
had to operate both the
machine guns and the wireless.
Between April and December
1942,30 vehicles were built.
In conclusion, the PzKpfw I
Au sf F was a tank of formidable
armour, but blessed with rather
doubtful mobility. While before
the war the advocates of the
modern German Panzerwaffe
greeted enemy tanks such as
the British Infantry Tank Mk II
(Matilda I) with a smile, they
were now about to produce
a German copy. The question
remains, could the PzKpfw I
Ausf F still be called a light tank?
VK 1601 - PzKpfw II Ausf J:
Before the production of the
PzKpfw I Au sf F' s 0-series was
started, a further model was
projected. With a chain of
arguments very similar t o that
leading the former Panzer I
to the Panzer II, now a better
armed version of the PzKpfw
I verstarktwas demanded,
subsequently called PzKpfw
II verstarkt (i n some files the
annex neue Art, for new version
was added). This development
was given the name VK 1601,
describing a fully tracked
veh ide of 16 tons. The idea
behind the design was almost
identical to the Pzkpfw I Ausf
F. Again, emphasis was put
on very strong armour. The
frontal armour amounted to 80
mm, while those the side and
rear was 50mm thick, much
more than the contemporary
battle tanks Panzer Ill and IV.
The general layout was very
similar to the PzKpfw I Au sf F.
The turret, however, was larger
to accommodate both a 2cm
gun and an MG 34, operated by
a gunner. In the hull there was
place for an additional radio
operator. Thus the commander
was relieved of firing the main
armament and operating the
radio and could concentrate
,LU....:rn Front 1941-1945 a.
 Panzerkamptwagen I Aust F
1 {Panzerkamptwagen I nA Verstarkt
(Reinforced)), attached to 2. Polizei Panzer 1. Panzerkamptwagen II Aust
Kompanie {neu), Eastern Front, circa 1943. .. J {Panzerkamptwagen
II nA Verstarkt (Reinforced)),
'13 assigned to the 12th Panzer
Division, 1943.

Panzerkamptwagen I Aust F
2 {Panzerkamptwagen I nA Verstarkt
(Reinforced)), '6 assigned to an unknown unit,
Russia, circa 1944.

Profiles by
MArk Rolfe

Panzerkamptwagen I Aust F
3 {Panzerkamptwagen I nA Verstarkt
{Reinforced)), possibly assigned to the 1 st Panzer
Division, Russia, circa 1943-44.

Panzerkamptwagen II Aust
5 J (Panzerkamptwagen II
nA Verstarkt (Reinforced)), 'B25
assigned to the 12th Panzer
Division, circa 1944.

Dunkelgrau RAL7021 Dunkelgelb RAL 7028 Rotbraun RAL 8017 Olivgriin RAL 6003 Red Oxide Primer RAL 8012
(Vallejo German (Vallejo German Dark (Vallejo German (Vallejo German (Vallejo German Red
Panzer Dark Yellow 71 .025) Armour Brown 71 .041) Medium Olive 71 .092) Brown 71 .271)
Grey 71 .056)

All paint references are For more details about Vallejo's range of colours,
to Vallejo Model Air please visit www.acrylicosvallejo.com
vallejo
Warpaint Armour No.1 The Eastern Front 1941-1945
 on commanding the vehicle.
By 1941, when the
Panzerprogramm 4 7 was
postulated, production of 252
VK 1601 was demanded as
a heavily armoured vehicle
for reconnaissance duties,
seemingly an ideal task for a
light tank. However, in the ideal
case a reconnaissance vehicle
should also be fast and agile.
Was the 'J' able to meet these
requirements? Ultimately the
Organisationsabteilung would
decide otherwise. Changes
in the underlying conditions
such as the reduction in the
capability of German industry
and the shock induced by
the sudden appearance of
the modern SovietT-34 tank
led to a termination of the
plans for mass production.
In the end of only thirty
PzKpfw II Ausf J were built.
Combat Service
The 0-series, or pre-production
series, vehicles were both
'heavy' light tanks and issued to
units using them for pu rposes
very differently from what
they were initially intended
17 for. First, some ofthe special
purpose tanks were issued
to Panzer Abteilung (zbV) 66
z .. pf usf . J' (zbV = for special purpose),
a crack unit established for
the planned invasion of
Malta. Five PzKpfw I Au sf F,
together with five PzKpfw II
Ausf J, were made available,
along a dozen long-barrelled
Panzer IV. When Operation
Herkules was cancelled, 1./
Panzer Abteilung (zbV) 66 was
transferred to Heeresgruppe
Nord, where it became in July
1942 part of Panzer Regiment
IJ17 611 29 of 12 Panzer Division. 2./
Panzer Abteilung (zbV) 66
was deployed as the security
troops of Heeresgruppe Mitte
(Army Group Centre).
The available strength reports
of 12 Panzer Division provide
information about the number
of operational tanks. Over
time the un it received more
PzKpfw II Ausf J. By September/
October 1943, no more 'heavy'
light tanks were reported as
operational. Seemingly all
Pzkpfw I Au sf F and Pzkpfw II
Au sf J were lost or had been
sent for being overhauled. The
once proud 12 Panzer Division
had shrunk to a Kampfgruppe
with only fifteen operational
Panzer IV and nine Panzer Ill.
For the remainder of the war,
apart from some further small
scale commitments, both the
Panzer I Au sf F and the Panzer
II Ausf J would be employed
against partisans and for
general security missions.
The amount of information
about the vehicles' service
record is rather limited, but a
few splinters survive (hopefully,
more await discovery in the
archives). 55 Polizei-Regiment
14 fought in Yugoslavia in the
anti-partisan role, a sad chapter
in German history. Beside some
Panzer IV, the unit relied on six
Panzer II Au sf J.ln an evaluation
report, the commander praised
the ruggedness of the vehicle,
which proved to be immune to
conventional anti-tank mines.
Panzer Kompanie 221 was
established in late 1942, as part
of the 221 5icherungsdivision, it
fought in the rear areas of Army
Groups Centre and South. By
the end of 1943, the unit was in
the process of being converted
from French to German tanks. In
two strength reports of January
1944, the commander reported
a number of unspecified tanks:
18 'PzKpfw II, or VK 1601 , or
VK 1801: plus seven 'T-34 or
PzKpfw Ill'. It remains a mystery
why the report was not more
specific. During the unit's
deployment in the Balkans,
he submitted an evaluation
of the tanks' performance:
Mood:
Good
Mobility:
Severely restricted during
the mud season and in
the winter due to the lack
of cross country vehicles
in the combat train.
Possible application:
Suited for any action, as
long as no enemy tanks
are encountered
Considering that World
War II was a war of tanks,
this restriction was alarming
indeed. Panzer Kompanie
221 was suitable only for
anti- partisan duties, any
commitment against Soviet
field units was impossible.
Luchs- Reece Racing Machine
Parallel to the development
ofthe'mobile pillboxes'
described above, by 1938/39
two new versions of a PzKpfw
II"neue Art" were projected.
The first development, the VK
901, emphasized the highest
possible speed. A few months
later another specialized tank
for the reconnaissance units of
the Panzer and Light (leichte)
Divisions was ordered. This
vehicle, designated VK 1303,
was little more than a slightly
enlarged VK 901, having room
forfour instead ofthree men.
According to the then prevalent
construction method for
German tanks, the VK 1303
was a small tracked vehicle
with interleaved suspension.
To enable the highest possible
mobility, the tank had a
maximum armour protection
of only 30mm at the front
19
and 20 mm at the sides and
'Luchs: A hundred were built
rear, enough to withstand fire
from heavy machine guns. and were issued mainly to the
Panzer5piihKompanie (type b)
The engine was a Maybach HL
of the PanzerAufk/arerAbteilung
66 P, delivering a maximum
(reconnaissance battalion) of
output of 180 to 200 PS.
4 and 9 Panzer divisions. Very
With a weight of 12 tons, the
small numbers found their way
favourable power-to-weight
to other units. It was planned
ratio of 15.5 PS/t resulted in a
to proceed production after
maximum speed of 60km/h on
the first lot of 100, albeit armed
road. Thanks to the interleaved
with a Scm gun. These plans
suspension, it also provided a
were dropped during the
stable ride over soft terrain.
The wireless equipment
reorientation of the German
tank design and manufacture in
consisted of a Fu5prechGer
1943. Sadly, there are no extant
f. The TruppfUhrer (section
after-action reports describing
commander) Zugfi.ihrer
the Luchs's combat service.
(platoon commander) and
Kompaniefi.ihrer (company A Final Assessment
commander) also had a Before and during the war,
long range Fu 72, essential the Wehrmacht learned
to accomplish successful that light tanks were vital
reconnaissance missions. for a great variety of tactical
The vehicle recoived the missions. When considering
designation PzKpfw II Ausf the three tanks examined in
L, and was commonly called this article, it must be said
 Considering the Luchs the
situation appears different. The
vehicle promised, at least on

••
the data sheet, to be a useful
reconnaissance tank. However,

••
a final assessment is difficult
because of the lack of combat
reports. Yet compared to the
masses of Soviet light tanks (or
their American counterparts
encountered on the Western
Front) the impact of the
hundred German Luchs must
have been marginal. Germany
proved to be unable to expand
production of this basically

- .......
sound vehicle. The necessary
adaption to the standards of
1943 did not take place, no
- successor was developed,
22 a victim of the decline of
German ind ustry due to the
Allied bombing campaign.
Indeed, j udged by the sum of
its tactical and technological
possibilities, World War II's
best light tank was built by the
Americans - the M24 Chaffee.

Warpaint Armour No.1 '

 ..
... -
.
,,. ...~-
. ,
. 'I . ··.
Delivery of the new Pz.Kpfw.IV Langrohr (at that time
named Ausf.F2) to an unknown unit in the East in

I ABT-7 of an unknown unit, 1942. Like most Soviet

tanks, it was finished in overaii4BO Green.
1942. The basic armour was still50mm. The chalk-
markings on the front superstructure were applied
All paint references are by the manufacturer, Krupp. It is interesting that no
spare-track brackets are mounted on the chassis'
to Vallejo Model Air front. (Author's colledion)

Protective Green 4BO

(Vallejo Russian
Green 480 71.017)

Z AT-34/76 Mod. 1942, leningrad Front, 1943. Another tank

finished in 4BO Green, it carries awhite tactical number
and, unusually, aprominent red star.
•
-

A II too often, the

successes of Germany's
Panzerwaffe are
measured by the achievements
Pz.Kpfw.lll Ausf. M, 6/Pz. Regt. 11, 6th Panzer Division, Kursk salient, July 1943.
3 Overall Dunkelgelb with afield-applied camouflage of Rotbraun (RAL8017) and
OlivgrUn (RAL6003).
of such tanks as the Tiger I and
its successor, the 72-ton Tiger
II. Without these formidable
weapons, how then can we
explain the extraordinary
victories of the Blitzkrieg
era? It is clear that Poland
and France were taken w ith
Dunkelgelb RAL7028 less-spectacular weaponry;
(Vallejo German Dark
no chance at all to argue
Yellow 71.025)
technologica l superiority.
Compared with the enemy's
arsenal, t he German tanks of
Rotbraun RAL8017 Olivgriin RAL6003 1939 to 1941 were, at best,
(Vallejo German (Vallejo German average. The Pz.Kpfw.lll was
Armour Brown 71 .041) Medium Olive 71.092)
initially armed w ith a 3.7cm
f_7.5 em PaK 40/3 auf Panzerkampfwagen gun, later increased to Scm.
.. 38(t) Ausf. H, Sd.Kfz. 138 (Marder Ill Ausf. H),
Penetration data of tank guna, comparative 1e-40/41
unidentified unit, Russia, 1943. This Dunkelgrau •
(RAL7021) is camouflaged with an application of
Dunkelgelb.
The other main battle tank,
the Pz.Kpfw.IV w ith its ?.Scm
Kw.K. L/24, had a tactical
role unsuited to tank vs. tan k
battles. Specifically desig ned
to engage A/T positions and
strongpoints from a distance,
its gun's penetration record was
only average, and its accuracy
poor.
The unprecedented victories
of the early campaigns were
gained by a combination of
single-minded leadership,
a masterly commitment
of combined-arms, and air
superiority. Consequently,
tactical/technical data were
not alone decisive factors for
success. The heavy defeats
both western and eastern
Allies had to face, natura lly led
to a learning process. Against
the western Allies, the initial
resu lts were evident at the turn
of 1942/43, when Rommel's
into Tunisia retreat ended
in disaster. Facing improved
weapons, and a diminishing
strategic performance, the
on ly remaining elements
advantageous to the
Wehrmacht were combat
tactics and technical
superiority.
Designed in 1935 as an
escort tank designed to
support the infantry, the early
model of the Pz.Kpfw. IV had
relatively thin armou r, and a
gun that was intended for this
operational pu rpose. However,
the vehicle p roved to be an
ideal basis both for up-gunning
and up-armouring. Despite
continuous technica l progress,
resulting in ever larger and
heavier weapons such as t he
Panther and Tiger tank, the
Pz.Kpfw. IV remained in service
until end of the war.
A More Powerful Gun
As the first prototypes left the
factory in 1935 efforts were
already being made to develop
a more powerful gun. However,
it was still widely assumed that
the penetration capability of
the ?.Scm gun was sufficient to
defeat t he bu lk of t he France's
armoured regiments (note
that a new conflict w ith France

Dunkelgrau RAL7021
(Vallejo German
Panzer Dark
Grey 71.056)

••
II
·-- , ,.,..

_,4

•
··-
ra•u

1t

••
II

vallejo For more details about Vallejo's range of colours,

please visit www.acrylicosvallejo.com

Warpaint Armour No.1 59

 was anticipated that early). The
?.Scm L/24 gun's penetration of
43mm (data from 1935, which
proved to be over-optimistic)
was felt to be more than a
match for the Renau lt R35 and
Hotchkiss H35 light tanks. But
due to its low muzzle velocity,
insufficient accuracy was
expected, especially at greater
ranges. A longer gun, with
better ba llistic performance,
would have improved accuracy
due to its flat trajectory, and
greater penetration due
to higher muzzle velocity.
Gvn lOOm SOOm IOOOm
Consequently, it would be
7, Stm Ka n L/24 mit Gr.Pa tr.rQt Pz.
7, 5cm Kw.K. L/43 mit Pzgr.Patr.39
41
98
38
91
35
82
7,Scm Kw.K. L/48 mit Pzgr.Patr.40 126 108 87 capable of defeating the heavy
8oth g uns, P:t:gr.Pau. 38 HI/A 75 75 75
Both guns. Pzgr.Patr. 38 HI/C 100 100 100 tank, Char 2C. But any such
plans were rejected, as it was
deemed impossible to mount a
... Compari:Son- 7,5 em proj&ctii.S 7,5 <:m Kw..K.
larger weapon in the Pz.Kpfw.IV
and a heavier tank of the 30-ton
...""' class was not an option.
.. • 7,6ttltKanV:4 ,_. Gt~rct ~
• f,lafti(WI( \JISrnl ,..Pill 11
Following the French Campaign
of 1940, the hollow-charge
•t.IC•ucwtt ""''""' P~gr~.ta
..
10
. .."'111""'·..._,.., » ..A
• lctlt ...... ,..,hi •twe
projecti le was introduced,
offering equa l penetration
:0
at ranges up to 1,500m, and
0
·- ..... without the need for the
precious metal, Tungsten. First
available as the ?.Scm Pzgr.
Patr.38 HL/A, it was superseded
in 1942 by the HUB, which
was easier to produce and
w ith similar performance. The
HUC followed, and had vastly-
improved penetration. The
accuracy, however, was actua lly
worse than the standard A/T
projecti le. The U24 gun was still
w idely used as late as 1944 in
the Pz.Kpfw.lll and IV, as well as
the Sturmgeschutz and various
other armoured vehicles.
In mid-February 1941 Hitler
himself intervened, demanding
installation of the Scm Kw.K.
1'346~ ••
•
Warpaint Armour No.
U60 in both the Pz.Kpfw.lll and
IV. In fact, the gun was fitted
to the Pz.Kpfw.lll, with the first
forty of these reaching the
Front towards the end of the
year. Fu rther plans were made
for a ?.Scm U33 gun (designed
in both cylindrical and conical
construction). Both designs
were abandoned, possibly
because Tungsten was not
reliably available. Furthermore,
the service life of the barrels
was considered to be too short.
In November 1941, a decision
was made to couple the design
of a new gun for the Pz.Kpfw.
IV to that of the new ?.Scm
PaK 44. According to a secret
Entwicklungsliste (development
list), the ?.Scm Kw.K. 44
(later renamed Kw.K. 40) was
intended to replace the ?.Scm
L/24 gun (not surprisingly). Due
to its long recoil, as well as the
dimensions of its cartridges, the
original PaK 44/40 barrel could
not be adapted; ammunition
and breech had to be modified,
too. For the Pz.Kpfw.IV, a calibre
length of L/43 was scheduled,
to be substituted later by an
L/48 gun. Armour penetration
using the new Pzgr.39 was
expected to be 80 to 1OOmm at
1OOOm range. Hollow-charge
ammunition was avai lable from
the outset (see above). The
accuracy of the U48 standard
A/T projectile proved to be
much better, due to its higher
m uzzle velocity. Crews of the
l/43 and L/48-armed tanks
w ere urged to reserve the Pzgr.
Patr.40 for superior opponents,
and to use the Pzgr.Patr.39
and hollow-charge projectiles
w here possible.
The ?.Scm Kw.K. 40 entered
production at the end of 1941.
The last Pz.Kpfw.IV of the
current 7th series (Ausf.F) was
fi tted with the new gun, and
referred to as Ausf.F2 (later,
Ausf.G). A yea r later, t he L/43
g un was replaced by the U48.
A lengthening of the barrel by
some 40cm resulted in a higher
m uzzle velocity, and therefore,
g reater penetration.
Increasing the Armour
Protection
When the Begleitwagen (escort
tank- the later Pz.Kpfw.IV)
was initially designed, armour
protection was considered of
minor importance. The Ausf.A
had only 14.5mm armour
plates (proof against 7.62
armour-piercing ammunition).
The Ausf.B was better
protected, its 30mm frontal
armour able to withstand fire
from 20mm weapons. Priorities
were changing, making an
increase in armour protection
necessary. Further experiences
confirmed this notion, and
Operation Barbarossa would
show that, as well as improved
firepower, greater protection
was essential. Beginning w ith
the Ausf.F (produced from
May 1941), an organic frontal-
armour of SOmm rolled steel
was introduced, with older
versions being upgraded at the
same time. About a year later,
further reinforcements were
ordered. Once again, Hitler
stepped in, as documented in
several Fuhrerprotokolle (Fuhrer
records):
'72.) An increase to
BOmm frontal armour for
Sturmgeschutz and Panzer IV
is an urgent requirement. The
mid-July date is too late.' [7
May 7942]
'50.) Der Fuhrer has decided
that Panzer IVs have to be
issued in limited numbers
with Vorpanzer. 16 units
per month are to be thus
converted. In the case of the
Sturmgeschutz, the complete
production must be issued
with Vorpanzer.' [29 June
7942]
(NB: 'Vorpanzer' refers to a
welded or bolted applique-
armour of 30mm plates)
'21.) According to Front
reports at hand, applique
armour fitted to the Panzer IV
has proved its value in many
cases, despite a decrease
of mobility involved by the
added weight. Since the new
British 6pdr AfT gun can
penetrate the front of the
current Panzer IV at 1,000m,
it is stated that 50% of the
production will be issued with
Vorpanzer.' [7 & 8 November
7942]
'37.) Der Fuhrer agrees with
armour plates being hung
from the sides for Panzer Ill,
IV and Sturmgeschutz, which
protect the tanks against fire
from AfT rifles.' [7 February
1943]
In 1943, the basic frontal
armour of the Pz.Kpfw.IV was
increased to 80mm rolled steel,
w ith all veh icles being fitted
w ith side-skirts.
Tactical Experiences with the
'Langrohr'
Beginning with the 1942
summer offensive, the Pz.Kpfw.
IV Langrehr was issued at a
rate of four to twelve tanks per
Abteilung. Unit commanders
did not differentiate between
Ausfuhrungen; they were only
concerned with Kurzrohr and
Langrehr (short -barrelled and
long-barrelled). The short-
barrelled version was still in
the majority, Pz.Rgt.6 being a
prime example. It was reported
as combat-ready by 27 June
1942: 25 Pz.ll, 66 Pz.lll (kurz),
40 Pz.lll (lang), 21 Pz.IV (kurz)
and 12 Pz.IV (lang) . The tactical
leaders clearly acknowledged
the performances of the
Langrehr Panzer IVs. From the
after-action report of Pz.Rgt.33,
dated 31 July 1942:
'5.) Pz.Kpfw.IVwith long
7.5cm Kw.K. 40 have to be
employed ahead without
exception, in order to attack
KV- 7 or KV-7 with applique
armour. Unless at least 50%
of our tanks are equipped
with the long 7.5cm Kw.K. 40,
any attack or defence in open
terrain against Russian KV- 1
or T-34 tanks will be futile. Our
own tanks will be destroyed
without firing a single round.'
By 1943, prior to the Summer •
Offensive, Pz.Rgt.6 reported as
combat ready: 7 Pz.ll, 8 Pz.lll
"j:he Eastern~n~ 1941-1945 a.
 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. H, 8/Pz.
1 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. G, 2/1 SS Pz. Regt.
1, SS Pz. Gren. Div.'Leibstandarte:
5 Regt. 31 , 5 Pz. Div., East
Prussia winter 1944-45.
Kharkov, February 1943. Fi"""p'
winter whitewash over aDunkel lb (RAL
7028) finish.

Colour profiles by
Claudio Fernandez.

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. H,2/Pz. Regt. 25,7

2 Pz. Div., Russia summer 1943. From
February 1943 all German AFVs left the
factory in astandard Dunkelgelb finish
B Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. J, unit unknown,
Kotzing, Bavaria May 1945. From
September 1944 some AFVs left the
and the camouflage colours- Rotbraun
factory in Red Primer over which various
(RAL 8017) and Olivgrtin (RAL 6003) -
were applied in the field. camouflage colourswere applied,
including Dunkelgelb. Alternatively this
scheme could be abase Olivgrtin with
Rotbraun camouflage and thin stripes of
Dunkelgelb

Pz.Kpfw. IV Au sf. H, 4/
3 Pz. Regt. 25, 7 Pz. Div.,
Russiasummer 1943.

Pz.Kpfw. IVAu sf. J, 7I

7 Pz. Regt. 15, 11 Pz.
Div., Germany January 1945.
Another Dunkelgelb and
Rotbraun finish with winter
whitewash.

f_ Pz.Kpfw. IV Au sf. J. 6/Pz.

.. Regt. 6, 3 Pz. Div., Poland
summer 1944. Pz.Kpfw.IV Au sf. J, unit unknown,
B Germany 1945. Finished in the
factory-applied Hinterhalt Tarnung
(ambush camouflage) of a
Dunkelgelb base with spots
of Rotbraun and Olivgrtin.
All paint references are
to Vallejo Model Air

Flat White B Dunkelgelb RAL 7028 Rotbraun RAL 8017

vallejo
Olivgriin RAL 6003 Oxide Primer RAL 8012
(Vallejo White (Vallejo German Dark (Vallejo German (Vallejo German (Vallejo German Red
For more details about Vallejo's range of colours,
71.001) Yellow 71.025) Armour Brown 71 .041 ) Medium Olive 71 .092) Brown 71 .271) please visit www.acrylicosvallejo.com

Warpaint Armour No.1 The Eastern Front 1941-1945

(kurz), 34 Pz.lll (lang), 17 Pz.lll
(7.5 em), 2 Pz.IV (kurz) and 21
Pz.IV (lang). While the number
of Langrohr (both Pz.lll and
IV) increased only marginally,
the overall number of tanks
decreased from 164 to 89, an
alarming development.
In 1944, when the situation for
the German tank formations
had worsened, the following
statement about tank combat
was published in the bulletin of
the Panzertruppe:
A) West All combat
operations at the Invasion
Front were characterized by
the Allied air superiority. The
terrain, disadvantageous for
tanks, forces us to deviate
from the massed employment
of tanks successfully used
to date. Thus we order
the establishment of
Panzerkampf-Trupps (tank
commandos). These Trupps
consist of few tanks only
waiting behind the front line.
8.) East Since the enemy tries
to avoid direct battles with
German tank formations, the
clear superiority of our tanks
is obvious. In consequence,
we must strive for every
opportunity to engage
the Soviets in tank vs. tank
battles.'
The main armament, the 7.5cm
Kw.K. 40 L/48, was a potent
weapon, restricted only by
the shortage ofTungsten,
which made the reliable
provisioning with Sprgr.
Patr.40 almost impossible from
mid-1944. An after-action
report of a Panzerjager unit
(Sturmgeschutz Ill) reveals:
'The Company attacked the
enemy with 9 Sturmgeschiitz.
On the first combat day,
within three hours, the
following score was reached:
16 T-34 (neu) <T-34/85>
1 KV-7
2 T-34 immobilized
The tanks were destroyed at
ranges of 600-BOOm.'
A Matter of Mobility
The later Pz.Kpfw.IV initially
had a combat weight of 18
tons. Chassis and engine
components were specifically
arranged for this applied
load (possibly with a certain
admissible tolerance).
Successive changes in armour
and armament increased
the weight, with the Ausf. J
reaching 25 tons. This 30o/o
increase raised the ground
Warpaint Armour No.1
pressure from 0.68kg/cm 2
to 0.89kg/cm2 • The engine's
performance could only be
increased by 1Oo/o, to a peak
of 265 bhp. While the top
and average speeds were not
affected, mobility decreased
significantly. Introduction of
the wider Winterketten and
Ostketten helped, but these put
further pressure on the tank's
weak point, the final drives.
These shortcomings could
not be remedied completely
until much later, leading to
many avoidable losses. By May
1942, Panzerregiment 203 had
conceded :
'The superiority of the
Soviet tanks results from a
more powerful gun (7.62cm
Panzerkanone), a better
armour protection and a
much better mobility, arising
from wider tracks, stronger
engine and higher ground 9
clearance.'
The gradual upgrading of the
Pz.Kpfw.IV made this tank an 10
effective weapon until the end
of the war.
From a further report
published in the bulletin of the
Panzertruppe in October 1944:
'Difficult terrain conditions
can constrain the massed
employment of our tanks at
the Eastern front, too. Facing
enemy tanks, even single
•
tanks had to fight in defence.
The enemy used Sherman •
tanks with Soviet crews. The
combat value of these tanks
doesn't seem to have been
high. The Soviet tankers had
apparently no confidence
in this tank. The crews left
the Shermans after the first
hits, even when the tank
was still combat-ready. As
with the T-34, this tank is no
match for the Panzer IV and
Sturmgeschiitz. In general,
the fire-fights took place at
ranges of 7,200 to 2,000m.'
The Pz.Kpfw.IV was in service
from the outbreak of war to the
bitter end. Thanks to the 7.5cm
Kw.K. L/48 gun, it was able to
cope with most enemy tanks at
moderate ranges. However, the
tank was not able to withstand
Allied tank guns. The Germans
had no illusions about this, as
quoted in a December 1944
report:
'Experiences of tanks vs. tank
battles in the West
The Panzer IV penetrates the
Sherman at ranges under
1OOOm, but will be destroyed
 by the Sherman at ranges up
to 2000m (at favourable angle
of impact). The Americans and
English try to avoid direct and
mobile engagement with our
tanks, since they feel inferior
to our tactical leadership and
our tank guns' combat range.'
(including Tiger and Panther
tanks)

This Pz.Kpfw.IV (possibly an Ausf.H)

11i has Zimmerit coating applied
to both the side and turret skirts (not
common practice at all). Alarge wooden
crate is mounted at the rear of the hull
(directly above the exhaust), with a
corrugated iron sheet attached as aheat
deflector. Apart from the turret number
'945; no other markingsare visible.
(Author's collection)
APz.Kpfw.IV with the marking '151'
17 during ammunition replenishment.
It belonged to the staff company of an
unknown unit. This is an Ausf.H, as evident
by the missing visor on the superstructure
side. Initially being fined with side-skirts,
both these and their brackets were
removed, as they often caused the air
filters to become blocked with dust. The
vehicle appears to be finished in an overall
dark yellow. (Author's collection)
ARussian soldier armed with a
1B PPsH submachine gun inspects
the remains of this Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H.
Five rounds have penetrated both the
side-skirts and side armour. Again the
side-skirts show aZimmerit coating, large
portions of which have fallen away due to
shell impact (and possibly machinegun
fire). Note that the early-pattern side-skirts
are hung on later-type brackets. (Author's
collection)
In April1944, vehicles from Pz.Rgt.
19 33 of 9 Pz. Div. were dispatched
from the Eastern Front to France for
restoration. The Pz.Kpfw.IV on the left is an
early-Ausf.H with bolted-on 30mm armour
at the superstructure front. The 'Prinz
Eugen' unit badge is visible on the turret
skirts. To the right is probably an Ausf.G
with U43 gun. (Author's collection)
This strange Ausf.H belonged to an
20 SS unit. The tank was backfined
with Zimmerit in an unusual pattern. Apart
from the Balkenkreuz and an inscription,
I-34..· 85 'York; no other markings are visible. An MG
34 is mounted on the commander's cupola.
(Author's collection)
Aclear image of a brand-new
3~n
21 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. H. The vehicle
is extensively coated with Zimmerit
(common practice between August 1943
and September 1944). Apart from the
driver's name, 'Ede' (written on the visor),
no other markings are visible. (Photo:
Josef Stahn 122 Zollner)
Hungary, 1945. Having lost its
22 side-skirts during earlier fighting,
the redundant brackets on this Pz.Kpfw.
II
IV Ausf. Jhave been removed. (Author's
collection)
langrohr capabilities, versus
23 T-34/85 and Josef Stalin 122. ~

The Eastern Front 1941-1945

 Genera/stab des Heeres
-·-·
v a rpacl<ung uno

(General Staff of the Army) ........

.,..
V•rp• c:l<u ngaeawl ct>~• •

demands a restart of its

production. ..
Following these experiences,
it was decided to develop •
a purpose-built version of ::-:::·:::...
the ?.Scm Kanone. While the •
•
Kanone 37 was mounted on the I

frame of the m. SPW (requiring ..... ,.

an aperture being cut into the ~ -- · ..._....__
:
armour plate), the new weapon
was simply placed on the top of
•
-•
·-- o8D ·--
-' ••
-• I
•
~

-
-.....
the standard Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf. •
D. Although increasing the
overall vehicle height by more
... -
....... D•' ........._ _ ., , . . . _ - ok .............~
---

--
... - ~Coot.. . . 7),- Jw
2-l.tPIOr .... 1.• II.
, _ , , _ , . . ,... b

1 - 1,J . . G< ""' ll lw

...

I
K --"
Nli.J'V

1), -.:.. ~ 2-7J , ...... ""'~- I. ...ll.l ..

t han 35cm, this change offered
greater space inside the vehicle.
A further improvement was the
addition of a co-axial MG42.
The 7 .Scm Kanone's
Performance
21 7e . Lte:?. Primarily intended to provide
fire-support, the gun's most
important ammunition-types
were the ?.Scm Gr.Patr. 34
(high-explosive shell), and the
7.5cm Nbg r.Patr. (smoke shell).
These projectiles proved to be
adequate until the end of the
war. However, for use against
armoured targets, two further
shells were introduced. The
?.Scm Pz.Gr.Patr. (Pz.Gr. rot) was
t the outbreak of the monitored the attack sector strongpoints; again, tanks were Experiences made in Africa and the standard armour-piercing
5IG G.7JCJO.
Organizationa l Structure; Krfegssta11cenach -lsung schwere r K anonenzug 7,5 em (gp)
accord1ng to K.SLN.112S dated 1 Nov 1943
dated 21 December 1942.
The schwere Kanonen Zug
(heavy-gun platoon) had
six Kanonenwagen, one
Sd.Kfz. 251/3 (as platoon
commander's vehicle) and one Kenonenstaffel · G11n S.ct•oo
SdKfz 251/1 (as ammunition 1. Gruppe I Section 2. Gruppe I SKtlon 3. Gruppe I Section
carrier). It was incorporated
as a teileinheit (partia l unit)
into the schwere Kompanie of ~~~ ~~~
a Panzergrenadier battal ion. Munitlonsstelfel / ammo section
Concentrated deployment of
the six Kanonenwagen was
key to any attack, and where
required, subordination of a
sing le Kanonengruppen (two

A World War II the Pz.Kpfw.

IV and Sturmgeschi.itz
were both armed with the
short-barrelled ?.Scm gun,
which fired HE, smoke,
armour-piercing and hollow-
charge projectiles. The gun
was an 'aim-oriented' weapon,
designed to assist attacking
units. Due to its lighter armour
protection, the Pz.Kpfw. IV
of rear tank formations,
engagement with anti-tank and
infantry gun positions being its
main priority. Combat against
enemy tanks was possible,
but not the intended purpose.
The Sturmgeschutz, with its
stronger frontal armour, was
designed to supplement the
infantry attack and to defeat
enemy gun positions and
not its prime target. With the
assault on the Soviet Union,
it was clear that tanks would
require guns of larger calibre
and higher muzzle velocity,
hence the development of
long-barrelled weapons for
both the Pz.Kpfw. Ill and IV.
The 'Organzisationsabteilung Ill'
(organizational staff) quoted in
its KTB of 14 September 1942:
Russia showed that ... Pz.Kpfw.
Ill and IV w ith short barrels do
not meet the demands of the
fighting troops.
Since the short-barrelled 7.5cm
Kanone U24 was available in
substantial numbers it was
decided to use it for a number
of Pz.Kpfw. Ill tanks as early as
May 7942, resulting in some
500 tanks being reworked. The
Sd.Kfz. 25 7 was also adapted
to take this gun, adding much
needed firepower for the
Panzergrenadier units. The
mount of the Sturmkanone
had to be modified, resulting in
the 7.5cm Kanone 37 (Sf/). The
m.SPW armed with this gun
received the designation Sd.Kfz.
25 7/9. The eight-wheeled
Sd.Kfz. 23 7 was similarly
modified resulting in the Sd.Kfz.
233. Surprisingly Org.Abt.lll
had to confess by 22 November
7942:
The Pz.Kpfw. Ill with 7.5cm
KwK U24 proved to be far
more effective than with
the previously used Scm
KwK. Since the . . . 7.5cm
KwK . .. will be needed for
the Schi.itzenpanzerwagen,
round, able to penetrate
35mm, with an effective range
of 1000 metres. The ?.Scm
Gr.Patr. HL/A was a hollow-
Sd.Kfz. 251 /9s) was possible.
However, by so doing the
battalion comma nder would
risk losing direct command of
charge shell, penetrating these vehicles.
70mm at any realistic range. In its explanation of the
Both rounds were pre-war training and employment of
developments, and were not the schwerer ?.Scm Kanonen-
introduced with the Sd.Kfz. Zug aufSPW, the Merkblatt
251/9 Kanonenwagen. lnstead, 47a/33, dated 1 June 1943,
the ?.Scm Gr.Patr. 38 HUB added:
was introduced by 1942,
although with penetration
only marg ina lly improved, this
was q uickly superseded by the
II
HUC, which had a penetration
capability of 1OOmm. Evidently,
t he troops opposed the HL/B,
as evident by a report to the
General der Artillerie, dated
May 1944:
HUC is good. HUB is
disapproved because of
repeated barrel bursts and
premature bursts, and
because of its deficient ballistic
performance at ranges beyond
7000m.
Organisational Structures:
The 'schwere Kanonen Zug'
The Kanonenwagen were
covered by'K.St.N. 1125

Warpaint Armour No.1


- bunkers and fortified houses
Au sf. Cwith the antenna·now on the
left-hand side, much closer to Fu.S rech
5 Panzergrenadier Kompanie C
70
Sd.Kfz. 251/9 Ausf. Cof 14 Panzer Division, Operation Zitadelle, July 1943. All the
Through its speed, accuracy,
and effectiveness, the schwere
1 Sd.Kfz. 251/9s are finished in Dunkelgelb with acamouflage of Rotbraun and
Olivgriin.
(7.5cm) Kanonen -Zug is
especially suited for defeating
enemy nests of resistance and
heavy infantry weapons, or
to blinding observation posts, Dunkelgelb RAL7028
(Vallejo German Dark
with smoke shells. Due to its
weaker armour, the Zug is
inferior in combat against
Yellow71 .025)
tanks. However, outfitted with Olivgrun RAL6003
HI-Granaten (shaped charge (Vallejo German
shells), it can quickly engage Medium Olive 71.092)
L____,..;---r:-.-:~fZ
Sd.Kfz. 251/9 Ausf. D
tanks that suddenly appear
.. .The ammunition load in
2 of 5 SS Panzer Division
'Wiking; Ukraine, summer
the 7.5cm K. 37 (Sf) aufSPW
1944.
consists of Sprenggranaten
(HE shells), HI-Granaten, and
Nebelgranaten (smoke shells).
A Granate 38 H//8 or HI!C are
to be used as armour-defeating
shells against all tanks up to a
maximum range of BOOm.
8 Sprenggranate 34 (out to
ranges of 6000m)
3 unit, Eastern
mit Aufsch/agziinder: with
fuses set for contact can
be used against nests of (Vallejo German
resistance, AT guns, artillery Armour Brown 71.041)
pieces, area targets, and to
damage tanks.
mit Verzogerung: with
fuses set on delay can be used Flat White B
(Vallejo White
against targets that are behind 71.001)
cover, wooden bridges, houses, 1. Sd.Kfz. 251/9 Ausf. Dof 4
and through ricochet against .. Panzer Division, Poland,
troops in trenches and foxholes. summer 1944.
C Nebelgranate, out to
ranges of 6000m can be used
to blind heavy weapons and
observation posts. Colour profiles by
Claudio Fernandez.
The Kanonengruppe
By 1 April 1943, the
organisational structure for the Sd.Kfz. 251/9 Ausf. Dof an unidentified
(and later, A) was changed to
5 Panzergrenadier unit, Kurland 1945.
incorporate a Kanonengruppe
(two Sd.Kfz. 251 /9s) in a heavy
platoon. The Nachrichtenblatt All paint
der Panzertruppen No.4 dated
references are
October 1943, stated:
to Vallejo
The introduction of the
Kanonengruppe as 4. section
Model Air
of the heavy platoon brought a
significant increase of firepower
for the Pz.Gren.Kp.C (gp). The
Kanonengruppe consists of two
4 45 & Sd.Kfz. 251/9 Ausf. D
of 5 SS Panzer Division
7.5cm Kanonen 37 (Sf) on SPW 'Wiking' near Stuhlweissenburg,
(Sd.Kfz. 251/9) and is the focal- Hungary, January 1945.
point weapon of the Pz.Gren.
Kp.C (gp). The tactical unit is
the Gruppe. They fire only in
the direction of fire, and when
halted . .. Its employment is
based on the exact knowledge
of the capabilities and
employment possibilities of
For more details about Vallejo's range of colours,
please visit www.acrylicosvallejo.com vallejo
The Eastern Front 1941-1945 a.
 Pz. Aufki.Abt. 20
StaO und Stabs!<ompanie
Vers Kompanie 4 K()f!Jia!l!e
2 251/1 7 251n 7 251 2
5 2511912 25113
,... p .::;--:--"-
,... -----..
u
·I·
u
·I· ·I· ~ ·I·75T
3 4 1 6
the 7.5cm Kanone auf SPW .
.. The Kanonengruppe is an
offensive weapon. Its main
task is supporting the Pz.Gen.
Kp.C in the attack, its cross-
country mobility and armour
protection against infantry
fire and shell fragments
enable it to escort the attack
of the Panzergrenadiers, and
constantly support them at an
effective firing range. Sudden
employment, quick rate-of-
fire and high-mobility are the
base of their efficiency. Firing
performances and impact
are identical to those of the
Panzer IV (U24) and of the
Sturmgeschiitz (U24).
The Kanonenwagen was
also introduced into the
Panzeraufklarungsabteilungen
(armoured reconnaissance
battalion) under 'K.St.N. 1125'
organizationa l structure
dated 21 December 1942.
So much for the theory,
however: 'Nach richtenblatt
der Panzerttruppen' report ed
in May 1944 (from a military
operation dated November
1943) on the employment of
an armoured reconnaissance
battalion used used for
screening the disengagement
at the right, open flank of an
Army Group. The battal ion
received orders to screen t he
retreat of a division (possibly
9.Pz.Div), and the comma nder
o rdered the formation of
verstiirkte Panzer-Spiihtrupps
(strengthened reconnaissance
sections) to be employed at
vario us locations, and involved
Luchs, Sd.Kfz. 251 / 2 and 9 as
well as at least one Sd.kfz.
251 / 10 and three Sd.Kfz. 10/ 4.
This employment shows
how the organic structures
were disrupted to meet the
requirements of mobile and
dynamic warfare. The vehicles
were issued individually to the
Warpaint Armour No.1
3 1 251111
3 Kompanie
9 2511112 251/3
2 25112 12 251l9
,...
J J
5 5 13 2 2
sections. The report describes
the further course of the
fighting, concluding with a
statement from the Inspector
General:
The cited after-action report
is a perfect example for the
employment of an Armoured
Reconnaissance Battalion. This
formation is best suited for
disengagement actions due to
its cross-country mobility, its
firepower, its communication-
means and its armoured
vehicles. However, mobile-
fighting style is most important
... a stationary use of the
Abteilung would lead to its
annihilation because of missing
infantry.
The establishment with heavy
weapons such as the Sd.Kfz.
251/10 (3.7cm PaK) and 257/ 9
(7.5cm KwK 37) provided
considerable firepower,
which was later reinforced by
the Sd.Kfz. 251/ 21 (MG 151
Drilling). Army Bulletins in July
and August 1944 outlined a
number ofprinciples regarding
the commitment of a Pz.Gren.
Kp., including references to the
Kanonenwagen. Contrary to
the example given above, the
Kanonenwagen of the schwerer
Zug would not be segmented:
You [company commander]
may fight, neither in attack
nor in defence, without a focal
point. This focal point will be
established by effect of fire,
employment of ammunition
and tactical grouping. The
schwere Zug will be placed
at your, the company
commander's but not at the
platoon leader's disposal,
since it is your duty to lead. A
segmentation of the schwerer
Zug must be the exception from
the rule. The schwerer Zug is
your fist, with which you will
deal the decisive blow.
10 23411
3 23413
7 25113
1 25118
2 Koolpanie 1 Kooparue
23 25011 14 25017 9 25015
2 250/3 1 13 25019
,...
34 22 13
Panzeraufklarungs Abt. 20
reported from the fighting
around Debrecen in Hungary:
After completion of the tank
battle at Debrecen, the enemy
advanced north reaching the
river Tisza with recce units.
Pz.Aufki.Abt. 20 received orders
to clear the area from enemy
forces . .. in the night from 24 to
the 25 October 1944 we scouted
towards Nyiregyhaza. Results:
Berkesz and the eastward
heights were occupied by the
enemy. Four anti-tank guns
were identified. Early by 25
October the Abteilung received
orders to advance towards
Nyiregyhaza on the main road,
regardless of menaces at both
flanks and rear. A suggestion
by the commander to bypass
the anti-tank positions was
rejected, frontal attack was
again ordered. There was no
support by Sturmgeschiitz or
artillery. After emplacing the
heavy weapons the Abteilung
advanced with 3rd Co. at the
right and 2nd Co. at the left
of the street, which itself was
mined. 3rd Co. got stuck at a
bridge, which was mined, too.
The enemy's anti-tank guns
guarding the bridge were
successfully engaged and
destroyed by the Kanon enzug,
with the loss of one vehicle . ..
Chart 8 (above) shows how
useful the attachment of a
Kanonenzug was. In t he last
issue of 'Nachrichtenblatt
der Panzertruppen' (February
1945) t he combined
combat of t he Kanonenzug
and Granatwerferzug was
thoroughly explained,
to make best use of the
heavy weapons of the
Panzeraufkliirungsabtei/ung. It
referred to them as the 'mobile
hammer' of the battalion
comma nder. Their missions
.... . ··· .- .
. ., . ....
'I ...
. .. --,
included the elimination of the
enemy's anti-tank weapons,
overcoming nest of resistance
and the sealing of breaches
in friendly lines. It stressed
the rapidity of deployment
and fast and accurate fire. The
Kanonenzug was to choose its
targets as the battle developed,
but the mortars were to be
given fire missions before
contact was made. It was
front late, and on the Panther's turret
side. (NARA)
13
strictly prohibited to advance
without proper reconnaissance,
to attack enemy armour or for
security duties. Only the 251/9
was to engage enemy armour
at close ranges and from an
ambush position. The report
concluded that 'concentration
of fire from all guns will result in
the target's quick annihilation,
at least in holding down the
enemy at low consumption of
ammunition:
In September 1944
the 'Nachrichtblatt der
Panzertruppe' published ideas
for improvement from frontline
units, which were apparently
adopted in parts. These
included the installation of a
Fu 5 radio set in the platoon
leader's vehicle (a Sd.Kfz.
251 /3). Frontline troops also
demanded an intercom in
their 251 /9s and as a resu lt
new production vehicles were
fitted with Sprechsch/Ouche
(communication tubes),
which proved successful. It
is more tha n likely t hat all
Kanonenwagen (with ?.Scm
Kanone 51) produced from
August 1944 (and possibly
earlier) were issued with
Sprechschli:iuche. ....
t is common knowledge
I that the Wehrmacht was
extremely (if unexpectedly)
successful during the first years
of World War II. In Poland, and
a mere eight months later
in France, a World War I style
military doctrine was reduced
to absu rdity, resulting in the
swift defeat of both countries.
Again, the events of 1941 and
1942 showed the potency of
the German Blitzkrieg, which
swept through the deserts of
North Africa and the Russian
Steppes. However, few people
acknowledge that these
successes were ach ieved with
This Sturmgeschiitz Ausf. Fof Stu G. Abt. 201 was photographed in the summer of
1 1942. The light base-colour is evident in contrast with the uniforms and vegetation;
possibly RAL 8020 Tropical Sand was used. The vehicle still shows the ?.Scm StuK 40 L/43
gun. (Author's collection)
weaponry of rather ordinary
quality.
An after-action report by 9.
Pz.Div. (dated 27 July 1940)
exposes problems from the
invasion of France:
'l\rmament and Equipment
. .. the Pz.Kpfw./1 delivered
optimal performance
regarding suspension and
transmission. All Pz.Kpfw.ls
still in stock broke down due
to mechanical damage . ..
The Pz.Kpfw./1/s again showed
numerous problems with
their Variorex gearbox. Due
to top-heaviness, the frontal
running wheels wore out to a
great extent. The Pz.Kpfw./V in
general performed well. None
of our tanks could withstand
fire from enemy guns with a
calibre greater than 3.7cm at
distances less than 600m. The
Pz.Kpfw.l and II were destroyed
by 2.5cm Hotchkiss at even
greater ranges. Pz.Kpfw./11 and
IV can withstand frontal fire
from 2.5cm Hotchkiss, lateral
hits penetrated the armour
incidentally . .. These lateral
hits often set the ammo or the
fuel tanks on fire, leading to a
complete loss of the tank.
Running aground mines laid in
groups lead to heavy damage
or total/ass of our tanks. The
explosion's air pressure often
killed the driver and wireless
operator sitting in the front. The
mines had several effects: even
with Pz.Kpfw.lll and IV the hulls
were busted, transmissions
were torn off and broken,
torsion bars and bogies were
torn off ...
Value judgement of enemy
anti-tank guns: Enemy
anti-tank guns were able to
penetrate all of our tanks'
A similar report from 5. Pz.Div.
(dated 19 July 1940) adds:
'The German tanks had
everywhere proven superior
in tank vs. tank combat. This
was based on their numerical
superiority, their superior
speed and agility, and on their
higher rate of fire and better
observation means. Still the
enemy tanks had armament
and armour superior to our
tanks ...
The enemy anti-tank defence
was effective, especially the
2.5cm and 4.7cm A/T guns,
which penetrated all German
tanks at close range.'
Another report by 7. Pz.Div.
(dat ed 14 July 1940) resumes:
: . . all Panzers used by the
Division [basically Pz.Kpfw.
/Is and 38(t)s, with some
Pz.Kpfw.IVs - author] offered
full protection only against
armour-piercing infantry
rounds. They are not proof
against anti-tank rifles or 2.5cm
A/Tguns.'
The German industry was
not able to remedy these
shortcomings.
From an report by Pz.Rgt.
203, dealing with combat
against Soviet tank units duri ng
the Winter 1941/42:
'Tank vs. tank:
The Soviet tanks are superior by
their better weaponry (7.62cm
gun), their stronger armour and
considerably-better mobility
(due to wider tracks, more
The Eastern Front 1941-1945
 powerful engine and greater
ground clearance) . .. '
The German tank and
Sturmgeschutz formations
had to accept that better
weapons were simply not
available. For the field units
only self-help remained;
existing material had to be
modified and improved.
Improvised Add-On Armour
Among the more feasible
changes was the simple
addition of spare track-links
to all vulnerable areas. Spare
roadwheels were also attached
to certain areas, to deflect A/T
or HE rounds. Even sandbags
were used. Another widespread
measure (especially with
the Sturmgeschutz) was the
addition of concrete blocks.
It is interesting that The
German Supreme Army
Command strictly forbade
such measures as early as by
December 1940:
' ... in a special case, a Panzer
Division reinforced the armour
of their Pz.Kpfw.IV by welding
75 to 30mm plates on the
frontal armour. If such welding
is not conducted by specialised
companies there is no warranty
for the preservation of the
quality of material. Beyond
that, adding of improper
armour-plates or even simple
iron-plates can lead to a
decrease of armour protection,
as it was proven by practical
tests. Any modifications not
authorized by the O.K. H. are
prohibited in future.'
It is not known whether these
regulations were accepted or
simply ignored.
Improvement of Armament
It is almost impossible to
improve the main armament
of a tank (a rare exception
was the conversion of 120
Churchills by adding US 75mm
M3 guns, taken from destroyed
M4 Sherman tanks). Frontline
units had no choice but to wait
for the industry to deliver new
material. Without their required
close-defence armament,
Sturmgeschutz units often
fitted Luftwaffe MGs to their
assault guns. With the arrival of
the 7.5 em StuK 40 resp. KwK
40, German tank formations
had the weapon they needed
to gain a qualitative edge.
This gun was to shoulder the
fighting up to the end of the
war.
This report came from StuG.
Abt. 190:
'StuG. Abt. 190 (with 6 StuK 40)
Impact of the weapon equal
to that of Pz.Kpfw.IV with KwK
40. At the first day the 6 new
Sturmgeschiitz destroyed 3
Russian tanks each.
Final Estimation: the
Sturmgeschiitz proved its value
in combat with the heaviest
Soviet tanks. The crews rely on
the guns and feel superior to
any Soviet tank.'
StuG. Abt. 232 was a
perfect example of combat
improvement. Photographs
show that the unit was eager
to improve its weaponry.
Wherever possible, guns were
overhauled, with the older
StuK 40s being replaced by •
longer-barrelled L/48 guns &
almost immediately. Armour
protection was improved by
adding layers of concrete, 7
spare track-links or even spare
roadwheels. When in mid-
1943 Panzerschiirzen were
available, new arrivals were
issued immediately with this
extra armour. The Schiirzen
were originally introduced to
counter the threat of anti-tank
rifles, but showed a similar
effect against HE and hollow-
charge projectiles. Armour-
piercing rounds from anti-tank
rifles were able to penetrate
the StuG ' s lateral armour,
and even the commander's
cupola at close range. The
• hull could be penetrated
at ranges under 200m, and
•
Eastern Front 1941-1945
 ... .-
. . ,,. ...~-

,I ··.
. • I

StuG Ill Ausf. F, StuG. Abt. 201,

1 Russia, autumn 1942.1t is finished in
Dunkelgrau (RAL7021). 5 StuG Ill Ausf. F, SS Pz. Gren. Div. 'Das
Reich; Russia, summer 1943. 1t carries
afinish of Dunkelgelb camouflaged with
Olivgrun (RAL6003).

StuG Ill Ausf. F, unidentified StuG.

2 Abt., Russia 1942-43. The Dunkelgrau
finish is broken by an application of
& StuG Ill Ausf. G, unidentified StuG.
Abt., 9th Army, Kursk salient, 1943.
It carries athree-colour scheme of field-
whitewash. applied OlivgrUn and Rotbraun (RAL8017)
over the factory-applied Dunkelgelb.

StuG Ill Ausf. F, StuG. Abt. 243,

3 Russia, autumn 1942. The Dunkelgrau
finished is camouflaged with Gelbbraun
7 StuG Ill Ausf. G, StuG. Abt. 245,
Poland, summer 1944.like most
StuGs in 1944, this carries the three-colour
(RAL8000). camouflage.

I_ StuG Ill Ausf. F, StuG. Abt. 'Gross-

• deutschland; Russia 1943. It is StuG Ill Ausf. G. 5 SS Pz. Div. 'Wiking:
finished in overall Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028). B Warsaw, summer 1944. Another
three-tone finish.

Colour profiles by
Claudio Fernandez.
Dunkelgrau RAL7021 Gelbbraun RAL 8000 Flat White B Dunkelgelb RAL 7028 Olivgri.in RAL 6003
(Vallejo German (Vallejo German (Vallejo White (Vallejo German Dark (Vallejo German (Vallejo German
Panzer Dark Green Brown 71.001) Yellow 71.025) ArmourBrown 71.041) Medium Olive 71.092)
Grey 71.056) 71.272)

StuG Ill Ausf. G, 2nd StuG. Brigade,

All paint references are
to Vallejo Model Air Harmaa Sammaleenvihrea Hiekanruskea
9 Finnish Armoured Division, Finland,
summer 1944. Finnish armoured
(Vallejo AMT-1 Light (Vallejo Yellow (Vallejo Camouflage
Greyish Brown 71.320) Olive 71 .013) Medium Brown 71 .038) vehicles were painted in adistinctive
For more details about three-colour scheme of Harmaa (Grey),

vallejo Vallejo's range of colours,

please visit www.acrylicosvallejo.com
Sammaleenvihrea (Moss Green) and
Hiekanruskea (Sand Brown).

Warpaint Armour No.1 The Eastern Front 1941-1945

damage to the suspension
was reported continuously.
Many crew members were
killed by penetrating bullets or
shrapnel. The SchU rzen's Smm
unhardened steel-plates were
thus an effective protection.
By May 1943, upgrade sets
were sent to the Eastern Front
units. It is not known how many
armour plates with brackets
were available, but several units
modified their Ausf. F or F/8,
--.-- -- •
and in certain cases even U24-
armed StuGs with SchUrzen.
The upgrade sets came with
brackets and drillings intended
for use with the Ausf. G, but
these were adapted for other
versions.
The early SturmgeschUtz
suffered from the lack of a
close-defence weapon. On
occasions, a machine gun was
fired through the barrel of
the main gun, hardly an ideal
solution! With the introduction
of the Au sf. G, an MG 34
with foldable armour shield
was mounted in front of the
loader's hatch. Many units
had already customized their
vehicles; at least one example
is known where StuG. Abt.
232 commandeered an MG
15 from a downed German
fighter plane, and fixed this on
a simple mount in front of the
loader's hatch. ........

Warpaint Armour No.1

 ilitary Modelcraft
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R~MDU~
Dr: TI-lE ERSTEAN J:'ADNT

The titantic struggle on the Eastern

Front during World War II witnessed
the largest tank-versus-tank battles
in the history of warfare.
The conflict spawned an
unprecendented array of AFVs, from
the IS-2 and King Tiger tanks, to the
dimunitive armoured cars and
halftracks employed by both sides.
This book, the first in an exciting
new series by Guideline License
Publications and the team that
brings you Military Modelcraft
International, the UK's number 1
military modelling magazine, looks
in detail at some of the armoured
fighting vehicles employed by the
protagonists on the Eastern Front
between 1941 and 1945. From the
Tiger-slaying IS-2 heavy tank to the
various armoured cars employed by
the Red Army, each article provides a
unique historical perspective, well
illustrated by rare archival photos,
and with individual vehicles
illustrated in colour profiles.
On top of this superb reference
material, a modelling gallery
displays some of the most
inspirational Eastern Front models
from the pages of Military
Modelcraft International.
01
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Guideline
Puhli rat in n ~

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