SOVIET TANKS and the WWII Origin of the Cold War Tank Race

Good Evening to all............

Tonight, we have a look a The development of Soviet Heavy tanks, tracing their story from the early 'monsters' to the designs that, through practical battle experience, led to the "Tank Race" of the Cold War, the arms race that it many ways defined the Cold War.

Hope you enjoy, and find the following informative.....


SOVIET HEAVY TANK DEVELOPMENT:THE ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR "TANK RACE"..........BY TIM KUTTA.


The Soviet JS3 tank entered combat for the first time in August 1945. This massive new tank was the ultimate development of the nation's experience in tank warfare. Faced with engaging the German Tiger (PzVIa) and King Tiger (PzVIb) tanks and Hunting Tiger tank destroyers, the Soviets were forced to build an AFV that could take on and destroy any opponent. The final development of this WW2 tank arrived too late to fight the Germans, but it's appearence on the battlefields of Manchuria against the Japanese sent shockwaves through the halls of power of the West and started the first arms race of the Cold War.

BACKGROUND TO ARMOUR DESIGN
The JSIII was born in the turmoil of the great tank battles of 1942. The appearance of German Tiger tanks on the battlefield gave the Nazis a decided edge. The Tiger's thick armor plate was immune to standard Soviet tank weapons, and it's powerful 88mm gun allowed it to range the battlefield, destroying Soviet tanks before they even got into range. Along with the Tiger, the Germans also deployed several types of tank destroyers armed with high powered 75mm and 88mm guns.
The standard Soviet tank of WW2, the T-34, could be equipped with a new gun (such as the 85mm) but only so much armor could be added to it's hull. It was painfully apparent to the Soviets that they needed a more heavily armed and armored tank if they were to defeat the Germans and drive them out of Russia. The Soviets were not experienced at building heavy tanks. Their tank designers built their first big tank in the early 1930s. This was the massive 44.8 ton T-32 which entered production in 1930. The T-32 tank represented the most advanced tank design features then available but the period was marked by great advances in automotive and engine designs and the T-32 was quickly relegated to second line service. The replacement for the T-32 was the T-35, which entered production in 1933. This was a 45 ton monster that was armed with a 76.2mm gun, 2x45mm guns and five machine guns. The T-35 continued in production until 1939 but it was obvious that it was quickly reaching the end of it's service life.

In 1937, a team of Soviet advisors returned from studying combat operations in Spain. They knew the capabilities of the T-35 and realized that it was niether fast enough, nor powerful enough to take on modern defenses. The team recommended that a new heavy tank, capable of withstanding attacks by modern enemy anti-tank guns, be constructed. Josef Stalin was greatly impressed with the report and ordered the Main Directorate of the Armored and Mechanized forces to begin work on the new heavy tank. The Directorate issued a specification for the production of a new 55 ton tank equipped with a 76mm gun in the main turret, two 45mm AT-guns and two machine guns. The tank was to have sufficient frontal armour to withstand the impact of direct hits by a 45mm AT-gun fired from point blank range.
In order to ensure that the Soviet Army recieved the best tank possible, the specification was issued to two different tank design bureaus. Both the Barykov Bureau of the Bolshevik Factory and Special Design Bureau 2 of the Kirovskiy Plant were directed to develop the concept into a working model. With Stalin giving official blessing to the program, both bureaus put their best engineers to work on the new heavy design. WWithin a few months both bureaus had developed mock-ups and blue-prints of the new tank.
The Barykov Bureau version was called the T-100. It mounted a 76.2mm gun in the main turret and two 45mm AT-guns in auxiliary turrets. The main turret was perched upon a heavily armored pedastal which gave the main gun an excellent field of fire.
Special Design Bureau 2 called their version the Sergei M. Kirov, after a fallen hero of the revolution, or SMK for short. Their version featured a 76.2mm in the main turret and 2x45mm guns mounted in the auxiliary turret. The turret arrangment was similar to the T-100 with the main turret mounted above the auxiliary turret.
While both designs had distinct advantages, they were also remarkably similar, showing respect for the multi turret tank designs that were in fashion with military establishments around the world at the time.

Both were 'safe' designs, sure to please Stalin.

However, one of the designers was unhappy.

ZHOZEF KOTIN, Cheif Tank Designer of Bureau 2, thought the auxilliary turrets were a waste of time. If a 45mm gun could knock out an AT-gun or enemy tank then certainly the 76.2mm in the main turret could do the same. Kotin expressed his feelings to Stalin in May 1938 when both designs were unveiled. Tank designers and bureau cheifs did not normally express their opinions, especially dissenting ones, to Stalin. However, Kotin's father-in-law was Marshal Klimenti Voroshiliov and the tank designer was allowed more independence because of his connections. Stalin was sufficiently impressed with Kotin's argument to order the deletion of one of the 45mm turrets but was not prepared to follow Kotin's advice and remove both. Both tank designs were sent back to the plant for modification. While this was in progress, Kotin realized the only way to convince Stalin about his tank proposal was to build one. Once built, he could demonstrate it's superiority over the other designs. Kotin set to work on his new design which he designated the KV-1, after his father-in-law.

THE KV-1 ROLLS
The redesignated T-100 and SMK were ready for demonstration in the fall of 1938. Kotin, too, was ready. When the redesignated tanks were shown to Stalin in August, '38, Kotin unveiled his KV-1. Stalin was so impressed that he ordered a prototype constructed along with prototypes for the T-100 and SMK.
The three prototypes were taken to the state proving grounds at Kubinka in September 1939 for testing. The KV-1 outperformed both the SMK and T-100. It was faster, more maneuverable and required less maintenance. It won the competition handily and on December 19, 1939 the Defence committee ordered an initial production of 50 KV-1 tanks.
The production version of the KV-1 was quite impressive. The tank was 22 feet 2 inches long, 10 feet 11 inches wide, 9 feet 7 inches high and weighed 47.4 tons. It was powered by a 500hp V-2K diesel engine which gave it a top speed of 21mph on roads and 10mph cross country, and a range of 155 miles.
The KV-1 was heavily armored. The glacis had 106mm of armor protection, the front hull nose had 101mm of armor, the turret front had 100mm and the sides and hull were protected by 75mm. The turret roof even had 30mm, which was morearmor than a German Pz-III, the most numerous enemy tanks of the time.
The KV-1 packed an impressive offensive punch. The main gun was the proven and reliable ZIS-5 76.2mm. The gun had been used on the T-35 and was also planned for the new T-34 medium tank. The gun had a muzzle velocity of 2,150ft/second and a range of 1.5 miles. The standard armor piercing round fired from the ZIS-5 could penetrate 69mm of armour at 500m.
The KV-1 was operated by a crew of five which consisted of commander, gunner, driver, assistant driver/machine-gunner and radio operator. Unlike most Soviet tanks, ALL KV-1s were equipped with radios. The accomodations were cramped and the number of crew was soon reduced to four and sometimes three.
The tank was truly a monster. The combined effect of mounting the ZIS-5 gun on a heavily armored chassis meant that the KV-1 firing an AP round could destroy any tank then in existence, and no AT-gun could penetrate it's frontal armor.
The first production models, which were produced at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, reached the troops in the summer of 1940. Soviet tankers were very impressed. Throughout the summer they worked with their new tanks and uncovered several teething problems. The tank was underpowered for it's weight and caused rapid driver fatigue. The transmission was weak and often broke during gear changes at high speed.
STAVKA recommended that these problems be fixed immediately. The KV-1 was already scheduled to get the improved F-32 76.2mm main gun and the engineers decided to fix all the problems with the initial production version with a redesigned KV-1. The new version was christened the KV-1 Model 1940 and featured the new gun and an improved engine which delivered 600hp. The improved version was rapidly accepted by the Soviet Army and 100 more KV-1s were ordered. This was quickly followed by more orders as the tank gained popularity with it's crews.
The KV-1s continued to battle the Germans until the Red Army was able to re-organize. The Soviets realized they had found a tank that could effectively deal with German armor and continued to up-grade and improve the basic model. The KV-1 EKRANAMI, which appeared in 1941, had additional armor bolted on the turret and chassis. This was intended to defeat new German anti-tank rounds and the powerful 88mm AT-guns which were the only weapons that could effectively stop the KV-1.
The success of the KV-1 sooned waned. Developments in Germany led to the production of tanks with heavier armor that could not be penetrated by the KV-1s main gun and more potent German ammunition that could easily penetrate the KV-1s armor. The KV-1s slow speed, heavy weight and frequent mechanical breakdowns had been tolerated when the tank had been king of the battlefield. However, when the KV-1s were no longer impervious, it became little more than a cumbersome T-34, as both designs had the same main gun.

ONE MORE TIME
Attempts were made to upgrade the KV one more time.

The KV-3, the newer version, incorporated thicker armor and an F-30 85mm AT-gun which was the equivilent of the German 88mm gun. While the gun was effective and the armor protection better, the weight increase had made the tank even slower and more cumbersome. Kotin and his design team suggested putting a more powerful engine in the KV-3. It was the obvious solution. Unfortunately, interrupting the tank engine production line was out of the question. The Soviet Union needed every tank it could lay it's hands on. The General Defense Committee thought it better to have lots of inferior tanks than a few superior ones. Kotin's suggestion to build a new tank engine was turned down. If Kotin could not get a more powerful engine, he would have to find a way to make the KV-1 lighter. This led to development of the KV-1S.
The new version trimmed off all unecessary weight in order to improve performance, yet still maintain thick armor and powerful main armament. The turret was redesigned to give better ballistic shape with less armor. Although it made the tank more vulnerable, the lighter version did improve performance. It was ordered into production in August 1942.
Even as the improved KV-1s entered production, Kotin and his team were working on a better, heavier tank. However, without being able to obtain a bigger, more powerful engine, most of these designs remained as blueprints on the designer's tables.

That is, until January 1943 when Soviet forces captured a German Tiger E near Leningrad.

The enemy tank was carefully evaluated against the T-34, KV-1s and several other Soviet models. The Soviet 76mm gun could not penetrate the armor of the enemy tank, while the German 88mm gun bested every Soviet armor configuration. This revelation caused a minor furor in the Soviet Defense Committee and Kotin was told to bring one of the new heavy designs to fruition as soon as possible.
Kotin was now under great pressure to translate his design for a new heavy tank into reality. Using his vast experience, he decided to incorporate the best features, combining the new D-5FT 85mm gun with a new turret, which was thickly armored and of a large diameter. The hull was also redesigned, incorporating a cast front which would be impervious to the German 88mm. The problem with the new tank was still it's weight. Although Kotin had learned a great deal about weight saving, he realized that the key to the new tank's success was it's power. Instead of building a new engine, which was still officially frowned upon, Kotin decided to up-grade the standard KV engine so it would provide more power. Power was also increased by the addition of a new transmission. The new design held great potential and it was officially accepted as the IOSEF STALIN 1 or IS-1.
There were still several problems to work out of the design before it was ready for production. Engine, transmission, hull and suspension, all had to be integrated into one complete unit. The turret also required a few modifications, but these were accomplished rather expeditiously, and although the new tank would not be ready for mass-production until early 1944, the turret was ready for production in September 1943. It was not the best solution, but it was better than nothing, and the IS-1 turret was mated to a KV-1S chassis. About 130 of these hybrids were built and they quickly highlighted the problems the IS-1 would have. Although the 85mm gun was powerful, by late 1943 it was already too light to take on the bigger German vehicles such as the Elephant. These heavily armed tank-destroyers were almost impervious to 85mm rounds, even though the gun was a vast improvement over the standard Soviet 76.2mm, it was already nearly obselete.
Fortunately, several guns were already in the Soviet arsenal. The Ordnance Department had already mated a 100mm, a 122mm and 152mm gun onto self-propelled tank destroyer chassis. All three of these calibres demonstrated better performance than the 85mm. Since the IS-1 was not yet in production, now was the time to switch guns. Several demonstrations were undertaken to evaluate the various guns. A small number of IS-1 turrets were built with 100mm guns, but although these proved effective, they were only marginally better than the 85mm.
The winning entry was the 122mm gun. In November, during a test at the Tank Proving Grounds, the 122mm gun was fired at the front hull of a captured Panther sitting 1,500 meters away. The shell ripped through the front of the tank, passed completely through the hull and engine, and came out the back. That was enough to convince the startled onlookers that they had found the gun for their new tank. The turret was modified to accept the new gun and the tank was ordered into production with the D-25 Model 1943, 122mm gun.
Since production had not really gotten underway, many of the new Soviet tanks were modified on the assembly line with better guns and newer turrets. The Soviets did not bother putting seperate designations on those vehicles but rather simply put the gun caliber behind the tank's designations. Thus, it is not unusual to see an IS-1 (100) or IS-1 (122) designation in unit orders of battle.
Production of the IS-1 began at the Kirov plant in late 1943 and by early 1944 sufficient tanks had been produced to equip several tank units. The new IS-1 was an immediate success in the field. Soviet tankers could meet and defeat even the best German AFVs at ranges of 1,000 meters and more. German analysts estimated that the IS-1 was 50% more effective than the KV-1 by virtue of it's armor design alone.

LAST BATTLES
Despite the effectiveness of the new tank, reports from the field indicated improvements could be made. By mid-1944 Kotin had evaluated the design sufficiently to add the new modifications requested by the troops as well as a few of it's own. He reworked the hull to make it more survivable. He cut all unecessary weight and made the tank a bit faster and more manueverable. This new version was designated the IS-2 and more than 2,600 of the improved heavy tanks were built before the end of 1944.
By the fall of 1944, Kotin and several other Soviet tank designers were back at work, tinkering with the IS-2 design. Heavier German tanks such as the King Tiger and Hunting Tiger made their appearance. The Hunting Tiger, with it's 128mm gun, could penetrate over 140mm of armor plate at 1,000 meters. The first two places on a tank that are exposed to fire are the turret and front hull. Since the turret on the IS-2 had only 102mm at it's thickest and the hull 90mm, both were vulnerable to destruction by the new enemy gun. Kotin knew that he had to redesign the turret and front hull to give it more protection. However, he simply could not add more armor plate as it would increase the tank's weight, making it slower and less maneuverable. He would have to find a way to increase the armor protection with a combination of shape and armor plate. By the end of the year, Kotin had solved all the problems. He redesigned the turret, giving it a unique shape that looked like a tea-cup turned up-side-down. The turret has 203mm frontal armor at it's thickest and the unique rounded shape gave it superb ballistics protection. Instead of a flat bow plate, he angled it in a sharp point, which gave the tank a distinctive pointed shape. Kotin also took the opportunity to change out the guns. He installed the new 122mm L/43 gun in place of the older version. The new tank was designated the IS-3 and the troops quickly nicknamed it "PIKE" after it's sharp pointed bow plate.
The tank went into production during the early months of 1945 but few were ready for the climactic battles of the Third Reich. A few did participate in attacks against the Japanese in Manchuria during late summer 1945. However, these were not seen by western military officials. The first time the IS-3 was encountered by westerners was when 52 drove past the reviewing stand in Berlin during a victory parade in September 1945. The IS-3 was a considerable shock to the West. They had been preparing a few heavy tanks to take on the King and Hunting Tigers. They were not prepared to deal with a heavy tank such as the IS-3 which could be produced on the scale of which the Soviet Union was capable.

Immediate efforts at building a new heavy tank erupted in Britain and the United States. The British built the "Conquerer" Heavy Gun Tank to deal with IS-3s while the U.S. developed the M-46 and the T-42 to counter the threat.

It was clear, that in the summer of 1945 the Soviet Union had the best heavy tank in the world, as well as the ability to produce more of them than any other nation. In addition, because of their wartime experience, the Soviets would continue to refine the design. In the coming years the T-44, T-54 and T-62 would emerge from the arsenals in the Urals.

Their basic design, layout and distinctive turret shape all hearkened back to the fine IS-3 design......

The West could not allow the Soviets to have the best heavy tank on the battlefield during the Cold War. The Americans, Germans and British would build the M-60, the Leopard and Chieftain in reponse to succeeding generations of the IS-3.

It would be nearly 40 years, when the US M1A1 entered production before the west would regain the lead in heavy tank production.

The IS-3 most certainly started the tank development race that cost both East and West billions in research, development and production of heavy tanks during the Cold War..............


So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed this short look at tank development from a Soviet perspective......

See ya all next time soon!

B5N2Kate

 

I would appreciate a picture or two, if somebody would like to post it....I can never figure out quite how, and getting a picture of the different types of Soviet tanks featured here seems a good way to round off an article like this one...

MORO, Brothers and sisters of the pixel universe!