One was captured by Yugoslav partisans near Trst (Trieste). I belive that it was used in antipartisan operations in north Italy and Istria. It was T-34/76 obr.1943. This tank is now in bracks in Banja Luka (Serb part of Bosnia). It was used by 2. armoured brigade NOVJ (eqiped with T-34-85 of various models) in Trst operation. For complete history of the tank in German service i will have to check, but i belive that unit was something like pz.abt.Adria or something like that.
One of the SS divisions at Kursk had around 25 T34s. As has been previously stated, captured equipment didn't usually stay in service too long primarily due to lack of spare parts and ammunition. Once equipped with radios and used in accordance with German tactics and doctrine, I would expect them to perform as well as a long gunned Mk IV.
I asked on some other forum and concerning this T-34-76 obr-1943 captured and used by partisan i got a unit: 5. (verstärkte) Polizei-Panzer-Kompanie of SS-Polizei-Regiment 10. Comprised from four platoons (1 platoon of halftracks... and 3 platoons of tanks): 1.PzKW.Zug - 3 x Pzkw.Steyr 2.K-Pzkw.Zug - 5 x H-38 3.K-Pzkw.Zug - 5 x T-34 4.K-Pzkw.Zug - 5 x T-34 (the K-Pzkw marking should not distract you as it is internal police marking within the unit for tracked (ketten) wheicles) Unit operated in area of Gorica (Gorizia).
I have never heard of them using the T-34 on the Western Front. But then it would make little sense to do so. After all, all your spares and ammunition are being taken from the Soviets, so if your T-34 breaks down in France, you have a long walk to the nearest spare parts dealer!
That makes sense. This is the reason i couldn't ever understand German logic in sending captured SSSR guns to africa corps. But then again Germans were not exactly famous for making logical choices during that war :smok:
Very true, I had forgotten that! Maybe it was simply because they needed more mobile guns capable of killing off tanks (particularly the Matilda) at long range, and the Soviet guns fit the bill. After all, guns are less maintenance-intensive than tanks. All you really need is a good supply of ammo.
Did the germans rechamber the guns of captured T-34's (like they did with 76mm model 1936 (F-22) gun german name PaK 36(r))? Germans made their own ammo for the rechambered guns so that is why they could send them without any problem to the Africa Corps (as the captured plenty of them).
As far as I can tell, captured T-34s were simply overhauled and repainted. Some items such as the headlights and radios were replaced with German equipment, but other than that they were stock models.
