ARMIES OF THE WORLD – THE SOVIET ARMY – ARMOR

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] since the early 1930s when the soviets first began to build a modern mechanized army soviet factories have been pouring out a steady stream of tanks armored cars and other armored vehicles this is how the soviets fancy their armory in action aggressive courageous invincible these films of early elite elements of soviet armor are shown to every soviet soldier but what you are seeing has been very carefully staged their armor is not this good and they know it aggressive undoubtedly courageous perhaps invincible that depends on the men who face them [Music] let's take a look at the history of soviet armor the way it has developed under communist guidance up to the present time in their first primitive armor experiments the soviets drew freely from the tanks of other nations here is a small tank yep based on a british model attached to the fuselage of a plane even in 1938 the soviets were thinking of airborne armor the tank head was classified as a light tank but was also used as a personnel carrier at the beginning of world war ii it proved completely inadequate against more advanced german armor not only were these tank yets too small but they were often overloaded and poorly maintained resulting in frequent breakdowns larger soviet tanks of the same era proved equally ineffective the t-60 a typical light tank of the period carried only a 20-millimeter gun although similar tanks did mount a 45-millimeter gun against large forces of superior german armor tanks like these fought stubborn delaying actions by late 1941 the soviets had their kv series in the field these tanks were larger and better armored but were clumsy and slow the kv-2 featured a large square turret mounting an atom because of its lack of speed it proved an easy target for german tanks and anti-tank guns the kv-76 carrying a 76-millimeter gun and armored up to three inches was also an easy target like most of the early kb armor series these tanks are no longer in use while these inadequate tanks helped hold off the attacking germans the soviet armor school under marshall bugeni was training officers and men to handle the newer and better armor already in production these students were given an intensive course in mechanized warfare and of course were saturated with communist political doctrines to make them well-oriented tools of the soviet state by 1942 soviet factories in the interior of soviet russia were beginning to produce the armored weapons that by the end of world war ii proved themselves to be among the best in the world and soviet armor is still improving today by late 1942 new tanks together with newly trained crews were rolling directly to the ground careful conservation in 1941 and 42 enabled the soviets to mount their first major tank offensive in july of 1943 with this new force they hit the germans on the central russian front the t-34 was the first outstanding soviet tank this t-34 and improved versions of it spearheaded soviet armor throughout the remainder of world war ii the kv-85 mounting an 85-millimeter gun was also widely used this tank like all soviet armor is designed to be rugged and mobile soviet russia abounds in natural obstacles and difficult terrain the manufacture of armored cars this is the ba 64 and other armored vehicles was not neglected often the infantry rode its tanks into battle deploying only when close to its objective so in the defense a common soviet tactic is to bury their tanks leaving only the gun above ground the lessons learned in world war ii set the pattern for today's soviet armor tactics on the offensive armor is used to spearhead major attacks and to exploit major breakthroughs on the defense armor is used to counter attack just as the enemy is about to consolidate his games such tank attacks are supported by foot troops by armored infantry and by self-propelled artillery and the soviets are not reluctant to use armor in heavy snow these vehicles have been winterized tanks usually join the infantry in the last phase of the attack notice that white paint has been used in an effort to camouflage them while soviet tanks under winter conditions suffered many breakdowns repair crews were able to keep them rolling by mechanical ingenuity using primitive means and crude maintenance here is a t-34 coming out of a pit ready to assault an enemy objective sometimes when conducting reconnaissance in force tanks mounted with infantry would blindly smash through enemy lines into rear areas using the element of surprise and confusion and then smash their way back to their own lines with information on enemy defense disposition during world war ii the soviets were forced to rely upon the use of mass warfare trading men and terrain for time and production while the theory of quantity over quality is still a basic soviet tactical doctrine today they are stressing economy and carefully pre-planned operations for their heavy mechanized equipment here the self-propelled 122 millimeter howitzer moves forward in the attack providing close-in support for infantry and armor forces today more modern self-propelled guns are found at all echelons although the t-34 tanks were well-designed and efficient german troops found they could be put out of action by infantry attacking at close range this of course required the annihilation of supporting soviet infantry let's take a look at the structural weaknesses of this tank peepholes like the one shown here are a feature of the tanks of the t-34 series these can be easily plugged the germans found that the 360 degree radius of the turret could be jammed with a crowbar or even with several bayonets the drivers hatch and viewing slits indicated here are on the forward slope of the chassis while these tanks are armored up to three inches in front the hatch and viewing slits are vulnerable to small arms fire the periscopes on soviet armored vehicles are easily decommissioned simply by covering or smashing them gunners observation holes are good targets for small arms fire but are protected by a 7.62 millimeter light machine gun mounted coaxially to the main gun a second 7.62 covers only the front of the tank it should be remembered that these scenes are from german world war ii training films vents like this one were extremely vulnerable and are smaller on new models the cupola is a weak point on the t-34 although the newer models have been reinforced and are provided with a heavier turret all the way around a vulnerable point in the t-34 series is the area between the turret and the engine hatch and engine vents of course are good small arms targets now let's watch the t-34 in movement and observe how german infantry took advantage of its weak points specially trained tank hunting teams were used by the germans they stressed the use of anti-tank camouflage and roadblocks abatis anti-tank mines and smoke the teams were trained to close with the soviet tanks covering small arms fire was directed at the periscope vision slits cupola and vents to keep the tanks buttoned up to get at the vulnerable engine compartment this german film sequence tells the soldier to permit tanks to overrun them they felt it necessary to spend considerable time preparing these foxholes halting the tank was the first step charges were often pushed under the tracks once a tank was stopped the tank hunters were to approach taking advantage of blind spots note that the halted tank blocks the vision and fire of the supporting tanks for every tank has visual limitations the soviet tanks are no exception the germans gave special awards to successful tank killers the german narrator of this film says that halted tanks were turned into virtual coffins by these trained teams observation holes and viewing slots would be covered with shelter halves or mud or tar the periscope would be covered or destroyed the machine gun smashed the peepholes jammed explosives thrown inside the tank if possible grenades pushed into gun barrel or charges hung over the barrel even under adverse conditions these teams were trained to attack moving tanks often using explosives to jam the turret and knock out the engine at ranges up to 150 yards the panzerfaust was found highly effective by these german teams this german weapon follows the bazooka principle the t-34 is vulnerable to united states recoilless rifles here soviet t-34s are bearing down on a german main line of resistance it takes well-trained seasoned troops to carry out missions of this sort german antigens of course coordinated their fire with the tank hunters here german infantry approached a destroyed js-1 this tank and the js2 were the heaviest soviet tanks of world war ii these mounted a 122 millimeter gun and were the forerunners of the current js-3 soviet star large numerals and slogans are often found on soviet tanks now let's follow this armored train carrying new tanks and take a look in moscow at the newest weapons produced by soviet research and development as seen in this red square parade soviet power is shown to the world the current uniform of the tankist as he is called is a black velvet coverall and leather crash helmet motorcycles are widely used by armored and mechanized divisions they act as messengers scouts and even as mechanized cavalry a 7.62 light machine gun is carried in the side car the driver and assistant driver each carry submachine guns this is the new 6x6 multi-purpose vehicle called the armored transporter the armored transporter is used as a personnel or weapons carrier as a prime mover for heavy mortars or artillery pieces or as a patrol and security vehicle this is the su-76 an armored self-propelled 76-millimeter gun primarily used to support soviet infantry it is found at all echelons of the soviet army and in all communist satellite armies as well here's the t-34 again this time mounting an 85 millimeter gun carrying 56 rounds of ammunition and with a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour this tank was the workhorse of soviet armor during world war ii it is the most commonly encountered tank in soviet and satellite armies battle tested the t-34 is known for its ruggedness and efficiency it may be identified by the five pristi wheels it is equipped to carry up to four spare fuel tanks on the rear hull the su-100 an armored self-propelled 100 millimeter gun is the standard soviet tank destroyer weapon this vehicle can be identified by its pyramid shape when seen from a high of light the jsu-152 self-propelled gun mounting a 152 millimeter gun howitzer is the largest and heaviest sp gun in the soviet army it's used in support of large armored and mechanized units the jsu-152 carries 20 rounds of ammunition it has a heavy 12.7 machine gun similar to our 50 caliber which is used against both air and ground targets it carries a five-man crew this vehicle may be identified by the multi-baffle muzzle brake and the fully enclosed box-like superstructure situated well forward on the chassis and here is the js3 the newest and heaviest soviet tank to have reached the mass production stage based on the lessons learned in battle during world war ii the js3 is the most significant soviet armor vehicle and probably the most powerful tank in general use today it features a 122 millimeter gun and carries 28 rounds of ammunition its low overall height of eight feet and its heavily sloped armor offer great protection against anti-tank fire the js-3 weighs 51 tons and has a maximum speed of 28 miles an hour note the dome-shaped turret what you have seen here is good armor modern soviet tanks self-propelled artillery and armored vehicles are well designed and efficient research and development are being stressed as the soviets continue to strive for heavier guns and armor greater mobility greater range for their mechanized equipment the battle effectiveness of soviet armor may be lessened by their lack of refinements in fire control and communications equipment but it is clear that the soviet armored force must be considered to be first-rate a formidable fighting machine [Music] foreign