Figure 1.-- Here we see a Red Army crew with their American lend Lease M-4 Sherman tank. Notice the squared turret and longer 76 mm gun. The earlier Shgermans hadv a shorter 75 mm gun. Later models of the M4A1, M4A2 and M4A3 Sherman tanks were equipped with the T80 turret developed for the T23 tank and the new 76 mm gun. This turret's armor was 63.5 mm (2.50 in) thick on the sides and rear, angled from 0 to 13 degrees from the vertical. It had a 25.4 mm (1.00 in) thick roof, which sat at 0 to 45 degrees from the vertical. They were part of the invasion of Japanese occupied Manchuria (August 1945). The photigraph zas taken on the Transbaikal Front in Manchuria (northeast China) during the early phases of the Soviet invasion. The tank belongs to the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps, 6th Guards Tank Army. After Germany’s defeat the 9th Guards were redeployed from Europe to the Far East where it received a shipment of some 183 M4A2 Shermans fresh from the United States. we think from the trans-Pacific route. The Soviet armies rapidly drive through the undet-strength Japanese forces. The Empperor announced the surrender (August 1945), at which time the Japanese forces began to surrender.

Tank production data can be tricky to follow because some data sets lump in all armored vehicles. In addition there is the huge number of light Soviet tanks which the Red Army possed when the Germans invaded (June 1941). Thdy proved obsolete and were destroyed in large mumbers, but the blunted the German advance and were part of the reason that Arny Group Center advanced much more rapidly than Army Group South. And this stage of the War, the Red Army began to get the new generatioin of tanks like the T-34, but at first only in small numbers. The Germans were shocked, they did not expect for the Soviets to have better tanks than their Panzers. The amazing part of the Ostkrieg story is that despite the rapid occupation of the Western Soviet Unions, the Soviets managed to outproduce the Germans in the number of tanks. We find that many people think that mny people think that it was a given because the Soviet Union was such a massive industry power, but this is incorrect. The Germans had a larger industrial base, especially heavy industry. We see that in steel production. Germany after the Barbarissa offensive produced more than three times the quantity of steel produced by the Soviet. Even so, the Soviets significntly exceeded the Germans in tank producion. And the tank was the key weapon in the Ostkrieg. . There was two main reasons that the Soviets out produced the Germans. First, the Soviets adopted American-style mass production techniques. Second, the Germans had to devote most of their industrial effort to the war in the West. The German manpower was largestly deployed in the Ostlrieg, but not their industry. Given the disparity of Soviet and German tank production, one might think that the Soviets would not need Allied produced tanks, but Soviets authrities asked for and reveived both British and American tanks. The Britiish tanlks were important because of when they were received. Sovier priduction of modrern tanks were just gearing up when the Germans launched Barbarossa. And only limited numbers were available for the defense of Moscow (November 1941). The British tanks delivered through the Arctic Comnoys were thus of vital importance. The United States provided tens of thousands of Medium M4 Sherman tanks to as part of Lend Lease. This included 4,102 Shermans to the Soviet Union (2,007 with the original 75 mm main gun and 2,095 with the more-capable 76 mm tank gun). [U.S. War Department] These were only about 5 percent of Soviet production, but this was not imaterial given the huge number of Soviet tanks that the Germans were destroying.

Soviet Tank Production

Tank production data can be tricky to follow because some data sets lump in all armored vehicles. In addition there is the huge number of light Soviet tanks which the Red Army possed when the Germans invaded (June 1941). Thdy proved obsolete and were destroyed in large mumbers, but the blunted the German advance and were part of the reason that Arny Group Center advanced much more rapidly than Army Group South. And this stage of the War, the Red Army began to get the new generatioin of tanks like the T-34, but at first only in small numbers. The Germans were shocked, they did not expect for the Soviets to have better tanks than their Panzers. The amazing part of the Ostkrieg story is that despite the rapid occupation of the Western Soviet Unions, the Soviets managed to outproduce the Germans in the number of tanks. We find that many people think that mny people think that it was a given because the Soviet Union was such a massive industry power, but this is incorrect. The Germans had a larger industrial base, especially heavy industry. We see that in steel production. Germany after the Barbarissa offensive produced more than three times the quantity of steel produced by the Soviet. Even so, the Soviets significntly exceeded the Germans in tank producion. And the tank was the key weapon in the Ostkrieg. . There was two main reasons that the Soviets out produced the Germans. First, the Soviets adopted American-style mass production techniques. Second, the Germans had to devote most of their industrial effort to the war in the West. The German manpower was largestly deployed in the Ostlrieg, but not their industry.

Lend Lease Tanks

Given the disparity of Soviet and German tank production, one might think that the Soviets would not need Allied produced tanks, but Soviets authrities asked for and reveived both British and American tanks.

British tanks (1941-42)

The British tanlks were important to thevRed Army chiefly because of when they were received. Soviet production of modern tanks were just gearing up when the Germans launched Barbarossa (June 1941). And only limited numbers were available for the defense of Moscow (November 1941). The British tanks delivered through the Arctic Comnoys were thus of vital importance. The British within weeks of the German invasion began pthnising aid convoy to the Soviet Union. This was the origin of the dangerous Arctic Convoys. They had to sail a perilous Arctic sea route from Scotland to Murmansk. The first concoy arrived (September). It carried 40 Hawker Hurricanes along with 550 mechanics and pilots of No. 151 Wing in Operation Benedict, to organize air defence for the port and approching convoys and to train Soviet pilots. The Arctic Convoys would also use Archangel. Tanks were carried on yhe early connvoys. This included Matilda, Valentine and Tetrarch tanks. These early shipments represented only 6.5 percent of Soviet 1941 tank production but over 25 percent medium and heavy tank production. [Suprun, p. 358.] These deliveries were vital because they arrived in time for arguably the most important battle of World War II--the defense of Moscow and the Soviet Winter Counter offensive (November- December 1941). If the Germans were going to win the war, they would have to do so quickly before the war became a battle of attrition that the Germand could not win. The British Lend Lease tanks first saw action with the Red Army 138 Independent Tank Battalion in the Volga Reservoir (November 20, 1941). [British 30 Military Mission] The Britih Lend-Lease tanks constituted an estimated 30-40 percent of heavy and medium tank strength before Moscow (December 1941). [Hill] This thus constituted a major British contributioin to this vital Soviet effort. British Lend would be a smll part of American Lend Lease once America entered the War, but getting tanks toi Red Army in the fight for Moscow was of considerable importance. In ll the British privided about 5,000 tanks, but the importnce was when thry were delivered. .

Ameican tanks (1942-45)

The United States provided 12,000 armored vehicles including 7,000 tanks to the Sovirt Union as part of Lend Lease. Deliveries in were at first very limited . This was not only because Lend Lease was only enacted by Congres (March 1941), but it only was applicable after the Soviet allince with the NAZIs was broken by the German invasion (June 1941). In addition, America was only beginning to mobilize the Arsenal of Democracy. Unlike the British. the United States had not yet begun the mass production of tanks. And whay was priduced was the M-3 Lee/Grant, the oddest tank ever produced by the United States. It was produced while the United States was tooling up to produce a tank with a turret. The United States delivered 1,386 to the Soviets, probably in 1942. [Zaloga, pp. 28, 30, and 31). We have no idea what the Red Army made of them or how they were used. The United States primary battle tank was the M4 Sherman, medium tank. America provided tens of thousands of Shermans to its Allies as part of Lend Lease. This included 4,102 Shermans to the Soviet Union (2,007 with the original 75 mm main gun and 2,095 with the more-capable 76 mm tank gun). [U.S. War Department] These tanks were used in both the Ostkrieg against the Germans and the the Soviet invasion of Japanese occupied Manchuria (August 1945). These American Lend Lease tanks were only about 5 percent of Soviet production, but they became imprtant because of the huge number of Soviet tanks that the Germans were destroying. The Soviets outproduced the Germans in tanks, but they also lost in incredible number of tanks -- something like 73,000 tanks--an astonishing number. [Krivosheev, p. 253.] Given the huge losses. It is understandable that the Soviets would use any tanks they could get their hands on. The American Shermans were used in both the Ostkrieg against the Germans and the invasion of Manchuria aginst the Japanese (1945). Units included the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps, the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps, 6th Guards Tank Army, and the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps. The Shermans did not have the armor of Soviet tanks, but they were highly reliable and survivanle because they were easy to get out of. Also they were easier to service and maintain..

Communications Gear

Too often discussions of World War II tanks are limited to the chaacteristics of the tanks, especially the guns and armor. The phenomenal success of the German Panzers early in the War had nithing to do with eirher. Actually the French and the better tanks in 1940. The critical difference was the Blitzkrieg tactics made possible by effective communications gear. Here the NAZIs polayed a major role. Before the NAZIs, moist German housholds did not have radios. They were too expebsive for working-classd families. But Hitler and Giebbels wanted to spoeak dirctlt to the Gerrman peopole. The answer was the Volksempfänger VE 301 GW (NAZI People's Radio). This was the basis for a major new German industry and when war came the ability to put radios in the Panzers. The German tankers had radios and could communicate with headquarters and each other. The Red Army tank force had few radiois and the ones they has were not relaiable. The Red Air Force was in similar situation. Red Army tankers were using signal flkags which were essentially useless on the battkefield. The United States had an even larger radio industry than the Germans. And American Lend Lease communicatiin gear supplied for both aircraft and tanks was a huge contribution to the Soviet combat effectiveness. The American communicatiins gear proved both relaible and durable.

Sources

British 30 Military Mission. "Secret Cipher Telegram." Sent to the War Office. TNA WO 193/580 (December 11, 1941).

Hill, Alexander. "British "Lend-Lease" Tanks and the Battle for Moscow, November–December 1941," The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. Vol. 19, No. 2, (2006), pp. 289–94.

Krivosheev, G. I. Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses (Greenhill: 1997). Tank data can be coinfusing. Here we are taking about tbks and sekf-ptopelled (SP) guns and noit itherr armored vehicles.

Suprun, Mikhail. Ленд-лиз и северные конвои (Lend-Lease and Northern Convoys), 1941–1945 (Moscow: Андреевский флаг, 997).

Zaloga, Steven. Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvnis: Stackpole Books, 2008).

Created: 7:57 AM 7/5/2021
Last updated: 7:57 AM 7/5/2021