Best Tank Killer of WW2 continued

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

The Soviet Union mainly produced tanks and aircraft. None of which were technologically advanced, let's be honest. They were rugged designs of easy maintenence and build.
The T-34, the Soviet MBT, was comparable in everything to the M4 Sherman. By that I mean it got burnt with ease by the Wehrmacht tanks but it over-whelmed them with far superior numbers.

Aircraft, the same.

Almost everything else was supplied by the Allies. We sent them oil, food, trucks, jeeps, APCs, boots, coats, radios, telephone wire, metal roads, guns, tanks, aircraft.

The Arctic Convoys going to Murmansk and ArchAngel'sk delivered, well, here's some numbers; 16 percent of Soviet tank production, 12 percent of Self-propelled guns (that includes mobile-AA) and 100 percent of armoured personel carrier production.

In 1941, 487 Matildas, Valentines and Tetrachs were received from Britain and 182 M3A1 Light Tanks (Stuarts) and M3 Medium Grants. A year later it had risen to 2487 from Britain and 3023 from the U.S.

Britain and her empire diverted 14% of her total war production to the Soviet Union.

The U.S supplied 501,660 'trucks which consisted of 77,972 Jeeps, 151,053 1 ton trucks and 200,662 2 ton trucks.

All together Britain, Canada and the U.S provided the Soviet Union with 22,800 armoured vehicles.

The Soviet Union received 342 M2 Half-Tracks, 2 M3s, 421 M5s and 413 M9s. For those who don't know the different marks largely depended on the size, in those.
They also received (I thought it was M16s) 1000 M17s and 100 M15A1s. M17s look like that M16 I showed and carried the same quad Browning .50 cal. The M15 carried a single auto-matic 37mm. Mobile AA.

I have loads of numbers of the individual tanks but I'm not going through them all. Interestingly enough though at the Battle of Prokhorovka, part of the Kursk battle, the only heavy tanks available to the 5th Guards Tank Army were 35 Churchills.

No matter what Soviet propaganda may tell, the Soviet tank crews liked many of the Allied tanks, especially the M4A2 Sherman and Infantry Mk.III Valentine.

I forgot aircraft but the only numbers I know are 3000 Hurricane IIB and Cs and 1,300 Spitfire Vbs. Also, a few Hurricane IID and IVs - I think around 60 IID and IVs but I'll have to find my source to remind me.
 
Im sorry at your loss Dino

That was and Excellent post D alot of valuable info.

Just one add on who,s that stooging overhead from the escort carriers helping to keep the U-boats away from that convoy full of supplies well bugger me it's those old Stringbags again.
 
Tank Buster - the Mk IID in the USSR.

The aid to the USSR also included the Mk IID. The story behind these deliveries had it roots in correspondence between Churchill and Stalin in mid-1943. Churchill mentioned the excellent results of using Hurricane IIDs against German armour in North Africa. Stalin liked that idea and asked Churchill to send Mk IIDs to the USSR. These came from RAF units in North Africa. Disassembled aircraft were shipped by sea from Bizerte to Basra, where the crates were unloaded. The aircraft were reassembled and checked. Then they were handed over to pilots of 6 PIAP. From Basra they were ferried by air via Tehran to Kirovabad. There the aircraft were handed over to 11 ZBAP.
First Hurricane IIDs arrived on 4 September 1943. Of the promised 60 aircraft the Russians received only 46. In addition the Soviets received several dozen (most probably 30) Mark IVs.
Some Mk IIDs and Mk IVs were allocated to 441 IAP in 106 IAD PVO, based near Bolovoye. The aircraft were used operationally there in 1943/44. They made numerous interception missions against enemy aircraft (often by night). None of these sorties resulted in a success. Another unit equipped solely with Mk I IDs was 246 IAP at Adjikabul (in Azerbaijan). This regiment received the largest number, 37 machines. After seven months of preparations it was sent to the front line on 30 June 1944. In early July 1944 246 IAP became part of 215 IAD reporting to 16 VA. The unit failed to take part in fighting.
 

Attachments

  • siid_689.jpg
    24.1 KB · Views: 729
  • sovietiid_813.jpg
    21.4 KB · Views: 746
Plan it would be interesting if any of these modified a/c were shot down by German night fighters ? All I have is listings for biplanes and twin engine bombers from NJG 100 during their fight on the Ost front
 
It would be interesting as I have no clue what happened to the IV and IIDs. Only 1,000 Hurricane IIA and B were modified by the Soviet Union, they increased the cockpit armour and replaced the eight Browning .303cal with two ShVAK 20mm cannon and two UBT 12.7mm HMG.

What I'm quite interested in is, if the Il-2 was highly regarded by Stalin and the Soviet Union as being a remarkable tank destroyer why did Stalin jump at the chance of getting Hurricane IID and IV?
 
The few IID and IV that went out to the Soviet Union didn't have much success though. I think the VVS spent a long time preparing their pilots...
 
Possibly. It must be remembered that there's no where to hide in the desert and the Desert Air Force had air superiority over North Africa. I don't understand why the VVS used the Hurricane IID in night fighting duties...
 
The Soviet Union only had a few IIC, they mostly had IIA (Eight Browning .303cal) and IIB (Twelve Browning .303cal). The only ones modified were the IIA with extra armament, as mentioned before.

Yes, it may look like I'm arguing with myself but I'm just informing as I read more on the subject! I haven't found anything more about the IID and IV.
 
dinos7 said:
my brtother died in iraq, me and him really loved ww2. .

As a fellow Iraq veteran I would like to give my deepest sympothies for you and your family. I am sorry for your loss.

If you do not mind me asking you what unit was he with and where was he based ouf of?. (you can PM it to me if you would like)
 

Users who are viewing this thread