Schwarzpanzer:
Yes, I grew up there.
I do not think SU-152s came close to destroy 7-9 Ferdinands at Kursk Schwarz. I say this because of the opinions of the people I had the chance of discussing Kursk with.
Right, you mentioned one point i have heard in the past: the hastily training received by most soviet crews during the entire war. Add to inferior optics -or the lack thereof- the fact the soviet guys manning such AFVs were trained real fast to be sent to the front and they are at disadvantage.
The sole problem, as I said, is the fact there were too few Ferdinands, while the SU-152s and other heavy soviet self-propelled artillery were produced in far bigger numbers.
Schwarz, I have not found any solid evidence which might indicate, much less prove, Wehrmacht equipment was "unreliable".
That perhaps one or two of the 13 -thirteen only- Ferdinands lost during the entire Kursk battle might have been lost due to mechanical problems, that does not imply the machines were "unreliable", do you agree?
Quite the contrary, and I digress, the numbers of the Ferdinand indicate we talk about one of the most fearsome tank killers ever made.
It would be like saying the soviets never lost any T-34s due to mechanical problems, you bet they lost a number due to this cause.
The soviets had their own trouble in this department. What about bad quality or poor welding work? After not too many hours of combat action -gun recoil force, not too mention getting hit by enemy shells- sections of the vehicles would crack as a consequence of welding problem. And this happened virtually throughout the entire war to the soviets.
So at Kursk the Ferdinands did not "break down", and the Tigers "did not break down".
If I recall correctly, the "Panther Issue" as has been broadcasted by soviet mythology deserves special treatment. I do not have Nipe´s great book in this place, but I read it no less than 4 times and it has been found a very simple fact: THERE WERE NO PANTHERS IN PROKHOROVA, which was the fundamental tank action in the salient.
So the Panthers did not "break down" as suggested by the soviets.
Erich´s comments telling of more and more catastrophic losses of tanks in late 1944 pretty much show the soviet style of waging war. Rivers of blood at the disposal of soviet commanders to ensure victory.
Yes, I grew up there.
I do not think SU-152s came close to destroy 7-9 Ferdinands at Kursk Schwarz. I say this because of the opinions of the people I had the chance of discussing Kursk with.
Right, you mentioned one point i have heard in the past: the hastily training received by most soviet crews during the entire war. Add to inferior optics -or the lack thereof- the fact the soviet guys manning such AFVs were trained real fast to be sent to the front and they are at disadvantage.
The sole problem, as I said, is the fact there were too few Ferdinands, while the SU-152s and other heavy soviet self-propelled artillery were produced in far bigger numbers.
Schwarz, I have not found any solid evidence which might indicate, much less prove, Wehrmacht equipment was "unreliable".
That perhaps one or two of the 13 -thirteen only- Ferdinands lost during the entire Kursk battle might have been lost due to mechanical problems, that does not imply the machines were "unreliable", do you agree?
Quite the contrary, and I digress, the numbers of the Ferdinand indicate we talk about one of the most fearsome tank killers ever made.
It would be like saying the soviets never lost any T-34s due to mechanical problems, you bet they lost a number due to this cause.
The soviets had their own trouble in this department. What about bad quality or poor welding work? After not too many hours of combat action -gun recoil force, not too mention getting hit by enemy shells- sections of the vehicles would crack as a consequence of welding problem. And this happened virtually throughout the entire war to the soviets.
So at Kursk the Ferdinands did not "break down", and the Tigers "did not break down".
If I recall correctly, the "Panther Issue" as has been broadcasted by soviet mythology deserves special treatment. I do not have Nipe´s great book in this place, but I read it no less than 4 times and it has been found a very simple fact: THERE WERE NO PANTHERS IN PROKHOROVA, which was the fundamental tank action in the salient.
So the Panthers did not "break down" as suggested by the soviets.
Erich´s comments telling of more and more catastrophic losses of tanks in late 1944 pretty much show the soviet style of waging war. Rivers of blood at the disposal of soviet commanders to ensure victory.