when Germany launched operation Barbarosa in June 1941 they expected another Swift Victory like their triumphs in France and Western Europe at first the panzers swept across the Soviet step with ease until they faced a machine unlike anything they had encountered before the Soviet t34 suddenly the same anti-tank guns that dominated previous battles were powerless as if knocking on an impenetrable steel door faced with this armored Beast Germany was forced to rethink its strategy innovate and adapt to survive in this video we'll uncover how Germany recovered from the shock of the t34 and the methods they
devised to bring down this seemingly Unstoppable war [Music] machine but first a quick word from our sponsor call of War imagine leading your own country during the chaos of World War II just like the commanders in today's video with Call Of War a free online PVP strategy game you can rewrite history take control of a real Nation build your army with tanks planes and even secret weapons like nuclear bombs and face off against up to 100 players in real-time battles will you declare war on your neighbors or Forge powerful alliances the choice is yours what
I love about call of war is the long-term strategy it's a test of wits and patience as games can last for weeks plus you can seamlessly play on both PC and mobile with the same account click the link in the description to claim an exclusive gift 13,000 gold and 1 month of Premium free for 30 days only don't miss out start your campaign now now back to the video tank design is an unending arms race not just against current enemy tanks but also against those yet to come no tank can remain unmatched indefinitely even the
most heavily armored vehicle with the most powerful gun will eventually encounter a weapon capable of piercing its defenses or an opponent it cannot overcome and if technology falls short the enemy will develop Innovative tactics to exploit weaknesses this was precisely the case with the legendary t34 which the Germans encountered during the summer of [Music] 1941 by mid 1941 the Germans were no strangers to dealing with so-called Invincible tanks their early encounters with heavy French and British tanks such as the matildas in France and North AFA Africa had already shown that tactical Ingenuity could overcome technological
disadvantages on paper the matildas seemed Unstoppable but poor British coordination told a different story on the battlefield tanks Advanced without proper organization or infantry support due to communication failures while the German 37 mm pack struggled against the Matilda's thick armor other weapons stepped in to turn the tide some matildas fell victim to 88 mm flat guns which tore through their armor with ease others were immobilized by field artillery forcing their Crews to abandon them when British infantry finally arrived it was too late they couldn't hold the ground without tank support leaving the stranded vehic vles
[Music] behind this encounter demonstrated that even the most formidable tanks could be neutralized with the right tactics and coordination a lesson the Germans would soon apply against the [Music] t34 the German Army's first encounters with the t34 mirrored their earlier experiences with the Matilda tanks in some ways but left a far more Lasting Impression German tank a auto car IUS recalled his first meeting with these Soviet beasts in July 1941 describing it as a GameChanger the Russians showed up for the first time with their t-34s the surprise was complete how was it possible that those
at the top hadn't known about the existence of this Superior tank the t34 with its good armor ideal shape and magnificent 76 .2 mm Cannon was universally feared and remained a threat to every German tank until the end of the war against these monstrosities we could only knock on the door with our cannons while the Russians inside could play an undisturbed hand of cards at that time the 37 mm pack was still our strongest anti-tank weapon if we were lucky we might Jam the turret ring but it was hardly a reliable solution our only salvation
was the 88 mm flak which could finally deal with this new Russian tank from then on we held a deep respect for the Flack troops who we had previously underestimated the 88 mm Flack gun proved to be one of the few weapons capable of reliably engaging the t34 German instructions advised firing armor-piercing shells at the turret from a range of 1,000 M while targeting the hull required closing the distance to 100 to 800 M to ensure penetration other guidelines recommended firing at even closer ranges between 500 to 600 M the heavier 1005 mm flak 38
and Flack 39 guns offered a slightly greater reach capable of targeting the turret from 1200 M and the hull from 800 M meanwhile artillery such as the 105 mm Lu fh18 Howitzer and Canon 18 could fire high explosive shells from virtually any range with devastating effects smaller caliber guns had minimal chances of penetrating the t-34s turret armor and were mostly useful for suppressing inexperienced Crews however H shells of 75 mm or larger could disable the Tank's running gear offering another way to neutralize the threat autoc caras wasn't alone in recounting the challenges of fighting the
t-34 and the tactics employed to counter it bundar Lieutenant General Hines Gua who served as a major general in the ver also reflected on these methods though with a more critical perspective we really had nothing useful except the 37 mm anti-tank Cannon which we later nicknamed the tank door- knocking apparatus as enemy armor grew thicker the most feared and from our side the most valued weapon was the 88 mm Flack gun unfortunately it was cumbersome immobile and as large as a barn Before the War when we saw the flak units arrive in their smart luffa
uniforms with ties and colors unlike our high-colored army gear we dismissively say here come the gentlemen Soldiers What can we expect from them in Wartime but when the need arose to use the flak in ground combat especially against tanks we quickly reversed our judgment wherever there was a flack unit nearby we eager asked them to join us still the flat guns were high prominent targets that were quickly spotted by Russian Artillery they suffered heavy casualties but these soldiers were always ready to advance and support the Infantry I can only sing their praises the limitations of
using field and anti-aircraft artillery against tanks were further emphasized in a report from an officer in Hines G daran's fourth tank division combat against Russian tanks using 8.8 CM AA guns or 10 cm guns cannot be sufficient on its own these guns are far too bulky compared to fast-moving tanks and were often discovered fired upon and destroyed while traveling to firing positions unprotected and as large as a barn door they presented a very tempting and easy target Memoirs and reports from German officers shed light on critical aspects often overlooked by those fixated on Raw comparisons
of penetration values versus Armor thickness while the penetration power of 88 mm and larger guns was undeniably high their lack of Mobility posed a serious drawback anti-tank gun crew operating smaller more portable weapons often survived by quickly relocating their guns after a few shots this option was unavailable to the crews of field artillery and anti-aircraft guns whose massive size made them easy targets and virtually immovable without motorized assistance the same issue plagued later heavy anti-tank guns while they were lower profile than AA guns their weight still rendered them a mobile by hand leaving their Crews
exposed one- spotted however it's inaccurate to claim that German anti-tank artillery was entirely helpless while the 37mm pack struggled against the t34 other weapons offered better [Music] results the 50 mm pack 38 for example couldn't penetrate the t-34s frontal armor but could pierce the sloped sides of the superstructure from 700 M even the 28 mm panzera anti-tank rifle despite its size could penetrate the t-34s vertical side armor at 400 m provided the shot avoided the road wheels while anti-tank defenses using ambushes and AA guns yielded some success direct tank on tank combat posed far greater
challenges the formidable 888 mm gun for instance was simply too large to be mounted on standard German tanks like the Panzer 3 or Panzer 4 there was the bunker Flack but it was virtually unarmored and vulnerable similarly tank destroyers armed with captured scoda 47 mm guns on repurpose French chassis offered poor protection and proved unreliable in combat deploying toad guns during tank battles often resulted in devastating losses as their Crews lacked the mobility to reposition Under Fire this left the Germans with limited tank Armament options the 37 mm guns on earlier German and Czech tanks
the 50 mm guns on the latest Panzer 3 models which were less effective than toad 50mm variants and the 75mm guns on Panzer fors struggled to contend with the t-34s armor the availability of apcr ammunition provided some hope but these specialized rounds were in critically short supply a report from the fourth tank division summarized the frustration our 5 cm kwk tank guns can only penetrate weak spots under very specific conditions and at extremely short ranges up to 50 m meanwhile our tanks can be penetrated by enemy fire from hundreds of meters away the high energy
and fighting Spirit of our earlier attacks will wne and be spent due to feelings of inadequacy Crews know they can be knocked out by enemy tanks at long ranges but can only have minimal effect on the enemy even with special ammunition at close range this harsh reality ER eroded morale among German tank Crews as their weapons seemed ill suited to counter the t34 superior Firepower and armor the disparity in effective engagement ranges underscored the urgent need for better equipped tanks and more effective tactics to meet this formidable challenge the report author outlined several urgent improvements
required for German fighting vehicles to counter the t34 threat effectively [Music] the Panzer 3 needed a more powerful 50 mm gun with the same performance as its toad counterpart while the Panzer 4 required a weapon equivalent to the Soviet 76 mm tank gun Additionally the development of a tank destroyer armed with a 105 mm gun and towed 105 mm anti-tank guns was deemed essential until these solutions could be implemented the report suggested producing a direct copy of the t34 OR at the very least using captured t-34s in combat while waiting for these improvements the Germans
had to rely on tactical Ingenuity to combat the superior Soviet tanks engaging t-34s head-on was suicidal as they could effectively fire from ranges of 1,000 to 2,000 M often from H down or entrenched positions flanking them was equally challenging due to the t34 superior speed and Mobility since the only viable method to penetrate the t34 was from the side and at close range the Germans developed the following tactics three Panzer 3s would Engage The t34 head-on either from hold down positions or by maintaining constant movement to make targeting more difficult while the t-34 was distracted
two additional Panzer 3s would use cover to flank the enemy attacking from the sides or rear at close range they would fire Panzer Gran at 40 rounds aimed at weak points on the t34 armor if a Panzer 4 was available it would Engage The t34 from the front deploying a smoke screen to obscure its view and cover the flanking tanks approach this tactic could also confuse the enemy who might mistake the smoke for chemical weapons and withdraw the Germans also exploited the t-34s design flaws with the commander doubling as the Gunner and limited vision from
the tank the t-34 struggled with situational awareness German tanks commanders cupas provided Superior Battlefield visibility an advantage they used to great effect ironically these same tactics were adopted by the Red Army 2 years later in those engagements it was the t-34s turn to distract tigers from the front while an ally targeted their vulnerable flanks at close range when faced with t34 tanks even the inadequate door knockers and short barrel tank guns were often unavailable unlike the late War Panzer fost which gave infantry a Fighting Chance At Close Range early encounters forced German soldiers to rely
on Creative tactics in Open Fields with little more than Small Arms infantry were equipped with armor-piercing bullets such as the smk rounds designed with a hardened core Riflemen were issued 10 Rounds each while machine Gunners carried 100 rounds under the direction of their section leader rifle engaged tanks from up to 400 m and machine Gunners from up to 1,000 M aiming for weak points like hatches and vision slits this tactic didn't destroy tanks but had a critical purpose blinding the enemy crew and forcing commanders to retreat into the safety of their tanks reducing their situational
awareness and Effectiveness on the battlefield German training emphasized one critical truth tanks are inherently blind even with fully functional observation devices to instill confidence and reduce fear of tanks infantrymen were trained by sitting inside a tank to experience firsthand its limited visibility this Hands-On approach was supplemented by detailed manuals on engaging t34 [Music] tanks these manuals featured diagrams illustrating The Limited Vision range of the Tank's various observation devices such as the driver's viewport Hull Gunner's site and the Commander's periscopes and telescopic sites they also identified dead zones in the t-34s Armament coverage for example infantrymen
were safe from the Tank's main gun and machine gun if they were within 19 M of the front or 40 M from the rear they were even safer from personal weapons at closer ranges within 5 m in the front or 8 m in the rear German troops like their Soviet counterparts were trained to utilize cover and concealment soldiers were instructed to take shelter in trenches or foxholes and wait for enemy tanks to pass close enough for a decisive Counterattack exploiting the tanks blind spots and vulnerabilities traditional infantry anti-tank weapons such as Molotov cocktails and grenades
became critical once soldiers managed to close the distance to a tank German instructions offered inventive if risky methods for using these tools for instance tying two grenades together and looping them around the gun barrel could damage the weapon or its sights smoke grenades could blind the crew temporarily or if the tank was immobilized forced the crew to abandon it however smoke grenades often proved ineffective against moving tanks as they simply rolled [Music] off some tactics were even more unorthodox soldiers were instructed to climb onto the engine deck chop through the lvas above the transmission compartment
and either throw a grenade inside or pour gasoline to ignite the tank from within for those without tools or explosives a bucket of mud could serve as a makeshift weapon smearing it over the Tank's observation devices to Blind the crew while the practicality of such methods was dubious especially given the presence of enemy infantry and the inherent danger of climbing onto a tank their inclusion in training manuals served an important psychological purpose they aimed to counter the fear of the formidable 26 ton Christy tanks that many German soldiers believed were lurking behind every Bush during
the summer of [Music] 1941 these tactics emphasized Ingenuity over paralysis encouraging infantry to see tanks as surmountable threats the t34 was a revolutionary tank for its time but like any armored vehicle it had its vulnerabilities much like their experience with the Matilda the Germans quickly identified and exploited these weaknesses craf countermeasures to combat it however while the Matilda's dominance over the Italians was shortlived the t-34 remained a formidable adversary long after 1942 even as newer German tanks emerged to challenge it tactics that worked against earlier tanks in France were now deemed flawed or outright suicidal
against the t34 it's end during Effectiveness was not just a product of its innovative design but also a testament to the red Army's rapidly improving Battlefield expertise in various modifications and despite some setbacks the t34 held its own until the war's end in the ruins of Berlin in [Music] 1945 ready to rewrite history call of war is a free online PVP strategy game set in World War II where you control your country Forge alliances and conquer the world click the link in the description now to claim 13,000 gold and 1 month of Premium subscription free
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