View Full Version : WWII History Buff


peskeybobcat
12-27-2008, 06:59 PM
Hello
I have a Heng long Panzer III I am working with at present time I am more into WWII Airplanes and will talk some about them as well..
I am a WWII History Buff mostly in the field of aircraft but I do have some in the field of armor did you no that the frontal armor on the T34 was only 2'' thick and that it was the sloped armor that let them get away with that?
And did you no that the T34 was the best of the best in tank technology of that time?

Captured / Foreign Equipment Registry
Since 1938, the German Army was using large number of captured equipment from handguns to tanks. During World War II, the German Army was equipped with large number of captured or produced under German supervision tanks. Beute Panzerkampfwagen (Booty Panzers) were gathered at special collection points, where they were examined and it was then decided if they can be of any use to its new owners. If possible, useful tanks were taken to factories where they were built (for example in France) and repaired, modified and painted in German colors and markings. Some of the foreign/captured tanks were put in the active service with special captured tank units (formed in May of 1940) of Panzer or Infantry Divisions in various roles such as reconnaissance. Interesting fact is that some units (e.g. Panzer Abteilung 216 in the Channel Islands) or even divisions (eg. 7th SS Freiwillingen Gebirgs Division "Prinz Eugen" in the Balkans) were totally equipped with captured equipment. Although most common practice was the conversion of foreign tanks into various weapon carriers. Some captured or foreign tanks were converted and armed with captured weapons such as Soviet 76.2mm ZIS-3 and F-22 guns (such as Marder series). Some number of tanks was converted into other supplementary vehicles such as artillery tractors. Some foreign tanks were used for training purposes, while some were used for internal policing duties in occupied territories (Polizei-Panzerkampfwagen). Many were briefly used by the Germans and were later on used for target practice or were handed over to the German Allies or even abandoned. Other captured tanks such as Soviet T-34's were pressed into service by Germans due to their superiority and simply because of the lack of tanks. Some examples of captured tanks were not pressed into service and were only used for tests (for example at Kummersdorf facility), target practice or were simply scraped.

Tacky
02-16-2009, 11:11 AM
Interesting! I had no idea that captured equipment was used so much. I guess I assumed it was destroyed.

Turtletrax
02-16-2009, 03:19 PM
The german tanks were far more technologically advanced than anything made in that era. The King Tiger is the KING. The T34's were produced in staggering numbers and were only a light tank. There numbers are one thing but didnt stand a chance head to head with a german at any distance. I believe they were the most destroyed tanks in the war also but dont quote me on that one

Tacky
02-16-2009, 04:31 PM
. I believe they were the most destroyed tanks in the war also but dont quote me on that one

Probably not the reputation they were hoping for.

Airbus
02-28-2009, 01:45 PM
the T34 was the first tank with sloped front armor....even the German 88s would deflect off it.....The Military Channel called it the #1 tank in history followed closely by the Abrahms M1....

Turtletrax
03-01-2009, 02:32 AM
First you heard it on TV, second look at this picture and tell me where exactly this so called vastly superior sloped armor is thats going to stop the strongest gun of the war(and only from a front hit). Looks like a pretty easy target to me. Here is your reviews from that show. Two of the top five are german tanks(even against todays standards) that lost points for being overengineered, not the original stated "T34 is the best technology of the time" by far. Easy to produce yes. Other then numbers, I still dont see your argument.

Turtletrax
03-01-2009, 02:33 AM
http://military.discovery.com/technology/vehicles/tanks/tanks-01.html
And by the way that was the plain tiger, look up the king tiger and tell me what you find

Airbus
03-01-2009, 03:08 AM
If I recall that show correctly, nearly all German military hardware from WWII is very good....it's problems were mostly that all of it was complicated and difficult to produce, as where the US and the Russians could flood the fields with Shermans and T34s....There was another documentary about the Battle of Kursk where Russian vetrans reported surviving direct hits from 88s, which they attributed to the slope of the armor on their tanks...

Turtletrax
03-01-2009, 04:35 PM
Yeah but if that little slope on the very front could deflect that gun(wheres it deflecting to, the turret? Or maybe they just lived to tell about it, not the tank) I imagine there are alot of germans saying the same thing about the russian tanks not penetrating there 2x as thick armor with a smaller round. Production wise I agree with you, but when I put ford verse chevy its about brute strength not production in my book. This is life or death, not how many of em.They were both great tanks of the era! Anywho lets agree to disagree and not drag it out.