T-28 medium tank, a three-turreted machine designed for an infantry-support role. Its main turret mounted a 76.2mm cannon, while the two smaller ones each had one 7.62mm machine gun. It performed reasonably well during the Winter War with Finland in 1940. While outdated by 1941, it was the first vehicle of its class in the world to go into serial production in 1933.
German soldiers inspecting a Soviet 120mm mortar and its limber. Almost completely lacking air defense means, the strung-out Soviet columns became easy prey for German aircraft. Especially hard hit were Soviet artillery units, which greatly reduced the Red Army’s ability to support its armor on the attack and deal with attacking German panzers. This particular limber team has its dead horses still in their traces.
Soviet dead lie on one of the nameless roads in Ukraine. Their weapons appear to have been picked up, possibly by their own side. Note the unwound bandages spilling from the head of the figure in the foreground.
Red Army reservist POWs. Very often called-up reservists were sent into combat without being properly equipped and outfitted, many still in their civilian clothes, as demonstrated by the two figures in the foreground. Note several other men wearing the budyonovka, a high-peaked broadcloth hat. These hats were supposed to be phased out in the mid-1930s, but large quantities of them still remained in many depots.
BT-7 light tank. The BT series of tanks, literally meaning “fast tank” (bystrokhondiy tank), was developed to conduct break-through operations in depth. The basis for the BT series was the work of an American engineer, John Walter Christie. BT tanks operated in tracked and wheeled modes. This particular machine had its tracks removed to allow for faster movement on the road.
This BT-7 tank bears a distinctive white triangle marker, identifying it as belonging to the 34th Tank Division of the VIII Mechanized Corps. A similar triangle can be seen on one of the turret hatch covers. Due to its distinctive profile with the oval hatch covers raised, the Germans nicknamed the BT-7 “Mickey Mouse.”
German soldiers posing on a KV-1 heavy tank belonging to the VIII Mechanized Corps. The appearance of new Soviet tanks like heavy KVs and medium T-34s was shocking to German troops. However, once the fighting was over, the multitude of abandoned and destroyed Soviet tanks provided a convenient and desirable background for German soldiers posing for keepsake photos.
KV-2 heavy tank. This tank, with a 152mm howitzer in a naval turret mounted on the same chassis as the KV-1, was designed to assist Soviet infantry in breaching enemy fortifications. With its howitzer’s high trajectory, the KV-2 was never envisioned to operate in an antitank role and had no armor-piercing ammunition. During the few times KV-2s came to grips with German panzers, Soviet tankers were forced to use concrete-piercing rounds against the German machines.
A sad end for this T-34 medium tank. Often regarded as the best tank of World War II, the highly maneuverable T-34, with its thick sloping armor, was more than a match for any German machine. However, poor Soviet command and tactics negated the tremendous advantage afforded by this excellent tank. Gen. Heinz Guderian was so impressed with this machine he insisted that a team of engineers be dispatched to the eastern front to study this model.
T-38 amphibious reconnaissance tank with its turret reversed. In the swimming mode, this tank was propelled by a three-bladed propeller mounted in the rear. This tank was designed to operate as a scout. However, due to the very small number of radios actually installed in them, the T-38’s performance in its reconnaissance role was very limited. After 1941, it was rarely used in combat, most often relegated to the role of artillery tractor.
T-35 heavy tank. The two German soldiers in the photo illustrate the scale of this machine. The huge tank weighed in at fifty tons, mounting five turrets and operated by crew of eleven. Only sixty-one of these machines were produced, with the majority of still-operational vehicles concentrated in the VIII Mechanized Corps. Plagued by a multitude of mechanical difficulties, almost all of these tanks were abandoned before coming to grips with the enemy.
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