Operation Barbarossa- the great betrayal of the non-aggression pact between the
Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. The invasion launches with a series of lighting fast raids
spearheaded by German Panzers and fighter bombers. The infamous
Stuka dive bombers rain death down on Soviet defenders with near impunity,
as German fighters clear the skies of any Soviet aircraft that manage to mount a defense.
Incredibly, despite ample warnings of Germany's pending aggression, Stalin has refused to believe
Hitler would violate the non-aggression pact between the two nations. Thus Soviet defenders are
largely unprepared for the overwhelming incursion by the German army. To make matters worse,
German commandos have launched raids behind enemy lines, severing most lines of communication. A
flood of false radio transmissions only adds to the general confusion on the Soviet side.
Immediately the Soviets are in near full retreat,
with brave bands of defenders fighting to the last man across the vast plains of eastern europe
to allow their compatriots time to retreat and regroup. But these last stands are mere speed
bumps to the German war machine. There seems to be no stopping the Germans- or is there?
Much to the German's surprise, after the initial shock and awe of their blitzkrieg operation,
they begin to meet with very stiff resistance from Soviet tanks. At the time, German tanks
were considered the best in the world, German engineering could not be matched by any other
nation on the planet. But the Soviets have been quietly fielding new tank models over the years,
and while most of their tank forces are inadequate against German panzers- these two new additions
shock German tank commanders to the core... if they survive their encounter that is.
In June 1941 the Germans run straight into the Soviet T-34 and the KV 1.
These state-of-the-art soviet tanks are low in numbers, only 1500 of them exist at the moment,
and they have been concentrated into five of the Red Army's twenty nine mechanized corps.
However, their lack of numbers are more than made up for by their sheer fortitude.
As the two tank armies clash, German tank commanders are horrified to see their rounds
having little effect on the larger Soviet tanks. Infantry deployed in support of their tanks
are having even less success, their anti-tank munitions barely dent the thick Soviet armor.
German leadership is shocked to its core. They expected to go up against nearly obsolete T-26s
and BTs. These light tanks are outmatched by modern German armor and made up the bulk
of Soviet tank numbers. The last thing German commanders expected to run intowas a tank that
wasn't just a match, but was actually better than its German counterparts.
By the second day of the invasion, the T-34s and KV 1s are making an impact on the battlefield.
As one German battle report read, “Half a dozen anti-tank guns fire shells at a T-34, which
sound like a drumroll. But he drives staunchly through our line like an impregnable prehistoric
monster... It is remarkable that lieutenant Steup's tank made hits on a T-34, once at
about 20 meters and four times at 50 meters, with Panzergranate 40, without any noticeable effect.”
Soon the Germans run into the KV-1 for the first time
in the Battle of Raseiniai. Here the Soviet 2nd Tank Division from the 3rd Mechanized Corps
attacks the German 5th Panzer Division to devastating effect.
German tanks watch in horror as their shells bounce off the KV-1's armored sides and front.
Even anti-tank guns are ineffective! The battle drags on to the point that the KV-1s run out of
ammunition- so they resort to destroying German anti-tank guns by simply running over them.
All across the front, KV-1s are providing points of resistance upon which the German assault is
breaking- eventually being overwhelmed only because they run out of ammunition.
It’s only a lack of numbers that is leading to a Soviet defeat.
But the time that the T-34 and KV-1 are buying will prove decisive in the war.
Especially outside Leningrad, the site of one of the most legendary tank battles of all history.
Leningrad is one of the highest priority targets for the German army,
Hitler is insistent that the objective should be taken at all costs. The city,
now St. Petersburg, is a critically important harbor with access to the Baltic Sea,
through which the Soviet Union is receiving precious supplies from the other allies.
But even more importantly, the city bears the name of the greatest hero of the Soviet Union-
Vladimir Lenin, its very founder. The fall of Leningrad will be a crushing blow to the
Soviet Union economically, but an even more devastating blow to its very fighting spirit.
A massive German thrust is aimed straight at the city,
and standing in its way is Lieutenant Zinoviy Grigorevich Kolobanov. He commands a KV-1 tank,
and by the end of the war he will become the second top scoring tanker ace of the entire
Soviet Union. Today however he commands a tiny unit of only five KV-1 tanks, and coming their way
are the rumbling treads of the German 8th, 6th, and 1st Panzer Divisions. It's a hopeless battle,
even with their superior tanks- but Kolobanov is not the type of guy you tell the odds to.
He's carefully scouted the surrounding terrain, and knows the exact route the Germans must take
to enter the city. The invaders will attack from three different directions, but all three
attacks must eventually converge through a single choke point- a road that passes through
a thick swamp. On the other end of that road, Kolobanov has positioned his five tanks, all of
them carefully hidden with thick brush and under strict orders to not fire unless commanded to. He
doesn't wish for the enemy to know how many tanks await them even after they make contact, thus he
will engage the Germans one tank at a time, with the rest holding their fire and remaining hidden.
Not only does the road offer a narrow choke point to funnel the enemy forces, but the swamp
around the road is all but impassable for the German Panzers. The Panzers have much narrower
tracks than the KV-1, which is heavier by a number of tons but thanks to its wide tracks,
spreads out its weight over a much larger area. This means it exerts far less surface pressure
per square inch than the narrow-tracked German Panzers, and is the reason Kolobanov's tanks
don't sink in the mud the way the Germans would if they leave the safety of the road.
Kolobanov has had his tanks equipped with twice the normal load of ammunition. This places them
in serious risk of cook off's if the tanks take a direct hit, but it's a necessary risk given
how few KV-1s and how many German Panzer IIs and IIIs are currently approaching. Besides,
German tanks were still having great difficulty penetrating the thick, sloping armor of the KV-1.
With a low rumble, the first German tank approaches the hidden kill zone. For the invaders,
the way seems perfectly clear. The German tank commanders know it's very dangerous to stray
off the road and into the swamp, a stuck tank is a dead tank, and they can't even fathom that
five of the much larger and heavier KV-1s are currently doing just that, laying in wait.
As the lead tank hits an invisible, pre-designated target point, Kolovanov orders his gunner to fire.
Andrej Usov squeezes the firing trigger and with a loud clang and dull roar,
an armor-penetrating round screams towards the German tank at several thousand feet per second.
Kolobanov planned to be the first tank to engage the enemy, with his subordinates
being ordered to follow suit one at a time if he should be taken out of the fight.
The round is a direct hit, punching through the Panzer's armor and killing the crew inside.
The tank slowly rolls to a stop as smoke curls out of the sealed hatch. The rest of the Germans
assume that the lead tank has hit an anti-tank mine and continue pressing forward. This is
not unexpected, the lead tank in a formation is typically thought of as a sacrificial lamb. The
column slows to a stop and Kolovanov orders his gunner to hold. The tank directly behind the lead
tank moves up and begins to push the inoperable tank out of the way so the rest of the unit can
continue forward. If there had been any survivors they would have escaped the burning wreck by now.
With the column at a stop, Kolovanov acts. He has clear line of sight across nearly the entire
length of the German formation. As the second tank starts to clear the destroyed lead tank, Kolovanov
fires, destroying it in one hit. Now the Germans are hopelessly blocked off from advancing further-
but they have also now realized that they haven't strayed into a minefield... they are under attack!
Tank turrets begin to swivel, searching for targets. The Germans can't see Kolovanov's
position, and instead begin firing wildly into the swamp. Kolovanov
however can see exactly what he's aiming at. He orders his gunner to target the rearmost
tank, and with a squeeze of the firing trigger another armor penetrating round
screams out of the barrel and smashes into the Panzer, killing it and its crew instantly.
The tank sputters and dies. The Germans are now trapped with no
way to retreat or advance. Kolovanov gets to work.
His shots are careful and measured, each one a direct hit. The Germans are in disarray.
Is it one tank or twenty?! And where is the firing coming from?! In desperation,
Panzers plunge into the thick, muddy swamp- and instantly become bogged down as the
thin tracks sink into the ground. This makes them sitting ducks for Kolovanov,
who continues his gruesome and lethal work with calm composure. One Panzer down,
then four, then ten. The Germans still have no clue where the rounds are coming from.
Then it happens- the loader screams out, “empty!”. Kolovanov's tank has run out
of ammunition, destroying an incredible 22 tanks and two towed artillery pieces.
But he's prepared for this too, and now orders the second tank in his unit to open fire.
The response is instant, a dull roar and another dead German Panzer.
The KV-1s work like snipers, but eventually the Germans pinpoint the location of the second KV-1.
A volley of rounds smashes into the Soviet tank- to absolutely no
effect. The most of the German tanks are only equipped with 37mm guns which do little more
than scuff the paint of the KV-1. The KV-1s 76mm gun however has twice the range and lethality,
and the light German tanks are typically destroyed in a single hit.
It's an absolute slaughter as the KV-1s put trapped German tanks out of their misery.
Most of the tanks have gotten stuck in the mud as they attempted to flee the kill zone.
The ambush has been carried our perfectly, and though he doesn't know it yet, Kolovanov is about
to become a hero. He will be awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and only denied the ultimate
award of Hero of the Soviet Union because local commanders refuse to believe his incredible kill
count. Despite the story being corroborated by counting the number of German wrecks later,
the defense of Leningrad is so brutal that there's simply no time for decorations.
Ultimately, Kolovanov and his unit would be honored by local villagers who demanded a
monument be erected in their honor at the location of Kolovanov's dug-in tank. However, a KV-1 tank
was not on hand to be used in the monument, so instead a IS-2 heavy tank was installed.
The T-34 and KV-1 tanks would prove to be more than a match for Germany's tank forces at the
start of the invasion of the Soviet Union. If the Red Army had sufficient numbers on hand at
the start of hostilities though, it's likely the Battle of Leningrad and Lieutenant Kolovanov's
heroic stand would never have happened, with the initial German offensive crushed under the treads
of superior Soviet engineering. Eventually Germany would match the capabilities of Soviet tanks,
but no German tanker would ever forget the terrifying sight of a T-34 or KV-1.
Want more Nazi butt-kicking action?
Check out The Battle of the Bulge, or click this other video instead!