Name This Tank Please

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by handtohand22, May 11, 2005.

  1. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    View attachment 737
    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachments/allied-weapons-equipment/4583d1169845636-tanks-memory-russian-jpg
     
  2. Gerry Chester

    Gerry Chester WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Hi,

    It looks to me to be a Russian KV-II - 1940 vintage. 53 tons mounting a 152mm howitzer.

    Cheers,

    Gerry
     
  3. angie999

    angie999 Very Senior Member

    The Germans used quite a lot of captured Russian equipment in France in 1944.
     
  4. halfyank

    halfyank Member

  5. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    During the Battle for Caen, 6thLAA Battery operated Centaur Tanks fitted with a 95mm howitzer. I'm writing the history of the Battery and the photo of the tank surfaced. Can this be the Centaur with a Howitzer fitted?
     
  6. halfyank

    halfyank Member

  7. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    Thanks a lot for clearing that up. I was hoping that I had an origional photo, free from anybody's copyright. Back to the drawing board.
     
  8. halfyank

    halfyank Member

    Got a question for you? You mention this is for a history of the 6thLAA battery. I don't know British army designations but if that were a US unit LAA might mean Light Anti Aircraft. Are you sure it's the howitzer armed tank you're looking for, and not the one that has twin anti aircraft guns?
     
  9. Michal_Dembinski

    Michal_Dembinski Junior Member

    Originally posted by Gerry Chester@May 11 2005, 06:06 AM
    Hi,

    It looks to me to be a Russian KV-II - 1940 vintage. 53 tons mounting a 152mm howitzer.

    Cheers,

    Gerry
    [post=34347]Quoted post[/post]

    Look at this brute, consider also the KV-1 and T-34. And then tell me that Soviet armour at the time of Barbarossa was a) obsolete B) under-gunned c) thin-skinned.

    Michal, who agrees with Suvorov - Stalin was ready to 'liberate' Nazi-occupied Europe in 1941, but Hitler struck first.
     
  10. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    The Coleraine Battery was an Anti Aircraft battery using the 40mm Bofors. It fought it's way through Scotland, Egypt, Western Desert, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.
    By The Battle For Caen, the Allied Army had won air supremacy and there was a reduced requirement for Anti Aircraft batteries.
    At that stage all Allied AA units transferred one third of their manpower to Infantry and other units that required an increase. The Battery tasks included Front Line Artillery work such as manning the Centaur mounted howitzers until July 30 1944, Rocket Barrages and Guard duties at liberated German Concentration Camps.
     
  11. angie999

    angie999 Very Senior Member

    Originally posted by handtohand22@May 11 2005, 11:37 PM
    It fought it's way through Scotland
    [post=34385]Quoted post[/post]

    I hope not too literally!
     
  12. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Originally posted by Michal_Dembinski+May 11 2005, 10:54 PM-->(Michal_Dembinski @ May 11 2005, 10:54 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Gerry Chester@May 11 2005, 06:06 AM
    Hi,

    It looks to me to be a Russian KV-II - 1940 vintage. 53 tons mounting a 152mm howitzer.

    Cheers,

    Gerry
    [post=34347]Quoted post[/post]

    Look at this brute, consider also the KV-1 and T-34. And then tell me that Soviet armour at the time of Barbarossa was a) obsolete B) under-gunned c) thin-skinned.

    Michal, who agrees with Suvorov - Stalin was ready to 'liberate' Nazi-occupied Europe in 1941, but Hitler struck first.
    [post=34383]Quoted post[/post]
    [/b]Although the KV-1, KV-2 and T-34 were indeed ferocious tanks, they were a small proportion of the Soviet Tank Corps in 1941. The line formations were equipped with T-60's, T-28's and especially the BT-5 and BT-7. These tanks were ok against the Mark I's and II's but were outclassed against the better Mark III's and IV's that were the backbone of the German panzer arm. Of the Soviet total of 20,000 tanks in service at the start of June 1941 nearly 17,000 were lost, either destroyed or captured. So yes I will say that, at the time of Barbarossa, the MAJORITY of the Soviets armor was undergunned, obsolete and thin-skinned!!!!!
     
  13. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    View attachment 741 They fought in Scotland. Most of the Battery veterans would accredit the Battery for shooting down a German Donier 217 in Aberdeen in 1939.
    The Dornier was attacked by a Spitfire at a greater height and the Battery finished it off with Lewis guns as it came in low over Aberdeen harbour.
    The crew parachuted to safety and the Dornier crashed into Aberdeen Skating Rink, nobody was hurt.

    http://coleraine-battery.tripod.com
     
  14. bigd

    bigd Junior Member

    Originally posted by handtohand22@May 10 2005, 07:48 PM

    View attachment 737
    [post=34346]Quoted post[/post]

    the turret is a dead give away whoops :blush: i did not mean to say dead. lol Russian joke.it is a kv 2 good armour yes but a turret that size you might as well paint a target sign on it.
     
  15. MrMac

    MrMac Junior Member

    hand to hand

    Can you confirm that this photograph was taken in France in 1944. If you can it would be a bit of a revelation as nowhere have I seen anything to suggest that such armour was present in this theatre. Plenty of obsolete French tanks, but not Russian.

    Cheers

    Chris
     
  16. bigd

    bigd Junior Member

    Originally posted by MrMac@Aug 22 2005, 01:27 PM
    hand to hand

    Can you confirm that this photograph was taken in France in 1944. If you can it would be a bit of a revelation as nowhere have I seen anything to suggest that such armour was present in this theatre. Plenty of obsolete French tanks, but not Russian.

    Cheers

    Chris
    [post=37976]Quoted post[/post]
    russian troops fought on the western front it would have been a wise idea to give them equipment they would have knowledge of.
     
  17. MrMac

    MrMac Junior Member

    Bigd

    Good point. Russian troops were conscripted into the German army to fight on the Western front. This is well documented and they were known as Ost Battalions. There is also plenty of photographic evidence of Russian Artillery being used. To be accurate this encompassed Eastern European nations as well.

    However, I have seen no documents or photographic evidence to support the idea that the Germans used Russian AFVs in Europe. This is what is so unusual and remarkable about the photo IF it was indeed taken in France in 1944.

    Chris
     
  18. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    Nothing defenite to offer. I have documented all the 2000 photographs in the Coleraine Council Archive on the 6th LAA Battery. This photo was amongst the collection, it was not annotated or positioned in any way that would throw light on the origins, that is why I asked the forum for help.
    The archive contains photos of German troops, locations and personal photos from German soldiers. Perhaps the photo was taken in France by the Battery personnel or was found in that part of Europe by Battery personnel.
     
  19. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    Originally posted by MrMac@Aug 23 2005, 05:27 AM
    hand to hand

    Can you confirm that this photograph was taken in France in 1944. If you can it would be a bit of a revelation as nowhere have I seen anything to suggest that such armour was present in this theatre. Plenty of obsolete French tanks, but not Russian.

    Cheers

    Chris
    [post=37976]Quoted post[/post]

    Seems the tank is identified however the building would be a specific style located to a specific area.

    Could send a copy to someone who specialises in buildings in France to confirm.
     
  20. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    I will go back to the archives in a couple of weeks and double check the back of the photo to see if it has any markings that indicate the manufacrure.
     

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