Warspot Digest: May 2021
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Hetzer: Ersatz Destroyer [READ MORE] The Jadgpanzer 38(t), also widely known as the "Hetzer," is often treated as just being short of a wonder-weapon that could significantly change the tide of war had it appeared sooner. Without doubt, the Jadgpanzer 38(t) was a good design. Its weight class had hardly any other vehicles that combined thick sloped armour, powerful armament, and a relatively low silhouette. However, let's not overestimate this vehicle. The Jagdpanzer 38(t) was just one of many ersatz vehicles called upon to slow down the relentless approach of the front line to Germany's borders. |
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Medium Tank M3: The American Highrise on the Eastern Front [READ MORE] Many Russian publications give the Medium Tank M3, known in the U.S.S.R. as M3Sr ("sredniy"—medium) a poor evaluation. In Russia it is often dubbed «a grave for six brothers». Indeed, reviews of the M3 were the least favorable compared to most tanks that arrived in the U.S.S.R. in large batches, but the infamy it holds today is not deserved. Let's try to objectively evaluate this American tank using reports from the proving range and the battlefield on the Eastern front. |
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Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. B: All the King's Horses [READ MORE] The heaviest mass produced tank of WWII appeared on the Eastern and Western Fronts almost simultaneously. The forces that landed in Normandy on D-Day had to go engage blindly against the "King Tiger," unlike the Tiger, which the Western Allies had a taste of in Africa, and the Panther, information of which was available from the U.S.S.R. How did the Western Allies learn about the last member of the German "Big Cats?" |
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IS-2M: Small Modernization of a Large Tank [READ MORE] Many tanks received significant upgrades after they first saw battle. Practice often trumps theory, especially during WWII where military vehicles quickly became obsolete. The IS-2 heavy tank was no exception. It was built with enough armor to protect it from the German Tiger tank, but it turned out that there were more dangerous opponents on the battlefield. As a result, a modernized IS-2 tank entered production in Chelyabinsk in late summer of 1944. It is sometimes call IS-2M or IS-2 model 1944, but neither designation was used in reality. |
