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The German trucks wouldn't start due to the oil being to stiff to lubricate. The Soviets simply added a little kerosene to their crank cases. Almost as if they were used to such conditions.
I'm not from the North Pole, so I'd call -40 temperatures "brutal".
Yeah, I have been in Moscow for business during winter, and the "uniform of the day" for most is a regular business suit, with the big long "palto" coat over it - and insulated hunting boots. And of course the big "ushanka" hat. Not just me but most of the natives.
While the Wermacht would have done better with some winter clothes, the Russian winter is no joke. Even in Moscow in peacetime, the winter is no joke. You get out east around Magadan - then you get into some really serious cold.
The Russians operated in this climate of course, and as they say "There is no bad weather-there is only inadequate clothing" - at the very least one has to be properly prepared for the Russian winter.
The Soviet troops were themselves woefully unprepared for the Winter War with Finland. From what I read, they actually changed their winter uniforms to match Finnish winter uniforms after that war. So it's not like the European part of Russia is in the Arctics. Probably very much like Minnesota.
I find it hard to believe that the German trucks wouldn't start yet the American provided Lend Lease trucks that made up the bulk of the Soviet logistics during the war didn't have that problem.
There's some truth however in the problems with German tanks. The arrangement of the track rollers on Tiger was staggered so if any slush (snow and dirt mix) got in between the rollers and was allowed to freeze overnight, it would effectively cement the rollers shut. This was purely a design problem, again the American supplied Shermans and Stuarts had no such issue.
You didn't complete the sentence, "Then....coldest day in decades and the German tanks and trucks would not start. They were diesel powered of course." It was ~mid December and the Germans were going to close in that day. The diesel engines would not start that morning.
Losing that day during battle proved to be critical. Again....I am referring to a single day.
American supplied Sherman (Lighters) tanks? Russia fielded more tanks than the rest of the world put together. Russian tanks to be sure.
If I didn't live here, I might be inclined to dislike American culture for its absolute arrogance and constant warlike posturing. The classic us/good versus them/bad mentality. The mentality of small child....or incomplete adult.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ummagumma
The Soviet troops were themselves woefully unprepared for the Winter War with Finland. From what I read, they actually changed their winter uniforms to match Finnish winter uniforms after that war. So it's not like the European part of Russia is in the Arctics. Probably very much like Minnesota.
I find it hard to believe that the German trucks wouldn't start yet the American provided Lend Lease trucks that made up the bulk of the Soviet logistics during the war didn't have that problem.
There's some truth however in the problems with German tanks. The arrangement of the track rollers on Tiger was staggered so if any slush (snow and dirt mix) got in between the rollers and was allowed to freeze overnight, it would effectively cement the rollers shut. This was purely a design problem, again the American supplied Shermans and Stuarts had no such issue.
You didn't complete the sentence, "Then....coldest day in decades and the German tanks and trucks would not start. They were diesel powered of course." It was ~mid December and the Germans were going to close in that day. The diesel engines would not start that morning.
Losing that day during battle proved to be critical. Again....I am referring to a single day.
American supplied Sherman (Lighters) tanks? Russia fielded more tanks than the rest of the world put together. Russian tanks to be sure.
If I didn't live here, I might be inclined to dislike American culture for its absolute arrogance and constant warlike posturing. The classic us/good versus them/bad mentality. The mentality of small child....or incomplete adult.
Well, your personal attacks say far more about you than about me. Perhaps you get off your soap box and listen to what I am actually saying ?
I am well aware that the Soviets had better tanks and more tanks. However they also had many American and British tanks received via Lend Lease, which had been essential in the first year or two of the war when the losses were enormous. These tanks would not match the T-34 in firepower but they were more reliable, and just as well defended (T-34 had thicker and better designed armor but it was prone to splintering when hit, while Sherman armor was more viscous and would not splinter as easily). Sherman was also equipped with radios, an essential battlefield implement that 90% of Soviet tanks lacked until much later in the war. Combine that with rather terrible optics and overall poor visibility of the original T-34, and Sherman with it's far better battlefIeld awareness more than makes up for it's deficiencies. Later in the war the non-Firefly Sherman was outclassed by T-34-85 and the later German designs, but in 1941/most of 42 it was still pretty capable. And the majority of Soviet tanks early in the war were not T-34, anyway, but BT series that were no match to either T-34 or Sherman.
Anyway, I am not implying that Lend Lease won the war. Relax. What I am saying is that the American tanks - which were not designed with Russian winter in mind - performed just fine. So did the American trucks. I doubt that the German and Czech trucks were that more finicky.
P
And to blame the German loss in the Battle of Moscow on one supercold day is rather rich. They dealt with freezing conditions, they started fires under tank engines if they had to. If anything it wasn't the winter that helped the Soviets, it was the autumn. The unpaved roads in Russia turned into a sea of mud and significantly slowed down German logistics.
In the end, the Soviets stopped the Nazis, winter or not.
General Winter and his aide de camp, Major Mudd, were problems I don't think the Germans sorted out the first year of Barbarossa.
I'd say, in the order of importance, it was the Soviet resistance (which proved to be much stronger than ever anticipated), Hitler's meddling in the execution of war and repeated changes of objectives (offset by Stalin's similar meddling early on, except that Stalin eventually learned to step back and let his best generals execute their plans even when he disagreed with them), and lastly the weather.
If it was one long summer, would the Nazis win the war ? Improbable, but they may have captured Moscow. Otoh Hitler played a far bigger role in delaying the attack on Moscow than the weather did.
I recall seeing film footage where German tanks were in the foreground while the spheres of large Russian buildings were in the background. Forgot the name of the city. Then....coldest day in decades and the German tanks and trucks would not start. They were diesel powered of course.
That brutally cold Russian winter, along with Germany's lack of preparation for such, were critical roles in the failure to subdue Russia. Apparently Hitler thought the fighting would be over by winter time. The Germans had summer uniforms and clothes. Many limbs and lives were lost as I recall.
The bold is false. The Germans used gas engines in their tanks and trucks. The Soviets were the only major power to make widespread use of diesel engines in tanks.
The western powers relied on their automotive and aircraft industries to provide engines...hence gas.
The Soviets relied on their farm tractor/machinery industries to provide engines...hence diesel.
More details on that particular topic in the first few posts of mine in this thread: Geman tanks, SS helmet
The Soviets relied on their farm tractor/machinery industries to provide engines...hence diesel.
A tradition that continued. The MiG-15 has been called "the flying tractor".
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