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Hitler vs Stalin: Operation Barbarossa
Cramped interior
The interior of the T-34 was not
ergonomically ideal as its crew
operated in cramped positions
for extended periods.
Turret
The compact two-man turret
of the early T-34 required the
commander to aim the main gun,
reducing combat efficiency.
Wide tracks
The T-34’s wide tracks provided
stability to the tank’s chassis
and improved cross-country
performance, particularly in
snow or muddy terrain.
RED ARMY
WORKHORSE
The Soviet T-34 is thought to be the
most formidable tank of World War II
A German tank with a vehicle recognition
drape during the Battle of Moscow
Suspension
system
American Walter Christie
designed the suspension
system of the T-34, which
was common among Soviet
tanks of World War II.
Engine
The T-34 was powered by a V-2-
34 V-12 diesel engine generating
500 horsepower and a top speed
of 53 kilometres per hour.
OPERATION
TYPHOON
After the successes in both the north and
south, it was time for the Ostheer to deliver
the killing blow: Moscow. The assault got
under way in October as Vyazma, a town
200 kilometres south of Moscow, was taken.
The victories just kept coming as Kalinin and
Bryansk also fell. Moscow was nearing.
In the city, the scene was one of panic. Two
million people had fled the capital and the Soviet
government had been relocated to Kuybyshev
(now Samara) 800 kilometres to the east. One man
who didn’t quake in his boots was Georgy Zhukov.
With Imperial Japan no longer posing a threat to
the Soviet Far East – thanks in part to his critical
victory at Khalkhin Gol in 1939 – he mobilised
900,000 recruits from the eastern
military districts to combat the Germans
in the west. The Ostheer were just 65
kilometres from the gates of Moscow
and could see the light of anti-aircraft
fire over the city, but they were unable
to advance any further. The Soviet
strategy was now to attack the energysapped
and sleep-deprived Germans
as much as possible, using the fresh troops, with
adverse weather giving the Red Army plenty of
time to regroup and consolidate its positions. Now
a long way from Berlin, German intelligence began
to falter. High Command severely underestimated
the amount of troops the USSR could call on and
“ FOR ALL MILITARY PURPOSES, SOVIET RUSSIA IS DONE WITH.
THE BRITISH DREAM OF A TWO-FRONT WAR IS DEAD”
COMMANDER OF THE FIRST SS PANZER DIVISION, SEPP DIETTRICH, 9 OCTOBER 1941
their prediction of 50 reserve Red Army divisions
was woefully inadequate.
By mid-November, the Rasputitsa autumn
rains had ceased and the muddy quagmire had
hardened, allowing large-scale offensives to
recommence. The Germans were now running
through Moscow’s suburbs and could see the sun
glistening on the Kremlin. The heat of battle was
fierce as the Red Army fought tooth and nail for
the salvation of their capital. Something had to
give, and it did, as the coldest winter for 140 years
gripped the Soviet Union.
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