T-34 in Action tarjoaa lukijalleen hienon mahdollisuuden saada uutta, ennen lännessä julkaisematonta tietoa niin T-34:n tekniikasta kuin taktisesta soveltuvuudesta itärintaman olosuhteisiin (luvut 2 ja 7). Armotonta ja periksi antamatonta taistelukuvausta löytyy luvusta kuusi, jossa panssariluutnantti Fadin on keskellä itärintaman nimekkäitä taistelukenttiä. Fadin osoittaa, että myös Puna-armeijan kaltaisessa massa-armeijassa rohkea ja taitava yksilösuoritus, se että vie tulen ja liikkeen jääräpäisesti loppuun asti, voi olla ratkaiseva!
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| T-34/76 vm 1941 Parolan panssarimuseossa. Foto © Historix |
Eräs veteraani kertoo omassa osuudessaan kuinka he tuhosivat kolme Tiger-vaunua kahdella Valentinella! Ensin mielen valtasi epäilys, mutta eri lähteistä selvisi, että Kanadasta toimitetuissa Valentineissa oli alamallista VII lähtien 2-pdr:n tykin sijasta uusi ja erittäin iskukykyinen 6-pdr vaunukanuuna. Siten ainakin tekniset edellytkset läpäisyyn olivat olemassa. Samoilla 6-pdr:n pst-tykeillä myös Englannin 8. Armeija Pohjois-Afrikassa taisteli menestyksellä Tiikereitä vastaan.
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| T-34/76 vm 1943 Parolan panssarimuseon rinteessä. Foto © Historix |
Kirjasta voi päätellä NL:n panssarijoukkojen huikeat tappiot, esimerkiksi Kievin taistelussa 1943 eräs yli 30 vaunun pataljoona hupeni vain seitsemään vaunuun. Korsun-Shevchenkon taisteluiden aikana tammikuussa 1944 eräällä vaunuprikaatilla oli jäljellä lopulta vain prikaatin komentovaunu. Vahvaksi vaikutelmaksi jää, että Neuvostoliitto ei voittanut sotaansa Saksaa vastaan taidoillaan, vaan silkalla massalla. Vaikka Wehrmacht ja Waffen-SS tuhosivatkin Puna-armeijan panssarimuodostelmat moneen kertaan, niin Uralin takaisten tehtaiden loppumaton tuotantokapasiteetti korvasi koetut vaunutappiot - ja poikia, niitähän on aina aroilla riittänyt!
Olen aikaisemmin kritisoinut panssarivaunukirjallisuutta sen keskittymisestä kaikkeen muuhun, kuin varsinaiseen panssarivaunun toiminnan ja taistelun kuvaukseen. Vihdoin käsissä on kirja, jossa veteraanien kertomukset vievät lukijan mukanaan vaunun torniin, runkoon tai kannelle keskelle taistelua ja lepoa. Erilaisia tapahtumia, paikkakuntia ja henkilöitä on tarjolla valtavasti, jopa niin, että muisti on jo koetuksella. Yhtä kaikki, kirjan esittelemät elämänmakuiset ja rehelliset, mutta teknisesti ja taktisesti tarkat muistelmat ovat sotakirjallisuuden aatelia.
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| T-34:n viisiportainen vaihdelaatikko Parolan panssarimuseossa The 5-speed redesigned gearbox of the T-34 Foto © Historix |
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| T-34/85 vm 1944 Parolan panssarimuseon pihalla. Foto © Historix |
Yllä olevassa kuvassa vaunun moottorikannen päällä on yksi Puna-armeijan panssarimiesten tärkeimmistä varusteista: pressu. Se toimi yksinkertaisen kamiinan kanssa majapaikkana yövyttäessä (myös talvella) ja sen ääressä syötiin. Sateella sillä suojattiin vaunun tornin sähkölaitteet ja a-tarvikkeet huonoista hitsaussaumoista sisään pääsevältä vedeltä.
After reading quite a few Soviet books about military history I have usually been somewhat disappointed. A fresh example of this phenomenon is a Russian era, not anymore Soviet one, Panzer Destroyer by Vasiliy Kryzov. His book was reviewed on the pages of Amazon.com and it received quite a similar comments than I gave for the book. Anyway, there was a hint in one of the reviews to read another book about Soviet tank core: T-34 in Action. As I had read half of the book, it was obvious to me that here we have an exceptional and excellent study of tank warfare of the Second World War Eastern Front. The book is based on interviews with T-34 crews. Crews recall their training, battles and - very interestingly - how they coexisted daily life with their roughly built tank.
T-34 in Action provides the reader with a fine chance to have some new, rarely seen in the west, facts about T-34's technical and tactical fitness for the conditions of the eastern front (chapters 2 and 7). Chapter 6 contains tough and relentless narration about the fierce tank battles that took place in the midst of the famous armour battlefields of the east front. Tank lieutenant Fadin personally serves us an example how even in the mass army like the Soviet Red Army a brave and skilful individual performance can indeed make the difference!
One of the veterans memorizes how they knocked out three Tiger I tanks with just two British Lend-Lease Valentines. First impression for me was obvious distrust. That can't be true. However, it turned out to be a fact, proven by some references I took the trouble to check. Indeed, Canadians supplied Soviets with Valentine Mark VII, which had as its primary weapon the very potent 6-pdr cannon instead of the old and weak 2-pdr. The famous British 8th Army in the North Africa used with success the very same anti-tank gun against Tigers in the last battles of Tunisia 1943.
Exaggeration is an issue in the book. Fortunately the issue is only minor one and limited to one single chapter, which, then reminds me about the Panzer Destroyer by Kryzov. The book records how the officer core of the Red Army somewhat totally neglected their subordinates and did not have much tactical skills to execute various missions. Another annoying thing inside the Red Army was the fact that the army suspected everyone for treason. That led to ridiculous charges, even more ridiculous trials and insane and unduly punishments. What a waste of resources and human life! However, on the other side of the front, the German Wehrmacht was implementing quite the same and harsh method. A Finnish officer retreating with his troops from Viipuri in the summer of 1944 saw how a group of German soldiers from the 122nd Infantry Division "Greif" were shot on the spot on the basis of digging up some potatoes from the vegetable garden of an abandoned Finnish farmhouse.
Although it is not directly revealed, reader can still conclude how massive the losses of the Red Army tank core actually were. For instance: in the battle of Kiev 1943 a tank battalion of over 30 tanks were left with only seven tanks after the battle. Even worse: in January 1944 during the Korsun-Shevchenko battles a tank brigade lost all its tanks but a brigade commanders one. The impression is composed to see how the Soviet Red Army did not win its war against Germany by its skills, but rather with en masse. The Wehrmact and Waffen-SS destroyed Soviet tank formations time and time again. Only to see how the production lines of Urals could substitute the terrible losses suffered by the Soviets.
Tank genre in literature is a tricky business. I've read more than enough books titled to depict tank warfare, only to see how they concentrate on every other aspect than actual tank activity. In this case we have here, fortunately, a book to meet all the tightest requirements for the tank genre. The book will take the reader inside the hull, turret or on the deck of a T-34 tank in the middle of a battle or rest. One detail which deserves to be mentioned is the notorious four speed gearbox of the T-34. It usually required the help of the bow machine gunner/radio-operator to change gears with the driver. As the gearbox was redesigned for the later models and the fifth gear was added, it became easier to change gears by the driver only.
The last picture of the blog shows T-34/85 in the Parola tank museum. On the engine deck one can see a tarpaulin. That humble thing was among the core of necessities for tankers' daily survival. With a simple stove it served as the best accommodation tankers could get. Equally important was its role to cover the leaking welding seams of the turret and to preserve radio and ammunitions dry by time of raining.
It is easy to recommend the book for the even most demanding tank literature reader. Here we have eyewitness accounts, vivid recollections and an insight into tank operations and tactics of the T-34 tankers.
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В Финляндий криминальное правидельство делают с иммигрантом геноцит для все простой финны.
Господи, помилуй нас!
Господи, помилуй нас!
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