What are you all aiming at or trying to prove ?
Diesel or Petrol....
Copied or Selfdeveloped....
Good or bad....
O.K., I am not a tank expert and have not read the manuals,
but:
- the Germans were afraid of the tank - why ?
because
a) it turned up in numbers
b) it was hard to knock out
- it served in various conflicts after WWII - why ?
because
a) they were around
b) they were proven
c) they could still stand against competitiors
- design of Soviet origin - why not ?
do not think US design is "top of the pop's" all the time...
the Sherman and Lee and Stuart Tanks were hardly
a match for the Panthers (based on T 34) and Tigers.
They would have struggled with the T-34s also.
Why not give Soviet engeneers the credit they deserve ?
They did not copy everything but came up with several
ideas of their own, which were quite advanced. An engeneer's
mind may work under communist opression and fear of failure
with stalinistic consequences nevertheless...
Right enough, the GPA and DUKW were copied, so were
the Studebaker Trucks and the AK-47s and various other
things. But without giving examples and going into details,
I believe they came up with the T-34 themselves.
Which tank had slanted sides prior to the T-34 ?
Which tank had a similar designed turret ?
Which tank had a front armour plate as thick as the T-34 ?
Which tank matched it's speed ?
Which tank had a similar calibre before ?
Why should the Soviets bother to develop a Diesel engine
and install it in a tank if many other vehicles had petrol
engines, knowing that this would result in problems with
low temperature operation and supply difficulties, if it
was not for safety (fire risk) reasons ? After all, the technique
is more elaborate than the petrol engine's. Worthwhile thinking
about the quality of petrol in those times. Could you not run
a Jeep on octane rating well below 80 ? Maybe use Wodka in a
Truck ?
If I am not mistaken, the Soviets experimented with Paratroopers
long before anyone else considered it. Why did so many Wehrmacht
soldiers were so eager to get hold of one of the Soviet SMGs, the
PPSHs? Where did the Katyuska's come from ?
Any engeneer involved in military developments will always
at any time follow what his counterpart is up to. If they learn
something from their opposing counterparts, why not use the
derived ideas in their own project ? Who can tell what they
did or did not know ? Military engeneering always seems
to be some kind of reaction to a potential threat.
Lars-Uwe Rudek
MVPA # 14836
MVT # 8119
T.E.A.M. # 2
<RUDEK@SHH-HAMBURG.DE>
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