World at War: Soviet Armor of World War II

The Soviet Union, through the 30s, had begun the development of a new fusion military doctrine, that combined the ferocity of an aggressive tactical philosophy, and a defensive, mass-based strategic philosophy. This new doctrine, known as Deep Operations, involved extensive use of armored vehicles, which were used to transport infantry elements to beleaguered elements, deliver supplies as needed, and utilize armor and mechanized forces to penetrate the enemy line at multiple points at one time. Soviet Armor was designed to compliment infantry forces with their small arms, designed to achieve penetration of enemy lines, and designed to help with support tasks such as artillery observation or recon. However, as the war progressed, the Soviets began developing tanks for the sole purpose of meeting and destroying German Armor.

As a result, the Soviets had a need for many different types of armored fighting vehicles and tanks. We will cover some of the more prominent.

In the theater of war, Armored cars serve a few key roles. Quite obvious, they serve in reconnaissance position quite effectively, being fast enough to avoid heavy engagement, and well armored enough to handle a typical enemy infantry squad, these plated coupes provided valuable information to mobile armies on the Eastern Front. They also excelled as transportation elements for valuable personnel, messages, and strategic equipment, depending upon the need. Lastly, they could replace the tankette as a infantry close-support vehicle. 

The BA-64 was the most massively produced Soviet Armored Car during the War. It was seen in large numbers in the early part of the war, but had almost disappeared after the winter of 42. Its role in armored recon was replaced by the T-60 light tank. However, it still proved valuable afterwards, as a vanguard element to protect supply trucks, and quite maneuverable in a support role for infantry during urban battles. 

Light Tanks were designed for exceptionally long range, and decently high-speed. They had small crews, and could operate independently for some period of time. This allowed them excellent use as independent scouts, or attached recon elements.

Nothing more exemplifies this philosophy, than the Soviet T-60 Light tank. While its armament was almost non-existent, being only a 20mm main gun, and a support machine-gun, it had decent armor, which might allow it to survive an unfortunate engagement, long enough to escape. 

The philosophy behind the Medium Tank never really caught on in the West. The German medium tanks were efficient, and brutal, yet much more expensive and taxing on industry. British and American Tanks were, without a doubt, ill-prepared, due to a lack of experience with how tank battles should be fought. However, in the East, the Soviet Union developed a medium tank that perfected the concept of armored warfare in deep operations. The prodigious arrival of a tank, which admittedly borrowed design concepts from around the world, culminated in a tank that could be said to have been instrumental in Russian victory.

The Soviet T-34 was this tank. It combined the powerful engines and sloping designs of the BT series of fast 'cavalry' tanks, with the range and operational ability of light tanks. Lastly, it had decent armor, and came with a reliably powerful 75mm or 85mm main gun. Together, combined with Soviet industry and the economy of its construction, it became the most common tank of the war.

The Soviet T-34 was the best medium tank of the war. It outnumbered German medium tanks, and was faster with a longer range. In fact, it was even faster over flat-land, than the T-60 scout tank, yet still maintained twice as much armor and a much heavier 75mm gun. While the T-34 might lose in a one on one battle against a Panzer IV, it was typically faster, and there were more of them in production, meaning that a T-34 under most conditions, never faced the enemy alone. 

In all, this medium tank combined a rugged reliability, decent firepower and protection, with speed and economy to make it the best medium tank of the World War II. 

Soviet Heavy Armor tended to be less refined, and far more experimental than German Heavy Armor. Initial early attempts included large multi-turreted monstrosities, that were quickly abandoned during the initial stage of the war, mostly due to mechanical failure. However, the Soviets did have one design which proved reliable during the first half of the war. 

The KV-1 was a super-heavy armored tank, with 75mm worth of armor, and a 76mm weapon mount. It had a decent cruising speed, for all of its armor, allowing it to catch up to enemy tanks, and engage them. However, when the Panther and Tiger series of German tanks made their debut, the KV-1 became somewhat obsolete. Its weapon was too short-range to engage effectively, and its armor too heavy for it to maneuver to close range for survivability. 

The Iosef Stalin series of tanks (IS1, IS2, and IS3) became the answer to this need for a heavier tank capable of fighting the enemy at safe range, while providing enough armor to withstand his attacks. It had heavy armor that was over 100mm thick at crucial points in design, a heavier 122mm main gun, and a powerful engine that actually made it slightly faster than the KV-1. These tanks solved the Russian Heavy Armor problem, and ultimately, helped end the war. 

Tank Destroyers are self-propelled artillery pieces designed to specifically hunt tanks. They are usually faster than battle tanks, with a powerful forward gun, and traditionally less armor. As a result, they are able to outmaneuver enemy tanks (some reportedly moving faster than an enemy turret can traverse), and eventually destroy them. However, being less armored, and with a forward-gun emplacement (and sometimes lacking a support machine-gun), they are vulnerable to enemy infantry, who can target anti-armor weaponry at them from hidden locations, providing an effective screen for their own tanks.

As a result, the concept of tank-destroyer was eventually subsumed into Heavy Tank designs, even though the concept still holds validity in a large-scale conflict. As tank destroyers are more cost effective, and far more effective at their intended task, than a 'jack of all trades'. 

The SU-85 may not be the best representation of a tank destroyer. Its 85mm cannon was a temporary stop-gap measure, allowing Soviet Armor and Mechanized Divisions to combat German heavy armor. However, it was cheap, as it used the same chassis as the T-34. Eventually, however, it was phased out by the upgrade of the T-34 to an 85 mm cannon, and the replaced by the SU-100; which is much the same, only with a 100mm anti-tank gun.