Soviet KV-2

[Srachka to Perdachka]

This is just such a bad ass looking tank. You can hate it up and down, but you have to say it looks badass. But it was slow, very slow and not enough of them. I love the way it looks.

http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWII/KV/KV2.jpghttp://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWII/KV/KV2_5.jpghttp://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWII/KV/KV2_2.jpghttp://www.tracks-n-troops.com/archive/KV2%20Ostrow%201941.jpg

[Osiris]

I love the bottom pic, just like riding an elephant. Is that where the commander sits? :P

[Srachka to Perdachka]

LOL no, thats German crews insprecting aned posing with the KV-2

[StukaJr]

Looks over practicality and otherwise sound Soviet design of the era :) Now if looks could kill p-)

[Srachka to Perdachka]

**** if looks could kill, the 6th army would have fell in 3 minutes

[StukaJr]

LOL :) The 6th Army fell because it didn't see it coming... 60 divissions is hard to look at, though - that's for sure

[Vance]

LOL :) The 6th Army fell because it didn't see it coming... 60 divissions is hard to look at, though - that's for sure
All at once, anyways. ;)

[He219]

A couple from http://www.battlefield.ru

http://www.battlefield.ru/destroyed/ussr/kv2_02.jpg

http://www.battlefield.ru/destroyed/ussr/kv2_01.jpg

http://www.battlefield.ru/destroyed/ussr/kv2_03.jpg

p-)

[RSK]

One word: "FUGLY"

[Operation Ivy]

ehhh not the best looking tank ive seen :D

[RuSoKaR]

Does anyone knows why this KV got so much attention?
http://www.battlefield.ru/destroyed/ussr/kv2_03.jpg

[PsihoKeke]

At the begining of war KV was the tank with thickest armour, just like the Tiger later. Unfortunately it also had quite a few mehanical issues, the joke was that you had to change the gears with sledgehammer (joke wasn't far from truth).

[Przezdzieblo]

Does anyone knows why this KV got so much attention?
http://www.battlefield.ru/destroyed/ussr/kv2_03.jpg

It is probably that single KV-2 which for about 48 hours stopped advance of German 6th Armour Division in June 1941. Immune to PaK 38 and tank guns fire, survived night sapper`s attack and was eventualy knocked out by Flak 36 (seven hits, only two penetrations).

[He219]

This was the caption:

chassis hit by 105 mm round, abandoned when run out of ammo Rasenaya, Baltic states. 2'nd Tank Division. Summer 1941 unknown

[aktarian]

At the begining of war KV was the tank with thickest armour, just like the Tiger later. Unfortunately it also had quite a few mehanical issues, the joke was that you had to change the gears with sledgehammer (joke wasn't far from truth).

Didn't they say this for T-64?

[Przezdzieblo]

Compare the photos:
http://www.battlefield.ru/destroyed/ussr/kv2_02.jpg
http://www.battlefield.ru/destroyed/ussr/kv2_03.jpg
and descriptions:

chassis damage Baltic states Summer 1941 unknown

chassis hit by 105 mm round, abandoned when run out of ammo Rasenaya, Baltic states. 2'nd Tank Division. Summer 1941 unknown

I know that first photo from J. Magnuski Czolg ciezki KW [Heavy Tank KW], Warszawa 1997. Description from this book and that what can be seen od photo looks the same - chassis and truck damage and a scar on gun barrel as a result of night sappers action.
Now there are two possibilities - Janusz Magnuski, probably the best Polish expert of Russian II World War is wrong... or wrong are people from battlefield.ru (who did not seen that they have two photos of the same tank).

[Marmot1]

yeah in 1941 it was best armoured tank in the world...

another one near Lviv ukraine couteratacked on german positions smashing 2 AT guns with tracks and when returend to friendly lines over 100 hits were couted on armour,none penetrating and only one member of crew was wounded....

[StukaJr]

I think that was a KV1 though - could be a simular case with KV2 that you are reffering to. KV1 was a lot more agile and useful as a hit and run tank - I remmember accounts of a KV1 raising havok on the german occupied trainstation for 20 minutes, causing all kind of damage and then making it back to its side.

Also, there were account of T-34's and KV1's counterattacking in the fall of '41 and even the famed 88's couldn't stop them - the counterattack was finally repulsed by germans using their 105mm Howitzers in direct fire mode. Obviously, there weren't enough of those cases nor tanks for that matter :)

Ohhhh... And there was a case where a KV2 got de-threaded and an unexploded shell got wedged under its turret - making the traverse of the tank impossible. A PzIII with long 50mm main gun parked 20 meters away from the rear of KV2 and proceeded to expend its entire AP ammo into the rear of the tank without achieving any success. Then the crew of KV2 surrendered and exited the tank - the crew was shooken up and few had concussions but no other injuries...

[Marmot1]

No it was not a train station. Situation I am refering to was on the fromt line where russian infantry was shattered by germans and clled for support and when suport arrived it was 1 (one) tank but it complettly destroyed 1st german line most of the hits were from small calibres 37-40 mm and Panzerbushe 39 however some were from larger guns...

[GazB]

I remember reading in a steven zaloga book about Russian heavy tanks about an incident where a KV-2 was stationed at the fork in a road that the germans had to travel down. The KV-2s orders were to hold up the germans at all costs.
The germans started firing 37mm and 45mm tank guns but they had no effect. The 152mm gun of the kv-2 destroyed them very quickly. They then brought up some new 50mm anti tank guns and they had no effect either. They then used some tanks to distract the KV while they brought up some 88mm guns. Before the 88s could open up the KV-2 returned fire and destroyed the guns and the trucks that brought them up. That night they sent sappers up to the KV-2 to blow up the vehicle... all they did was destroy the track and fender. A sapper returned to inspec the damage and placed a large charge on the side of the main gun which did very little... they were forced back by MG fire from the KV-2. The next day more 88mms were brought up and the managed to fire 6 shots at the KV-2. The germans approached to inspect the damage and found that only two 88mm hits penetrated and there were a few hits visible from the 50mm guns but no marks from the lighter calibres. As they were inspecting the damage the turret started to traverse and the MG opened up. one of the germans opend a roof hatch and dropped in a hand grenade to finally silence it for good.

The main failings of the KV-2 was that it was slow, a large target and it was difficult to operate the turret except on level ground. These failings were not problems when it was stationary where the thickness of the armour and the power of the main gun were very useful.

[Marmot1]

I remember reading in a steven zaloga book about Russian heavy tanks about an incident where a KV-2 was stationed at the fork in a road that the germans had to travel down. The KV-2s orders were to hold up the germans at all costs.
The germans started firing 37mm and 45mm tank guns but they had no effect. The 152mm gun of the kv-2 destroyed them very quickly. They then brought up some new 50mm anti tank guns and they had no effect either. They then used some tanks to distract the KV while they brought up some 88mm guns. Before the 88s could open up the KV-2 returned fire and destroyed the guns and the trucks that brought them up. That night they sent sappers up to the KV-2 to blow up the vehicle... all they did was destroy the track and fender. A sapper returned to inspec the damage and placed a large charge on the side of the main gun which did very little... they were forced back by MG fire from the KV-2. The next day more 88mms were brought up and the managed to fire 6 shots at the KV-2. The germans approached to inspect the damage and found that only two 88mm hits penetrated and there were a few hits visible from the 50mm guns but no marks from the lighter calibres. As they were inspecting the damage the turret started to traverse and the MG opened up. one of the germans opend a roof hatch and dropped in a hand grenade to finally silence it for good.

The main failings of the KV-2 was that it was slow, a large target and it was difficult to operate the turret except on level ground. These failings were not problems when it was stationary where the thickness of the armour and the power of the main gun were very useful.
Here are already photos of this particular tank on page 1 of this topic :-)