Did Soviet tankers like captured German tanks? Trophies of the Great Patriotic War, inherited by the USSR (7 photos).

Many people are interested in the question of the use of captured tanks in the Red Army, during the Great Patriotic War. Here I recommend the book by Maxim Kolomiets “Trophy tanks of the Red Army. On the "tigers" to Berlin! A short compilation from which I bring to your attention. More details can be found at the link to the source. However, I highly recommend reading the book itself.

Trophies are an inevitable attribute of any war. Very often captured equipment and weapons were used against their former owners. was no exception and armored vehicles. The fact that the Germans fought on our tanks is known, perhaps, to any lover of the history of armored vehicles. But not everyone knows that the Red Army units used, and very successfully, tanks and self-propelled guns of the Wehrmacht. Meanwhile, captured German armored vehicles fought in the Soviet armed forces from the very beginning to the very last days war, and even operated after it.
The first trophies The use of captured German tanks by the Red Army began from the first days of the Great Patriotic War. Many publications often mention the episode of the use of captured tanks by units of the 34th Panzer Division of the 8th Mechanized Corps of the Southwestern Front for a night attack by German units. Generally speaking, information about the use of captured tanks by the Red Army units during 1941 is rather scarce, because the battlefield remained with the enemy. Nevertheless, it is interesting to cite some facts about the use of captured equipment.

Soldiers of the Red Army on captured tanks Pz.lll and Pz. IV. Western Front, September 1941

During the counterattack of the 7th Mechanized Corps of the Western Front on July 7, 1941, military engineer 1st rank Ryazanov (18th Panzer Division) in the Kotsy area broke through with his T-26 tank behind enemy lines, where he fought for a day. Then he again went out to his own, taking out of the encirclement two T-26s and one captured Pz. III with a damaged gun. Ten days later, this car was lost. In the battle on August 5, 1941, on the outskirts of Leningrad, the consolidated tank regiment of the Leningrad armored courses for the improvement of command personnel captured “two tanks of the Skoda factories” that were blown up by mines. After repairs, they were used in battles by units of the Red Army. During the defense of Odessa, units of the Primorsky Army also captured several tanks. So, on August 13, 1941, "12 enemy tanks were hit during the battle, three of them were withdrawn to the rear for repairs." A few days later, August 15, part 25 rifle division captured "three serviceable tankettes (most likely we are talking about light Romanian R-1 tanks) and one armored car."
Along with tanks, captured tanks were also used in the first months of the war. German self-propelled guns. So, during the defense of Kyiv in August 1941, the Red Army captured two serviceable StuG 111s. One of them was sent for testing to Moscow, and the second, after being shown to the residents of the city, was equipped with a Soviet crew and she left for the front. In September 1941, during the Battle of Smolensk, the tank crew of junior lieutenant Klimov, having lost their own tank, moved to the captured StuG III and knocked out two enemy tanks, an armored personnel carrier and two trucks, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

StuG III captured by the Red Army in perfect working order. August 1941

On October 8, 1941, Lieutenant Klimov, commanding a platoon of three StuG IIIs (referred to in the document as " german tanks without a turret"), "performed a daring operation behind enemy lines", for which he was presented with the Order of the Red Banner of War. On December 2, 1941, Lieutenant Klimov died during a duel with a German anti-tank battery.
The wider use of captured equipment in the Red Army began in the spring of 1942, when, after the end of the battle near Moscow, as well as counterattacks near Rostov and Tikhvin, hundreds of German vehicles, tanks and self-propelled guns were captured. For example, the troops of the 5th Army of the Western Front from December 1941 to April 10, 1942 were sent to the rear to repair 411 units of captured equipment (medium tanks - 13, light tanks - 12, armored vehicles - 3, tractors - 24, armored personnel carriers - 2, self-propelled guns- 2, trucks -196, cars - 116, motorcycles - 43. In addition, during the same period, army units assembled 741 units of captured equipment at SPAMs (assembly points for emergency vehicles) (medium tanks - 33, light tanks - 26, armored vehicles - 3, tractors - 17, armored personnel carriers - 2, self-propelled guns - 6, trucks - 462, cars - 140, motorcycles - 52).
Another 38 tanks: Pz. I - 2, Pz. II - 8, Pz. III - 19. Pz. IV - 1, ChKD (Pz. 38 (t) - 1. artillery tanks (as assault tanks were often called in Soviet documents of the first year of the war) StuG guns III - 7 was registered in the places of past battles. During April-May 1942 most this technique was taken to the rear. For a more organized collection of trophies, at the end of 1941, a department for the evacuation and collection of trophies was created in the Armored Directorate of the Red Army, and on March 23, 1942, the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR signed an order "On the acceleration of work on the evacuation of captured and domestic armored equipment from the battlefield."

Soldiers of the Red Army at the captured Romanian tank R-1. Odessa area, September 1941

The first repair base, which was entrusted with the repair of captured armored vehicles, was repair base No. 82 in Moscow. Created in December 1941, this enterprise of the REU GABTU KA was originally intended to repair British tanks and armored personnel carriers that arrived under Lend-Lease. However, already at the end of March, by the decision of the GABTU KA, approved by the State Defense Committee, the specialization of Rembase No. 82. Captured tanks began to be imported to Rembase No. 82. In total, according to the report of Rembaza No. 82 for 1942, 90 tanks of all types were repaired on it.
Another Moscow enterprise engaged in the restoration of German armored vehicles was a branch of plant No. 37, created on the site of production evacuated to Sverdlovsk. The branch was engaged in the repair of T-30/T-60 vehicles and trucks. In addition, in 1942 five tanks Pz. I (two repaired), seven Pz. II (three repaired), five Pz.38(t) tanks (three repaired), five "trophy self-propelled guns”(not repaired), two light armored vehicles (repaired), one medium (repaired), four “armored walkie-talkies” (one repaired), as well as 89 captured vehicles (52 repaired) and 14 semi-tracked tractors (10 repaired).

Captured equipment, brought for repair, in the courtyard of the Podyomnik plant, where repair base No. 82 was located: Pz. II, flamethrower variant of the Pz. II Flamm "Flamingo", Pz. III, Pz.35(t), Pz.38(t), StuG III, armored personnel carriers Sd.Kfz.252 and Sd.Kfz.253. The emblems of the German tank divisions are visible on many vehicles. April 1942

Thus, in 1942, about 100 captured armored units, including armored cars, were repaired at the repair enterprises of the GABTU KA and the People's Commissariat for Tank Industry. By the way, according to the memoirs of one of the repairmen, the Czechoslovak Pz.38 (t) was the best tank for repair, since “it had a fairly simple and reliable engine and simple transmission mechanisms. If a Czech tank did not burn, it usually recovered. At the same time, almost all German tanks required much more delicate handling.
For 11 months of 1943, 356 captured vehicles were delivered to tank repair plant No. 8 (Pz. II - 88, Pz. III - 97, Pz. IV - 60, Pz.38 (t) - 102. other types - 12), of which 349 were repaired (Pz. II - 86, Pz. III - 95, Pz. IV - 53, Pz.38 (t) - 102, other types - 12). True, not all repaired German tanks were sent to the Active Army. For example, in August 1943, 77 captured German tanks were shipped from plant No. 8 to infantry, machine gun and rifle and mortar schools, 26 to reserve rifle regiments, and 65 to twelve tank schools. In May - April 1944, repair plant No. 8 again moved to Kyiv. And in the first half of 1944, repair plant No. 8 repaired 124 medium and 39 light German tanks, after which the repair of captured equipment was removed from it. Thus, in 1942–1944, tank repair plant No. 8 repaired at least 600 German tanks. various types. True, not all of them got to the front, many vehicles were sent to training and reserve tanks.

Repairmen inspect tanks Pz. III, in the foreground is the Pz. III from the German 18th Panzer Division, equipped with underwater equipment. Moscow, Rembaza No. 82, April 1942

In addition to repair bases, army and front-line repair units were engaged in the repair of captured materiel. Perhaps the greatest amount of work was done by the repair units of the Western Front in 1942. For example, in June, the 22nd army repair and restoration battalion of the front repaired ten German tanks, and the 132nd separate repair and restoration battalion over the same period repaired 30 captured Pz. II, Pz. III and Pz. IV
Nevertheless, in July 1942, 16 captured tanks were sent to the 22nd army repair and restoration battalion, and four more were sent to the 132nd separate repair and restoration battalion. Moreover, this battalion was also engaged in the rearmament of German tanks domestic weapons. True, the scale of such work was small, and concerned mainly the replacement of German machine guns with domestic diesel engines and the installation of domestic optics.
In November 1942, units of the Western Front sent 23 German tanks and one armored car to the rear repair bases. In addition, a certain number of captured armored vehicles were repaired by the factories of the main department for the repair of tanks of the people's commissariat tank industry. So, in 1943, at plant No. 264 in Stalingrad (formed on the basis of the plant of the same name after the liberation of the city, it was supposed to repair tanks) 83 Pz vehicles were repaired. III Pz. IV and eight more - at the beginning of 1944.
Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that during the years of the Great Patriotic War, the repair plants of the GBTU KA and the enterprises of the main department for the repair of tanks of the NKTP repaired at least 800 German tanks and self-propelled guns.

Echelon of repaired tanks "Prague" on the way to the Active Army. Western Front, July 1942. The front tank instead of the Czechoslovak ZB rearmed Soviet machine guns DT

Highly interesting information on the accounting of captured equipment in the Red Army. So, as lost during the hostilities, during 1942 it was written off: Pz.1–2, Pz. II - 37, Pz. III - 19, Pz. IV - 7, StuG III - 15, Pz.35(l) - 14, Pz.38(t) - 34. Pz. II Flamm - 2, Total -110 tanks, armored vehicles - 8.

French armored vehicles AMD-35. used in the Wehrmacht under the designation Panard 178 (f), at the repair base No. 82 in Moscow. The front armored car has already been repaired and is intended for transfer to the Red Army. The vehicle was repainted in the standard Soviet camouflage color 4B0. April 1942

The peak of the use of captured equipment falls on 1942–1943. To facilitate its operation in the troops at that time, specialized memos were issued on the use of the most massive samples of captured German combat and transport vehicles. Depending on the amount of serviceable equipment, this equipment was reduced to separate companies or battalions of captured tanks, created on an initiative basis, and was also included in the regular tank units of the Red Army. Captured tanks were operated as long as there was enough fuel, ammunition and spare parts.
Sometimes entire units equipped with German materiel also acted. One of them was formed as part of the 20th Army at the end of July 1942. According to the temporary staff approved for him, he was supposed to have 219 people, 34 captured tanks, 3 semi-tracked tractors (captured), 10 trucks (five GAZ-AA and five Opel), three gas tankers and one light GAZ M-1. This unit in the documents was called a special separate tank battalion or by the name of the commander "Nebylov's battalion" (commander - Major Nebylov, military commissar - battalion commissar Lapin). As of August 9, 1942, it included 6 Pz. IV, 12 Pz. III, 10 Pz.38(t) and 2 StuG III. This battalion participated in the fighting until October 1942.
Another battalion with captured equipment was also part of the 31st Army of the Western Front (in the documents it was referred to as a “separate tank battalion of the letters“ B ”). Formed in July 1942, by August 1, it consisted of nine T-60s and 19 captured German Like the Nebylov battalion, this unit operated until October 1942.
Quite a few captured tanks operated on the North Caucasian and Transcaucasian fronts. So the 75th separate tank battalion, from the 56th army, operationally subordinate to the commander of the 3rd rifle corps, as of June 23, 1943, had four companies: the 1st and 4th captured tanks (four Pz. IV and eight Pz. III), 2nd and 3rd - on the English "Valentines" (13 cars). And the 151st tank brigade in March received 22 German vehicles (Pz. IV, Pz. III and Pz. II), which were part of its 2nd battalion.

A column of captured combat vehicles (a Pz. III tank in front, followed by three StuG IIIs) on the Western Front, March 1942. On the sides of self-propelled guns, the inscriptions “Let's avenge Ukraine!”, “Avenger”, “Beat Goebbels!”

On August 28, 1943, units of the 44th Army were given a separate company of captured tanks consisting of three Pz. IV thirteen Pz. III, one M-3 "General Stewart" and one M-3 "General Lee". On August 29–30, the company, together with the 130th Infantry Division, captured the village of Varenochka and the city of Taganrog. As a result of the battle, the tankers destroyed ten vehicles, five firing points, 450 soldiers and officers, captured seven vehicles, three repair aircraft, two tractors, three warehouses, 23 machine guns and 250 prisoners. Their losses amounted to five wrecked Pz. III (of which one burned out), three Pz. III, seven people killed and 13 wounded.
The 213th tank brigade became the only brigade of the Red Army, which was fully armed with captured materiel. On October 1, 1943, after being in the reserve, an order was received from the commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the Western Front "on arming the brigade with German-made tanks (captured), captured by the Red Army during combat operations in the period 1941-1943." By October 15, the brigade had 4 T-34 tanks, 35 Pz. III and 11 Pz. IV, as well as a fully equipped motorized rifle battalion and artillery and vehicles laid down in the state.
After the battles, by January 26, 1944, the 213th brigade had 26 combat vehicles (T-34, 14 Pz. IV and 11 Pz. III) on the list, of which only four Pz. IV, and the rest of the tanks required current and medium repairs. By February 8, 1944, only T-34s and 11 Pz. IV, which were prepared to be sent to factories for repair. Seven more Pz. IV by this time was transferred to the 23rd Guards Tank Brigade. And two weeks later, the 213th tank brigade began re-equipping with domestic materiel.

Trophy tanks Pz. IV and Pz.38 (t) from the 79th separate training tank battalion. Crimean Front, April 1942. The vehicles were captured from the 22nd Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht

Quite interesting evidence of the operation of the captured German tank Pz. IV left the veteran of the Great Patriotic War Rem Ulanov. According to the memoirs, in January 1944, after the hospital, he ended up in the 26th separate company guards of the headquarters of the 13th army: “There I was put on the only trophy tank in the company Pz. IV. After trying it on the go and driving several tens of kilometers, I could appreciate it driving performance and ease of management. They were worse than those of the SU-76 (before that, R. Ulanov was a driver on this self-propelled gun.
A huge seven-speed gearbox, located to the right of the driver, was tiring with heat, howling and unusual smells. The suspension of the tank was stiffer than that of the SU-76. Noise and vibration from the Maybach engine caused headache. The tank ate a huge amount of gasoline. Dozens of buckets of it had to be poured through an inconvenient funnel.

Inspection of the captured Pz. IV, captured from the 22nd Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht. Crimean Front, 79th separate training tank battalion, April 1942.

In January 1944, in the battles on the outskirts of Zhytomyr, units of the 3rd Guards Tank Army captured a significant number of damaged German tanks. By order of the Deputy Army Commander for the technical part, Major General Yu. Solovyov, in the 41st and 148th separate repair and restoration battalions, one platoon was created from the most experienced repairmen, who short term restored four tanks Pz.1V and one Pz. V Panther. A few days later, in a battle near Zherebka, the crew of a Soviet Panther knocked out a Tiger tank.
In August 1944, the company of Lieutenant Sotnikov's Guards successfully used three such vehicles in the battles near Warsaw. Captured "Panthers" were used in the Red Army until the end of the war, mostly sporadically and in small quantities. For example, during the repulse of the German offensive in the area of ​​Lake Balaton in March 1945, the 991st self-propelled artillery regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Gordeev (46th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front) had 16 SU-76s and 3 captured Panthers .

"Panthers" of the company of the guards of Lieutenant Sotnikov east of Prague (a suburb of Warsaw), Poland, August 1944

Apparently, the first part of the Red Army to use captured Tigers was the 28th Guards Tank Brigade (39th Army, Belorussian Front). On December 27, 1943, during the attack of the "tigers" of the 501st batmion near the village of Sinyavki, one of the cars got stuck in a funnel and was abandoned by the crew. The tankers of the 28th Guards Tank Brigade managed to pull out the "Tiger" and bring it to their location.
The car turned out to be perfectly serviceable, and the brigade command decided to use it in battles. The “Journal of Combat Actions of the 28th Guards Tank Brigade” says the following about this: “12/28/43 The captured Tiger tank was brought from the battlefield in full working order. The crew of the T-6 tank was appointed commander of the brigade, consisting of: tank commander three times order bearer of the guard lieutenant Revyakin, driver of the guard foreman Kilevnik, commander of the gun of the guard foreman Ilashevsky, commander of the tower of the guard foreman Kodikov, gunner-radio operator of the guard sergeant Akulov. The crew mastered the tank within two days. The crosses were painted over, instead of them two stars were painted on the tower and they wrote “Tiger”.
Later, the 28th Guards Tank Brigade captured another "Tiger" (the author does not have information about where and when this happened): as of July 27, 1944, it had 47 tanks: 32 T-34, 13 T-70s, 4 SU-122s, 4 SU-76s and 2 Pz. VI "Tiger". This technique successfully participated in the operation "Bagration". As of October 6, 1944, the 28th Guards Tank Brigade had 65 T-34 tanks and one Pz. VI "Tiger".

German armored vehicles(armored car Sd.Kfz. 231, tanks Pz. III Ausf. L and Pz. IV Ausf.F2), captured in perfect condition near Mozdok. 1943

In addition to German tanks, Soviet troops got the vehicles of their allies. So, in August 1944, in the area of ​​​​Stanislav, units of the 18th Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front defeated the 2nd Panzer Division of the Hungarians, while capturing a lot of different equipment. Preparing for the upcoming battles in the Carpathians, the army command decided to use the trophies they had got. On September 9, 1944, by order No. 0352 for the troops of the 18th Army, the “Separate Army Battalion of Captured Tanks” was formed: “As a result of the operation, the tank fleet of the army was enriched with captured vehicles that require restoration by army repair facilities. The repair of combat vehicles is basically completed, the tanks are ready to go into operation.
According to the approved temporary staff, the battalion consisted of three companies (three platoons each), a maintenance platoon, an economic department and a medical aid station. In addition to tanks, the battalion was given one passenger car, two motorcycles, fifteen trucks, a repair flyer and two tank trucks. Unfortunately, it was not possible to establish the name of the battalion commander. It is only known that the deputy commander was Captain R. Koval, and the political instructor was Captain I. Kasaev. The battalion was first brought into battle on September 15, 1944.
Unfortunately, there is no breakdown of tanks by brands. It is only known that on November 14, five "turans" and two self-propelled guns "Zrinyi" participated in the battle, and on November 20 - three "turans" and one "Toddy". It should be noted that in addition to the Hungarian tanks, the 5th Guards Tank Brigade had two captured "artillery assaults" (StuG 40), which Soviet tankers had successfully used since September 1944 then. As of January 1, 1945, the brigade still had three Turans, one Toldi, one Zrinyi self-propelled guns and one Artshturm.

Soldiers of the Red Army for the study of the Hungarian tank "Toldi". 18th Army, August 1944

In addition to tanks and self-propelled guns, parts of the Red Army also used captured armored personnel carriers. For example, in November 1943, in the battles near Fastov, the 53rd Guards Tank Brigade captured 26 serviceable German armored personnel carriers. They were included in motorized rifle battalion brigades, and some of them were used until the end of the war.

Soviet gunners use a captured armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf C as a tractor for the ZIS-3 gun. Orel area, 1943

Captured German armored vehicles were also used in recent months Great Patriotic War. This was primarily due to heavy losses in tanks in some operations, for example, near Lake Balaton near Budapest. The fact is that after the battles of January-February 1945, units of the 3rd Ukrainian Front had a small number of combat-ready combat vehicles. And the 6th SS Panzer Army, which launched a counterattack, on the contrary, had about a thousand tanks and self-propelled guns. For replenishment tank park, by March 2, 1945, the 3rd mobile tank repair plant of the 3rd Ukrainian Front restored 20 German tanks and self-propelled guns, which were equipped with the crews of the 22nd training tank regiment. On March 7, 15 of them were sent to staff the 366th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment of the 4th Guards Army. These were 7 self-propelled guns "Hummel", 2 "Vespe", 4 SU-75 ( general marking adopted in Soviet army German self-propelled guns based on StuG with 75-mm. cannons, without breakdown into certain types) and 2 tanks Pz. V Panther. By March 16, 1945, the regiment already had 15 captured self-propelled guns, 2 Panthers and one Pz. IV.

The crew of the captured tank Pz. IV advances to the front line. 1st Belorussian Front, winter 1944

After the war, captured materiel was planned to be used for training purposes, so most of the serviceable German armored vehicles were supposed to be transferred to tank armies and corps. For example, June 5, 1945 Marshal Soviet Union Konev ordered the 30 captured repaired armored units in the 40th Army's band located in Nove Mesto and Zdirets to be transferred to the 3rd Guards Tank Army "for use in combat training." The transfer process was scheduled to be completed no later than June 12.
In total, the active army was armed with 533 serviceable captured tanks and self-propelled guns and 814 in need of current and medium repairs.
The exploitation of captured materiel continued in the Soviet armed forces until the spring of 1946. As tanks and self-propelled guns broke down, and spare parts for them ran out, German armored vehicles were decommissioned. Some of the machines were used at the ranges as targets.

Trophy tank"Panther" from the 366th self-propelled artillery regiment. 3rd Ukrainian Front, 4th guards army, March 1945. The numbers and crosses on the tank are painted over and red stars with a white border are painted on top of them.

Destroyed German tank "Somua" S 35 (Somua S35, Char 1935 S), turned to starboard towards us. 400 of these tanks went to Germany as a trophy after the defeat of France in 1940. The tank was destroyed by Soviet partisans in 1943 in the Leningrad region.

Former Polish 7TP tank captured by the Germans in 1939. It was used by the Wehrmacht for its needs, then was sent to France, where it was captured by American troops in 1944.

The Soviet T-34-76 tanks captured by the Germans were put into operation by them. It is interesting that the Germans modernized the tanks: they installed commander's turrets from the Pz.III, improving visibility (one of the shortcomings of the original T-34), equipped the guns with a flame arrester, added a box on board, and installed headlights on the left. In addition, the tanks and machine guns seem to be German.

Tank KV-2 from the Pz.Abt.zBV-66 in Neuruppin (Neuruppin). As a result German modification received a commander's cupola, additional ammunition stowage at the rear of the vehicle, a Notek headlight and a number of other minor changes.

This photo shows the same KV-2 and T-34.

German sappers clear the road in front of a captured Soviet T-34 tank. Autumn 1941.

A very famous car. Upgraded trophy soviet tank KV-1 from the 204th tank regiment of the 22nd tank division of the Wehrmacht. The Germans installed a German 75 mm KwK 40 L/48 cannon instead of a 76.2 mm cannon, as well as a commander's cupola.

Trophy Soviet light tank T-26 model 1939 in the service of the Wehrmacht.

Trophy KV-2

Captured French tank S35 from the 22nd Panzer Division in the Crimea. All French tanks belonged in this division to the 204th tank regiment (Pz.Rgt.204).

Destroyed captured Soviet T-34 tanks of the 1941 issue from an unidentified Wehrmacht tank unit.

Captured Soviet tank T-26 of the SS division "Dead Head" bearing the name "Mistbiene".

The same tank captured Soviet troops in the cauldron.

The rarest photograph. Captured English tank M3 "Stuart" ("Stuart"), shot down in battle on the night of October 8-9, 1944 near Tehumardi, on the island of Saaremaa (Ezel) (Estonia). One of the fiercest battles in Saaremaa. In a night battle, the 2nd battalion of the German 67th Potsdam Grenadier Regiment (360 people) and detachments of the 307th separate anti-tank battalion and the 1st battalion of the 917th regiment of the Soviet 249th "Estonian" division (total 670 people) collided ). The losses of the parties amounted to 200 people.

German prisoners of war on their way to the railway station to be sent to the camp pass by a captured Soviet T-70 light tank with Wehrmacht identification marks. In the first line of the column of prisoners, two high-ranking officers are visible. Neighborhoods of Kyiv.

German tanker inflicts German identification marks on the turret of a captured Soviet T-34-76 tank. On the side of the tower, in the center of the cross, a patch is clearly visible, most likely covering a hole in the armor. A tank with a stamped turret from the UZTM plant.

Residents of Belgrade and fighters of the NOAU inspect a wrecked German tank of French production Hotchkiss H35. Karageorgievich street.

Deutsch collection point faulty armored vehicles in the area of ​​Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front. In the picture, from left to right: a captured Soviet tank T-34/85, light tank Pz.Kpfw.38(t) of Czech production, captured soviet self-propelled guns SU-76, another T-34 tank is partially visible to the right. In the foreground are parts of the destroyed turret of a captured Soviet T-34/85 tank.

The Germans got the largest trophies during Operation Barbarossa. Suffice it to say that by 22 August 1941 they had knocked out and captured 14,079 Soviet tanks. However, attempts to use such rich trophies from the very beginning were fraught with great difficulties. A significant part of the Soviet tanks were so broken in battle that they were suitable only for scrap metal. Most of the tanks, which did not have visible external damage, during the inspection revealed breakdowns of the engine, transmission or chassis units, which turned out to be impossible to eliminate due to the lack of spare parts.

The first Soviet T-26 tanks captured as trophies began to be used by the Wehrmacht in the summer of 1941. In the photo above - a T-26 tank, model 1939, pulls out a 3-ton Mercedes-Benz truck stuck in the mud

The same tank guards the rear park of one of the infantry units of the Wehrmacht

The main reason for the low interest of the Germans in captured Soviet armored vehicles was the high losses of Germany in their own combat vehicles and the colossal workload of the repair, evacuation and restoration services associated with this. There was simply no time to deal with captured tanks. As a result, by October 1941, the German troops had only about 100 Soviet tanks of various types. The rest, abandoned on the battlefield soviet armored vehicles, having stood in the open air in the winter of 1941/42, it was no longer subject to restoration. During this period, the Wehrmacht received only a few T-26 (Pz.740 (r), BT-7 (Pz.742 (r) and T-60) from repair enterprises. Most of the vehicles, first of all, T-34 (Pz. 747(r) and KB (Pz.753(r), used by the front-line units, were captured in a fully operational condition, immediately commissioned and operated until they were hit or failed for technical reasons.

Only from the middle of 1942, units equipped with captured Soviet tanks began to receive vehicles from German repair enterprises. The main one, which specialized in our equipment, was a repair plant in Riga. In addition, since 1943, individual T-34s were restored at the factories of Daimber-Benz in Berlin and Wumag in Gerlitz.

T-26 tanks in a German field workshop. In the foreground - T-26 model 1933. with a red star and the inscription "Captured by the 15th Infantry Regiment". In the background - T-26 mod. 1939 with cross, title Tiger II and tactical badge of the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf"

Captured Soviet tank T-26 mod. 1939, used to practice combat training tasks for interaction with infantry, in one of the units of the Wehrmacht

After the second capture of Kharkov by the Germans in the spring of 1943, a repair shop was created in the workshops of the Kharkov Tractor Plant by the SS Reich division, in which several dozen T-34 tanks were restored. For parts of the SS, in general, a more active use of captured Soviet tanks was characteristic. At the same time, in a number of cases, they were in service with tank units together with German tanks. A separate battalion was formed in the Reich division, armed with 25 T-34 tanks. Some of them were equipped with German commander's cupolas.

Tank BT-7 arr. 1935 in the Wehrmacht. 1943 (or 1944) year. Fighting vehicle painted yellow

A Red Army soldier inspects a BT-7 tank, model 1937, dug into the ground, which was used by the Germans as a fixed firing point. 1943

Captured tank T-34 from the 98th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht. Eastern front, 1942

T-34 tanks from the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf". 1942

Separate T-34 tanks without turrets were used by the Germans as evacuation tractors.

As for the heavy tanks KB, then, judging by the available data, their number in the German units was small and hardly exceeded 50 units. Basically, these were Chelyabinsk-made KV-1 tanks with ZIS-5 guns. However, there is information about the use in the Wehrmacht of a certain number, apparently very small, of KV-2 tanks.

Instead of a large hatch on the roof of the turret of this T-34 tank, a commander's turret was installed, borrowed from the Pz.lll tank

German commander's turrets were also installed on some captured T-34s of later modifications - with the so-called improved turret

Captured tank T-34, converted by the Germans into anti-aircraft self-propelled unit with a 20 mm quadruple automatic cannon. 1944

Judging by the photographs, on some KB, to improve visibility, they installed commander's turrets from German tanks Pz.III and Pz.IV. The most creative approach to this issue was in the 22nd German Panzer Division. Captured by this formation at the end of the summer of 1943, the KV-1 tank was equipped not only commander's cupola, but also rearmed with a German 75-mm long-barreled gun.

Captured T-34 tanks are being repaired in the workshop of the Kharkov Locomotive Plant. Spring 1943. The work was carried out by a special enterprise created in the structure of the 1st SS Panzer Corps

The repaired T-34 tanks became part of the mixed tank company of the SS Reich division, where they were used in conjunction with the German Pz.IV

One of the T-34 tanks of the motorized division "Grossdeutschland". In the foreground is an armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.252. Eastern Front, 1943

In May 1942, during the preparation German landing on the island of Malta (Operation Hercules) it was supposed to form a company of captured KV heavy tanks. It was planned to entrust them with the fight against the British infantry tanks"Matilda", which were part of the garrison of the island. However, the required number of serviceable KB tanks did not turn out to be, and this idea could not be realized, especially since the landing on Malta itself did not take place.

A number of captured T-70 and T-70M light tanks were used by Wehrmacht units under the designation Panzerkampfwagen T-70®. The exact number of these machines is unknown, but it is unlikely that there were more than 40 - 50 pieces. Most often these tanks were used in infantry divisions and police units (Ordnungspolizei), and in the latter (for example, in the 5th and 12th police tank companies) T-70s were operated until the end of 1944. In addition, quite a few T-70s with turrets removed were used to tow 50- and 75-mm anti-tank guns.

Another option for using captured equipment - the upper part of the hull and the turret of the T-34 tank became the basis for the creation of an armored car - a tank destroyer (Panzerjagerwagen). 1944

Armored vehicles in the yard of a repair plant in East Prussia: tanks "Panther", T-34 and twin-turret T-26(!). 1945 (center)

Heavy tank KV-1, used in the 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht. Eastern Front, 1942

Very rarely captured Soviet tanks were converted by the Germans into self-propelled guns. In this regard, the episode of the manufacture of ten self-propelled guns based on the T-26 tank at the end of 1943 can be considered the most massive. Instead of towers, they installed 75-mm French guns (7.5-st Pak 97/98 (f), covered with a shield. These vehicles entered service with the 3rd company of the 563rd anti-tank division. However, military service they were short-lived - already on March 1, 1944, they were all replaced by self-propelled guns "Marder III".

There is a known case of reworking the T-34 tank into an anti-aircraft self-propelled gun. The standard turret was dismantled, and instead a rotating special one, open from above, was installed. welded tower with a 20-mm quad mount Flakvierling 38. In the spring of 1944, this vehicle was included in the 653rd heavy anti-tank division of the self-propelled guns "Ferdinand".

Installation of a 75-mm KwK40 tank gun with a barrel length of 43 calibers in the turret of a captured Soviet KV-1 tank. 22nd Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, 1943

"Stalin's monster" - heavy tank KV-2 in the ranks of the Panzerwaffe! combat vehicles of this type were used by the Germans in the amount of several copies, however, judging by the photo, at least one of them was equipped with a German commander's cupola

In general, the number of Soviet tanks used by the German troops was very limited. Thus, according to official data, in May 1943 the Wehrmacht had 63 Russian tanks (of which 50 were T-34s), and in December 1944 there were 53 Russian tanks (of which 49 were T-34s).

The captured T-60 tank tows a 75 mm light infantry gun. Attention is drawn to the fact that the turret has been preserved on this machine, used as a tractor. 1942

A T-70 light tank converted into a tractor towing a 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun

In total, over the period from June 1941 to May 1945, German troops commissioned and used more than 300 Soviet tanks in battles with the Red Army.

Soviet armored vehicles were used mainly in those parts of the Wehrmacht and SS troops that captured them, and even then it was extremely limited. Among the Soviet armored vehicles operated by the Germans, one can mention the BA-20 - (Panzerspahwagen BA 202 (g), BA-6, BA-10 (Panzerspahwagen BA 203 (g) and BA-64. The captured semi-armored Komsomolets artillery tractors were used by the Germans directly purpose - for towing lungs artillery pieces. There is a known case of installing a 37-mm anti-tank gun Pak 35/36 on the roof of the armored cab of a tractor behind a regular shield.

The tractor - a captured Soviet T-70 tank without a turret - tows a captured Soviet 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon. Rostov-on-Don, 1942

German officer uses the turret of a captured BA-3 armored car as an observation post. 1942 On wheels rear axles caterpillars "Overroll" are put on

Preventing an attack by their own aircraft, German soldiers are in a hurry to strengthen the flag with a swastika on the captured Soviet armored car BA-10

As a result of the defeats, the Red Army found itself in such a situation that it was necessary to fight not only against the Germans, but also for German tanks, because there were very few of their own. That's just what they were in battle, that's another question.

And it will be a big surprise for many that the wrecked German tanks were already used in the first weeks of the war. However, they could not be repaired, so they were used as firing points to fire at the Germans with their own weapons. Soviet tankers even resorted to special raids, on high-speed T-26 light tanks, to capture German tanks. It was such a raid that was undertaken on July 7, 1941, when Ryazanov from the 18th division on his tank was able to bring a captured German T-3 tank.

At first, Soviet tankers used German tanks, largely because their vehicles were knocked out, and they had to fight on something. And the command did not encourage the capture of trophies, but everything changed in the fall of the 41st. When even enterprises were created that collected trophy masses of tanks, in order to eventually repair them and lead them into battle. Over the course of time, this department or enterprise has constantly increased and improved.

The very first large batches of captured equipment were received by Soviet tankers in the spring of 42, after the victory in the battle for Moscow. So, the Soviet 5th Army from December 41st to April 42nd was able to get more than 400 pieces of enemy equipment in battles, almost half of which were still trucks. But there are only 25 tanks, but this is only one army.

Initially, German technology was studied, and only then they were thrown to the front. And they gave such tanks very patriotic names, such as: Dmitry Donskoy, Alexander Surov, Kutuzov and Nevsky. Especially loved by the Soviet military Shtug 3, the famous German self-propelled guns.

Regarding opinions, the Soviet tankers liked the most medium tank T-3, which had excellent optics, as well as equipment that would provide communication with other tanks. Also, the German Panthers were especially valued, which were used only by battle-tested tankers to fight directly with German tanks.

It is known that the capture of a trophy is as natural a thing in war as a mistake ... After all, what is war if not a system of mistakes? And the fewer mistakes, the fewer trophies the enemy has... This "trophy" photo selection will be shown only from the German side. However, this will not hurt to show us a lot of the most diverse equipment of the main countries participating in the Second World War.

Soviet heavy five-turreted T-35 tank, manufactured in 1938, abandoned in the Dubno region in a roadside ditch due to a malfunction or lack of fuel. Similar, non-combat circumstances were the main reason for the loss of almost all of these tanks in the first weeks of the war.
Two white stripes on the turret - the tactical badge of the 67th tank regiment of the 34th tank division of the 8th mechanized corps of the Kyiv OVO. Next to the T-26 issue of 1940.

The use of captured equipment is fraught with many dangers, primarily the danger of being hit by your own units. However, this did not prevent the use of not only captured tanks, but also aircraft. In the photo Yak-9!

Of course, sometimes the trophies needed to be improved. The next photo (which has already become a classic) is a T34 with an improved commander's turret, a flame arrester, additional boxes and a headlight ...

Soviet heavy tank IS-2, captured by the Germans. On the tower there is an inscription in German: "Intended for OKW" (OKW, High Command of the Wehrmacht).


Matilda abandoned by the carriage

German soldiers in front of Churchill

German soldiers, probably in front of the BA-10

american soldier examines the abandoned Sturmgeschutz III Ausf. G with the "unshod" left caterpillar, France, 1944. The self-propelled gun was immobilized by a shell hit on the left sloth.

"Panther" (Pz.Kpfw V Panther Ausf. G), shot down near a bridge in Germany. The inscription in German reads: "Attention, the bridge is closed to cars of all kinds, cyclists dismount."

Destroyed Sturmgeschutz IV near Aachen, Germany. Apparently, the car was repainted by the crew on hastily– winter color is absent in many places. To free the roadway, the self-propelled guns were dragged to the edge of the road.

A heavy anti-tank self-propelled gun "Jagdtigr" (Panzerj?ger Tiger) blown up by its crew, Germany, March 1945. The photographer decided to take a picture before the representative of the Military Police (Military Police) put himself in order. The armor plate of the roof of the fighting compartment was thrown off by the explosion, the forehead of the cabin 250 mm thick is clearly visible.

This Pz.Kpfw IV Ausf. J was lost in the battles for the city of Saint-Fromond, France, in July 1944, and is being prepared for evacuation using the American M1A1 tractor. You can clearly see a hole in the frontal armor of the hull. On the tank turret, to the right of the gun mantlet, on the surface of the zimmerite one can observe traces of bullets from small arms

"Sturmtigr" (38cm RW61 auf Sturmm?rser Tiger) with a downed caterpillar, photographed near the autobahn in the Ebendorf area. Germany, April 1945. At the rear of the fighting compartment is a crane designed to load 330-kg high-explosive rockets through a hatch in the roof.

locals inspecting the wrecked Sturmgeschutz III Ausf. G, belonging to the 10th Panzergrenadier Division, photo taken May 10, 1945. Field-work side skirts give this SPG the look of a Jagdpanzer IV.

StuG III captured by the Red Army in perfect working order. August 1941

Soldiers of the Red Army on captured tanks Pz.lll and Pz. IV. Western Front, September 1941



Soldiers of the Red Army at the captured Romanian tank R-1. Odessa area, September 1941

* Captured German armored car Sd.Kfz.261 in service with the Red Army, Western Front, August 1941. The vehicle was repainted in the standard Soviet camouflage color 4 BO, a red flag was fixed on the left wing

* A column of captured combat vehicles (a Pz. III tank and three StuG III) on the Western Front, March 1942. On board the tank is the inscription "Death to Hitler!"

* The image clearly shows the emblem of the 18th Wehrmacht Panzer Division and the regimental badge of the 18th Panzer Regiment on the turret of the Pz. IV. Western Front, September 1941

* A brigade of tank repairmen studying captured StuG IIIs (from the 192nd assault gun battalion) at repair base No. 82. April 1942

* Captured German armored vehicles captured by units of the 65th Army at the Demekhi station. Belorussian Front, February 1944

* A column of captured combat vehicles (a Pz. III tank in front, followed by three StuG IIIs) on the Western Front, March 1942.

* Inspection of the repaired tank Pz. III Major Engineer Gudkov. Western Front, 1942

* Captured self-propelled gun StuG III with the inscription "Avenger". Western Front, March 1942

* Trophy tank Pz. III under the command of Mitrofanov is sent to a military operation. Western front, 1942

The crew of the captured Panzerjager I self-propelled gun is refining its combat mission. Presumably the 31st Army of the Western Front, August 1942.

The crew of the tank Pz. III under the command of N. Baryshev on his combat vehicle. Volkhov Front, 107th separate tank battalion, July 6, 1942

The commissar of the unit I. Sobchenko conducts political information in the 107th separate tank battalion. Volkhov Front, July 6, 1942. Tanks Pz. IV and Pz. III (tower numbers 08 and 04) (RGAKFD SPB).

Scout V. Kondratenko, a former tractor driver, made his way to the rear of the Germans and took a serviceable Pz tank to his location. IV. North Caucasian Front, December 1942

Trophy tank Pz. IVAusf FI with Soviet crew. North Caucasian Front, presumably the 151st Tank Brigade. March 1943

German armored vehicles (armored car Sd.Kfz. 231, tanks Pz. III Ausf. L and Pz. IV Ausf.F2), captured in perfect condition near Mozdok. 1943


Captured T-34 tank, converted by the Germans into an anti-aircraft self-propelled gun with a 20-mm quadruple automatic cannon. 1944

One of the T-34 tanks of the motorized division "Grossdeutschland". In the foreground is an armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.252. Eastern Front, 1943

Heavy tank KV-1, used in the 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht. Eastern Front, 1942

"Stalin's Monster" - a heavy tank KV-2 in the ranks of the Panzerwaffe! Fighting vehicles of this type were used by the Germans in the amount of several copies, however, judging by the photo, at least one of them was equipped with a German commander's cupola

The captured T-60 tank tows a 75 mm light infantry gun. Attention is drawn to the fact that the turret has been preserved on this machine, used as a tractor. 1942

This turretless captured T-60 is used as a light armored personnel carrier armed with an MG34 infantry machine gun. Voronezh, summer 1942

A T-70 light tank converted into a tractor towing a 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun

The tractor - a captured Soviet T-70 tank without a turret - tows a captured Soviet 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon. Rostov-on-Don, 1942

A German officer uses the turret of a captured BA-3 armored car as an observation post. 1942 Overroll caterpillars are put on the wheels of the rear axles

Ferdinand”, captured by soldiers of the 129th Rifle Division, serviceable with a crew

KV-1 model 1942 with a ZIS-5 gun in a cast turret:

KV-1 of the earliest series, with the L-11 cannon and early undercarriage.
German visible alteration - German commander's cupola.