Tiger tanks in action at Kursk during the Summer of 1943

Along with the Tigers rolling about the Russian steppes, interesting mix of Soviet armor appears in this footage. Most of the former featured are likely Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 vehicles, the unit served well during the Battle of Kursk suffering relatively few combat losses and claiming over twenty Soviet tanks destroyed for every Tiger lost. At 1:00 the vehicle near the camera is likely a Befehlspanzerwagen III command tank with a “sternantenna“ aerial for its long range radio, with these lighter tanks frequently working in concert with their heavier counterparts. At 1:17 the troops sheltering near the Tiger’s tracks appear to regret their choice of location as they are hit by the powerful muzzle blast from the tank’s 88mm gun. Among the casualties the T-34/76 unsurprisingly features heavily including the then-current Model 1943, an example of which is seen burning at 1:08. The two open hatches are typical of the variant and are also the feature they led it to be nicknamed the “Mickey Mouse“. At 1:31 several knocked out examples of US-built M3 Lee tank appear, while this model arrived in the Soviet Union at a time when any tank was better than no tank, it was not popular with crews. Its armor was inadequate even against 50mm high velocity guns, and by the time it saw action the even more effective 75mm guns had been introduced. Needless to say it would have been no match for the Tiger even at distances exceeding two kilometers. At 1:40 a T-34/76 appears sporting at least two penetrating hits, one each in turret and hull, and in the latter case what is interesting is that the impact has shattered the armor and broken the welds. This suggests that it was made too brittle, possibly due to a combination of lack of certain materials and inadequate heat treatment, issues that would go on to plague German armor as the war progressed. The next T-34 pictured has been torn apart at the seams, likely by an internal ammunition explosion. At 1:51 a T-70 light tank appears with hull roof collapsed, and after it a US-built M3A1 Stuart. The former vehicle was of a slightly later generation than the latter with an edge in both armor and firepower, but the Red Army was unhappy with their performance on the battlefield and production of light tanks would be halted before the year was over. The Stuart carries an external fuel tank that substantially increased the vehicle’s range while also being a considerable fire hazard in combat, especially as the vehicle used high-octane aviation fuel that was more flammable than the diesel used by most Soviet-built tanks. At the end of the clip the remains of an armored train appear, almost certainly destroyed from the air, although there were some instances during WWII when trains were engaged by tanks. If you would like to support the channel consider visiting