Panzer III vs. T-34 (featuring Chieftain)

Comparing the Panzer III Ausf. H with the T-34 Model 1941 with respect to their qualities that are often not shown in the paper stats. As such we take a deeper more holistic look at Firepower, Ergonomics, Mobility, Armor and Communications. Based on Russian, German & US Sources.

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Kavalerchik, Boris: The Tanks of Operation Barbarossa. Soviet versus German Armour on the Eastern Front. Pen & Sword Military: Barnsley, UK, 2018

Zaloga, Steven: Armored Champion. The top Tanks of World War II. Stackpole Books: Mechanicsburg, US, 2015.

Spielberger, Walter; Wiener, Friedrich: Die deutschen Panzerkampfwagen III und IV mit ihren Abarten 1935-1945. J. F. Lehmanns Verlag, München, 1968.
English Version: Spielberger, Walter: Panzer III & Its Variants

Glantz, David M.: Colossus Reborn. The Red Army at War, 1941-1943. University Kansas Press: Kansas, US, 2005

Hill, Alexander: The Red Army and the Second World War. Armies of the Second World War. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 2017.

Jentz, Thomas L.: Panzertruppen – The complete guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany’s Tank Force – 1933-1942. Schiffer Military History: Atglen, USA, 1996

Pöhlmann, Markus: Der Panzer und die Mechanisierung des Krieges: Eine deutsche Geschichte 1890 bis 1945. Ferdinand Schöningh: Paderborn, 2016.

H. Dv. 470/6: Ausbildungsvorschrift für die Panzertruppe – Heft 6. Die leichte Panzerkompanie, September 1940

Jentz, Thomas L.; Doyle, Hilary Louis: Panzer tracts No.3-2 – Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. E, F, G, und H development and production from 1938 to 1941

Luther, Craig W.H.: Barbarossa Unleashed. The German Blitzkrieg through Central Russia to the Gates of Moscow. June-December 1941. Schiffer Publishing: Atglen, Pennsylvania: 2013.

Tank Archives: F-34 vs German Tanks

Tank Archives: Soviet Armour Quality

Munzel, Oskar: Die deutschen gepanzerten Truppen bis 1945

Nehring, Walther K.: Die Geschichte der deutschen Panzerwaffe 1916-1945, Motorbuch Verlag: Stuttgart, 1974

Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, Band 4: Der Angriff auf die Sowjetunion
ENGLISH VERSION: Germany and the Second World War Volume 4. The Attack on the Soviet Union

Senger und Etterlin, F.M. von: Die deutschen Panzer 1926-1945

Stahel, David: Operation Barbarossa and Germany’s Defeat in the East. Cambridge University Press: UK, 2009

The Evolution of Headsets and Throat Mikes for Panzers (1935-1945)

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[MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

Corrections:
14:55 The speed for the T-34 should be 34 miles/h not 43, the 55 km/h is correct. thx to Freek.

[hollowaldfee]

me at 10 pm: "Let's go to sleep early today"
me at 3 am: "Panzer III vs. T-34 (featuring Chieftain)"

[glhf]

Would love to see a follow up, maybe with the Panzer IV and the T-34/76 in 1942 or 1943, to see how they adapted to the problems.

[MaxSluiman]

As a long time amateur war historian, of all the good and less good video makers on war history, I consider you the best. Your humor and accent are a bonus. Thanks!

[patrickholt]

The performance of Soviet tank forces in 1941 was crucially damaged by the extent to which the formations were understrength in infantry, artillery, mortars, trucks and ammunition, so that even if the tank crews had been perfectly trained, as units they were almost bound to fail, because tanks without support infantry, services and adequate resupply (trucks) are virtually defenceless.

[richardrichards]

I love the Chiefton mentioning that he is 198 cm tall. Can you imagine a Soviet or German tanker being selected for this duty when they were 198 cm tall? All armies in WW2 would have selected for shorter men to fit into their vehicles.

[borisxanovavich]

"War is a team effort"
Remember guys, you need sly diplomats as well as good cannon fodder.

[charleslathrop]

"Even Communists were unable to make Soviet Russia run out of mud and snow."

This is pure gold.

[thethirdman]

A few points that never really come in for consideration: first of all, the PzKpfw III was a mature tank whose development was a lot longer than it might have been because of the difficulties with the suspension. If I remember correctly it was nearly cancelled because it was taking so long. By contrast, the T-34, despite its numbers, had not been in production for very long when the war on the Eastern Front broke out. It was a pre-war design that was developed in circumstances of no threat.

Secondly, the PzKpfw III was very much a combat proven weapons by the time it was committed to Barbarossa. The tank crew were no longer in a position of trying to find out how best to operate it. It had done well in both France and North Africa and was a known quantity in practically all kinds of conditions.

Finally - and this is almost never pointed out - the T-34 was produced in conditions that were not experienced in the same way by any other combatant nation in WWII or, indeed, any other war. Much is made in any video about the quality of design and manufacture of the T-34 without acknowledging that it was built by people who were unsuitable for front line combat and occasionally, such as in the Leningrad factory, under the most horrendous conditions. It's certainly true that in some tanks you could put your finger between the plates. It's true that some parts were badly designed (you should see the _original_ turret design) and it's true that many of them broke down in the early part of the war. But when you stop to consider the fact that the factories had to be moved to safety behind the Urals, that practically all the skilled workers were at the front and those manning the factories were mostly old, very young or unskilled, the fact that they were able to produce anything at all is quite amazing. Whether by design or coincidence, the T-34 was not terribly difficult to build.

Overall, it's hard to imagine amore difficult situation in which to build and perfect and complex piece of machinery like a tank. On top of that, the Red Army had little time in which to learn how to use it to best effect.

And by the way, I can't recall anyone saying the T-34 was actually revolutionary. The Germans were certainly very interested in the sloped armour and it was an influence in later tank designs. Even the BT series tanks had sloping armour.

[minutenreis]

just a little correction from a mathematical aspect: 55 km/h are 34.2 mph, not 43
Edit: I am reffering to 15:00

[Ypog_UA]

When it said some were knocked out by 20mm shells, before you mentioned they were Pzgr. 40 I just had the image of a flak gun relentlessly pinging the armour until the crew couldn't take it anymore

[SpartanAMoose]

10:45 bloody leonardo da vinci's design had sloped armour

[Paveway-chan]

1:05 "So no PzGr 40 spam" I lol'd xD You telling me there was no gold spammers on the Eastern front? I hiiighly doubt it xD

[Purlictor]

Nice little totalbiscuit reference at 3:23

[SantiFiore]

Marvel: "Infinity War is the most ambitious crossover event in History"
Me: 5:37

[BigYabai]

The T-34 was cheaper, quicker to produce and easier to repair, too.
Meaning that though in a one-on-one it really depended on range and conditions, in the grand strategy sense a busted T-34 was quickly and cheaply replaced, while a Panzer III was considerably more expensive and much, much more time-consuming to build and repair.
That also meant shoddy and inconsistent build quality, but that doesn't matter so much in a war of attrition.

[milrevko]

You sir have an excellent channel! May the eyes of Mars always be upon you.

Plus I can finally figure out the correct pronunciation of all the German technical terms.

Cool that you teamed up with The Chieftain, both of you are two of the best.

[hannibalcosta]

They forgot about the main one. The engine of the t34 was aluminum and consumed the cheap diesel. A CHEAP vehicle designed for mass production.

[RemoteViewr]

Fascinating, illuminating, insightful. Keeps me coming back for more. Great content. Thanks for integrating all the different sources and constructing a better understanding of the realities.

[gungatim]

Excellent work, thank you, I really enjoyed your work here. BTW, the T-34 crew commander was the gunner, not the loader. Which, in my opinion, only makes things worse. :)