Beute T34 in the West?

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by Dave55, Sep 16, 2019.

  1. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Did the Germans bring any captured T-34s back to the Western Front?
     
  2. TTH

    TTH Senior Member

    Dave55 likes this.
  3. Sapper D.

    Sapper D. Active Member

    I've read quite a few books on WW2 in the West but I've never read anything about German use of T-34.
     
  4. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Had a (very quick) shufti in Vollert last week,& he thinks maybe a couple of beute recovery chassis with SS owners, and there might have been one or two used in last ditch defence of industrial/testing facilities (but the most-mentioned one of those appears to have likely been a KV1).
    Interesting question, though. They never seem to have got around to a formalised supply & repair system for beute gear, so it mostly makes sense to use them where their former owners operated.

    (Splitting the question off, as it's rather different to Public tanks.)
     
  5. Tom OBrien

    Tom OBrien Senior Member

    Does Italy count? I’ve seen some photos of a T-34 there.

    Regards

    Tom
     
  6. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    One has to be careful, repainted ex Yugoslavian army T-34s have masqueraded as panzers in films sometimes set in Italy
     
  7. Tom OBrien

    Tom OBrien Senior Member

    Robert-w,

    I've just checked and the photos are in Panzerwrecks 13: Italy 2 - very late war, just outside Trieste. Seems that the NZ Division had a bit of a dust up with them. The survivors do appear to have been taken over by Tito's forces, so more pre-Yugoslavian than ex! :)

    Regards

    Tom
     
    Chris C likes this.
  8. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    During 1943 the Germans started producing their own T-34[4] tanks in captured Soviet production plants, designated T-34 747(r) or Panzerkampfwagen 747(r)[4]

    Beutepanzer - Wikipedia

    Wow. Anyone have any more info or pictures of the Germans running a Russian tank factory?
     
  9. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    Somewhat sceptical of the article having already spotted number of errors and exaggerations in the first section - on beute panzers.in WW1 - where the figures quoted are off the wall and some of the facts plain wrong - doesn't give me much faith in the rest of it
     
    ceolredmonger likes this.
  10. ceolredmonger

    ceolredmonger Member

    According to reliable sources both of the Kharkov tank factories were evacuated of equipment and expertice before capture. The Stalingrad factory was fought over but not in German hands in a condition to go into production.
    I suspect the Wikipedia article is confusing German workshops set up to modify existing T-34s to German specs. which may have been classed as 're-manufacture'.
     
  11. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    I just tend to suspect Wikipedia articles - full stop.
     
    ceolredmonger and CoenNL like this.
  12. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

    This passage overstates what the Germans did. Using the book VP already mentioned:
    [​IMG]
    I've attached shots of the two pages (38-9) that reference the tank factory. In summary, the SS utilized parts of the T-34 tank factory captured in Kharkov which hadn't been fully evacuated. They completed the constuction of a number of half finished T-34s and repaired/converted another 31 captured during the fighting around Kharkov. As Vollert states: "In some sources it is mentioned the SS continued the production of T-34s on this site, yet this is highly overstated - it only completed the work of the Russians with those parts on hand and repaired tanks." (Vollert p 39)

    Vollert1.jpg Vollert2.jpg
     

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