06.03.2020

What is better than a tiger p. Which tank is better - "Tiger" or "34-ka"? Here is such a thing

In this topic, I would like to compare the weapons and equipment of rivals in the Second World War. Years pass and new myths are born. Especially often in Lately these myths are self-deprecating.

For example, in one Topic on the Forum, a certain Ivan Ermakov solemnly announced that the "Tiger" was the best tank of the Second World War. And he gets stormy applause, everyone agrees, everyone is very happy to spit on our history and our outstanding designers. And together with the designers, to belittle all our people: they say, lappeters, fools, only knew how to number them .... And in unison they throw up a playful story about how one Tiger burned dozens, atoms and hundreds of Russian tanks at a time in a battle. Everyone believes, everyone is delighted ... So it turns out as it was ....

Where do stories like this come from? Who needs them? Tolerate such insanity is simply no longer possible. He must be fought!
So let's look at the famous tank "Tiger" and identify its deadly flaws in comparison with any Soviet tank, including the heavy Soviet tank IS-2.

The mass of the "tiger" is 57 tons, the mass of the royal tiger is 70 tons. The mass of the Soviet heavy tank IS-2 is 46 tons. This is the verdict for the Tiger! In fact, the German "masterpiece" had to carry an additional 11 tons on its transmission (we will not even consider the Royal Tiger). We will talk further about the monstrous consequences and causes of this factor, which is insurmountable for German designers ...

But, maybe with such super-heavy performance, the Tiger tank had better weapons? After all, what is the main thing for a heavy tank: firepower and armor. Let's compare:

A turret from a Porsche tank with an 88-mm cannon (8.8 cm KwK 36) was installed on the Henschel Tiger (before that there was a 75 mm cannon).

The IS-2 was originally equipped with a 122-mm D-25 gun.

These are the killer indicators for the Tiger. Having a weight of 11 tons more, the tank had a gun one and a half times smaller in diameter and penetrating power. I would like to note that the IS-2 tanks successfully pierced the vaunted armor of the Tigers from a distance of more than 1 km! The German cannon could not penetrate the armor of the IS-2 from such a distance.

And why were the Tiger tanks so heavy? Does anyone know the answer? For some reason, Ivan Ermakov did not cover this aspect of the "advancement" of German designers. How good it is to glorify everything foreign and denigrate everything domestic ... It is so fashionable in recent years.
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IS-2 frontal armor - 122 mm, side 95 mm, stern 90 mm, having a streamlined turret shape, from which shells simply ricocheted, the IS-2 tank was simply invulnerable to the Tiger both in a frontal attack and during maneuvers.
Tiger-1 frontal armor - 100 mm, did not have side and rear armor as such and was vulnerable from these attack vectors even to ordinary regimental guns.

Why is the streamlined shape of the tank adopted today, the prototype of which was the Soviet T-34 and IS-2 (IS-1) tanks? Why didn't they take the box-shaped form of "advanced" German designers?

In total, we have: the Tigers were inferior to the IS-2 both in combat power and in armor protection. So maybe they were faster and had more power reserve? Let's check:

IS-2 Road speed - 37 km/h; off-road - 24 km / h. Cruising on the road - 250 km;
off-road - 210 km

Tiger-1 Speed on the road - 38 km / h; almost unsuitable for off-road, due to the gigantic mass and serious errors in the chassis. He is simply an elm even in an ordinary peat puddle.
Range on the road - 140 km

Depressing indicators for the Tiger. Having the same speed performance on the road, the Tigers were significantly inferior to the Russian IS-2 tank in off-road speed and patency. And in terms of power reserve, they generally lost almost twice.
The last parameter is extremely important, especially in conditions of total war and major strategic offensive operations. talking plain language, even if German tanks had begun a forced march from near Volokolamsk to Moscow and NO ONE would have held them back, they would have stopped in the Krasnogorsk region, having used up the power reserve and worn out the main technical units. And our soldiers, having cut off the communications for the supply of fuel and lubricants and consumable spare parts, would simply shoot the standing tanks point-blank at the unprotected sides. But, all these are very optimistic assumptions for the Tiger tanks. The fact is that they were generally not suitable for winter companies.
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Now let's talk about who burned whom in reality, the Tigers are Russian tanks hundreds at a time, or our IS-2s. It is worth noting that for some reason many unscrupulous "experts" often compare the most famous German tank "Tiger-1" with the most famous Soviet tank "T-34". But this is not a true and amateurish comparison. The fact is that the T-34 was a medium tank, and the Tiger was heavy. You can not arrange a duel between a boxer of an average weight category and heavyweight. These tanks had different tactical goals and objectives. For a quick entry into a breakthrough and rapid tank breakthroughs, there were no tanks equal to the T-34 .... This unique machine has become the pride of our people is absolutely deserved.

Heavy tanks are intended specifically for tank fights. So let's see how the fights on the battlefield between the vaunted "Tiger" and the IS-2 actually ended.

Let's start with the gun tests: The state tests of the IS-122 tank (object 240) went very quickly and successfully. After that, the tank was transferred to one of the firing ranges near Moscow, where a shot was fired at an empty captured German Panther tank from a 122-mm cannon from a distance of 1500 meters in the presence of K. E. Voroshilov. The projectile, breaking through the side armor of the tower deployed to the right, hit the opposite sheet, tore it off by welding and threw it a few meters. That is, the Panther heavy tank was easily destroyed by the IS-2 cannon from a distance of 1500 m !!! The shell pierced the German monsters through and through, breaking through two walls of armor. It is worth noting that, according to numerous memoirs of participants in the Second World War, the German heavy tanks had a very weak turret mount (the turret was removable, any engine repair required the removal of the turret, we'll talk later). The frontal impact of the IS-2 projectile simply demolished the Tiger tower and threw it back. The non-streamlined shape of the Tiger tank led to the fact that all the power of the 122 mm blank falling into it turned into the most powerful force and the tank failed after the first hit. No rate of fire and other conveniences when charging German tanks did not save, because while the German tank approached the distance of a conditional opportunity to inflict at least some damage on the IS-2 (about 300 m when it hit the side), the Russian miracle machines calmly shot the approaching slow-moving Tigers starting from one and a half kilometers.

Baptism of fire IS-2, received at the final stage of the liberation of the right-bank Ukraine. During this period, the regiment as part of the 1st GvTA fought in the area of the city of Obertin (Ivano-Frankivsk region). In twenty days of continuous fighting, the regiment's personnel destroyed 41 Tiger tanks and Ferdinand (Elephant) self-propelled guns, 3 armored personnel carriers with ammunition and 10 anti-tank guns, irrevocably losing 8 IS-122 tanks.

In December 1944, the formation of separate guards heavy tank brigades began. Usually they were created on the basis of brigades with T-34s. The appearance of these units was due to the necessity of concentrating heavy tanks in the directions of the main attacks of the fronts and armies in order to break through heavily fortified defensive lines, as well as to fight enemy tank groupings.

The first meeting of the ISs with the "Royal Tigers" (Tiger II) was not in favor of the Germans. On August 13, 1944, a platoon of IS-2 tanks of the Guards Senior Lieutenant Klimenkov from the 3rd Tank Battalion of the 71st Guards Heavy Tank Regiment engaged German tanks from pre-prepared positions, knocked out one Royal Tiger and burned another one. At about the same time, a single IS-2 of the guards, senior lieutenant Udalov, acting from an ambush, entered the battle with the 7th Royal Tigers, and also burned one and knocked out another. The surviving five cars began to retreat. Tank Udalov, having made a maneuver towards the enemy, burned another Royal Tiger.

So who burned whom, the Russian Tigers, or our German Ivanov ISs?
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With the appearance on the battlefield of Soviet IS-2 tanks, which easily dealt with the clumsy Tigers-1, the German command requested to do new tank, capable of withstanding the Soviet Tiger fighter. So, at the very end of the war, a 68-ton freak appeared, called the "Royal Tiger". Given the gigantic cost of this machine (119 tons of steel were spent on the production of one tank), it was produced in small quantities. But the main task - to be invulnerable against the Russian IS-2 was solved by the clumsy method: the armor was even heavier and the barrel of the old 88-mm gun was lengthened. Having an extremely clumsy and bulky appearance, the "Royal Tiger" was supposed to be used only from ambushes and as a mobile command post officer staff.

Let's think about what tank the famous "Royal Tiger" was made on the basis of. No, not at all based on the Tiger-1. "King Tiger" was called a hybrid between "Elephant" and "Panther". From the first he received the famous 88-mm cannon, and from the second - the shape of the hull with rational angles of inclination of the armor plates. Why did the designers not take the main nodes for optimization from the Tiger I ??? The answer is obvious - since 1944, the Tiger-1 has become irrevocably outdated. Morally. The Tiger-1 could not resist the much more advanced Soviet tanks IS-2 under any additional modifications. Therefore, only an amateur can say that the Tiger-1 was the best WWII tank. In addition, the staging itself is not correct, one must say "the best heavy tank."

And why were German tanks so heavy and expensive? The answer lies in the mistaken decision to make tanks rear-wheel drive. The Germans never managed to make a front-wheel drive tank, while the Russian designers made front-wheel drive vehicles. To transmit torque to the front shaft, it was necessary to additionally install a multi-ton and bulky cardan shaft, which stretched through the entire hull and made German tanks heavier and overall. But that's not all. This design miscalculation forced hundreds German tanks attributed to non-combat losses. The thing is that the often breaking cardan could not be repaired and replaced without dismantling the Tiger tower. And to raise such a colossus, special workshops are needed. As you understand, the Germans could not afford such a service in the second half of the Second World War. Soviet tanks did not have a similar problem, because they did not have a cardan shaft itself. Moreover, all the main units of Soviet tanks were easily dismantled through the side technical hatches. The German monsters almost had to remove the tower. But in addition to these problems, the very weighting of the tank itself led to inevitable costs for all units of the chassis. Their wear became much higher than that of the much lighter IS-2 tanks.

Total: The Tiger, in addition to a significantly lower power reserve and power resource, was as inconvenient as possible during repair work. And this is a very important component, if not the main one.

Let's continue to study the misunderstandings of the "Tiger-1" in comparison with the Soviet tank IS-2.

Specific power:

Tiger: 11.4 hp/t
IS-2: 11.3 hp/t

Specific ground pressure:

Tiger: 1.06 kg/cm
IS-2: 0.8 kg/cm.

That is, with almost the same power, the Tiger had almost 30% more pressure on the ground! And this is not a trifle at all, it is extremely important point, more important than any conveniences there for aiming and charging. A tank is, first of all, mobility in any conditions. And what do we see: since the specific pressure of the Pz.Kpfw.VI was 30% higher than that of the IS-2, already in the first battle on September 22, 1942, when the Tigers went on the attack near the village of Tortolovo near Leningrad, they stuck in the mud! Three tanks, with the support of artillery and infantry, were evacuated a few days later, and the fourth tank remained in no man's land and a month later was blown up on Hitler's orders.

Transportation of "Tigers" railway also presented a big problem. They could only be transported on a special conveyor. In the echelon between the two conveyors, it was necessary to hook four ordinary wagons so as not to exceed the permissible load on the railway bridges. But even on a special transporter it was impossible to load the Tiger without additional problems. It had to be “changed shoes” into special transport tracks and remove the outer row of road wheels. (http://www.wars20cen...u/publ/6-1-0-28)

But that's not all the problems associated with the heavyweight Tiger. The Tigers were absolutely incapable of resisting the mines. Any mine exploding under the caterpillar led the expensive colossus into the enemy's trophy. On all Soviet tanks, even if the skating rink turned out to be broken, the tank has at least five of them and it is not a problem to change them. The main thing is that the tank remained on the move, quickly inserted a spare track and continued the attack. Well, the tank rides for another day on four rinks instead of five - no problem, but after the battle they will put a new rink. Any Soviet tank, including the IS-2, but not the Tiger. The tiger on four rollers could not continue to move - the load became prohibitive. Therefore, he simply stopped and needed a major overhaul. Without a truck crane and a dozen assistants, it was impossible to cope with the replacement of the skating rink. But how to do it in combat conditions? Therefore, after the battles, the almost untouched Tigers stood as trophies, and the German aviation tried to undermine the irretrievably lost tanks due to the failure of only one skating rink.

Well, about other misunderstandings of this "best tank" ... Here, Ivan alone on Razgovorchik praises and praises the rate of fire of the Tiger tank. Yes, it was, really 8 seconds to reload the gun and a new shot. But for some reason, our ingenious weapons expert kept silent about the main parameter aimed shooting in battle. For accurate and aimed shooting, you need a quick turn of the tower. Let's compare this most important aspect of aimed fire:

Tiger-1 turret rotation 360 degrees - 60 seconds
IS-2 360 degree turret rotation -22 seconds.

The question immediately arises (by the way, it was also asked on the Razgovorchik): who needs such a rate of fire if the tower does not have time to turn behind the targets? How can such a "hut on chicken legs" be called the "best tank" ?!

Therefore, the main trump card of the rate of fire was simply leveled by the slowness of the turret rotation.

Below is another important characteristic of armor-piercing at a distance of 1 km:

Tiger - 100 mm in the range of 60 degrees
Is-2 - 142 mm in the range of 90 degrees

And there is no need to treat naive listeners that the 88 mm gun installed on the Tigers was better than the 122 mm IS-2 gun due to the super design. Yes, indeed, the best gun of the Second World War is, perhaps, the 88 mm FlaK 18 anti-aircraft gun. No doubt about it. But even she, with all her advantages, could not compete with the super-powerful 122 mm IS-2 gun. Given the thickness of the frontal armor, the IS-2 could easily shoot German Tigers from a distance of more than 1 km, and while the barely crawling Tiger went to a conditional distance to defeat the IS, it was possible to send the entire ammunition load to it. But, I repeat, ONE hit was enough.

And why the Germans could not install a more powerful gun on the Tiger, no one knows? :)

In total, we state: the Tiger loses the IS-2 in all main characteristics.

Let's take another look at what the Tigers can generally catch on to in a dispute with the IS-2. All pro-German Ivans sing the same tale about the rate of fire in unison. As we reasonably proved, with the super-sluggish Tiger turret, such a rate of fire lost its meaning. More supporters of the superiority of the Tiger begin to sing a hymn about the semi-automatic shutter of the German 88-mm gun. Allegedly, it was convenient for the Germans, but ours was extremely inconvenient, they pushed it by hand .... Now let's see how things really were on the IS-2. From the beginning of 1944, the IS-122 began to be equipped with the D-25T gun (this designation was given to the D-2-5T gun in gross production), which was distinguished by the presence of a horizontal wedge semi-automatic shutter and a new “German type” muzzle brake (its design was borrowed to a certain extent from the muzzle brake of German 88 mm guns and 105 mm howitzers). The gun was equipped with more compact recoil devices, the location of the controls was improved for the convenience of the gunner in the cramped fighting compartment of the tank. The introduction of a semi-automatic shutter almost doubled the gun's rate of fire from 1...1.5 to 2...3 rounds per minute.

Designers Usenko, Pyankov, Gromov and others put a lot of work into the creation of the D-25T. The employees of the experienced design bureau Kotin did not stand aside either. He sent his designers G.M. Rybin and K.N. Ilyin, who, in a difficult situation for that time, took an active part in the development and debugging of a new semi-automatic shutter for such a powerful weapon.

But our outstanding compatriots did not stand still and went further than the Germans! In March 1944, the muzzle brake of the "German type" of the D-25T gun was replaced by a domestically designed TsAKB muzzle brake, which had a simpler manufacturing technology and high efficiency.

Our constructors were the best in the world and very quickly caught up with the enemy in those few components where they lagged behind. Therefore, fairy tales about manually loading the IS-2 cannon are nothing more than a fairy tale. Belief in such fairy tales is pure dilettantism.

We will continue to smash the supporters of the theory of the total superiority of German tank building over domestic. Very often, supporters of the latter theory say that the Germans had better everything: a walkie-talkie, and machine guns, and optical sights ... Yes, it was like that ... at the beginning of the war. It is what it is. The presence of a walkie-talkie on German tanks was indeed an extremely effective innovation. But we are now looking at the whole war, not the tragedy of the 41st ... we are looking for the best samples weapons that were able to recreate and put into mass production the participating country. Let us return in this aspect to the IS-2 and once again record the depressing indicators for the Tiger-1 in terms of main weapons:

Excellent armament allowed the Is-2 tank to hit the "Tiger" from a distance of 2000m from all angles. The presence of a powerful gun in the Is-2 forced the enemy to open fire on it from greater distances than they usually started shooting at the T-35/85, KV-85 and Is-85. The "Tigers" were forced to open fire on the Is-2 from a distance of already 1300m, since at this range the Is-2 could already calmly shoot them, but they still didn’t have it and they had nothing to do. The powerful armament of the Is-2 indirectly increased the security of the tank. A 7.62mm DT machine gun is paired with the cannon. Another 7.62mm DT machine gun was in a ball mount in the aft turret. They were used to destroy enemy manpower and lightly armored targets. To protect against attacks in the air, a 12.7mm DShKT anti-aircraft machine gun is mounted on the commander's cupola. Devices: For the gunner - a 4-fold articulated telescopic sight rangefinder TSh-17. For the commander - a PT-8 rangefinder articulated telescopic sight, a commander's cupola with a 360gr rotating in the sector. device MK-4, 6 sighting slots with triplex. Loader - prismatic, periscope device MK-4. To the driver - two devices MK-4, sighting slit with triplex. Optical sight for rear and anti-aircraft machine guns, main sight TSh-17 for coaxial machine gun. Communication means - radio station 9RM and TPU for four subscribers.

From the beginning of 1944, the IS-2 was not just a cool tank - it was a miracle of tank building. All the most advanced technologies have been included in this masterpiece. In addition to super-powerful weapons, super-sufficient armor, ALL tankers had radio communications, there were TWO MACHINE GUNS on convenient installations. And on top was an anti-aircraft machine gun, allowing you to destroy diving attack aircraft. All crew seats were equipped with excellent optics.

IS-2 is the pride of Russian tank building. No wonder he bore the name of the leader. These tanks were ahead of their time in all characteristics and therefore remained in service with the USSR until 1954. Unlike the Tiger-1, which was obsolete by the beginning of 1944, and in comparison with the IS-2, it looked like an ugly duckling against the backdrop of a white swan.

The outstanding qualities of the IS-2, undeservedly forgotten in our time, were well known during the war years. It was not for nothing that Stalin, who was very stingy with praises, said: “This is a tank of victory! we will end the war with him.” For the gigantic contribution to the defeat of the German Wehrmacht, it is the IS-2 (and not the T-34) that stands on a pedestal in Karlshorst near the house where G.K. Zhukov accepted the surrender of Nazi Germany ... It was this tank that for many years personified all-crushing power for the whole world Soviet Union and the greatest potential of domestic constructors and the people who created this masterpiece. Created and reached on it to Berlin!

Therefore, let all the pro-German-minded Ivans, Stepans, Fritz, Hans throw aside propaganda treatises about the greatest Tiger tank and look at things with a sober, uncomplicated look.

Before we move on to the study of other WWII tanks, their common disadvantages and advantages, we will finish with the Tiger-I and undoubtedly the best heavy tank of that war, the IS-2.

Many stubborn supporters of the Tiger-I, after presenting the above table, stubbornly disagree with the characteristics that are deadly for the Tiger. And grasp at the saving straw. Allegedly, yes, the Germans had only an 88 mm gun against the 122 mm of the IS-2, but it was the best, besides anti-aircraft gun, and the energy of the projectile was greater than that of the D-25T. Here is one tank lover from Krasnoyarsk "authoritatively" declares:

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Where did you get it from? I'm talking about muzzle energy ... The initial speed of the Germans is higher. And the difference between the guns is that 88 has an armor-piercing specialization, and 122 high-explosive. 122 just breaks through the armor, if you're lucky, and 88 breaks through.

It was as if the gun was made special for each projectile: high-explosive for some, armor-piercing for others. :) Uzhzhzhas, what cockroaches are sitting in people's heads.

We will not discuss the seriousness of such claims here. Let's just give the facts and close this question:

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The 122 mm D-25T tank gun was the most powerful mass-produced tank gun of the Second World War - its muzzle energy was 820 t.m., while the 88 mm KwK 43 gun of the German heavy tank PzKpfw VI Ausf B "Tiger II" it was equal to 520 t.m.

Total: in the Is-2, the gun gave the projectile a muzzle energy of 820 t.m. against 520 t.m. at the Tiger-II (the most powerful German tank with an extended modification of the 88-mm gun). And the Tiger I had even less, 368 t.m., due to the shorter muzzle. That is, this indicator for the "bad" IS-2 gun is more than twice as good as for the "good" Tiger gun! I think we are done with this issue.

About the projectiles. Soviet specialists developed unique projectiles for the IS-2. Both high-explosive and armor-piercing. But the high-explosive projectile with the OF-471 high-explosive fragmentation cannon grenade weighing 25 kg (the mass of explosive - TNT or ammotol - 3 kg) became especially famous. From the hit of this projectile, the Tigers simply burned like torches. Moreover, when hit at an angle of 60 degrees. the effect was even better. If an armor-piercing projectile simply pierced German monsters and they could continue the battle even after being hit, then the Soviet OF-471 high-explosive fragmentation grenade from an IS-2 tank projectile destroyed the seams when it hit and simply burned out the Tiger until its gas tanks flared up along with ammunition. This grenade simply did not leave the Tigers a chance.

And the IS-2 had different shells:

Sleeves and shells of the D-25T tank gun. From left to right: an armor-piercing shot shell, a high-explosive fragmentation shell, the OF-471 high-explosive fragmentation cannon grenade, the BR-471 sharp-headed armor-piercing tracer, and the BR-471B blunt-headed armor-piercing projectile with a ballistic tip. All shells are shown from two sides.

The IS-2 was decades ahead of its time and was later used in the USSR army before the introduction of the T10 tank. No new modifications could compare with the IS-2 in terms of reliability and efficiency. The IS-3 was withdrawn in 1946, because it was inferior to the more ancient IS-2 ... The same fate befell the IS-4 ... IS-7. Therefore, it was decided to stop at the IS-2, having modernized it a bit - it was too good.

They didn’t even rename it, they just added the letter M - modernized. And so the IS-2M served until the Eighties of the last century as one of the main tanks of the most powerful tank power in the world !!! The last known exercise involving the IS-2M took place in 1982 near Odessa. The official order of the Minister of Defense to remove the IS-2M from service with the Russian army was given only in 1995! This is what the tank was like...

Tigers are magnificent creatures, now, unfortunately, endangered. We bring to your attention interesting facts about these animals.

1. Unlike domestic cats, tigers have round pupils, not slit-like pupils. This is due to the fact that domestic cats are by nature animals that lead night image life, and tigers are "twilight": they hunt at dawn and at sunset.

2. Despite the fact that the eyes of tigers are not very dark adapted, their night vision is 6 times better than that of humans.

3. Most tigers have yellow eyes, but white tigers are blue-eyed, due to the fact that the same gene is responsible for eye and coat color in tigers.

4. Tigers mark territory by urinating on trees, and their urine has a distinct smell of oily popcorn.

5. From the smell of another tiger's urine, a tiger can get a lot of information: age, sex, reproductive function.

6. Male tigers have large area habitat than females, so they can find each other in a common area for mating. At the same time, the territory of an adult female never intersects with the territory of other females, and males never meet each other.

7. Usually tigers do not roar at other animals, but they can communicate with other tigers from afar with the help of a roar. If the tiger is about to attack, he does not growl, but snorts and hisses.

8. When several tigers claim the same prey after hunting, the males will let the females and cubs go ahead, unlike lions, which do the opposite. Male tigers will not argue over food, but will simply wait their turn.

10. The stripes on the tiger's forehead are reminiscent of the Chinese character for "King".

11. Just like in domestic cats, the stripes on the tiger's coat are "duplicated" on its skin, so even a shaved tiger will still remain striped.

12. Unlike most other cats, tigers love water and are excellent swimmers, able to swim several kilometers and cross rivers while hunting. It is not uncommon for tigers to bathe and play in the water just for fun.

13. Tigers are the largest of the cats, but the sizes of their subspecies vary greatly. The largest subspecies, the Siberian tiger, grows up to 3.5 m in length and has a weight of 300 kg, and the smallest, the Sumatran tiger, only up to 2 m and 100 kg.

14. Tigresses are able to conceive offspring only 4-5 days a year. During this period, they try to mate as many times as possible. Pregnancy lasts 3 months, in one offspring there are usually 2-3 tiger cubs.

15. The first week of life, tiger cubs are completely blind. About half of them do not live to adulthood.

16. The penis of the male remains rather flaccid during erection, so it has a bone (called the baculum) and is covered with barbed teeth that maintain the connection during copulation.

17. Tigers prefer to ambush their prey. If the subject of the hunt has noticed a tiger, the likelihood that the tiger will attack is rather small, since he will be confused. In some parts of India, people wear a face-shaped mask on the back of their heads when they enter the forest to prevent an attack.

18. Typically, tigers do not view humans as prey, but when threatened, the tiger will attack. In most cases, tiger attacks on people are provoked by the absence of other prey in the habitat.

19. A small number of tigers, having tasted human meat, become cannibals. One tigress, who once protected her cubs from people, subsequently began to attack only them. Until she was killed, she ate about 430 people.

20. Due to the instinctive preference for ambush hunting, even man-eating tigers do not attack human settlements and only attack a person who is alone. As a rule, they prey on people at night, as they know that people cannot see well in the dark.

21. Tigers cannot purr. They show the state of bliss by squinting or closing their eyes. Since losing sight even for a second means being vulnerable to attack, a tiger can only afford to close its eyes when it feels absolutely safe.

22. While running for short distances, the tiger develops speed up to 60 km/h.

23. Tigers can jump forward up to 6 m and up to 5 m. Their legs are so muscular and powerful that tigers can remain standing even when killed.

24. Only 1 out of 10 hunts are successful, so the tiger tends to eat more when possible. After a successful hunt, a tiger can gain up to 30 kg of weight in reserve.

25. Although the tiger freely goes without food for several days, he begins to experience hunger rather quickly compared to other animals, because due to his huge size he quickly loses weight. The tiger will die of starvation in 2-3 weeks, while people without much harm to health can starve for 30-40 days.

27. Due to similar living conditions, bears make up a large part of the tiger's diet. Tigers can growl in a bearish manner to lure prey into their claws.

28. Tigers kill their prey by strangulation or by gnawing their necks. If the neck arteries rupture quickly, the animal dies within seconds. If the tiger clung unsuccessfully, it will hang on the victim’s neck, not opening its jaws, until it bleeds out or suffocates.

29. Occasionally, a tiger uses its paws when attacking. One blow of such a paw is capable of splitting a bear's skull or breaking its back.

30. The jaws of tigers are so powerful that they are able to bite through bones.

31. Tigers adapt well to hunting conditions. For example, having met a crocodile, the tiger will not try to kill him in his favorite way - biting his neck, because he knows that the crocodile's neck is covered with a thick layer of strong skin. Instead, the tiger will try to blind the reptile by hitting its eyes with its paw, and then turn it over and cling to the soft, vulnerable belly.

32. The saliva of tigers has an antiseptic effect. They lick their wounds to disinfect.

33. Like other cats, the tongue of the tiger is covered with fleshy bristles, which can be used to comb the coat when licking.

34. To date, 6 species of tigers live on Earth: Amur tiger, South China tiger, Indochinese tiger, Malayan tiger, Sumatran tiger and Bengal tiger.

35. Different subspecies of tigers have different colors: white, golden, black and even blue. There is unconfirmed evidence of the existence of blue tigers, the so-called Maltese.

36. Over the past 80 years, three subspecies of tigers have become extinct. The Bali tiger was purposefully exterminated, as in the Balinese cultural tradition it was considered the embodiment of evil. The Javan tiger died out after coffee plantations in Java deprived it of its habitat. All Caspian tigers died because of human hunting for them.

37. Tigers live for about 25 years both in nature and in captivity.

38. IN wild nature There are only 3,500 tigers left on the earth. However, many tigers are kept in captivity.

39. Tigers are solitary animals, only tigresses spend some time in a group with cubs until they get stronger.

40. Tigers can mate and produce offspring with other wild felines, with the exception of lions.

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Ecology

Animal Planet recently conducted a survey that found the impressive tiger to be the most beloved animal in the world. However, much of what we know about these tabby predators is a common misconception as well as confusion with other big cats.

Tigers are the most diverse representatives of the cat genus, they have a large number of unique functions. These are magnificent creatures, which, unfortunately, are endangered due to human carelessness, however, perhaps if we get to know them a little better, we can help them.

Facts 1-5

1. The eyes of tigers have round pupils, unlike domestic cats, whose pupils look like slits. This is due to the fact that domestic cats are nocturnal, while tigers are twilight, they hunt mainly in the morning and evening hours.

2. Despite the fact that the eyesight of tigers is not well adapted to seeing in the dark, tigers see about six times better than humans.

3. Most tigers have yellow eyes, but white tigers also have blue eyes due to the fact that the blue eye gene is linked to the gene white fur. The gene responsible for strabismus is also linked to the white fur gene, which is why many white tigers suffer from strabismus.

4. Tigers scratch trees and use their urine to mark territory. The urine of tigers smells very strongly of corn oil.

5. Tigers clearly determine the age, sex, and reproductive ability of other tigers based on the subtlety of urine odor.

Facts 6-10

6. Male tigers "capture" larger territories than females, so often their areas overlap and tigers mate in this way. Territories of adult females never intersect at all, the same situation is with the territories of adult males.

7. Tigers do not usually roar at other animals, however, they communicate with each other by roaring. When a tiger is about to attack, it does not growl, but usually hiss or snort.

8. When several tigers catch the same big prey, the males will almost always wait for the females and cubs to eat first, unlike lions, which do the opposite. Tigers rarely argue or fight over prey, they just wait their turn.

9. The stripes of each tiger are as unique as human fingerprints.

10. The markings on the tiger's forehead resemble the Chinese character for "king," giving the tiger cultural status as a regal animal.

Facts 11-15

11. Just like on domestic cats, the marking is on the skin of the tiger, so even a shaved tiger will be striped.

12. Unlike most other cats, tigers are very good swimmers. They enjoy bathing and often play in the water, especially when they are young. As adults, they often swim several kilometers to hunt, sometimes they simply swim across rivers.

13. Tigers are the largest of all cats, they also come in a wide variety of sizes. The largest subspecies, the Siberian tiger, grows up to 3.5 meters in length and weighs over 300 kg. The smallest subspecies, the Sumatran tiger, grows up to 2 meters and weighs about 100 kg.

14. Tigresses are capable of conception for only 4-5 days throughout the year. During this time they often mate. Their pregnancy lasts a little more than three months, and they usually give birth to 2-3 cubs.

15. During the first week of life, tigers are completely blind. About half of them do not survive to adulthood.

Facts 16-20

16. The penis of a tiger does not stand erect when it is erect, it is covered with bone and special teeth that help to stay connected with a partner during copulation.

17. Tigers prefer to hunt large prey from an ambush. If you look a tiger in the eyes, he is unlikely to attack, as the element of surprise is lost. In India, many people traditionally wear masks on the back of their heads while walking through the forest to prevent being attacked from behind.

18. Tigers do not usually consider humans as prey, but will attack if it is threatened. In most cases, a tiger purposefully attacks a person only when there is no other prey, or when habitats are lost.

19. A small number of tigers have developed a taste for human flesh and become cannibals. One tigress, having once protected her cubs from humans, began to feed exclusively on humans. She is considered responsible for the deaths of 430 people.

20. Due to their instinctive ambush hunting, even man-eating tigers do not attack entire human settlements, they come from the outskirts and attack lone people. They tend to hunt at night, when people are less able to see him sneaking up.

Facts 21-25

21. Tigers do not know how to purr to express delight and joy, they squint their eyes or close them. This is due to the fact that the loss of vision makes them defenseless, so tigers, like many other cats, purposefully do this when they feel comfortable and safe.

22. Tigers can run at a maximum speed of 60 km/h.

23. Tigers can jump 6 meters long and 5 meters high. Their muscular legs are so strong that they can stand on them even when they are dead.

24. The hunt of only one out of ten tigers ends in success, so many tigers go without food for several days until a triumphant hunt occurs, as a result of which they can immediately recover by 30 kg.

25. Although tigers can go without food for several days, they become hungry much faster due to their huge size. A tiger will starve to death after 2-3 weeks without food, while a human can live up to 40 days without food.

Facts 26-30

26. Tigers are known to be able to imitate other animals, they do this in order to attract prey.

27. Bears form part of the diet of many tigers due to habitat crossing. Sometimes tigers imitate the sounds made by bears to lure unsuspecting clubfoot into their nets.

28. Tiger prey usually dies from suffocation or blood loss. They ambush animals by jumping on them and gnawing their necks. If the main artery is torn, then the animal dies in a matter of seconds. Otherwise, the tiger does not release the caught prey, and then it quickly dies from suffocation.

29. Although tigers often kill with their 10 cm fangs, sometimes they use their paws. A strike with the front paw of a tiger is so strong that it can easily crush a bear's skull or break its spine.

30. A tiger can bite through a bone with its powerful jaws and teeth. They are ways to break the neck vertebrae of animals just by biting them.

Facts 31-35

31. Tigers are very adaptable to their hunting methods. Although they prefer to kill by attacking their prey on the neck, they do not do so when they realize that this is inappropriate. For example, a swimming tiger can be bitten by a crocodile, which immediately becomes blind from the cat's blow. The neck of the crocodile is covered with a very thick layer of skin, so the tiger will gut the soft belly of the reptile.

32. Tiger saliva is an antiseptic. He licks wounds and thereby disinfects them.

33. Like other cats, the upper part of the tongue of the tiger is covered with fleshy bristles, so when they lick themselves, they comb their fur at the same time.

34. Unlike many other animals, tigers do not drink water by lapping it. Instead, they dip the edge of their tongue into the water, scoop up water with it, and then simply close their mouths.

35. There are currently six subspecies of the tiger: the Amur tiger, the South China tiger, the Indochinese tiger, the Malayan tiger, the Sumatran tiger and the Bengal tiger.

Facts 36-40

36. Over the past 80 years, three subspecies of tigers have become extinct. The Bali tiger was purposefully extirpated in Bali due to being "culturally evil". The Javan tiger has also been extirpated after a sharp decline in numbers due to habitat loss. The Caspian tiger died out due to being hunted too much.

37. In China, poaching tigers or using them for alternative medicine has been illegal for many years and punishable by death. In traditional medicine, there are much stronger and more readily available medications, than any parts of the tiger that have historically been used to give solidity and exoticism, than to obtain any healing properties.

38. A common misconception is that various parts of the tiger's body are used in traditional medicine mainly as expensive aphrodisiacs. They are mainly believed to help treat arthritis and improve digestive problems.

39. Unfortunately, in some areas South-East Asia, especially in Laos and Cambodia, tigers are still hunted for the use of parts of their bodies in the manufacture of medicines.

40. Along with different subspecies, tigers can have different fur colors. Colors range from white and gold to black and even blue. All of this is caused by the normal color gene. There is unconfirmed information about the existence of blue tigers, which are also called Maltese.

Facts 41-45

41. Tigers live for about 25 years, both in captivity and in the wild.

42. It has been established that, in general, cats have a better memory than any other animal, including humans, their memory is several hundred times better than that of dogs, and ten times better than that of primates. A tiger's short-term memory lasts about 30 times longer than a human's, and their memories are formed by the strongest influence on brain synapses, which suggests that they do not forget things as easily as we do.

43. The brain of a tiger weighs over 300 grams. It is the largest brain of any carnivore other than the polar bear, which can be compared to that of a chimpanzee.

44. There are about 3,500 tigers left in the wild. Also, a large number of these cats live in captivity.

45. Tigers are solitary animals, and unite in groups only to attack large prey, or it can be a mother with cubs.

Facts 46-50

46. Groups of tigers are called a pride.

47. Tigers, like humans, have well-developed color vision.

48. Tigers can mate with lions and other cats in captivity to produce hybrids. Due to genetics, male lions usually try to have as many children as possible, unlike females, who have the opposite. Tigers don't have this "control" so a male lion and a female tiger can regularly produce offspring (ligers), while a female lion and a female tiger produce far fewer cubs.

49. Ligers can reach a length of more than 4 meters, and are the largest cat in the world.

50. Tigers can produce sterile offspring with other cats, not only with lions. Leopards and tigers interact in the wild and sometimes can naturally produce offspring that are born with fewer stripes because they are diluted with leopard spots.

"Tiger" or what?

Aviation of the USSR

Remember that MiG

The I-200 fighter (hereinafter - MiG-1 and MiG-3) can be called a distant descendant of the I-16, which differed in many respects from it, but nevertheless retained certain "generic features". .

The first of the new generation fighters in January1940 of the year, the aircraft of the aircraft designer A.S. went to the test,Yakovlev I-26, later renamed Yak-1.

Most prominent representative"wooden style" in the Soviet fighter aviation during the war was the aircraft of aircraft designers S.A. Lavochkina, V.P. Gorbunova and M.I. Gudkov I-301, which received the designation LaGG-3 at the launch of the series, as well as its further development- La-5 and La-7

Aircraft of the Luftwaffe

Here is such a thing

The disdainful assessment of the Yu-87 dive bomber was in our literature as commonplace as the praise of the Il-2 attack aircraft ...

CITY DESTROYERS

It is possible to give the most reliable assessment of the effectiveness of the actions of German bomber aviation based only on the evidence of the side that suffered losses from its influence. That is, according to the reports and reports of commanders different levels Red Army. And these reports testify to the high performance of German pilots ...

Look at these photos and it’s not clear how the German “scientific genius” didn’t come up with such a seemingly simple thought now as the slope of the armor! How many unique samples of equipment were issued by German designers, but looking at this picture, you are perplexed. And after all, the T-34s were already at the beginning of the war, when the Tiger was still being designed. It also did not affect his appearance in any way. Or are there some other motives and reasons hidden here?

Let's try to speculate on the age-old question, which tank was the best tank of the Second World War - the Tiger or the T-34?

Many are still concerned about the question of which tank was the best tank of the Second World War. They carefully compare the TTX tables, talk about the thickness of the armor, the armor penetration of shells, and many other figures from the TTX tables. Different sources give different figures, so disputes begin about the reliability of the sources. Behind these disputes, it is forgotten that the numbers in the tables themselves do not mean anything. Tanks are not designed for duels with their own kind in perfectly identical conditions! They are intended for combat, combat in cooperation with other branches of the armed forces. Excessive passion for tables has led to the fact that many myths have piled up around the question of the best tank of the Second World War. In the articles "T-34 - the best tank of the Second World War?" and "Our answer to Aders and Vibikka is the T-34-85 Tank." this issue was considered in relation to the Soviet medium tanks T-34 and T-34-85. Another contender for the role of the best tank is the German Tiger heavy tank.

One of the most common myths about the tanks of the Second World War is the myth about the invulnerability of the "Tiger" for tanks and anti-tank artillery enemy. Tests at the Kubinka training ground in April 1943 showed that the only domestic gun capable of penetrating frontal armor Pz.Kpfw.VI was an 85 mm anti-aircraft gun at that time. She was able to do this from a distance of 1000 meters. The attacking "Tiger" was a serious problem for the anti-tank defense of the Soviet troops. But thick armor had a serious drawback - it was very heavy. The same degree of protection could be achieved with the help of thinner armor, located at rational angles of inclination and making the tank lighter and more compact.

The most massive anti-tank guns in the Red Army were 45-mm guns. The sub-caliber shells of this gun pierced the side 82-mm armor from a distance of 350 meters. The lower part of the side was armored weaker - only 62 mm. Of course, it was very difficult to hit it between the rollers, but a good gunner from a short distance could do it. Using the right tactics made it possible to deal with the attacking "Tigers". It was done like this. One or more guns opened fire on a German tank and forced it to expose the side of the guns, which were in ambush and did not open fire. As soon as the "Tiger" substituted the side, they hit the tank in vulnerable places.

The appearance of new Soviet tanks IS-1, and then IS-2, T-34-85 and self-propelled guns based on the T-34, such as SU-85 and SU-100, the resumption of production of the ZIS-2 anti-tank gun of 57-mm caliber and the creation of a new 100-mm BS-3 anti-tank gun made the Pz.Kpfw.VI vulnerable to attack. The Allies re-equipped the Sherman with a new 76-mm cannon and launched a 17-pounder anti-tank gun, which could also penetrate the frontal armor of the Tiger. The strengthening of the anti-tank weapons of Germany's opponents occurred simultaneously with the decline in the quality of the armor of German tanks. The economic blockade did not allow obtaining alloying additives, and many of them did not have their own deposits in Germany. Metallurgists in Germany were forced to reduce the amount of extremely scarce additives in armor, the resistance of which to armor-piercing projectiles was decreasing.

Pz.Kpfw.VI was a superbly protected tank, but it was not invulnerable. The correct tactics of the defenders made it possible to inflict serious losses on the attacking Tigers. Over time, the "Tigers" retained superiority over enemy tanks only at long distances.

One of the indisputable advantages of the Pz.Kpfw.VI tank over other tanks is its firepower. The Tiger tank was equipped with an 88 mm KwK 36 cannon, based on an 88 mm anti-aircraft gun. This gun is probably the best tank gun of the Second World War. She was distinguished by high armor penetration and rate of fire, her high-explosive projectile coped well with almost all unarmored targets on the battlefield.

The Pz.Kpfw.VI optical sight made it possible to fire at armored vehicles without preparation at a distance of 1200 meters. After zeroing, the "Tiger" could hit a stationary tank at a distance of 2500 meters. The design and excellent quality of the sight made it possible to fire at dusk.

We even discussed with you Infrared sights of the Wehrmacht, remember that too.

Mobility is the Achilles heel of the Pz.Kpfw.VI tank. Any tank is a compromise between firepower, security and mobility. The creators of the "Tiger" chose fire and protection, and mobility had to be sacrificed. The tank turned out to be very heavy - 55 tons! Tank-mounted Maybach engines with a power of 650 or 700 hp. were too weak for such a heavy machine.

It is necessary to mention one very common myth. The Maybach engines were carbureted, which is why many consider them to be very fire hazard compared to diesel engines. Supporters of this point of view argue in their favor that if you throw a burning match into a bucket of gasoline, then gasoline will flare up, but if you throw a lit match into a bucket of diesel fuel, then the match will go out. But no one in battle throws burning matches into the fuel tank of a tank! When an armor-piercing projectile or a cumulative jet hits a tank tank, any type of fuel ignites. As the statistics of the Second World War showed, diesel tanks burned as often as carbureted ones.

The difference was only a few percent!

German engineers have done everything possible to make the most simple control"Tiger". The automatic hydraulic transmission servo made it possible to shift gears, which were eight forward and four reverse, with two fingers! And the turn of the tank was carried out by a slight turn of the steering wheel. Such convenient control was not on any tank of the Second World War, with the exception of " Royal tiger”, where the same transmission was used. But even the ease of control of the tank could not compensate for its weight.

If we compare the tabular data on the specific power of the "Tiger" with its main competitors, everything seems to be all right. The Tiger has a power density of 11.4 hp/t, the IS-2 has 11.3 hp/t, and English tank"Churchill" - only 9 hp / t! But mobility is determined not only by specific power. Very important is the specific pressure on the ground and the total weight of the tank. The specific pressure of the Pz.Kpfw.VI was 30% higher than that of the IS-2! Already in the first battle on September 22, 1942, when the Tigers went on the attack near the village of Tortolovo near Leningrad, they got stuck in the mud! Three tanks, with the support of artillery and infantry, were evacuated a few days later, and the fourth tank remained in no man's land and a month later was blown up on Hitler's orders.

Not only dirt was an insurmountable obstacle for the Pz.Kpfw.VI. Many bridges in Russia could not support the weight of a 55-ton tank and the help of sappers was needed to cross a small stream. The cruising range on the highway was 100 km, and on rough terrain only 60 km. The tank needed a constant escort of tankers. But the tanker is a tasty target for enemy attack aircraft and fighter-bombers! Under the conditions of enemy air supremacy, the organization of the movement of the "Tigers" on its own resulted in a serious problem. Transportation of the "Tigers" by rail also posed a big problem. They could only be transported on a special conveyor. In the echelon between the two conveyors, it was necessary to hook four ordinary wagons so as not to exceed the permissible load on the railway bridges. But even on a special transporter it was impossible to load the Tiger without additional problems. It had to be “changed shoes” into special transport tracks and remove the outer row of road wheels.

Tank Pz.Kpfw.VI - quality and ease of use.

Like any new type of weapon, created in a hurry and insufficiently tested, the Tiger tanks had many "childhood diseases". Engine and transmission due to heavy weight tanks worked in a very busy mode. Overheated engines caught fire and transmission failures were common. Build quality and components were surprisingly poor. The first Tigers on the Eastern Front and in Africa were constantly plagued by oil and fuel leaks, and cooling radiator leaks. The ersatz rubber used due to the lack of supplies of natural rubber could not withstand high temperatures.

Gradually, some of the problems were solved, but many design flaws could not be eliminated. The most complex suspension of the Pz.Kpfw.VI ensured greater smoothness of movement, but it was very heavy and, for example, in winter the dirt that got between the rollers froze and could completely block the tank's ability to move. Replacing the inner roller required the removal of several rollers in other rows, while the inner rollers wore out quickly.

The operation and repair of the Tigers was a rather serious problem. For example, the replacement of the transmission, which often failed, required the dismantling of the tower. And in order to remove the tower, a special gantry crane was required! German tankers noted that after five to six days of fighting, the Tigers began to fail due to mechanical failures.

With an experienced crew, the Tiger posed a great threat to the enemy. Powerful weapons and armor made it dangerous for any tank of the countries anti-Hitler coalition. Less vulnerable to most anti-tank weapons, the Tiger made it quite easy to break through enemy defenses. But a small power reserve and maneuverability, problems with moving the tank outside the battlefield, design flaws and insufficient reliability, the difficulty of evacuating damaged vehicles and repairing them prevented it from realizing its potential. The complexity of the design and the high cost did not allow the tank to be produced in large series, most sources provide information that a total of 1355 Pz.Kpfw.VI Tiger Ausf.E were produced. Despite all the inherent shortcomings of the "Tiger", it can be considered the most formidable and serious weapon on the battlefield, and meeting any tank of World War II with it in open battle did not bode well for its rivals.

At the same time, no one thought to doubt the combat power Soviet army that crushed the strongest war machine West - Nazi Germany. The T-34, the best Soviet tank of the Great Patriotic War, became the symbol of this power. Sadly, in our time, many consider this propaganda, believing that the “thirty-four” does not deserve the honor of being the best tank of World War II. These strange people are not convinced even by the memoirs of famous Nazi commanders, such as the commander of the 2nd German tank group, Heinz Guderian, who wrote about the superiority of Soviet T-34 tanks over German ones back in the summer of 1941 in the battles near Mtsensk. In the future, many Nazi officers who encountered the T-34 on the battlefield repeatedly spoke and wrote about this.

Indeed, the Soviet tank in 1941 at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War had absolute superiority over any tank of the German army. Recall that at the beginning of the war, the main tank of the Nazis was the PzIII, which had 30mm frontal armor and was armed with a 37mm gun. What could this "main" German tank oppose to the "thirty-four"? Only fight at extremely short distances. The armor of the Soviet tank was 45 mm at a good slope (in fact, the "T-34" was the first tank in the world with rational angles of armor plates), and this increased its armor resistance. As a result, German shells fired from 37mm guns were not able to penetrate such armor from medium and long distances.

The Soviet 76mm cannon mounted on the T-34 pierced any German tanks of 1941, including the newest PzIVs, from fairly large distances, remaining out of the range of weak German guns. In collisions with the T-34, this forced the Germans to bypass them, get close to extremely close and very dangerous distances for fire combat, or use heavy 88mm to fight the T-34 anti-aircraft guns with a high initial velocity of the projectile, which probably pierced the T-34. Most often, at the beginning of the war, German tanks avoided a direct collision with the T-34s.

However, the lack of trained crews for the T-34 and the extremely poor operational leadership of the tank forces in the first months of the war did not allow the Red Army to realize superiority in technology. A large number of"thirty-fours" died in the fire of the collapsed Western Front under the blows of German tank and motorized units. A large number of these excellent tanks were destroyed by inexperienced crews and abandoned in encirclement in the first months of the war. Of course, the "T-34" had its drawbacks - problems with the gearbox, cramped fighting compartment, unfortunate location of ammunition and poor optics. But this tank, in addition to excellent guns and armor, had another trump card that German combat vehicles could not boast of.

This trump card was simply the phenomenal maintainability of the tank in the field. The units and assemblies of the "thirty-four" were easily removable, their dismantling and replacement was carried out very quickly, which made it possible to short terms to return a disabled tank to battle, while it was extremely difficult to repair German tanks in the field, they had to be sent to the rear for repairs in the factory.

In the second half of the war, with the advent of the Germans in large numbers of Tigers and Panthers, the T-34 lost its absolute superiority over German technology, but after a solid modernization, the thirty-four armed with an 85mm gun again began to pose a threat to German tanks, albeit not as serious as before. In the hands of a skilled and trained crew with some combat experience, she could successfully fight the Tigers and Panthers. In 1944 - 1945, heavy tanks "IS-2" began to come to the fore in the Soviet tank forces. However, as we can see, the modernized version of the T-34 remained the main tank of the Red Army almost until the end of the war.

It was with him that our troops marched from Kursk through all of Europe to Berlin and ended the war with the defeat of the Nazi army in its capital. All this time, the “thirty-four” served the Soviet tankers without fail. "T-34" became the most successful and balanced tank of the Second World War. Both German generals and American military experts at the time noted that the Russian tank was the most successful design of that period. The combination of good driving characteristics, agility and mobility with good armor and powerful armament, as well as the excellent maintainability of the vehicle made it the best tank of the Great Patriotic War.