Isaev and Zhukov on the Soviet KV-1 and KV-2 tanks

Soviet heavy Tanks The KV-1 and KV-2 remain among the most iconic vehicles of the Great Patriotic War. This video by Klim Zhukov and military historian Alexey Isayev is dedicated specifically to these models, examining in detail their technical features, combat effectiveness, and the stages of their development. The authors emphasize that the KV tanks were more than just combat vehicles, but also a unique symbol of Soviet engineering and hope for the country's defense.

At the outset of the war, the KV-1 proved somewhat of a "tough nut to crack" thanks to its armor, which, at the time of its introduction, made it impenetrable to German anti-tank guns of 1941. However, these vehicles also suffered from numerous technical problems. These issues are also discussed in the interview, including the compromises the designers had to make during the development and improvement of the tank.

The video focuses specifically on the KV-2, a modification with a 152mm howitzer designed for both destroying fortifications and engaging enemy personnel in the open. Isaev discusses both the immense firepower of this "monster" and its shortcomings, including the difficulty with the imbalance of the entire gun-turret system.

Incidentally, the KV-1 and KV-2 did indeed have quite a few of these shortcomings. Moreover, mobility was far from the most serious of them all. There were far more questions regarding the reliability of these tanks' components and assemblies, as even completing more or less short marches in them was already quite problematic.

Zhukov and Isayev also examine in detail the combat use of KV-1 and KV-2 tanks in the first months of the war. They also examine the significant impact they had on the German offensive, given their superior equipment and tactical capabilities. They also provide real-life examples of combat engagements in which these vehicles truly proved to be an unpleasant surprise for the enemy.

The video also highlights the evolution of Soviet heavy tanks in general—from pre-war times, from multi-turreted heavyweights to why KV tank production was ultimately phased out in favor of other, more important products. Therefore, we highly recommend watching the video.

Comments

[Uncle lee]

Senior Lieutenant Zinovy ​​Kolobanov was a Soviet tanker whose crew, in a KV-1 tank, destroyed 22 enemy tanks in a single battle on August 20, 1941.

[Konnick]

Quote: Uncle Lee

Senior Lieutenant Zinovy ​​Kolobanov was a Soviet tanker whose crew, in a KV-1 tank, destroyed 22 enemy tanks in a single battle on August 20, 1941.

Why does everyone know about Kolobanov, but no one remembers the one who gave the combat orders and indicated the ambush site? And this was Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel Dmitry Dmitrievich Pogodin, commander of the 1st Tank Regiment of the 1st Tank Division.

A tank company under the command of Senior Lieutenant Z. G. Kolobanov, on the orders of Colonel D. D. Pogodin, set up ambushes near the Voiskovitsy state farm, Ilkino station, and the villages of Bol'shiye Bornitsy, Vyselki, and Bol'shiye Chernitsy. On August 20, 1941, the company's tanks destroyed 43 German armored vehicles from three tank divisions, which were changing positions that day during the offensive on Leningrad and the encirclement of the Soviet Luga group of forces. Meanwhile, the gunner, Senior Sergeant A. M. Usov, from the crew of company commander Z. G. Kolobanov's tank, sniped a column of 22 German light tanks.

[earlian]

So we could add a division commander here. From Wikipedia:
“According to the memoirs, the commander of the 3rd tank company of the 1st tank battalion, Senior Lieutenant Kolobanov, was summoned to the division commander, from whom he personally received the order to cover three roads leading to Krasnogvardeysk (now the city of Gatchina) from the direction of Luga, Volosovo and Kingisepp (via the Tallinn highway) [14]: “Cover them and fight to the death!”

That same day, Kolobanov's company of five KV-1 tanks advanced to meet the advancing enemy. It was crucial to prevent the German tanks from getting through, so each tank was loaded with twice the standard number of armor-piercing shells in KV tanks and a minimal amount of high-explosive fragmentation shells.

[Pravodel]

Zinovy ​​Kolobanov...in one battle on August 20, 1941, he destroyed 22 enemy tanks.

Zinovy ​​Kolobanov deserved the title of Hero of the USSR. Justice must be restored and he must be awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

[multi-category]

Quote: The Truth

award him the title of Hero of Russia

Are you sure he would be happy to become a hero of Russia, which is deeply hostile to his homeland?
How would he react to our modern war films, where the army consists of penal battalions and drunken NKVD soldiers who fight with stakes?

[Pravodel]

[quote]Are you sure he would be happy to become a hero of Russia, which is deeply hostile to his homeland?[quote]
What homeland, Bandera's!? This is how Bandera's CIPSOta operates, trying to convince us that the people of unfortunate Ukraine are fighting for Bandera and Bandera's.
Zinoviy Kolobanov, like Kovpak and Saburov, fought for their Motherland, their Fatherland, and not for the fascist Banderists. During WWII, after Banderites began maiming and mutilating partisans, Kovpak caught the bastards, tied a loaded grenade to their testicles, and released them. After that, the Banderists' attacks on the partisans ceased.
The Banderists have no homeland, no fatherland. The Banderists' homeland is hell: wherever Bandera finds itself, and where they must all go, too.

[multi-category]

What nonsense is this? What does Tsipso or Banderovites have to do with this? We're talking about the results of perestroika and the famous "those who didn't fit into the market," and that for war heroes, receiving the Hero of Russia title is a highly dubious honor, because that's not what they fought for.

[Pravodel]

What does it mean for war heroes to receive the Hero of Russia title? ...they didn't fight for that.

It was our fathers and grandfathers who fought for their Motherland, for a Fatherland free from the fascist scum and the Bandar-logs.
And those who are trying to drum into us that the Bandar-logs and Mobiks are fighting for some supposed homeland, well, that's the work of the Central Intelligence Agency or a traitor to Russia, trying by hook or by crook to convince us that it's not the Bandar-logs and unfortunate Mobiks caught on the street who are fighting against us, but heroes defending who knows what.
No, and the Bandarlogs never had a homeland or fatherland.
The Banderists, Banderites and all such scum and abominations are the spawn of hell, and they must return there now and after our victory: to hell to their spawn of hell, Bandera.
The Bandar-logs have no homeland and never have had one!!! Remember this!!!

[multi-category]

And where is everything you wrote in my statement? Some kind of stream of fantasy.
This is not about who is currently fighting in the North-Eastern Front on either side,
The point is that the idea of ​​awarding Kolobanov the Hero of Russia title is contradictory. No more, no less. This isn't about your "Banderlogs" at all.

[Pravodel]

Are you sure he would be happy to become a hero of Russia, which is deeply hostile to his homeland?

So it turns out that you, sir, also suffer from amnesia!?
The Bandar-logs have driven Ukraine so far that it's lost its memory...
And especially for the employees of the Center for Social Protection and Social Development
The idea of ​​restoring justice and awarding Zinovy ​​Kolobanov the title of Hero of Russia not only does not contradict the memory of the hero who defended his homeland, his Fatherland, from villains, but also complies with the principle of justice. Moreover, Zinovy ​​Kolobanov is worthy of this award.

[multi-category]

Consult a psychiatrist, I'm powerless to talk some sense into you. I'm downvoting and won't reply again.

[purple]

The poor guy must have gotten drunk or something... Kolobanov's homeland is the Russian Empire, after all...

[multi-category]

Quote from Uncle Lee

destroyed 22 enemy tanks.

According to the latest data, this is unfortunately not the case. Most of the destroyed "tanks" turned out to be Ganomags and other clunkers that had nothing to do with tanks. It's likely that somewhere in the reports, armored vehicles were misrepresented as tanks. Just like all the Marders, Hummels, Somuas, and other tank destroyers of the barn type magically transformed into a huge number of Ferdinands.

[purple]

Well, yes... the amateur distorters are such distorters.... Tell your tales to others, chatterbox... and yes... you definitely also believe in a flat earth

[multi-category]

Tell your stream of consciousness to the mirror, you are not interesting.

[futurohunter]

Not true. Kolobanov encountered a column of light tanks, including Pz IIIs and either Pragas or Pz 35s. For a KV, this is an easy target, especially from Kolobanov's effective range. But the German light tanks couldn't do anything to him at that range. Nevertheless, Kolobanov is a hero. The Germans could have rolled up with the "88"... Then Kolobanov would have been defeated.
Things were very tough... The Ferdinands only appeared at the Kursk Bulge...
By the way, Marders and Hummels are very dangerous opponents for KVs! Their armor, yes, is terrible. But their guns were just right for the KVs. A camouflaged German self-propelled gun could fire a lot before being destroyed.

[multi-category]

Quote: futurohunter

Not true. Kolobanov encountered a column of light tanks, which included Pz IIIs and either Pragas or Pz 35s.

Kolobanov encountered a mechanized column containing light tanks and other vehicles, but suddenly all the knocked-out armored units turned into tanks. You're rooting for the Soviet press version. Historians have dug into this episode in great detail.
https://dzen.ru/a/XoTswZmyKweRiWm2
In reality, the 6th Tank Army did not meet with Kolobanov that day.
The 113th Motorized Rifle Regiment and a company of tanks from the 1st Tank Division were advancing on his ambush.
Moreover, this episode was part of a larger battle that had already been going on for several hours before Kolobanov fired his first shot. According to Kolobanov's own reports on the day of the battle and the following morning, two tanks were reported destroyed by Kolobanov. Only later was the number increased to 22 based on "additional reconnaissance," but according to documents, the Red Army retreated that day and no further reconnaissance of the area took place for at least two years. However, Kolobanov also destroyed other vehicles in addition to tanks. And the list of those vehicles seems to have been largely reconstructed, although I don't know what they included. I do know that traces of two destroyed Ghanomags and several other vehicles were found at the site. So the version of 22 destroyed Pz Czech 35(t) tanks has no confirmation anywhere.
This doesn't mean Kolobanov isn't an ace, but we need to stick to the facts. Leave the narrative to the narrative.
Regarding Marders and Hummels, the Germans didn't have them at the time. They could mainly fight the KV-1 with 88mm anti-aircraft guns and divisional howitzers. With luck, they could penetrate it at close range with 50mm cannons and captured French 47mm and 75mm cannons.

[futurohunter]

Since when has Yandex Zen become a reliable source? You wrote about Marders and Hummels yourself. Marders and Hummels were transformed into Ferdinands only after our soldiers became familiar with these Ferdinands. Firstly, not everyone had seen these Ferdinands. Secondly, in the heat of battle, all self-propelled guns with an armored cabin shifted to the rear and a long gun with a muzzle brake protruding forward were automatically perceived as the same type. Even the Su-76 was called a "bare-assed Ferdinand." I know about the lack of Hummels and Nashorns. Marders were already being developed on the chassis of French tanks and Pragues. Their first variants with a Soviet gun, if I'm not mistaken, appeared as early as 1942. The "88" tanks, indeed, were only towed and wheeled back then. Smaller caliber guns hit the KV only in the side and at close range.

[multi-category]

Quote: futurohunter

Since when has Yandex Zen been considered a reliable source?

Not a source, but a publishing platform. Surely you can't just copy-paste everything here?

[Grancer81]

Before the appearance of the Pz.1VF with a 7,5 cm 43 caliber gun in the Panzerwaffe, the KV-1 tank was the most powerful tank.

[StopTheUSA]

I don’t know if this is true or not, but I came across information that the Germans transported a couple of captured KV-2 tanks around Austrian villages, passing them off as their own.
They were supposedly demonstrating the power of the Reich.

[ln_ln]

https://topwar.ru/264204-gibel-nemeckoj-gruppy-armij-b-v-rurskoj-kotle.html
A captured KV tank with a large turret, which they tried to put to good use on the Western Front.

[vasev]

Where is the video? What should I watch?

[Moneron]

The KV1 actually saw action in the Soviet-Finnish War of 39-40. By the start of WWII, the Germans were already aware of it. However, our command and control of tank units and the training of tank crews were weak. Therefore, exploiting the advantages of the new tanks and the overall numerical superiority in tanks did not bring combat success in the initial period of the war. Although there were isolated cases of fantastic battlefield success...with competent command and excellent tank crew training. Kolobanov is a prime example...although he burned a column of light tanks that were incapable of responding. The Germans later also employed ambush tactics, using heavy tanks. There were far more tank aces in Hitler's army, thanks to the superiority of German optics and, most importantly, the superbly trained tank crews through extensive training...a tractor driver is not yet a tank mechanic.

[Technician_Harlan]

In addition to optics, the Germans also had excellent radio communications at the tank platoon and company level, which often provided operational and tactical advantages. But the Red Army, especially early in the war, had major problems with communications: there was little of it, it was unreliable, and not everyone knew how to use it.

[multi-category]

Quote: Technician_Harlan

Besides optics, the Germans also had excellent radio communications.

The Germans had a fully developed system in their army that allowed them to implement coordinated initiatives on the ground - this included optics, communications, and many other elements of the system, such as the high level of training of soldiers and officers, which ensured the literacy and rationality of decisions.
In the Red Army, no matter what they did in the factories or what they decided at headquarters, the problem of mass training for the army was never solved. There are many reasons for this, but in fact, in terms of personnel, the Red Army was as inferior to the Wehrmacht in the summer as children are to adults. And if you read memoirs about the battles of the summer of 1941, you often come across strange descriptions of the battle, for example, when a pillbox with a garrison and a covering platoon was stormed head-on by just three German soldiers after a tense fight. And all the Germans survived. This is one episode from the memoirs of a Soviet signalman, so you understand what happened then and how decisive the training of soldiers was.
And yes, we only learned to use communications for real purposes by the summer of 42.

[purple]

Damn, I haven't read such funny stuff in a long time... The guy apparently lives in a parallel reality somewhere... Never mind, just take another hit of something... and you'll fly off to the moon to Goering's secret base.

[multi-category]

I rely on the memories of veterans - what is behind your rudeness?

[multi-category]

Quote from moneron

Actually, the KV1 was spotted during the Soviet-Finnish War of 39-40. And the Germans already knew about it by the start of WWII.

As it turns out, no, they didn't. Three new heavy vehicle prototypes took part in the Finnish War, but firstly, they weren't captured, and secondly, they were already listed in reports as T28 and T35 variants, which didn't impress the Germans. The Germans believed they were the same tanks, just armored to the point of absurdity.

[futurohunter]

Yeah, the SMK was knocked out and stood at the Mannerheim Line for almost two months. Naturally, during that time, it was inspected by both the Finns and the Germans. And don't take them for fools; they couldn't possibly consider a huge tank with thick armor and a powerful 76mm gun a "variant of the T-28 or T-35," which they were perfectly familiar with. Especially since a knocked-out T-28 was parked nearby. And the Finns managed to capture several T-28s.

[multi-category]

Quote: futurohunter

They could not consider a huge tank with thick armor and a powerful 76 mm gun as a “variant of the T-28 or T-35”, with which they were very familiar.

Where did they "know him so well" from? They heard the "Soviets" had multi-turret tanks and saw him standing in front of them. If it quacks and looks like a duck, then it's a duck. That's the logic.
Nobody was fussing with atlases of armored vehicles on the front lines.

[multi-category]

There were far more questions about the reliability of the components and assemblies of these tanks, since even completing more or less short marches on them was already a very problematic matter.

Author, you write in a strange way.
As the same participants in the video discovered, problems on the marches arose not so much because of critically poor equipment, but because the vehicles were not operated properly by both technicians and drivers.

[futurohunter]

There were many problems there. They were related both to the low qualifications of tank crews and to unreliable equipment. In addition to the design flaws of the tanks, the low production standards at our factories also played a role. This plagued our production until at least the middle of the Great Patriotic War...

[multi-category]

Quote: futurohunter

This was a problem for our production, at least until the middle of the Great Patriotic War.

The KV tanks were just arriving in units, and there were no operating instructions. Skilled tank crews figured it out themselves, while the more ordinary ones, let's say, operated them as best they could. By 42, the KV-1 had significantly reduced its failure rate as operational experience accumulated. Then came the KV-1S, which made it even easier.

[futurohunter]

Generally speaking, operational documentation for armored vehicle components and assemblies has always existed—check the archives. Another issue is that in the chaos of 1941-42, it was thrown away and may never have reached units. The KV-1S was no longer a match for the new German long-barreled 75mm guns used on the Stug III and Pz IV. It was even less capable of withstanding the new Tigers and Panthers. And its firepower was comparable to that of the T-34. In short, it was already obsolete the moment it was introduced. Therefore, work began on creating a new heavy tank.

[futurohunter]

The equipment wasn't "critically poor." But it was also worn out, had manufacturing defects, and had insufficient personnel qualifications.

[vasev]

Senior Lieutenant Zinovy ​​Kolobanov was a Soviet tanker whose crew, in a KV-1 tank, destroyed 22 enemy tanks in a single battle on August 20, 1941.
But still not a Hero of Russia.

[Altmann]

I'm no expert, but I really appreciate your beautiful and complex story. The book written on a tank... you know it, of course, and when I, as a soldier, studied the battlefield map of the Great Patriotic War, I was always proud and happy about it.