[*Buzzsaw*]

Salute

Would disagree with the comment that the Germans had the best equipment.

Soviet Tank design was far ahead of the Germans at the start of the war. They were the first to use sloping armour effectively, allowing for better protection with less weight. All of the early German tanks had decent armour, but the angle was perpendicular to the ground, thus it protected less effectively than if it had been sloped. Even the Tiger I was built with perpendicular armour. The Tiger I was very heavy because the armour was so thick, nessesary because it was not sloped. A better design as far as slope, and it would have been lighter with similar protection. It was only with the arrival of the Panther that the Germans finally built a tank with properly sloped armour. Soviet tanks also had better ground pressure ratios, which meant they were less likely to become bogged in mud. The heavy German tanks were also prone to breaking down much more than the Sherman or T-34, the transmissions on both the Tiger and Panther were not up to the task of driving the bogie wheels and propelling all that weight.

The T-34 was a revelation to the Germans when they first encountered it. It was undoubtably the best tank in the world at the time, with well sloped armour, a powerful gun, and wide tracks which allowed it to operate in areas where the German tanks couldn't.

At the later stages, the JS-2 and JS-3 were the equal of any German tanks, including the Tigers.

The Germans were still operating with the Mk IV as their main battle tank in 1944, when the Soviets had already introduced the T-34/85 which was clearly superior.

The two areas where the Germans were ahead, were in optics for their guns, ie. they were able to engage at ranges where the Soviet optics were ineffective, and in onboard radio communications, where the German radios, which were installed in all tanks, allowed for excellent communication. The Soviets were quick to realize their deficiencies in communcation, and installed radios, but never equalled the precision of the Zeiss lenses on the German tanks.

The Germans also had better tactics through most of the war, due to the lack of training that Soviet crews received, as well the tendency of the Soviet Command to not bother themselves too much with finesse, rather relying on brute force to break the lines meant that the Soviets often suffered heavy casualties.

But the fact was, that in 1943/1944/1945 the advantage had swung to the defence, with plentiful AT guns and infantry AT weapons benefitting the German defence. In 1939/1940/1941, the Tank was supreme, and Infantry was generally helpless when attacked, so the Germans had their Blitzkrieg. Also, flak defence was poor for ground troops in the first part of the war, so the Stukas could operate with impunity. By 1943, all sides, especially the Germans, had beefed up their flak defences, and the Allied and Soviet Ground attack aircraft had a tough time.