On the Soviet side, based upon lessons from the Spanish Civil War, the Red Army decided to develop a heavy "breakthrough" tank to smash enemy infantry defenses. This resulted in the KV-1 and KV-2 tanks, introduced in 1939. At the start of Operation Barbarossa, both these tanks were virtually invulnerable to the weapons of the Panzerjager and demonstrated their ability to overrun German infantry on several occasions. This advantage gave the Red Army a window of opportunity between the fall of 1941 and the spring of 1942 to use their heavy tanks to repel the German invasion in a series of desperate counteroffensives. Yet the window of Soviet advantage was a narrow one and the duel between the Soviet KV heavy tanks and German Panzerjager had a major impact upon the struggle for the strategic initiative in 1941-42.

A detailed comparative study of the KV-1 Soviet heavy tank and the Panzerjager that had aided the German blitzkrieg, but met its match on the Eastern Front.

About the Author
Robert Forczyk has a PhD in International Relations and National Security from the University of Maryland and a strong background in European and Asian military history. He retired as a lieutenant colonel from the US Army Reserves having served 18 years as an armor officer in the US 2nd and 4th infantry divisions and as an intelligence officer in the 29th Infantry Division (Light). Dr Forczyk is currently a consultant in the Washington, DC area.


Book Information
ISBN 9781849085786
Author Robert Forczyk
Format Paperback
Page Count 80
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 261g
Dimensions(mm) 248mm * 184mm * 8mm