"KV-2" and "KV-5" redirect here. For the tombs, see KV2 and KV5.
WWII Soviet heavy tank
KV-1
KV-1 on display in Kirovsk
Type
Heavy tank
Place of origin
Soviet Union
Service history
In service
1939–1945
Used by
Poland, Soviet Union
Wars
Winter War, World War II
Production history
Designer
Zhozef Kotin, TsKB-2
Designed
1938–1939
Manufacturer
Kirov Factory, ChTZ
Produced
1939–1943
No. built
5,219[1]
Variants
KV-2, KV-8 flamethrower, KV-1S, KV-85, KV-122
Specifications (KV-1 Model 1941)
Mass
45 t (44 long tons; 50 short tons)
Length
6.75 m (22 ft 2 in)
Width
3.32 m (10 ft 11 in)
Height
2.71 m (8 ft 11 in)
Crew
5
Armour
Maximum (front): 90 mm (3.5 in)
Side: 75 mm (3.0 in)
Rear: 70 mm (2.8 in)
Main armament
76.2 mm M1941 ZiS-5 gun
Secondary armament
3 or 4 × DT machine guns
Engine
V-2K based on the Model V-2 V12 diesel engine 600 hp (450 kW)
Power/weight
13 hp/tonne
Suspension
Torsion bar
Operational range
Road: 250 km (160 mi) Cross-country: 150 km (93 mi)[2]
Maximum speed
35 km/h (22 mph)
KV-2
KV-2 in Central Armed Forces Museum with KV-1 in background
Type
Heavy tank/assault gun
Place of origin
Soviet Union
Service history
In service
1940–1945
Used by
Soviet Union
Wars
World War II
Production history
Designer
Zh. Kotin, TsKB-2
Designed
1938–1939
Manufacturer
Kirov Factory, ChTZ
No. built
210
Specifications
Mass
52 t (51 long tons; 57 short tons)
Length
6.67 m (21 ft 11 in)[3]
Width
3.35 m (11 ft 0 in)[3]
Height
3.25 m (10 ft 8 in)[3]
Crew
6
Armour
60–110 mm (2.4–4.3 in)
Main armament
152 mm M-10T howitzer (20 rounds)
Secondary armament
2 × DT machine guns (2,079 rounds)
Engine
V-2K based on the Model V-2 V12 diesel engine 600 hp (450 kW)
Operational range
Road: 225 km (140 mi) Cross-country: 150 km (93 mi)[4]
Maximum speed
28 km/h (17 mph)
KV-85
KV-85
Type
Heavy tank
Place of origin
Soviet Union
Service history
Used by
Soviet Union
Wars
World War II
Production history
Produced
1943
No. built
148[5]
Specifications
Mass
46 t (45 long tons; 51 short tons)
Length
8.49 m (27 ft 10 in)
Width
3.25 m (10 ft 8 in)
Height
2.87 m (9 ft 5 in)
Crew
4
Armour
30–110 mm (1.2–4.3 in)
Main armament
85 mm D-5T tank gun
Secondary armament
3 × 7.62 mm DT machine guns
Engine
V-2K based on the Model V-2 V12 diesel engine 600 hp (450 kW)
Power/weight
13 hp/tonne
Suspension
Torsion bar
Operational range
Road: 250 km (160 mi) Cross-country: 180 km (110 mi)[6]
Maximum speed
40 km/h (25 mph)
The Kliment Voroshilov (KV) tanks are a series of Soviet heavy tanks named after the Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov who operated with the Red Army during World War II. The KV tanks were known for their heavy armour protection during the early stages of the war, especially during the first year of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. In certain situations, even a single KV-1 or KV-2 supported by infantry could halt German formations. The German Wehrmacht at that time rarely deployed its tanks against KVs, as their own armament was too poor to deal with the "Russischer Koloss" – "Russian Colossus".[7]
The KV tanks were practically immune to the 3.7 cm KwK 36 and howitzer-like, short-barreled 7.5 cm KwK 37 guns mounted, respectively, on the early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks fielded by the invading German forces. Until the Germans developed more effective guns, the KV-1 was invulnerable to almost any German weapon except the 8.8 cm Flak gun.[8]
Prior to the start of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, about 500 of the over 22,000 tanks then in Soviet service were of the KV-1 type. As the war progressed, it became evident that there was little sense in producing the expensive KV tanks, as the T-34 medium tank performed better (or at least equally well) in all practical respects. In fact the only advantage the KV had over the T-34/76 was its larger and roomier three-man turret.[9] Later in the war, the KV series became a base for the development of the IS (Iosif Stalin) series of tanks and self-propelled guns.
^Zaloga; including variants and prototypes
^ Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two (Steven J. Zaloga, James Grandsen) page 119.
^ abcFleischer, Wolfgang, Russian Tanks and Armoured Vehicles 1917-1945, p. 150
^ Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two (Steven J. Zaloga, James Grandsen) page 176.
^"KV-85 total production". Tank Encyclopedia.
^ Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two (Steven J. Zaloga, James Grandsen) page 176.
^Vollert (2005), p. 59.
^Glantz, David M. (1995). When Titans Clash: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler. University Press of Kansas. p. 36. ISBN 9780700608997.
^Ogorkiewicz, Richard (2015). Tanks: 100 years of evolution. Osprey. p. 94.
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