During the hostilities of World War II, German troops captured a significant number of various armored vehicles in the occupied countries, which were then widely used in the Wehrmacht field forces, the SS troops and various types of security and police formations. At the same time, some of them were altered and re-equipped, and the rest were used in their original design. The number of armored fighting vehicles of foreign brands adopted by the Germans for service varied in different countries from a few to several hundred.

Appendix to the magazine "MODELIST-CONSTRUCTOR"

By May 1940, the French army had 2,637 tanks of the new type. Among them: 314 tanks В1,210 - D1 and D2, 1070 - R35, AMR, AMS, 308 - Н35, 243 - S35, 392 - Н38, Н39, R40 and 90 FCM tanks. In addition, up to 2,000 old FT 17/18 combat vehicles (of which 800 were combat-ready) from the period of the First World War and six heavy 2Cs were stored in the parks. 600 armored vehicles and 3,500 armored personnel carriers and tracked tractors supplemented the armored armament of the ground forces. Almost all of this equipment, both damaged during the hostilities and absolutely serviceable, fell into the hands of the Germans.

It can be safely argued that never before has no army in the world captured so much military equipment and ammunition as the Wehrmacht during the French campaign. History does not know and an example of a trophy weapon in such a large quantity adopted by the victorious army. The case is undoubtedly unique! All this also applies to French tanks, the exact number of which is not even named by German sources. Repaired and repainted in German camouflage, with crosses on the sides, they fought in the ranks of the enemy army right up to 1945. Only a small number of them, located in Africa, as well as in France itself in 1944, were able to again stand under the French banners. The fate of the combat vehicles forced to operate "under a false flag" developed in different ways.

Some tanks, captured by serviceable ones, were used by the Germans during the fighting in France. The bulk of the armored vehicles after the completion of the "French campaign" began to be taken to specially created parks, where they underwent a "technical inspection" in order to find out the faults. Then the equipment was sent for repair or re-equipment to the French factories, and from there they entered the German military units.


However, things did not go further than the formation of four regiments and headquarters of two brigades in the winter of 1941. It soon became clear that units armed with French armored vehicles could not be used in accordance with the tactics of the Wehrmacht's tank forces. And mainly due to the technical imperfection of captured combat vehicles. As a result, already at the end of 1941, all regiments that had French tanks were rearmed with German and Czechoslovak combat vehicles. The released trophy equipment was used to staff numerous separate units and subunits, which mainly carried out security services in the occupied territories, including parts of the SS and armored trains. The geography of their service was quite extensive: from the islands in the English Channel in the west to Russia in the east and from Norway in the north to Crete in the south. - A significant part of the combat vehicles were converted into various kinds of self-propelled guns, tractors and special vehicles.

The nature of the use of captured vehicles was directly influenced by their tactical and technical characteristics. Only H35 / 39 and S35 were supposed to be used directly as tanks. Apparently, their higher speed than the rest of the machines was the decisive factor. According to the initial plans, they were to be equipped with four tank divisions.

After the end of hostilities in France, all serviceable and faulty R35 tanks were sent to the Renault plant in Paris, where they underwent revision or restoration. Due to its low speed, the R35 could not be used as a battle tank, and the Germans subsequently sent about 100 vehicles for security service. 25 of them took part in the battles with the Yugoslav partisans. Most of the tanks were equipped with German radio stations. The domed commander's cupola was replaced by a flat two-piece hatch.







The Germans transferred part of the R35 to their allies: 109 - Italy and 40 - Bulgaria. In December 1940, the Berlin-based firm Alkett received an order to convert 200 R35 tanks into self-propelled guns armed with a Czech 47-mm anti-tank gun. A similar ACS on the chassis of the German Pz.l tank was used as a prototype. In early February 1941, the first self-propelled gun based on the R35 left the factory shop. The gun was installed in an open-top wheelhouse, located in place of the dismantled tower. The frontal deckhouse was 25 mm thick, and the side plates were 20 mm thick. The vertical aiming angle of the gun ranged from -8 ° to + 12 °, the horizontal was 35 °. A German radio station was located in the aft niche of the wheelhouse. The crew consisted of three people. Combat weight - 10.9 tons. In 1941, one self-propelled gun of this type was armed with the German 50-mm anti-tank gun Cancer 38.

Of the 200 ordered vehicles, 174 were made as self-propelled guns, and 26 as commanders. On the latter, the gun was not installed, and its embrasure in the frontal leaf of the cabin was absent. Instead of a cannon, an MG34 machine gun was mounted in a Kugelblende 30 ball mount.

The rest of the R35 tanks, after dismantling the turrets, served in the Wehrmacht as artillery tractors for 150-mm howitzers and 210-mm mortars. The towers were installed on the Atlantic Wall as fixed firing points.







As mentioned above, the Hotchkiss Н35 and Н39 tanks (in the Wehrmacht they were designated 35Н and 38Н) were used by the Germans as ... tanks. They also mounted double-leaf turret hatches and installed German radios. The vehicles converted in this way entered service with the German occupation units in Norway, Crete and Lapland. In addition, they were intermediate weapons in the formation of new tank divisions of the Wehrmacht, for example, the 6th, 7th and 10th. As of May 31, 1943, 355 tanks 35H and 38H were in operation in the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, SS troops and others.

15 vehicles of this type were transferred to Hungary in 1943, another 19, in 1944, to Bulgaria. Croatia received several 38Ns.

Between 1943 and 1944, 60 chassis of the Hotchkiss tanks were converted into a 75-mm self-propelled anti-tank gun. Instead of the removed turret, an impressive size open-top wheelhouse was mounted on the tank hull, in which a 75-mm Cancer 40 cannon was installed. The thickness of the frontal armor plates of the wheelhouse was 20 mm, the side armor plates - 10 mm. With a crew of four, the combat mass of the vehicles was 12.5 tons. The Baukommando Becker enterprise (apparently an army repair plant) was engaged in the conversion of tanks into the self-propelled guns.

At the same enterprise, 48 "hotchkiss" were converted into a self-propelled gun armed with a 105-mm howitzer. Outwardly, it was similar to the previous vehicle, but its cockpit housed a 105 mm leFH 18/40 howitzer. The vertical aiming angles of the gun ranged from -2 ° to + 22 °. The crew consisted of five people. 12 self-propelled guns of this type entered service with the 200th assault gun division.















For units armed with self-propelled guns based on Hotchkiss tanks, 24 tanks were converted into vehicles for forward artillery observers, the so-called grosser Funk-und Befehlspanzer 38H (f). A small number of 38Ns were used for training purposes, as tractors, ammunition carriers and ARVs. It is interesting to note an attempt to increase the tank's firepower by installing four launch frames for 280 and 320 mm rockets. On the initiative of the 205th tank battalion (Pz. Abt. 205), 11 tanks were equipped in this way.







Due to their small number, FCM36 tanks were not used by the Wehrmacht for their intended purpose. 48 vehicles were converted into self-propelled artillery installations: 24 - with a 75-mm anti-tank gun Rak 40, the rest - with a 105-mm leFH 16 howitzer. All self-propelled guns were manufactured in Baukommando Becker. Eight anti-tank self-propelled guns, as well as several 105-mm self-propelled howitzers, entered service with the 200th assault gun division, included in the 21st tank division. Part of the self-propelled guns also received the so-called Fast Brigade "West" - Schnellen Brigade West.

The Germans also did not use the few D2 medium tanks that they inherited. It is only known that their towers were installed on Croatian armored trains.

As for the SOMUA medium tanks, most of the 297 units captured by the Germans under the designation Pz.Kpfw. 35S 739 (f) were included in the Wehrmacht's tank units. SOMUA underwent some modernization: they installed German Fu 5 radio stations and retrofitted the commander's cupola with a double-leaf hatch (but not all vehicles underwent such a conversion). In addition, a fourth crew member was added - a radio operator, and the loader moved to the tower, where there were now two people. These tanks were supplied mainly to manning tank regiments (100, 201, 202, 203, 204 Panzer-Regiment) and individual tank battalions (202, 205, 206, 211, 212, 213, 214, 223 Panzer-Abteilung). Most of these units were stationed in France and served as a reserve to replenish the tank units of the Wehrmacht.







For example, at the beginning of 1943, on the basis of the 100th tank regiment (armed mainly with S35 tanks), the 21st tank division was again formed, completely defeated at Stalingrad by units of the Red Army. The revived division was stationed in Normandy, in June 1944, after the Allied landings in France, took an active part in the battles.

As of July 1, 1943, there were 144 SOMUA in the active parts of the Wehrmacht (not counting warehouses and parks): in Army Group Center - 2, in Yugoslavia - 43, in France - 67, in Norway - 16 (as part of 211- 1st tank battalion), in Finland - 16 (as part of the 214th tank battalion). On March 26, 1945, the German tank units still had five 35S tanks operating against the Anglo-American forces on the Western Front.







It should be noted that the Germans used a number of SOMUA tanks to fight partisans and protect rear facilities, 60 units were converted into artillery tractors (the tower and the upper front part of the hull were dismantled from them), and 15 vehicles entered service with armored trains No. 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30. Structurally, these armored trains consisted of a semi-armored steam locomotive, two open-top armored platforms for infantry and three special platforms with ramps for S35 tanks.











Tanks of armored train number 28 took part in the assault on the Brest Fortress, for which they had to leave their platforms. On June 23, 1941, one of these vehicles was hit by hand grenades at the northern gate of the fortress, and another S35 was damaged there by anti-aircraft gun fire. The third tank broke into the central courtyard of the citadel, where it was knocked out by artillerymen of the 333rd Infantry Regiment. The Germans managed to evacuate two cars immediately. After repairs, they again took part in the battles. In particular, on June 27, the Germans used one of them against the Eastern Fort. The tank fired at the embrasures of the fort, as a result, as stated in the report of the headquarters of the 45th German Infantry Division, the Russians began to behave quieter, but the continuous shooting of snipers continued from the most unexpected places.

As part of the aforementioned armored trains, the S35 tanks were operated until 1943, when they were replaced by the Czechoslovakian Pz.38 (t).

After the occupation of France, the Germans repaired and returned to service 161 heavy B1 bis tanks, which received the designation Pz.Kpfw in the Wehrmacht. B2 740 (f). Most of the vehicles retained their standard armament, but German radio stations were installed, and the commander's cupola was replaced with a simple hatch with a two-piece cover. Towers were removed from several tanks and all weapons were dismantled. As such, they were used to train driver mechanics.

In March 1941, the Rheinmetall-Borsig firm in Dusseldorf converted 16 combat vehicles into self-propelled units, having mounted an armored wheelhouse with a 105-mm leFH 18 howitzer in place of the previous armament and turret.







On the basis of French heavy tanks, the Germans created a large number of combat flamethrower vehicles. At a meeting with Hitler on May 26, 1941, the possibility of arming captured B2 tanks with flamethrowers was discussed. The Fuehrer ordered the formation of two companies, equipped with such machines. On the first 24 B2, flamethrowers of the same system as on the German Pz.ll (F), operating on compressed nitrogen, were installed. The flamethrower was located inside the hull, in place of the removed 75-mm cannon. All tanks were sent to the 10th battalion, formed by June 20, 1941. It consisted of two companies, each, in addition to 12 flamethrower vehicles, had three support tanks (line B2, armed with a 75-mm cannon). The 102nd battalion arrived on the Eastern Front on June 23 and was subordinated to the headquarters of the 17th Army, whose divisions stormed the Przemysl fortified area.















On June 24, 1941, the battalion supported the offensive of the 24th Infantry Division. On June 26, the attacks continued, but this time together with the 296th Infantry Division. On June 29, with the participation of flamethrower tanks, the assault on Soviet pillboxes began. The report of the commander of the 2nd battalion of the 520th infantry regiment allows to restore the picture of the battle. On the evening of June 28, the 102nd battalion of flamethrower tanks reached the indicated starting positions. At the sound of tank engines, the enemy opened fire from cannons and machine guns, but there were no casualties. With a delay caused by thick fog, at 5.55 on June 29, 8.8 cm Flak opened direct fire at the embrasures of the pillboxes. Anti-aircraft gunners fired until 7.04, when most of the embrasures were hit and fell silent. On a green rocket, the 102nd flamethrower battalion launched the attack at 07.05. Engineering units accompanied the tanks. Their task was to install high-explosive charges under the enemy's defensive fortifications. When some pillboxes opened fire, the sappers were forced to hide in an anti-tank ditch. 88-mm anti-aircraft guns and other types of heavy weapons returned fire. The sappers were able to achieve their assigned goals, lay and detonate high-explosive charges. The pillboxes were badly damaged by 88-mm guns and fired only occasionally. Flamethrower tanks were able to approach the pillboxes almost close, but the defenders of the fortifications offered desperate resistance, knocking out two of them from the 76-mm cannon.

















Both cars burned down, but the crews managed to leave them. The flamethrower tanks did not manage to hit the pillboxes, since the combustible mixture could not penetrate through the ball mounts. The defenders of the fortifications continued to fire.

On June 30, the 102nd battalion was transferred to the direct subordination of the headquarters of the 17th army, and on July 27 it was disbanded.

Further development of German tank flamethrowers took place using all the same Pz.B2. For new types of weapons, a pump operated from the J10 engine was used. These flamethrowers had a firing range of up to 45 m, the supply of a combustible mixture made it possible to fire 200 shots. They were installed in the same place - in the building. The tank with a combustible mixture was located on the back of the armor. The Daimler-Benz company developed a scheme for improving the armor of the tank, the Kebe company developed a flamethrower, and the Wegmann company carried out the final assembly.





It was planned to convert ten B2 tanks in this way in December 1941 and the next ten in January 1942. In reality, the production of flamethrower machines was much slower: although five units were ready already in November, but in December only three were produced, in March 1942 - three more, in April - two, in May - three and, finally, in June - the last four. The further progress of the work is unknown, since the order for the alteration was sent to French enterprises.

In total, in 1941-1942, about 60 B2 (FI) flamethrower tanks were manufactured. Together with other B2, they were in service with quite a few units of the German army. So, for example, as of May 31, 1943, the 223rd tank battalion had 16 B2 (of which 12 were flamethrower); in the 100th tank brigade - 34 (24); in the 213rd tank battalion - 36 (10); in the SS Mountain Rifle Division "Prince Eugene" - 17 B2 and B2 (FI).

B2 were used in the Wehrmacht until the end of the war, especially in troops located in France. In February 1945, there were still about 40 of these tanks.

As for French tanks of other brands, they were practically not used by the Wehrmacht, although many of them received German designations. The only exception is the AMR 35ZT light reconnaissance tank. Some of these machines, which had no combat value, in 1943-1944 were converted into self-propelled mortars. The tower was dismantled from the tank, and in its place they erected a box-shaped wheelhouse, open from above and behind, welded from 10-mm armor plates. An 81-mm Granatwerfer 34 mortar was installed in the wheelhouse. The crew of the vehicle was four people, the combat weight was 9 tons.

The story of the use of captured French tanks in the Wehrmacht would be incomplete without mentioning the FT 17/18. As a result of the 1940 campaign, the Germans captured 704 Renault FT tanks, of which only about 500 were in good condition. Some of the vehicles were also repaired under the designation Pz.Kpfw. 17R 730 (f) or 18R 730 (f) (tanks with a cast turret) were used for the patrol and security service. Renault also served to train driver mechanics of German units in France. Some of the disarmed vehicles were used as mobile command and observation posts. In April 1941, a hundred Renault FTs with 37-mm cannons were allocated to reinforce the armored trains. They were attached to railway platforms, thus receiving additional armored cars. These armored trains patrolled the roads along the English Channel. In June 1941, a number of Renault armored trains were assigned to fight partisans in the occupied territories. Five tanks on railway platforms were used to protect roads in Serbia. For the same purposes, several Renault were used in Norway. They constantly exploited captured Renault and Luftwaffe, which used them (about 100 in total) to guard airfields, as well as to clear runways. For this, bulldozer blades were installed on several tanks without towers.











In 1941, 20 Renault FT towers with 37-mm cannons were installed on concrete foundations on the coast of the English Channel.

After the defeat of France, a significant number of French armored vehicles fell into the hands of the Germans. However, most of them were of outdated designs and did not meet the requirements of the Wehrmacht. The Germans hastened to get rid of such machines and handed them over to their allies. As a result, the German army used only one type of French armored car - AMD Panhard 178.

More than 200 of these vehicles are designated Pz.Spah. 204 (f) entered the field troops and SS units, and 43 were converted into armored tires. On the latter, a German radio station with a frame-type antenna was installed. On June 22, 1941, there were 190 Panars on the Eastern Front, 107 of them were lost by the end of the year. As of June 1943, the Wehrmacht still had 30 vehicles on the Eastern Front and 33 on the Western. In addition, some of the armored cars by this time were transferred to the security divisions.

The French government of Vichy received permission from the Germans to keep a small number of armored vehicles of this type, but at the same time they demanded to dismantle the standard 25-mm cannons. In November 1942, when the Nazis invaded the "free" zone (unoccupied south of France), these vehicles were captured and used for police functions, and part of the "Panar", which did not have towers, in 1943 the Germans armed with a 50-mm tank cannon.







The Germans also actively used the large fleet of French artillery tractors and armored personnel carriers, which included both wheeled and tracked and half-tracked vehicles. And if half-track Citroen P19 cars were operated in the "West" brigade without any major alterations, then many other models of equipment have undergone significant changes.

For example, the Germans used the French four-wheel drive two- and three-axle specialized army trucks Laffly V15 and W15. These machines were operated in various parts of the Wehrmacht, mainly in pristine condition. However, in the "West" brigade, 24 W15T trucks were converted into mobile radio stations, and several vehicles were equipped with armored hulls, turning them into wheeled armored personnel carriers.

Since 1941, the German troops stationed in France, as an artillery tractor for 75-mm anti-tank guns, 105-mm light field howitzers and mortars, a transporter for transporting personnel, an ambulance and a radio vehicle, a carrier of ammunition and equipment, has been using the captured Unic half-track tractor Р107 - leichter Zugkraftwagen U304 (f). Only in the brigade "West" there were more than a hundred such vehicles. In 1943, a number of them were equipped with an armored body with an open-top body (for this, the chassis frame had to be lengthened by 350 mm) and reclassified into armored personnel carriers - leichter Schutzenpanzerwagen U304 (f), close in size to the German Sd.Kfz.250. At the same time, some of the machines had open, and some - closed hulls. Several armored personnel carriers were armed with a 37-mm Rak 36 anti-tank gun with a standard shield.

A number of tractors were converted into semi-armored ZSU, armed with a 20-mm anti-aircraft machine gun Rak 38. An even larger series (72 units) in Baukommando Becker produced an armored ZSU with similar weapons. These vehicles also entered service with the West Brigade.





The heavier half-track tractors SOMUA MCL - Zugkraftwagen S303 (f) and SOMUA MCG - Zugkraftwagen S307 (f) were used as artillery tractors. Some of them were also equipped with an armored body in 1943. At the same time, they were supposed to be used both as armored tractors - the mittlerer gepanzerter Zugkraftwagen S303 (f), and as armored vehicles - the mittlerer Schutzenpanzerwagen S307 (f). In addition, on their basis, combat vehicles were created: m SPW S307 (f) mit Reihenwerfer - self-propelled multi-barrel mortar (36 units manufactured); a double-row package of 16 barrels of French 81-mm mortars was mounted in the rear of the vehicle on a special frame; 7.5 cm Cancer 40 auf m SPW S307 (f) - self-propelled 75 mm anti-tank gun (72 units manufactured); armored ammunition carrier (48 units manufactured); an engineering vehicle equipped with special walkways for overcoming ditches; 8 cm Raketenwerfer auf m.gep.Zgkw. S303 (f) - rocket launcher with a package of guides for launching 48 rockets, copied from the Soviet 82-mm BM-8-24 launcher (6 units were manufactured); 8-cm schwerer Reihenwerfer auf m.gep Zgkw. S303 (f) - self-propelled multi-barreled mortar (16 units manufactured) with a package of 20 barrels of captured French mortars Granatwerfer 278 (f).

The company commander's vehicle armed with a 37 mm Rak 36 anti-tank gun and an MG34 machine gun on an anti-aircraft mount

Of the purely tracked French combat vehicles captured and widely used by the Germans, the first to be mentioned is the multipurpose transporter Renault UE (Infanterieschlepper UE 630 (f). It was originally used as a light tractor for transporting equipment and ammunition (including on the Eastern Front With an armored cabin and armed with a UE 630 (f) machine gun, it was used for police and security functions. parts - 3,7 cm Rak 36 (Sf) auf Infanterieschlepper UE 630 (f). At the same time, the upper mount and the cannon shield remained unchanged. Another 40 transporters were equipped with a special armored wheelhouse, located in the rear, where the radio station was located. as communication and surveillance vehicles in units armed with captured French tanks.

Combat vehicles based on the Somua S307 (f) artillery tractor: 75-mm self-propelled anti-tank gun




Several tractors were converted into cable layers. In 1943, almost all vehicles that had not been altered earlier were equipped with launchers for heavy jet mines - 28/32 cm Wurfrahmen (Sf) auf Infanterieschlepper UE 630 (f).

At first, the 300 captured Lorraine 37L tracked armored personnel carriers were not actively exploited in the Wehrmacht. An attempt to use them for the transportation of various goods was not very successful: with a mass of 6 tons, the carrying capacity of the tractor was only 800 kg. Therefore, already in 1940, the first attempts were made to convert these vehicles into self-propelled guns: 47-mm French anti-tank guns were mounted on several tractors. The massive conversion of tractors to self-propelled units began in 1942. Three types of self-propelled guns were made on the Lorraine 37L chassis: 7.5 cm Rak 40/1 auf Lorraine Schlepper (f) Marder I (Sd.Kfz.135) - self-propelled 75-mm anti-tank gun (179 units manufactured); 15 cm sFH 13/1 auf Lorraine Schlepper (f) (Sd.Kfz. 135/1) - self-propelled 150 mm howitzer (94 units manufactured); 10.5 cm leFH 18/4 auf Lorraine Schlepper (f) - 105 mm self-propelled howitzer (12 units manufactured).

All these self-propelled guns were structurally and externally similar to each other and differed from each other mainly only in the artillery system, which was located in the box-shaped wheelhouse located at the stern of the vehicle, open from above.

Self-propelled guns on the Lorraine chassis were also used by the Germans on the Eastern Front and in North Africa, and in 1944 in France.

One of the German armored trains included an ACS on the Lorraine Schiepper (f) chassis, in which a Soviet 122 mm M30 howitzer was installed in the standard wheelhouse.

On the basis of the Lorraine tractor, the Germans created 30 fully armored surveillance and communications vehicles.













After the end of the Great Patriotic War, many trophies were exported from occupied Germany to the USSR. Various art objects, military equipment and much more became the trophies. This post will introduce us to the most interesting trophies of the war.

Zhukov's Mercedes

At the end of the war, Marshal Zhukov became the owner of an armored Mercedes, designed by order of Hitler "for the people necessary for the Reich." Zhukov did not like Willys, and the shortened Mercedes-Benz-770k sedan turned out to be very useful. This high-speed and safe car with a 400-horsepower engine was used by the marshal almost everywhere - he refused to ride in it only to accept surrender.

"German armor"

It is known that the Red Army fought on captured armored vehicles, but few people know that it was doing this already in the early days of the war. Thus, in the "combat log of the 34th Panzer Division" it is said about the capture of 12 German tanks on June 28-29, 1941, which were used "to fire from place at the enemy's artillery."
During one of the counterattacks of the Western Front on July 7, military technician Ryazanov broke into the German rear on his T-26 tank and fought the enemy for 24 hours. He returned to his friends in the captured Pz. III ".
Along with tanks, the Soviet military often used German self-propelled guns. For example, in August 1941, during the defense of Kiev, two fully operational "StuG III" were captured. Junior Lieutenant Klimov fought very successfully on self-propelled guns: in one of the battles, being in "StuG III", in one day of the battle he destroyed two German tanks, an armored personnel carrier and two trucks for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. In general, during the war years, domestic repair plants brought back to life at least 800 German tanks and self-propelled guns. Armored vehicles of the Wehrmacht came to the court and were used even after the war.

"U-250"

On July 30, 1944, the German submarine U-250 was sunk by Soviet boats in the Gulf of Finland. The decision to raise it was made almost immediately, but a rocky bank at a depth of 33 meters and German bombs dragged out the process. Only on September 14, the submarine was raised and towed to Kronstadt.
During the inspection of the compartments, valuable documents were found, an Enigma-M encryption machine, as well as T-5 homing acoustic torpedoes. However, the Soviet command was more interested in the boat itself - as an example of German shipbuilding. They were going to adopt the German experience in the USSR. On April 20, 1945, "U-250" was added to the USSR Navy under the name "TS-14" (trophy medium), but it could not be used due to the lack of the necessary spare parts. After 4 months, the submarine was excluded from the lists and sent for scrap.

"Dora"

When the Soviet troops reached the German training ground in Hilbersleben, many valuable finds awaited them, but especially the military and personally Stalin's attention was attracted by the super-heavy 800-mm Dora artillery gun developed by the Krupp company.
This cannon - the fruit of many years of searching - cost the German treasury 10 million Reichsmarks. The gun owes its name to the wife of the chief designer Erich Müller. The project was prepared in 1937, but the first prototype was released only in 1941.
The characteristics of the giant are striking even now: "Dora" fired with 7.1-ton concrete-piercing and 4.8-ton high-explosive shells, its barrel length is 32.5 m, weight - 400 tons, vertical guidance angle - 65 °, range - 45 km. The striking ability was also impressive: armor 1 m thick, concrete - 7 m, hard ground - 30 m.
The speed of the projectile was such that at first an explosion was heard, then the whistle of a flying warhead, and only then the sound of a shot reached.
The history of Dora ended in 1960: the gun was cut into pieces and melted down in the open-hearth of the Barrikady plant. The shells detonated at the Prudboy training ground.



Dresden gallery

The search for paintings from the Dresden Gallery looked like a detective story, but ended successfully, and in the end, the paintings of European masters made it safely to Moscow. The Berlin newspaper "Tagesspiel" then wrote: "These things were taken as compensation for the destroyed Russian museums of Leningrad, Novgorod and Kiev. Of course, the Russians will never give up their booty. "
Almost all the paintings arrived damaged, but the task of the Soviet restorers was facilitated by the attached notes about the damaged places. The most complex works were made by the artist of the State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin Pavel Korin. We owe him the preservation of the masterpieces of Titian and Rubens.
From May 2 to August 20, 1955, an exhibition of paintings by the Dresden Art Gallery was held in Moscow, which was attended by 1,200,000 people. On the day of the closing ceremony of the exhibition, an act was signed on the transfer of the first painting to the GDR - it turned out to be "Portrait of a Young Man" by Dürer. A total of 1,240 canvases were returned to East Germany. To transport paintings and other property, 300 railway cars were needed.

Troy Gold

Most researchers believe that the most valuable Soviet trophy of World War II was the "Gold of Troy". The "Priam's Treasure" (as the "Gold of Troy" was originally called), found by Heinrich Schliemann, consisted of almost 9 thousand items - gold diadems, silver clasps, buttons, chains, copper axes and other items made of precious metals.
The Germans carefully hid the "Trojan Treasures" in one of the towers of the air defense system on the territory of the Berlin Zoo. Continuous bombing and shelling destroyed almost the entire zoo, but the tower remained unharmed. On July 12, 1945, the entire collection arrived in Moscow. Some of the exhibits remained in the capital, while others were transferred to the Hermitage.
For a long time, the "Trojan gold" was hidden from prying eyes, and only in 1996 the Pushkin Museum organized an exhibition of rare treasures. The "Gold of Troy" Germany has not been returned to this day. Oddly enough, but Russia has no less rights to him, since Schliemann, having married the daughter of a Moscow merchant, became a Russian subject.

Color cinema

A very useful trophy turned out to be the German AGFA color film, on which, in particular, the Victory Parade was filmed. And in 1947, an ordinary Soviet viewer saw color films for the first time. These were films of the USA, Germany and other European countries brought from the Soviet zone of occupation. Most of the films were watched by Stalin with a specially made translation for him.
Popular were the adventure films "Indian Tomb" and "The Hunters for Rubber", biographical films about Rembrandt, Schiller, Mozart, as well as numerous opera films.
The film by Georg Jacobi "The Girl of My Dreams" (1944) became a cult film in the USSR. Interestingly, the film was originally called "The Woman of My Dreams", but the party leadership considered that "it is indecent to dream of a woman" and renamed the tape.

The largest trophies were captured by the Germans during Operation Barbarossa. Suffice it to say that by August 22, 1941, they had knocked out and captured 14,079 Soviet tanks. However, attempts to use such rich trophies from the very beginning were fraught with great difficulties. A significant part of Soviet tanks were so defeated in battle that they were only suitable for scrap metal. Most of the tanks, which had no visible external damage, upon examination revealed breakdowns of engine, transmission or chassis units, which were impossible to eliminate due to the lack of spare parts.

The first Soviet T-26 tanks, captured as trophies, began to be used by the Wehrmacht in the summer of 1941. In the photo above - a T-26 tank model 1939 pulls out a 3-ton Mercedes-Benz truck stuck in the mud

The same tank guards the rear park of one of the Wehrmacht infantry units.

The main reason for the weak interest of the Germans in captured Soviet armored vehicles was the high losses of Germany in their own combat vehicles and the associated colossal workload of repair, evacuation and recovery services. There was simply no time to deal with captured tanks. As a result, by October 1941, the German troops had only about 100 Soviet tanks of various types. The rest of the Soviet armored vehicles abandoned on the battlefield, having stood in the open air in the winter of 1941/42, were no longer subject to restoration. During this period, the Wehrmacht received only a few T-26 (Pz.740 (r), BT-7 (Pz.742 (r) and T-60) from repair enterprises. Most of the vehicles, primarily T-34 (Pz. 747 (r) and KB (Pz. 753 (r), used by the front-line units, were captured in a completely serviceable condition, immediately put into operation and operated until they were knocked out or out of order for technical reasons.

Only from the middle of 1942, vehicles from German repair enterprises began to enter service with units equipped with captured Soviet tanks. The main one, which specialized in our technology, was a repair plant in Riga. In addition, since 1943, individual T-34s were rebuilt at the Daimber-Benz factories in Berlin and the Wumag firm in Gerlitz.

Tanks T-26 in a German field workshop. In the foreground is the T-26 Model 1933. with a red star and the inscription "Captured by the 15th Infantry Regiment." Background: T-26 mod. 1939 with a cross named Tiger II and the tactical badge of the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Death's Head"



Trophy Soviet tank T-26 mod. 1939, used to practice combat training tasks for interaction with the infantry, in one of the units of the Wehrmacht

After the second capture of Kharkov by the Germans in the spring of 1943, a repair shop was created in the shops of the Kharkov Tractor Plant by the SS "Reich" division, in which several dozen T-34 tanks were restored. More active use of captured Soviet tanks was generally characteristic of SS units. Moreover, in a number of cases they were in service with tank units together with German tanks. In the "Reich" division, a separate battalion was formed, armed with 25 T-34 tanks. Some of them were equipped with German commander's turrets.

Tank BT-7 mod. 1935 in the Wehrmacht. 1943 (or 1944) year. Fighting vehicle painted yellow

A Red Army soldier examines a BT-7 arr. 1937 tank dug into the ground, which was used by the Germans as a fixed firing point. 1943 year

A captured T-34 tank from the 98th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht. Eastern Front, 1942

Tanks T-34 from the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Death's Head". 1942 year

Separate T-34 tanks without towers were used by the Germans as evacuation tractors.

As for the KB heavy tanks, judging by the available data, the number of them in the German units was small and hardly exceeded 50 units. These were mainly KV-1 tanks of Chelyabinsk production with ZIS-5 cannons. However, there is information about the use in the Wehrmacht of a certain number, apparently very small, of KV-2 tanks.

Instead of a large hatch on the turret roof of this T-34 tank, a commander's cupola was installed, borrowed from the Pz.lll tank.

German commander's turrets were also installed on some captured T-34s of later modifications - with the so-called improved turret.

A captured T-34 tank converted by the Germans into an anti-aircraft self-propelled gun with a 20-mm quad automatic cannon. 1944 year

Judging by the photographs, on some KB, to improve visibility, they installed commander's turrets from the German Pz.III and Pz.IV tanks. The 22nd German Panzer Division approached this issue most creatively. The KV-1 tank captured by this formation at the end of the summer of 1943 was equipped not only with a commander's cupola, but also rearmed with a German 75-mm long-barreled cannon.

Trophy T-34 tanks are being repaired in the workshop of the Kharkov steam locomotive plant. Spring 1943. The work was carried out by the forces of a special enterprise created in the structure of the 1st SS Panzer Corps

The repaired T-34 tanks became part of the mixed tank company of the SS "Reich" division, where they were used in conjunction with German Pz.IV

One of the T-34 tanks of the Great Germany motorized division. In the foreground is the Sd.Kfz.252 armored personnel carrier. Eastern Front, 1943

In May 1942, during the preparation of the German landing on the island of Malta (Operation Hercules), it was planned to form a company of captured KV heavy tanks. It was planned to charge them with the fight against the British infantry tanks "Matilda", which were part of the island's garrison. However, the required number of serviceable KB tanks did not turn out to be and this idea could not be realized, especially since the landing on Malta itself did not take place.

A number of captured light tanks T-70 and T-70M were used by Wehrmacht units under the designation Panzerkampfwagen T-70®. The exact number of these machines is unknown, but it is unlikely that there were more than 40 - 50 pieces. Most often, these tanks were used in infantry divisions and police units (Ordnungspolizei), and in the latter (for example, in the 5th and 12th police tank companies), the T-70s were operated until the end of 1944. In addition, quite a few T-70s with their turrets removed were used to tow 50 and 75 mm anti-tank guns.

Another option for using captured equipment - the upper part of the hull and the turret of the T-34 tank became the basis for the creation of an armored vehicle - a tank destroyer (Panzerjagerwagen). 1944 year

Armored vehicles in the yard of a repair plant in East Prussia: tanks "Panther", T-34 and two-turret T-26 (!). 1945 (center)

Heavy tank KV-1, used as part of the 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht. Eastern Front, 1942

Very rarely captured Soviet tanks were converted by the Germans into self-propelled guns. In this regard, the most massive episode can be considered the production of ten self-propelled guns based on the T-26 tank at the end of 1943. Instead of towers, 75-mm French cannons were installed on them (7,5-st Rak 97/98 (f), covered with a shield. These vehicles entered service with the 3rd company of the 563rd anti-tank battalion. However, their combat service was short-lived - already on March 1, 1944, they were all replaced by the Marder III self-propelled guns.

There is a known case of converting a T-34 tank into an anti-aircraft self-propelled installation. The standard turret was dismantled, and instead of it a rotating, open-top, special welded turret with a 20-mm quad mount Flakvierling 38 was installed. In the spring of 1944, this vehicle was part of the 653rd heavy anti-tank battalion of the Ferdinand self-propelled guns.

Installation of a 75 mm KwK40 tank gun with a 43 caliber barrel in the turret of a captured Soviet KV-1 tank. 22nd Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, 1943

"Stalin's Monster" - a KV-2 heavy tank in the Panzerwaffe ranks! Fighting vehicles of this type were used by the Germans in the amount of several copies, however, judging by the photo, at least one of them was equipped with a German commander's cupola

In general, the number of Soviet tanks used by the German troops was very limited. So, according to official data, in May 1943, there were 63 Russian tanks in the Wehrmacht (of which 50 were T-34), and in December 1944 - 53 Russian tanks (49 of them were T-34).

A captured T-60 tank tows a 75mm light infantry gun. Noteworthy is the fact that this machine, used as a tractor, retained the tower. 1942 year

The T-70 light tank converted into a tractor tows a 75-mm anti-tank gun Rak 40

In total, over the period from June 1941 to May 1945, German troops commissioned and used more than 300 Soviet tanks in battles with the Red Army.

Soviet armored vehicles were used mainly in those parts of the Wehrmacht and the SS forces that captured them, and even then in extremely limited ways. Among the Soviet armored vehicles operated by the Germans, one can mention the BA-20 - (Panzerspahwagen VA 202 (g), BA-6, BA-10 (Panzerspahwagen VA 203 (g) and BA-64). The Germans used the captured semi-armored artillery tractors "Komsomolets" directly intended for towing light artillery pieces A 37-mm anti-tank gun Rak 35/36 was installed on the roof of an armored cab of a tractor unit behind a standard shield.

The tractor, a captured Soviet T-70 tank without a turret, tows a captured Soviet 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon. Rostov-on-Don, 1942

The German officer uses the tower of the captured BA-3 armored car as an observation post. 1942 year. Rear axle wheels are equipped with "Overroll" caterpillars

Preventing an attack from their own aircraft, German soldiers are in a hurry to strengthen the flag with a swastika on the captured Soviet armored car BA-10

Many people are interested in the use of captured tanks in the Red Army, during the Great Patriotic War. Here I recommend the book by Maxim Kolomiets “Trophy tanks of the Red Army. On the Tigers to Berlin! " A short compilation from which I bring to your attention. More details can be found at the link to the source. But all the same, I strongly recommend reading the book itself.

Trophies are an inevitable attribute of any war. Very often captured equipment and weapons were used against their former owners. Armored vehicles were no exception. The fact that the Germans fought on our tanks is known, perhaps, to any lover of the history of armored vehicles. But not everyone knows that the Red Army units used, and very successfully, tanks and self-propelled guns of the Wehrmacht. Meanwhile, captured German armored vehicles fought in the Soviet armed forces from the very beginning to the very last days of the war, and were even operated after it.
The first trophies The use of captured German tanks by the Red Army began from the first days of the Great Patriotic War. Many publications often mention an episode of the use of captured tanks by units of the 34th Panzer Division of the 8th Mechanized Corps of the Southwestern Front for a night attack by German units. Generally speaking, information about the use of captured tanks by units of the Red Army during 1941 is rather scarce, because the battlefield remained with the enemy. Nevertheless, it is interesting to cite some facts of the use of trophy equipment.

Soldiers of the Red Army on captured Pz.lll and Pz. IV. Western Front, September 1941

During the counterstrike of the 7th Mechanized Corps of the Western Front on July 7, 1941, 1st rank military technician Ryazanov (18th Panzer Division) in the Kotsy region broke through with his T-26 tank to the rear of the enemy, where he fought for 24 hours. Then he again went out to his own people, taking out of the encirclement two T-26s and one captured Pz. III with a damaged gun. This car was lost ten days later. In the battle on August 5, 1941, on the outskirts of Leningrad, the combined tank regiment of the Leningrad armored training courses for command personnel captured “two tanks of the Skoda factories” that were blown up by mines. After repairs, they were used in battles by units of the Red Army. During the defense of Odessa, several tanks were also captured by units of the Primorsky Army. So, on August 13, 1941, during the battle, 12 enemy tanks were knocked out, of which three were withdrawn to the rear for repairs. A few days later, on August 15, units of the 25th rifle division captured "three serviceable tankettes (we are most likely talking about light Romanian R-1 tanks) and one armored car."
Along with tanks, captured German self-propelled guns were also used in the first months of the war. So, during the defense of Kiev in August 1941, the Red Army captured two serviceable StuG 111. One of them was sent for testing in Moscow, and the second, after being shown to the city's residents, was manned with a Soviet crew and she left for the front. In September 1941, during the Battle of Smolensk, the tank crew of Junior Lieutenant Klimov, having lost their own tank, transferred to the captured StuG III and in one day of the battle knocked out two enemy tanks, an armored personnel carrier and two trucks, for which they were awarded the Order of the Red Star.

StuG III captured by Red Army units in full serviceability. August 1941

On October 8, 1941, Lieutenant Klimov, commanding a platoon of three StuG III (referred to in the document as "German tanks without a turret"), "performed a daring operation behind enemy lines", for which he was nominated for the Order of the Red Banner of Battle. On December 2, 1941, Lieutenant Klimov died during a duel with a German anti-tank battery.
The wider use of captured equipment in the Red Army began in the spring of 1942, when, after the end of the Battle of Moscow, as well as counter-attacks near Rostov and Tikhvin, hundreds of German vehicles, tanks and self-propelled guns were captured. For example, the troops of the 5th Army of the Western Front from December 1941 to April 10, 1942 sent 411 units of captured equipment (medium tanks - 13, light tanks - 12, armored vehicles - 3.tractors - 24, armored vehicles - 2, self-propelled guns - 2, trucks - 196, cars - 116, motorcycles - 43. In addition, during the same period, army units collected 741 units of captured equipment (medium tanks - 33, tanks light - 26, armored vehicles - 3, tractors - 17. armored personnel carriers - 2, self-propelled vehicles - 6. trucks - 462, passenger cars - 140, motorcycles - 52).
38 more tanks: Pz. I - 2, Pz. II - 8, Pz. III - 19. Pz. IV - 1, ChKD (Pz. 38 (t) - 1. artillery tanks (as in the Soviet documents of the first year of the war, assault guns were often called StuG III - 7) were registered in the places of past battles. During April-May 1942, most of For a more organized collection of trophies, at the end of 1941, an evacuation and trophy collection department was created in the Red Army Armored Directorate, and on March 23, 1942, the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR signed an order "On accelerating work to evacuate trophy and domestic armored materiel ”.

Soldiers of the Red Army at the captured Romanian tank R-1. Odessa region, September 1941

The first repair base, which was entrusted with the repair of captured armored vehicles, was repair base No. 82 in Moscow. Created in December 1941, this enterprise REU GABTU KA was originally intended to repair British tanks and armored personnel carriers that arrived under Lend-Lease. However, already at the end of March, by the decision of the GABTU KA, approved by the State Defense Committee, the specialization of the repair base No. 82. They began to import captured tanks to the repair base No. 82. In total, according to the report of the repair base No. 82 for 1942, 90 tanks of all types were repaired there.
Another Moscow enterprise engaged in the restoration of German armored vehicles was a branch of plant number 37, created on the site of the production evacuated to Sverdlovsk. The branch was engaged in the repair of T-30 / T-60 vehicles and trucks. In addition, in 1942, five Pz. I (two repaired), seven Pz. II (three repaired), five Pz.38 (t) tanks (three repaired), five "captured self-propelled guns" (not repaired), two light trophy armored cars (repaired), one medium (repaired), four "armored radio vehicles" (one repaired), as well as 89 captured vehicles (52 repaired) and 14 half-track tractors (10 repaired).

Trophy equipment brought for repairs in the courtyard of the "Lift" plant, where the repair base No. 82 was located: Pz. II, the flamethrower version of the Pz. II Flamm "Flamingo", Pz. III, Pz.35 (t), Pz.38 (t), StuG III, armored personnel carriers Sd.Kfz.252 and Sd.Kfz.253. Many vehicles bear the emblems of German armored divisions. April 1942

Thus, in 1942, about 100 captured armored units, including armored cars, were repaired at the repair enterprises of the GABTU KA and the People's Commissariat for Tank Industry. By the way, according to the recollections of one of the repairmen, the best tank for repairs was the Czechoslovak Pz.38 (t), since “it had a fairly simple and reliable engine and simple transmission mechanisms. If the Czech tank did not burn, it was usually rebuilt. At the same time, virtually all German tanks required much more delicate handling. "
For 11 months of 1943, 356 captured vehicles (Pz. II - 88, Pz. III - 97, Pz. IV - 60, Pz. 38 (t) - 102. other types - 12) were delivered to tank repair plant No. 8), of which repaired 349 (Pz. II - 86, Pz. III - 95, Pz. IV - 53, Pz. 38 (t) - 102, other types - 12). True, not all of the repaired German tanks were sent to the Army in the field. For example, in August 1943, 77 captured German tanks were shipped from plant number 8 to infantry, machine-gun and rifle-mortar schools, 26 to reserve rifle regiments, and 65 to twelve tank schools. In May - April 1944, repair plant No. 8 moved to Kiev again. And in the first half of 1944, repair plant No. 8 repaired 124 medium and 39 light German tanks, after which the repair of captured materiel was removed from it. Thus, in 1942-1944, tank repair plant No. 8 repaired at least 600 German tanks of various types. True, not all of them made it to the front; many vehicles were sent to training and reserve tanks.

Repairmen inspect the Pz. III, in the foreground is the Pz. III from the 18th Panzer Division of the Germans, equipped with equipment for underwater navigation. Moscow, rembaza number 82, April 1942

In addition to the repair bases, army and front-line repair units were engaged in the repair of captured materiel. Perhaps the largest amount of work was done by the repair units of the Western Front in 1942. For example, in June, the 22nd army repair and restoration battalion of the front repaired ten German tanks, and the 132nd separate repair and restoration battalion over the same period - 30 captured Pz. II, Pz. III and Pz. IV
Nevertheless, in July 1942, 16 captured tanks were sent to the 22nd army repair and restoration battalion, and four more - the 132nd separate repair and restoration battalion. Moreover, this battalion was also engaged in the rearmament of German tanks with domestic weapons. True, the scale of such work was small, and mainly concerned the replacement of German machine guns with domestic diesel fuel and the installation of domestic optics.
In November 1942, units of the Western Front sent 23 German tanks and one armored car to the rear rembases. In addition, a number of captured armored vehicles repaired the factories of the main directorate for repairing tanks of the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry. So, in 1943, at the plant number 264 in Stalingrad (formed on the basis of the plant of the same name after the liberation of the city, it was supposed to repair tanks) repaired 83 Pz. III Pz. IV and eight more - at the beginning of 1944.
Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that during the years of the Great Patriotic War, the repair plants of the GBTU KA and the enterprises of the main department for the repair of tanks NKTP repaired at least 800 German tanks and self-propelled guns.

Echelon of repaired Prague tanks en route to the Army in the field. Western Front, July 1942. Front tank instead of Czechoslovak ZB rearmed with Soviet DT machine guns

Very interesting information about the registration of captured equipment in the Red Army. So, as lost in the course of hostilities, during 1942 it was written off: Pz.1-2, Pz. II - 37, Pz. III - 19, Pz. IV - 7, StuG III - 15, Pz. 35 (l) - 14, Pz. 38 (t) - 34. Pz. II Flamm - 2, Total -110 tanks, armored vehicles - 8.

French armored vehicles AMD-35. used in the Wehrmacht under the designation Panard 178 (f), at repair base No. 82 in Moscow. The front armored car has already been repaired and is intended for transfer to the Red Army. The car was repainted in the standard Soviet protective color 4B0. April 1942

The peak of the use of captured equipment falls on 1942-1943. To facilitate its operation in the troops at this time, specialized memos were published on the use of the most massive samples of captured German combat and transport vehicles. Depending on the number of serviceable materiel, this technique was reduced to separate companies or battalions of captured tanks, created on an initiative basis, and was also included in the regular tank divisions of the Red Army. The captured tanks were operated as long as there was enough fuel, ammunition and spare parts.
At times, entire units equipped with German materiel operated. One of them was formed as part of the 20th Army at the end of July 1942. According to the temporary staff approved for him, he was supposed to have 219 people, 34 captured tanks, 3 half-track tractors (trophy), 10 trucks (five GAZ-AA and five Opel), three petrol tankers and one passenger car GAZ M-1. This unit in the documents was called a special separate tank battalion or by the name of the commander "Nebylov's battalion" (commander - Major Nebylov, military commissar - battalion commissar Lapin). As of August 9, 1942, it included 6 Pz. IV, 12 Pz. III, 10 Pz. 38 (t) and 2 StuG III. This battalion took part in the fighting until October 1942.
Another battalion on captured materiel was also part of the 31st Army of the Western Front (in the documents it was referred to as "a separate tank battalion letter" B ". Formed in July 1942, by August 1, it consisted of nine T-60s and 19 captured German Like the Nebylov battalion, this unit operated until October 1942.
Quite a few captured tanks operated on the North Caucasian and Transcaucasian fronts. So the 75th separate tank battalion, from the 56th army, operatively subordinate to the commander of the 3rd rifle corps, as of June 23, 1943, had four companies in its composition: 1st and 4th captured tanks (four Pz. IV and eight Pz. III), 2nd and 3rd - on the English "valentines" (13 cars). And the 151st tank brigade in March received 22 German vehicles (Pz. IV, Pz. III and Pz. II), which were part of its 2 nd battalion.

Column of captured combat vehicles (in front of the Pz. III tank, behind it three StuG III) on the Western Front, March 1942. On the sides of the self-propelled guns are the inscriptions "We will avenge Ukraine!", "Avenger", "Beat Goebbels!"

On August 28, 1943, units of the 44th Army were assigned a separate company of captured tanks, consisting of three Pz. IV thirteen Pz. III, one M-3 "General Stewart" and one M-3 "General Lee". On August 29-30, the company, together with the 130th rifle division, captured the village of Varenochka and the city of Taganrog. As a result of the battle, the tankers destroyed ten vehicles, five firing points, 450 soldiers and officers, seized seven vehicles, three repair rooms, two tractors, three depots, 23 machine guns and 250 prisoners. Their losses amounted to five destroyed Pz. III (one of them burned down), three Pz. III, seven people killed and 13 wounded.
The 213rd Tank Brigade became the only brigade of the Red Army that was fully armed with captured materiel. On October 1, 1943, after being in reserve, the commander of the armored and mechanized forces of the Western Front received an order “to arm the brigade with German-made (captured) tanks captured by the Red Army during military operations in the period 1941–1943”. By October 15, the brigade had 4 T-34 tanks, 35 Pz. III and 11 Pz. IV, as well as a fully equipped motorized rifle battalion and state artillery and vehicles.
After the battles, by January 26, 1944, the 213rd brigade had 26 combat vehicles on the list (T-34, 14 Pz. IV and 11 Pz. III), of which only four Pz. IV, and the rest of the tanks required current and average repairs. By February 8, 1944, only T-34 and 11 Pz. IV, which were being prepared to be sent to factories for repairs. Seven more Pz. IV by this time was transferred to the 23rd Guards Tank Brigade. And two weeks later, the 213rd Tank Brigade began rearmament with domestic materiel.

Captured tanks Pz. IV and Pz.38 (t) from the 79th separate training tank battalion. Crimean Front, April 1942. The vehicles were captured from the 22nd Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht

Quite an interesting evidence of the operation of the captured German tank Pz. IV was left by the veteran of the Great Patriotic War Rem Ulanov. According to recollections, in January 1944, after the hospital, he ended up in the 26th separate guard company of the 13th Army headquarters: “There I was put on the only captured Pz tank in the company. IV. Having tried it on the move and having driven several tens of kilometers, I could appreciate its driving performance and ease of control. They were worse than those of the SU-76 (before that R. Ulanov was a driver-mechanic on this self-propelled gun.
The huge seven-speed gearbox, located to the right of the driver, was exhausting with heat, howling and unusual smells. The tank's suspension was stiffer than that of the SU-76. The noise and vibration from the Maybach engine caused a headache. The tank was consuming a huge amount of gasoline. Dozens of buckets had to be poured through an inconvenient funnel. "

Inspection of the captured Pz. IV, captured from the 22nd Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht. Crimean Front, 79th Separate Training Tank Battalion, April 1942.

In January 1944, in the battles on the outskirts of Zhitomir, units of the 3rd Guards Tank Army captured a significant number of damaged German tanks. By order of the Deputy Army Commander for Technical Affairs, Major General Yu. Solovyov, in the 41st and 148th separate repair and restoration battalions, one platoon of the most experienced repairmen was created, which in a short time restored four Pz.1V tanks and one Pz. V "Panther". A few days later, in a battle near Zherebka, the crew of the Soviet Panther knocked out the Tiger tank.
In August 1944, the guard company of Lieutenant Sotnikov successfully used three such vehicles in the battles near Warsaw. Captured Panthers were used in the Red Army until the end of the war, mostly sporadically and in small numbers. For example, during the repulsion of the German offensive in the area of ​​Lake Balaton in March 1945, the 991st Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Gordeev (46th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front) included 16 SU-76s and 3 captured Panthers ...

"Panthers" company of the guard lieutenant Sotnikov east of Prague (a suburb of Warsaw), Poland, August 1944

Apparently, the 28th Guards Tank Brigade (39th Army, Belorussian Front) became the first part of the Red Army to use captured Tigers. On December 27, 1943, during the attack of the 501st Batmyon's "tigers" near the village of Sinyavka, one of the vehicles got stuck in a crater and was abandoned by the crew. Tankmen from the 28th Guards Tank Brigade were able to pull out the "Tiger" and bring it to their location.
The car turned out to be completely serviceable, and the brigade command decided to use it in battles. The "Journal of Combat Actions of the 28th Guards Tank Brigade" says the following about this: "12/28/43, the captured Tiger tank was brought from the battlefield in full working order. The commander of the brigade was appointed the crew of the T-6 tank, consisting of: the commander of the tank three times the order bearer of the guard lieutenant Revyakin, the driver-mechanic of the guard foreman Kilevnik, the commander of the gun of the guard foreman Ilashevsky, the commander of the tower of the guard foreman Kodikov, the gunner-radio operator of the guard sergeant Akulov. The crew mastered the tank within two days. The crosses were painted over, instead of them two stars were painted on the tower and 'Tiger' was written. "
Later, the 28th Guards Tank Brigade captured another "Tiger" (the author has no information about where and when this happened): as of July 27, 1944, it had 47 tanks in its composition: 32 T-34s, 13 T-70, 4 SU-122, 4 SU-76 and 2 Pz. VI "Tiger". This technique successfully participated in Operation Bagration. As of October 6, 1944, the 28th Guards Tank Brigade had 65 T-34 tanks and one Pz. VI "Tiger".

German armored vehicles (armored car Sd.Kfz. 231, tanks Pz. III Ausf. L and Pz. IV Ausf.F2), captured in good working order near Mozdok. 1943 year

In addition to German tanks, the Soviet troops got the vehicles of their allies. So, in August 1944, in the Stanislav area, units of the 18th Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front defeated the 2nd Tank Division of the Hungarians, capturing many different equipment. Preparing for the upcoming battles in the Carpathians, the army command decided to use the trophies they got. On September 9, 1944, by order No. 0352 for the troops of the 18th Army, a separate army battalion of captured tanks was formed: “As a result of the operation, the army's tank fleet was enriched with captured vehicles requiring restoration by army repair facilities. The repair of combat vehicles is basically completed, the tanks are ready to go into operation.
According to the approved temporary staff, the battalion consisted of three companies (three platoons in each), a maintenance platoon, an economic department and a medical aid station. In addition to tanks, the battalion was given one passenger car, two motorcycles, fifteen trucks, a repair room and two tankers. Unfortunately, it was not possible to establish the name of the battalion commander. It is only known that the deputy commander was Captain R. Koval, and the political instructor was Captain I. Kasaev. The battalion was first entered into battle on September 15, 1944.
Unfortunately, there is no breakdown of tanks by brand. It is only known that on November 14 five Turan and two Zrinyi self-propelled guns took part in the battle, and on November 20 - three Turan and one Toddy. It should be noted that in addition to the Hungarian tanks, the 5th Guards Tank Brigade had two captured "artillery attacks" (StuG 40), which Soviet tankers used with success from September 1944 then. As of January 1, 1945, the brigade still had three Turan, one Toldi, one Zrinyi self-propelled gun and one Artshturm.

Soldiers of the Red Army studying the Hungarian Toldi tank. 18th Army, August 1944

In addition to tanks and self-propelled guns, units of the Red Army also used captured armored personnel carriers. For example, in November 1943, in the battles near Fastov, the 53rd Guards Tank Brigade captured 26 serviceable German armored personnel carriers. They were included in the brigade's motorized rifle battalion, and some of them were used until the end of the war.

Soviet artillerymen use a captured Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf C armored personnel carrier as a tractor for the ZIS-3 cannon. Orel region, 1943

Captured German armored vehicles were also used in the last months of the Great Patriotic War. This was primarily due to large losses in tanks in some operations, for example, at Lake Balaton near Budapest. The fact is that after the battles of January-February 1945, units of the 3rd Ukrainian Front had a small number of combat-ready combat vehicles. And the 6th SS Panzer Army, which inflicted a counterattack, on the contrary, had about a thousand tanks and self-propelled guns. To replenish the tank fleet, by March 2, 1945, the 3rd mobile tank repair plant of the 3rd Ukrainian Front restored 20 German tanks and self-propelled guns, which were manned by the crews of the 22nd training tank regiment. On March 7, 15 of them were sent to staff the 366th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment of the 4th Guards Army. These were 7 self-propelled guns "Hummel", 2 "Vespe", 4 SU-75 (general marking adopted in the Soviet army of German self-propelled guns based on StuG with 75-mm guns, without breakdown into certain types) and 2 tanks Pz. V "Panther". By March 16, 1945, the regiment had 15 captured self-propelled guns, 2 "panthers" and one Pz. IV.

The crew of the captured Pz. IV advances to the front line. 1st Belorussian Front, winter 1944

After the war, the captured materiel was planned to be used for training purposes, so most of the serviceable German armored vehicles were supposed to be transferred to tank armies and corps. For example, on June 5, 1945, Marshal of the Soviet Union Konev ordered the 30 trophy repaired armored units located in Nove Mesto and Zdirets in the 40th Army's zone to be handed over to the 3rd Guards Tank Army "for use in combat training." The transfer process was scheduled to be completed no later than June 12th.
All in all, the active army was in service with 533 serviceable captured tanks and self-propelled guns and 814 in need of current and medium repairs.
The operation of the captured materiel continued in the Soviet armed forces until the spring of 1946. As tanks and self-propelled guns went out of order, and spare parts for them ran out, German armored vehicles were written off. Some of the vehicles were used as targets at the proving grounds.

Captured tank "Panther" from the 366th self-propelled artillery regiment. 3rd Ukrainian Front, 4th Guards Army, March 1945. The numbers and crosses on the tank are painted over and red stars with white edging are drawn over them.

It is known that capturing a trophy is as natural in a war as a mistake ... After all, what is a war if not a system of mistakes? And the fewer mistakes, the fewer trophies the enemy has ... This "trophy" photo selection will be shown only from the German side. However, this does not hurt to show us a lot of the most diverse equipment of the main countries of the participants in the Second World War.

Soviet heavy five-turret tank T-35, issue of 1938, abandoned in the Dubno region in a roadside ditch due to a malfunction or lack of fuel. Such non-combat circumstances were the main reason for the loss of almost all of these tanks in the first weeks of the war.
Two white stripes on the tower are a tactical sign of the 67th Panzer Regiment of the 34th Panzer Division of the 8th Mechanized Corps of the Kiev OVO. Nearby is a 1940 T-26.

The use of captured equipment is fraught with many dangers, primarily the danger of being hit by your own units. However, this did not prevent the use of not only captured tanks, but also aircraft. In the photo, the Yak-9!

Of course, sometimes the trophies needed to be improved. The next photo (which has already become a classic) is a T34 with an improved commander's cupola, a flash suppressor, additional boxes and a headlight ...

Soviet heavy tank IS-2 captured by the Germans. On the tower there is an inscription in German: "Intended for OKW" (OKW, High Command of the Wehrmacht).


Matilda abandoned by the crew

German soldiers in front of Churchill

German soldiers, probably against the background of BA-10

An American soldier examines an abandoned Sturmgeschutz III Ausf. G with a "shoeless" left track, France, 1944. The self-propelled gun was immobilized by a shell hitting the left sloth.

"Panther" (Pz.Kpfw V Panther Ausf. G), knocked out near a bridge in Germany. The inscription in German reads: "Attention, the bridge is closed for cars of all kinds, cyclists should dismount."

Destroyed by Sturmgeschutz IV near Aachen, Germany. Apparently, the car was repainted by the crew in a hurry - the winter color is absent in many places. To free the carriageway, the ACS was dragged to the edge of the road.

Heavy anti-tank self-propelled gun "Jagdtigr" (Panzerjöger Tiger), Germany, March 1945, blown up by its crew. The photographer decided to take a picture before the representative of the Military Police cleaned himself up. The armor plate of the roof of the fighting compartment was thrown back by the explosion, the forehead of the cabin 250 mm thick is clearly visible.

This Pz.Kpfw IV Ausf. J was lost in battles for the city of Saint-Fromond, France, in July 1944, and is being prepared for evacuation with an American M1A1 tractor. A hole in the frontal armor of the hull is clearly visible. On the turret of the tank, to the right of the gun mask, on the surface of the zimmerite, you can observe traces of bullets from small arms

Sturmtiger (38cm RW61 auf Sturmmörser Tiger) with a knocked down track, photographed near the Autobahn near Ebendorf. Germany, April 1945. At the rear of the fighting compartment is a crane designed to load 330-kg high-explosive missiles through a sunroof.

Locals inspect the padded Sturmgeschutz III Ausf. G, belonging to the 10th Panzer-Grenadier Division, photo taken on May 10, 1945. Fieldwork side skirts give this SPG a Jagdpanzer IV look.

StuG III captured by Red Army units in full serviceability. August 1941

Soldiers of the Red Army on captured Pz.lll and Pz. IV. Western Front, September 1941



Soldiers of the Red Army at the captured Romanian tank R-1. Odessa region, September 1941

* Captured German armored car Sd.Kfz.261 in service in the Red Army, Western Front, August 1941. The vehicle was repainted in the standard Soviet protective color 4 BO, a red flag was attached to the left fender.

* Column of captured combat vehicles (tank Pz. III and three StuG III) on the Western Front, March 1942. On board the tank the inscription "Death to Hitler!"

* The photo clearly shows the emblem of the 18th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht and the regimental insignia of the 18th Panzer Regiment on the turret of the Pz. IV. Western Front, September 1941

* A brigade of tankers-repairmen studying captured StuG III (from the 192nd assault gun division) at the repair base number 82. April 1942

* Trophy German armored vehicles captured by units of the 65th Army at Demekhi station. Belorussian Front, February 1944

* Column of captured combat vehicles (in front of the Pz. III tank, behind him three StuG III) on the Western Front, March 1942.

* Inspection of the repaired Pz. III by major engineer Gudkov. Western Front, 1942

* Trophy self-propelled gun StuG III with the inscription "Avenger". Western Front, March 1942

* Trophy tank Pz. III under the command of Mitrofanov is sent to a military operation. Western Front, 1942

The crew of the captured Panzerjager I self-propelled gun is clarifying the combat mission. Presumably 31st Army of the Western Front, August 1942.

The crew of the Pz. III under the command of N. Baryshev in his own combat vehicle. Volkhov Front, 107th Separate Tank Battalion, 6 July 1942

Unit commissar I. Sobchenko conducts political information in the 107th separate tank battalion. Volkhov Front, July 6, 1942. Pz tanks are visible in the background. IV and Pz. III (tower numbers 08 and 04) (RGAKFD SPB).

The scout V. Kondratenko, a former tractor driver, made his way to the rear of the Germans and took away a serviceable Pz. IV. North Caucasian Front, December 1942

Captured tank Pz. IVAusf FI with a Soviet crew. North Caucasian Front, presumably the 151st Tank Brigade. March 1943

German armored vehicles (armored car Sd.Kfz. 231, tanks Pz. III Ausf. L and Pz. IV Ausf.F2), captured in good working order near Mozdok. 1943 year


A captured T-34 tank converted by the Germans into an anti-aircraft self-propelled gun with a 20-mm quad automatic cannon. 1944 year

One of the T-34 tanks of the Great Germany motorized division. In the foreground is the Sd.Kfz.252 armored personnel carrier. Eastern Front, 1943

Heavy tank KV-1, used as part of the 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht. Eastern Front, 1942

"Stalin's Monster" - a KV-2 heavy tank in the Panzerwaffe ranks! Fighting vehicles of this type were used by the Germans in the amount of several copies, however, judging by the photo, at least one of them was equipped with a German commander's cupola

A captured T-60 tank tows a 75mm light infantry gun. Noteworthy is the fact that this machine, used as a tractor, retained the tower. 1942 year

This turretless trophy T-60 is used as a light armored personnel carrier armed with an MG34 infantry machine gun. Voronezh, summer 1942

The T-70 light tank converted into a tractor tows a 75-mm anti-tank gun Rak 40

The tractor, a captured Soviet T-70 tank without a turret, tows a captured Soviet 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon. Rostov-on-Don, 1942

The German officer uses the tower of the captured BA-3 armored car as an observation post. 1942 year. Rear axle wheels are equipped with "Overroll" caterpillars

Ferdinand ", captured by soldiers of the 129th Infantry Division in good order with a crew

KV-1 model 1942 with a ZIS-5 gun in a cast turret:

KV-1 of the earliest series, with an L-11 cannon and an early undercarriage.
German visible alteration - German commander's cupola.