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The use of German tanks in Red army


captured PzIV and PzIII medium tanks pressed to service by Soviet troops
captured Pz.IV F1 and Pz.III J medium tanks pressed to service by Soviet troops

       During the war, the Soviets captured large numbers of enemy armoured vehicles, mostly PzKpfw.III, PzKpfw.IV (Russian designation T-3 and T-4), PzKpfw38(t) (called Prague) and different self-propelled guns (called "Artshturm"). Some of them were pressed into temporary service because of their small caliber armament and lack of ammunition and spare parts, some were used for training. Sometimes captured tanks there were used in a different temporary units or as a separate tanks. Diversion raids and recon operations were usual - in such cases the tanks carried original German insignias. But for a regular service the Soviet symbols or the red flag were applied to prevent friendly fire (note - the Soviet-made tanks usually carried unit/vehicle numbers only, or the tactical insignias and no any stars and so on, except the Guard's sign in the Guard's units).
       The Soviets liked to use T-3 as a command vehicle, because of their great comfort and an instruments (optic and radio). Pz.V Panther (T-5 Pantera) tanks were mostly used for anti-tank purposes. Also the Soviets used different halftracks and armoured cars. In USSR even worked some factories which repaired the broken captured tanks. Sometimes these tanks were re-equiped with the Soviet engines or armament. Vehicles which were unuseful for Soviet army (for example PzBfwg and French tanks) were rebuld and/or rearmed.


captured Pz.III and StuG.III second world war armoured fighting vehicles
The column of the trophy Pz.III and StuG.III in 1942

Examples of the combat units:
DateUnitAlly vehiclesAxis vehicles
27th jun 19418 mech corps?13 Pz.III and Pz.IV (T-3 and T-4)
5th May 1942150nd tank brigade1 KV, 7 T-34, 7 BT, 18 T-26, 1 T-40, 1 T-601 Pz.III (T-3)
25th July 194232nd tank regiment?1 Pz.II (T-2), 3 StuG.III (SU-75)
March 1942121st tank brigade?3 Pz.III (T-3)
14th May 194252nd tank brigade 5 KV, 2 T-34, 13 T-60, 3 M3 Stuart, 1 Valentine1 Pz.IV (T-4)
5th July 1942107th separate tank battalion1 KV, 2 T-34, 1 BT-7 2 Pz.III (T-3), 1 Pz.IV (T-4), 3 StuG.III (SU-75), 1 Pz.I (T-1)
1st August 1942"B" separate battalion 9 T-6012 Pz.III (T-3), 7 Pz.IV (T-4), 2 StuG, 10 Pz.38(t)
1st April 1943151st tank brigade3 M3 Stuart, 25 Valentines 4 Pz.IV (T-4), 5 Pz.III (T-3), 2 Pz.II (T-2)
1st April 1943266th separate tank battalion?4 Pz.III (T-3)
6th May 194362th separate tank battalion 3 T-34, 15 Valentines2 Pz.III (T-3), 1 Pz.IV (T-4)
30th May 194375th separate tank battalion 15 Valentines9 Pz.III (T-3), 1 Pz.IV (T-4)
10th June 194329th tank corps129 T-34, 84 T-70, 1 KV1 Pz.38(t)
7th July 1943244th tank regiment 16 M3 Grant, 2 M3 Stuart9 Pz.III (T-3), 4 Pz.IV (T-4)
10th August 19431938th self-propelled gun regiment2 SU-122, 2 SU-762 StuG.III (SU-75)
28th August 1943separate company, 44th army 1 M3 Grant, 1 M3 Stuart13 Pz.III (T-3), 3 Pz.IV (T-4)
4th September 19431448th self-propelled gun regiment14 SU-76 and SU-1221 Pz.III (T-3)
11th November 1943213rd tank brigade4 T-3411 Pz.IV (T-4), 35 Pz.III (T-3)
November 194353rd Guards tank brigade?almost 30 halftracks
January 194450th tank brigade7 T-34, 1 T-701 StuG.III, 1 Pz.III
27th July 194428th Guards tank brigade32 T-34, 13 T-70, 4 SU-122, 4 SU-762 Pz.VI (T-6 Tigr)
summer 194451 detached motorcylce regiment2 Pz.V (T-5 Pantera), 5 Pz.VI (T-6 Tigr)
18 August 194462 Guards heavy tank regiment of 8 GTK? 3 Pz.V (T-5 Pantera)
1st September 19445th Guards tank brigade 23 T-34, 47 T-702 StuG.40, 1 Pz.IV (T-4)
10th September 1944separate battalion, 5th Guards tank brigade 32 Hungarian vehicles
30th October 19448 Turan, 2 Toldi, 3 Zrinji, 2 Nimrod
16th July 1944511th tank regiment 2 T-34, 17 Valentine4 Pz.V (T-5 Pantera)
3rd March 1945991th self-propelled gun regiment16 SU-763 Pz.V (T-5 Pantera)
7th March 1945separate self-propelled gun regiment, 27th army ?8 Hummel (SU-150), 6 Nashorn (SU-88)
12th March 1945united tank battalion, 27th army5 SU-761 Wespe (SU-105), 6 StuG (SU-75)
16th March 1945366th Guards self-propelled artillery regiment?2 Pz.V Pantera, 1 Pz.4, 15 SU-150, SU-105, SU-75


The Soviets liked to use T3 as a command vehicle, because of their great comfort and instruments (optic and radio)
WW2 foto of captured Pz.IIIJ (T-3) medium tank. 		image second world war AFV
captured Pz.V Panther (T-5) tank number 197 in 1945.

russian train of trophy Pz.38(t) tanks foto WW2
WWII photo of trophy Pz.38(t) light tanks (T-38) in RKKA, 1942.


Soviet Pz.V Panthers (503, 513, 518) of 8th Guards tank corps in 1944.

WW2 foto
Pz.V Panthers (T-5), captured from 5th division SS Viking. Poland.


Trophy PzIII (T3) medium tank, foto WW2
Trophy Pz.III (T-3) medium tank, photo of 1942.


trophy Pz IV F1 Panzerkampfwagen, wartime picture 1942
Trophy Pz.IVF1 (T-4) medium tank in 1942.

captured Repaired Pz.3.J WWII photo
Repairing trophy Pz.III ausf.J, wartime picture of 1943.




Captured German Panzers , SPGs , APCs in Red Army

 Captured armor in German army ||| Captured armor in Finnish army

Captured airplanes in RKKA ||| Trophy automobiles in RKKA ||| Captured artillery in RKKA

Captured panzers in Yugoslavian armies ||| Captured panzers in other slavic armies

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