Soviet KV-II Heavy Tank “For the Motherland!”

Looking at the KV-2 now one might say “what were they thinking”. But at the beginning of WWII this monster of a tank was a fearsome sight on the early battlefields. There was nothing else like it and the heavy armor made it almost impenetrable by any tank the Germans had at the time. As the war progressed, the Germans developed better tanks with greater firepower. The large KV-2 became an easy target and because of it being under powered for its size it was slow moving. Another drawback was it was designed as a break-through tank and was deployed in small units. One of the most costly factors for the KV-2 was the inability of the Soviets to keep these machines supplied with fuel and ammunition.

As a result many were just abandoned by their crew when they realized re- supply wasn’t coming. The KV series of Soviet tanks were named after Kliment Voroshilov and were very effective against German armor during the early stage of WWII. A single KV-2 and infantry could hold off a German offensive. The Germans referred to the huge KV-2 as the “Russischer Koloss” – “Russian Colossus. Eventually the German 88 millimeter gun was used with success against the KV-2. The KV-2 had a very high silhouette and because of its size was very awkward. When used as a pill box buster or infantry support this machine was great.