Two views of KV-2 |
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The KV-2 Heavy Tank was a variant on the KV-1, but armed with a 152mm howitzer carried in a massive flat sided turret.
The KV-1 was developed to replace the T-35 heavy tank and was a fairly conventional design, carrying a 76.2m gun in a sizable (but badly laid out) three man turret. It was powered by a 600hp V-2K engine and used a dry multi-plate clutch and a sliding mesh gearbox. This was mechanically efficient when in gear, but made it more difficult to change gears. The biggest problem was that the transmission wasn’t strong enough to cope with the weight of the KV-1 and thus proved to be very fragile. The driver sat at the centre-right of the hull, with the gunner/ radio operator on the left. Unlike the T-34, most KV-1s carried a radio, although this was normally a 71-TK-3 set which was somewhat temperamental.
During the Winter War against Finland the Soviets struggled to get through the well built Finnish defensive lines. In late 1939 the prototype of the KV-1 (and two rival designs) were sent to Finland for combat trials, where the KV-1 performed best. As a result of these trials on 19 December 1939 the KV was ordered into production. Two versions were ordered. The KV-1 (originally called the Small Turret KV) carried the large anti-tank gun. However the combat in Finland had suggested that a bunker buster carrying a large howitzer would be useful. As a result the Large Turret KV (later KV-2) was ordered. This would be armed with a 152mm howitzer in a larger turret.
The KV-2 was mechanically identical to the KV-1, with the same hull, chassis and suspension. However it could easily be identified by the massive flat sided turret, armed with a M-10 Model 1938/40 howitzer. This could fire a 52kg shell that could penetrate 72mm of armour at 1,500m or a 40kg concrete penetrating round for use against bunkers. It could carry 36 rounds of ammo, mostly stored in the bustle at the rear of the turret.
The first prototype was ready in January 1940. After trials near the Kirovskiy Plant a batch of four were ordered. In mid-February the first two vehicles were sent to Finland to serve with the 20th Armoured Brigade. As with the KV-1 they proved to be almost impervious to Finnish guns.
Before the type entered production the turret was redesigned. It was given curved sides and a simplified front. The T-5 telescopic sight used in the prototype was replaced by a TOD-9 sight and PT-5 periscopic sight by a PT-9. It carried a crew of six – commander, gun commander, assistant, gunner, driver/ mechanic and machine gunner/ radioman.
Series production lasted from 1940 until October 1941 and a total of 334 were built. The end of production happened at the same time as the Kirovskiy Plant was evacuated from Leningrad to the Urals, suggesting that production of new KV-2s stopped after the move.
In the early battles after the German invasion the KV-2 proved to be a difficult target, and the Germans struggled to penetrate its armour. However it had been designed for offensive action, so was ill suited to the rapidly moving defensive battles of 1941. Most losses in 1941 were down to breakdowns or a shortage of fuel. The huge turret made it a very big target. It was also said to be difficult to rotate the turret unless the tank was on level ground. A small number remained in service into 1942, with some used in the defence of Moscow and some at Stalingrad, but they tended to be used as well armoured strong points in the defensive battles.
Stats
Production: 334
Hull Length: 23ft 11in
Hull Width: 11ft 0in
Height: 12ft 11in
Crew: 6
Weight:
Engine: 500hp V-2 diesel
Max Speed: 15.5mph on road, 7.5mph off road
Max Range: 120 miles
Armament: 152mm 1938/1940 L20 howitzer or 152mm M-10T howitzer, two DT 7.62mm machine guns
Armour: 75-110mm