Hobby Master Archive
Ground Power 1/72
KV-1 & KV-2
The KV-1 (M1940) early models came with a welded turret and eventually a cast turret with rounded corners. Both models came with 90mm thick hulls and extra 40mm plates bolted to the front and sides. This gave a total of up to 130mm front hull and the turret now was 92 - 110mm thick. All this extra armor increased the weight by 2 tons and ended up costing them speed and agility. The M1940 model now had more machine guns and a new main cannon.
The KV-1E Model 1940 was a heavily armored version of the KV-1 with a 76.2 mm F-32 gun. To better protect the KV-1 bolted on armor was added. In July 1941 M1940 KV-1s had appliqued armor panels applied and were re-designated KV-1E Model 1940 (E stands for “s Ekranami” - literally KV with screens also referred to as appliqued armor). The added armor worked but overall it was more of a hindrance than help. This modification along with a few others brought the weight from 43 tonnes to 50 tonnes and added so much weight that there were frequent drive train breakdowns. But most losses came from Ju-87s, infantry with flamethrowers and anti tank guns like the Flak 36.
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.
The Soviet KV-2 was famous for its enormous size and the gigantic 152mm gun. Along with deploying these monsters in small numbers the KV-2 was a victim of its own design. Tremendously heavy and prone to mechanical failures these tanks were doomed from the start. ‘One Tank Division’ lost 22 of their 33 KV-2s with only five being attributed to the enemy the remaining 17 were abandoned because of a lack of fuel or ammunition. Only 334 KV-2’s were produced when they were cancelled in October 1941. Crews referred to the KV-2 with its large turret, 152 mm gun and massive weight as the Dreadnought.
