Kharkov SS tank 'factory'

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Michael Kenny
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Kharkov SS tank 'factory'

#1

Post by Michael Kenny » 28 Jan 2015, 23:37

[Split from "The Military Successes of the Waffen-SS"]
Rob - wssob2 wrote:
dshaday wrote:Hi Rob
Rob - wssob2 wrote:
Are you saying that the Waffen SS were bound by these same orders to send prize tanks to a central army depot and complied with them? Or is the SS depot just as legitimate?
My understanding is that yes - tank allocations were centrally managed by the OKW. SS depots did not have tanks.
What about the information I posted about earlier in http://www.achtungpanzer.com/panzerkamp ... ervice.htm ?There is mention of the SS taking over a Soviet T-34 tank factory – becoming SS Panzerwerk (SS Tank Workshop) to perform repairs and conversions on captured T-34s. A quantity of which went into Waffen SS service with Das Reich.

Regards

Dennis
Yes - I believe that was a Kharkov (site of the famous tank manufacturing plant) and yes the tanks went to the Das Reich Divison of the SS Panzer Corps.
It was basically a one-off.

Several Waffen-SS did emply captured enemy tanks (the 7th SS used French tanks, the 24th SS used Italian ones, etc.) But using or refurbishig enemy tanks is more of a fringe benefit of war. It's not like you can make firm plans to form armored divisions form them.

The SS-WVHA, while it did manufacture some military supplies (uniforms, small arms, rations, construction material, etc.) is did not make tanks. (Although it did trade with vehicle manufacturers - e.g. concentration camp labor for schwimmwagens.)

The SS Main Supply Depot (SS-Hauptwirschaftlager - HWL) and their subordinate Troop Supply Depots (SS-Truppenwirschaftlager - TWL) AFAIK did not carry tanks.

Typically the allocation of German-manufacture tanks for the Waffen-SS came through the Chief Quartermaster (OQu) of the Army’s Panzer Inspectorate.

My understanding of how the system works is illustrated by the following:

1) Himmler sez to Hitler: "It would be a really great idea to create a 99th SS Panzer Division Sidfreid Guttridge!"

2) Hitler sez: "Great! I degree the formation of the 99th SS Panzer Division Sidfreid Guttridge!"

3)The SS Command Operations Office (SS-FHA) calls the Army Chief Quartermaster as says, I need some tanks for the 99th SS Panzer Division Sidfreid Guttridge

4) Army Chief Quartermaster says, " I can get you fifteen Panthers in February and twenty in March...."
Orwell1984 wrote:The following is from pages 38 to 39 of Tankograd's book: Panzerkampfwagen T 34 - 747(r) The Soviet T-34 Tank as Beutepanzer and Panzerattrappe in German Wehrmacht Service 1941-45 328pp
http://www.tankograd.com/cms/website.ph ... 34-747.htm
The Waffen SS

The use of Beutepanzers in formations of the Waffen SS is, in principle, almost identical to the Wehrmacht use. One major difference was the number of tanks allocated to Waffen-SS units (in most cases more than in Wehrmacht units). One reason behind this was the capture of non-evacuated parts of the T-34 in Kharkov and the subsequent conversion of this factory into the SS T 34-Instandsetzungsbetrieb Tuebke where SS-Panzerjäger-Abeilung 2 (tank destroyers) of SS-Grenadier-Division Das Reich (armoured infantry) could undertake the repair of 31 T 34s that had been captured during the fighting around Kharkov in early 1943. There T 34s were later used during Operation Citadel, the famous tank battle at Kursk. Interesting to note are the figures for operational tanks, even with a major repair facility in the background: the lowest point was May 1943 with 25 T 34s (just one of which was operational) and the climax was early July 1943 with 25 T 34s (16 of which were operational). The number of 16 combat-worthy T 34 Beutepanzers on 01 July 1943 could have made this unit the most powerful T 34 Beutepanzer unit of the German Armed Forces at that date.

The SS-Panzerwerk Charkow

After retaking what was left of the tank plant (that had been evacuated in 1941) in the city of Kharkov (German: Charkow) in the spring of 1943, the Waffen-SS took over the remaining facilities and tank parts to complete T34s and to repair T34s captured nearby. The completed T 34s were handed over to SS-Panzerjäger-Abeilung 2 of SS-Division Das Reich. In some sources it is mentioned the SS continued production of T 34s on this site, yet this is highly overstated – it only completed the work of the Russians with those parts on hand and repaired tanks.

Kharkov SS tank 'factory'


https://www.flickr.com/photos/deckarudo ... 820099665/

dshaday
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Posts: 628
Joined: 29 Dec 2013, 19:57

Re: The Military Successes of the Waffen-SS

#2

Post by dshaday » 29 Jan 2015, 07:15

Hi
Michael Kenny wrote:Kharkov SS tank 'factory'


https://www.flickr.com/photos/deckarudo ... 820099665/
More photos and text also available at:

http://beutepanzer.ru/Beutepanzer/su/t- ... eich1.html

Particularly page 7 onwards.

Regards

Dennis


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