KV-2 units & ops
-
James A Pratt III
- Member
- Posts: 898
- Joined: 30 Apr 2006, 01:08
- Location: Texas
KV-2 units & ops
I am looking for information on units that used the KV-2 tank and there operations during the GPW. I know the following units used this AFV: 3, 4, 7, 8, 22 mech corps and the 1st Moscow Motorized RD. All these units were destroyed during the Summer and fall of 1941. Did any other units use them? also did any KV-2s see any frontline use after 1941? Thanks in advance>
Re: KV-2 units & ops
There is a breakdown by districts as of 1 June 1941 here:
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/rkkaww2/ ... e01_41.htm
Regarding particular units: 2nd Tank Division/3rd Mechanized Corps/Baltic Military District had 19 KV-2 in June 1941,
41st Tank Division/22 MechCorps/Kiev District - 31 by 22 June 1941. Certainly 4th, 6th and 8th MechCorps had some number, but I'm not ready to tell how many exactly.
1st Motorized RD didn't have KVs by the start of the war, but received 10 KVs (modification is unknown to me) in June-July 1941. Note that the division assaulted Konigsberg in April 1941, so the statement that it was completely destroyed is not correct. The same applies to some of the MechCorps, whose remains were converted into tank brigades in 1941. Note that many sources do not differentiate between KV-1 and KV-2, so it is frequently difficult to say which type actually it was.
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/rkkaww2/ ... e01_41.htm
Regarding particular units: 2nd Tank Division/3rd Mechanized Corps/Baltic Military District had 19 KV-2 in June 1941,
41st Tank Division/22 MechCorps/Kiev District - 31 by 22 June 1941. Certainly 4th, 6th and 8th MechCorps had some number, but I'm not ready to tell how many exactly.
1st Motorized RD didn't have KVs by the start of the war, but received 10 KVs (modification is unknown to me) in June-July 1941. Note that the division assaulted Konigsberg in April 1941, so the statement that it was completely destroyed is not correct. The same applies to some of the MechCorps, whose remains were converted into tank brigades in 1941. Note that many sources do not differentiate between KV-1 and KV-2, so it is frequently difficult to say which type actually it was.
Re: KV-2 units & ops
Well, I've checked documents on production and shipments of KV-2 tanks. The following picture appears:
In 1940 104 KV-2 were produced by the Kirov plant in Leningrad. Of them were shipped from the plant by the end of January, 1941 :
20 – to Kovno (Kaunas), that must be 2nd Tank Division;
22 – to Belostok, 6th MechCorps;
26 to Striy (Kiev District), 8th MechCoprs;
30 – to Lvov, 4th MechCorps;
2 – to the Kiev District via Kubinka;
1 – to the Saratov Tank School, Volga District
1 without armament – to the No.92 plant in Gorkiy:
1 – to the the Kubinka Proving ground, Moscow District
Total 103 were shipped. One tank (factory number U-1) - one of the first produced, was returned to the Kirov plant for long-term trials.
Then there were no shipments in February-April 1941. As of 1st April the situation with shipments was as follows:
20 to the Baltic District, 22 – West, 58 – Kiev (one initially shipped to Gorkiy), 1 – Saratov Tank School, 1 – depot (the one sent to Kubinka), 2 – on trials and returned to the plant for modernization ( number U-2 from Lvov and U-1). Total 104 tanks.
In May 31 KV-2 were sent to Vladimir-Vollynsk (41st Tank Division) and 2 to Luga (Leningrad District, advanced officer tank courses, of them one newly produced and one U-1 after repair);
Distribution by units and districts as of 1st June can be reconstructed in the following way:
Leningrad district, advanced tank courses - 2
Baltic district, 2nd Tank Division - 19;
West district, 6th MechCorps - 22;
Kiev District - 89. Here it becomes tricky, because there were several units equipped with KV-2. 31st Tank Division had 31, see above. According to Isaev the 8th Tank Division/4th MechCorps had 33 KV-2 as of 15 April/1 May. That must include 30 tanks shipped directly to Lvov, 2 from the first production series shipped to Lvov via Kubinka and 1 tank initially sent to Gorkiy. However, of them 1 (U-2) was actually returned to the plant for modernization, so 32 tank remained. 8th Mechcorps must had 26 tank shipped to Striy. I'm not 100% sure, but it seems that all them were in the 12 Tank Division.Total is 31+32+26=89.
Moscow district - one tank in either depot or Kubinka proving ground
Volga District - 1 tank in the Saratov tank school
Total 134. Total number of tanks shipped by the plant by that time was 136 (104 produced in 1940 and 32 in 1941). The difference is due to fact that one tank (U-2) was returned to the plant from the 8th Tank Division and one tank shipped to Baltic district mysteriously disappeared.
Shipments in June were:
Before the start of the war - 20 tank sent to West MD, Grodno, 11 MechCorps on 17 June. I don't know whether they managed to reach their destination by 22 June or not. At the same time 2 tank were sent to the plant from the Baltic District, 2nd Tank Division on 16 June, so it appears that the division actually had 17 tank when the war started.
After the start of the war: 30 to Minsk on 26.06, 10 to Velikiye Luki on 26.06, 2 to Kandalaksha on 29.06, that must be the 1st Tank Division.
Total 62 shipped in June.
In July: 3 tanks shipped to Pskov on 1 July, and 3 on the next day.
So the total number of new tank shipped in May-July was 32 (May)+62 (June)+6 (July)=100. According to the plant's reports 100 tanks were produced in 1941, a perfect match. No tanks were produced after June 1941, so the shipments ended on 2nd July.
Also two tanks which arrived to the Kirov plant in June from the Baltic District were sent to Veimar (south-west of Leningrad) on 17.07
The question remains which units received KV-2 shipped from the plant after the start of the war. Apparently, tanks sent to Minsk were taken over by the 7th MechCorps. In early July its divisions had: 14 Tank Division – 14 KV-2, 18 Tank Division – 10 KV-2. 1st MRD reported 10 KV-1 on 2.07, it seems it didn't receive KV-2 at all.
10 tanks shipped to Velikiye Luki were most likely taken recieved by the 42 Tank Division/21st MechCorps.
Finally, 3rd Tank Division operating in the region Ostrov-Pskov received 3 KV-2 on 2.07, all were lost by 10.07
There are still unclear questions: namely why the number of KV-2 produced (104+100=204), differs from classical 213, see:
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/rkkaww2/ ... _20_41.htm
Also it is known that one KV-2 tank was used for trials of a 107-mm tank gun, it is not mentioned in any documents.
Documents on production and shipments of KV tanks copied by D.Shein in TsAMO can be found here:
http://litl-bro.livejournal.com/10893.html
In 1940 104 KV-2 were produced by the Kirov plant in Leningrad. Of them were shipped from the plant by the end of January, 1941 :
20 – to Kovno (Kaunas), that must be 2nd Tank Division;
22 – to Belostok, 6th MechCorps;
26 to Striy (Kiev District), 8th MechCoprs;
30 – to Lvov, 4th MechCorps;
2 – to the Kiev District via Kubinka;
1 – to the Saratov Tank School, Volga District
1 without armament – to the No.92 plant in Gorkiy:
1 – to the the Kubinka Proving ground, Moscow District
Total 103 were shipped. One tank (factory number U-1) - one of the first produced, was returned to the Kirov plant for long-term trials.
Then there were no shipments in February-April 1941. As of 1st April the situation with shipments was as follows:
20 to the Baltic District, 22 – West, 58 – Kiev (one initially shipped to Gorkiy), 1 – Saratov Tank School, 1 – depot (the one sent to Kubinka), 2 – on trials and returned to the plant for modernization ( number U-2 from Lvov and U-1). Total 104 tanks.
In May 31 KV-2 were sent to Vladimir-Vollynsk (41st Tank Division) and 2 to Luga (Leningrad District, advanced officer tank courses, of them one newly produced and one U-1 after repair);
Distribution by units and districts as of 1st June can be reconstructed in the following way:
Leningrad district, advanced tank courses - 2
Baltic district, 2nd Tank Division - 19;
West district, 6th MechCorps - 22;
Kiev District - 89. Here it becomes tricky, because there were several units equipped with KV-2. 31st Tank Division had 31, see above. According to Isaev the 8th Tank Division/4th MechCorps had 33 KV-2 as of 15 April/1 May. That must include 30 tanks shipped directly to Lvov, 2 from the first production series shipped to Lvov via Kubinka and 1 tank initially sent to Gorkiy. However, of them 1 (U-2) was actually returned to the plant for modernization, so 32 tank remained. 8th Mechcorps must had 26 tank shipped to Striy. I'm not 100% sure, but it seems that all them were in the 12 Tank Division.Total is 31+32+26=89.
Moscow district - one tank in either depot or Kubinka proving ground
Volga District - 1 tank in the Saratov tank school
Total 134. Total number of tanks shipped by the plant by that time was 136 (104 produced in 1940 and 32 in 1941). The difference is due to fact that one tank (U-2) was returned to the plant from the 8th Tank Division and one tank shipped to Baltic district mysteriously disappeared.
Shipments in June were:
Before the start of the war - 20 tank sent to West MD, Grodno, 11 MechCorps on 17 June. I don't know whether they managed to reach their destination by 22 June or not. At the same time 2 tank were sent to the plant from the Baltic District, 2nd Tank Division on 16 June, so it appears that the division actually had 17 tank when the war started.
After the start of the war: 30 to Minsk on 26.06, 10 to Velikiye Luki on 26.06, 2 to Kandalaksha on 29.06, that must be the 1st Tank Division.
Total 62 shipped in June.
In July: 3 tanks shipped to Pskov on 1 July, and 3 on the next day.
So the total number of new tank shipped in May-July was 32 (May)+62 (June)+6 (July)=100. According to the plant's reports 100 tanks were produced in 1941, a perfect match. No tanks were produced after June 1941, so the shipments ended on 2nd July.
Also two tanks which arrived to the Kirov plant in June from the Baltic District were sent to Veimar (south-west of Leningrad) on 17.07
The question remains which units received KV-2 shipped from the plant after the start of the war. Apparently, tanks sent to Minsk were taken over by the 7th MechCorps. In early July its divisions had: 14 Tank Division – 14 KV-2, 18 Tank Division – 10 KV-2. 1st MRD reported 10 KV-1 on 2.07, it seems it didn't receive KV-2 at all.
10 tanks shipped to Velikiye Luki were most likely taken recieved by the 42 Tank Division/21st MechCorps.
Finally, 3rd Tank Division operating in the region Ostrov-Pskov received 3 KV-2 on 2.07, all were lost by 10.07
There are still unclear questions: namely why the number of KV-2 produced (104+100=204), differs from classical 213, see:
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/rkkaww2/ ... _20_41.htm
Also it is known that one KV-2 tank was used for trials of a 107-mm tank gun, it is not mentioned in any documents.
Documents on production and shipments of KV tanks copied by D.Shein in TsAMO can be found here:
http://litl-bro.livejournal.com/10893.html