I have just read "The Devils Alliance: Hitler's Pact with Stalin", by Roger Moorehouse. On p239 he makes a claim that during April 1941 Stalin invited the German military Attaché to make a tour of factories in Western Siberia producing some of the most modern Soviet equipment including the Pe8 Bomber and the T34 tank, many of these factories equipped with German machien tools.
Is there any evidence to suggest that these tours took place?
During the Nazi Soviet pact, did the Germans ever visit a T34 factory?
Re: During the Nazi Soviet pact, did the Germans ever visit a T34 factory?
Let's see:
The only two factories producing the T-34 tanks in April 1941 were the Kharkov locomotive factory (aka factory No.183) and the Stalingrad tractor factory, neither of which was in Siberia.
It's well documented that Stalin met Krebs (acting German military Attache) on 13 April 1941 on a railway station in Moscow when they saw off Matsuoka and other members of the Japanese delegations returning to Japan. Apparently Stalin didn't know who Krebs was, after ascertaining that he was German Stalin said something like "We have been friends and and we will stay friends", a variation of the same phrase he repeated to the German Ambassador. At any rate books I've seen don't mention that Stalin invited Krebs to any factories.
It's known that the German specialialists visisted several Soviet aircraft and aicraft engine factories in April 1941 (W. Schwabedissen "Russian Air Force in the Eyes of German Commanders"). Were thare any visits to other armament industries I don't know.
The only two factories producing the T-34 tanks in April 1941 were the Kharkov locomotive factory (aka factory No.183) and the Stalingrad tractor factory, neither of which was in Siberia.
It's well documented that Stalin met Krebs (acting German military Attache) on 13 April 1941 on a railway station in Moscow when they saw off Matsuoka and other members of the Japanese delegations returning to Japan. Apparently Stalin didn't know who Krebs was, after ascertaining that he was German Stalin said something like "We have been friends and and we will stay friends", a variation of the same phrase he repeated to the German Ambassador. At any rate books I've seen don't mention that Stalin invited Krebs to any factories.
It's known that the German specialialists visisted several Soviet aircraft and aicraft engine factories in April 1941 (W. Schwabedissen "Russian Air Force in the Eyes of German Commanders"). Were thare any visits to other armament industries I don't know.