Merry Christmas, Commanders!
Santa has his reindeer-drawn sleigh, but did you ever wonder how your favorite tanks would fare in frosty conditions?
Watch this video from Warspot.net to find out about the various winter time mobility trials performed by tanks in the USSR, and how various tanks from Germany, Russia, USA and UK dealt with deep snow!
Here's a summary of what's covered in the video.
| Thanks to its wide tracks and powerful engine, the T-34 had excellent mobility in snow; its prototype, the A-34, could handle driving into snow up to 1.8m deep during trials. | |
| The KV-1 received improvements to its engine and a reduction in its weight to improve its mobility; these were the first steps in the development of the KV-1S. | |
| Track extenders were devised to help T-60 small tanks in snow, but were never accepted for production as they were too likely to break during use. | |
| The first Panzer I tank tested in USSR winter conditions was captured in the Spanish Civil War; on perfectly flat terrain it could travel at about 6km/h. | |
| Despite their good overall off-road mobility, the Panzer 35(t) could not be operated in the snow whatsoever. | |
| The Panzer III took 16 minutes to get through the same snow obstacles that the T-34 handled in 10 seconds! | |
| While the Matilda's track divots and side ports were an asset for navigating muddy ground, they caused it to lose traction and slide around when on snowy roads. | |
| The Valentine could climb icy slopes and forge through snow banks up to 0.7m deep; it had special spurs developed for it by the Red Army that further improved its performance. | |
| Although the Churchill could handle cold weather just fine, the fenders in front of the tank would get clogged with mud and snow after driving, preventing the gun from traversing. | |
| With its powerful engine, the M3 Grant could power through snow up to 0.8m deep, but had difficulty climbing slopes with its narrow tracks. | |
| M4A2 Sherman tank crew members often had to get out of their vehicle and cover the icy slopes with twigs or sand so that the tank could climb them without slipping. |
Happy holidays to you and your crew!