During the early days of Operation Barbarossa, when the Red Army was losing a hundred or more of its obsolete battle tanks and inadequately armed and armored "tankettes" each day to the advancing Germans, Stalin approached the Allies with urgent requests for all manner of military and humanitarian aid. At the time, only Britain was able to respond (and it had its own problems in the Western Desert) and deliveries of aircraft, vehicles, and strategic materials were underway by September, 1941. By June 30, 1942, the expiry date of the first Aid Protocol hammered out between the new Allies, over 3,000 aircraft, 2,000 tanks, 30,000 other vehicles, and hundreds of thousands of tons of fuel, oil, and other necessities had made their way to Russia.
By the end of the war, the Allies had sent over 14,000 aircraft and 12,000 battle tanks. This represented about 10% of the total Russian production during the war in either category. The Allies also sent at least 425,000 trucks, halftracks, and other assorted motor vehicles - more than the Germans produced during the war and far more than the Soviets were able to produce for themselves. Certainly one of the most important ingredients in the eventual Soviet victory was the 6x6 Studebaker truck.
Historically, the Russians were glad to get these tanks, any tanks in fact, when they needed them most. However, you will see that much of what the Allies sent was simply inadequate to deal with later-war German designs like the Panzer IVh and Panther. Many Western tanks also suffered from having narrow tracks that did not allow them to maneuver well in snow, or had gasoline engines that ignited readily when hit (details that would undoubtedly be important to the poor guys who got stuck with such pigs of machines, but are too small to allow for in a relatively simple game such as ST).
In this article I have set out enough information on the major types and numbers of British and American tanks that were sent to fight on the Eastern Front for you to use in any Stalin’s Tanks scenarios you might want to design on your own (using the counters I have also included). During the darkest hours of the winter of 1941-42, Stalin is alleged to have announced to Harry Hopkins, Roosevelt's emissary to Moscow, that he would accept American troops under an American commander, so you could even play out the imaginary adventures of an American Expeditionary Force in Russia (stranger things have happened).
Going further, you could extrapolate and create a Western Front version of the game, or retrofit Rommel's Panzers to the standard of Roger Damon’s later design, or even create some new scenarios for a hypothetical US/Soviet war in 1948 (go ahead, I'm finished nailing chrome onto this game). Finally, just for fun, I have added some counters for the T-26, T-60, and T-70 light tanks - between 6,000 and 8,000 of each of these little fellas were built before and during the war, so you can play out some early-war scenarios as well.
British Tanks
Matilda Mk II Infantry Tank - These, along with Valentines, were the first tanks to be sent to the USSR. Several hundred were sent in late 1941 and 1942: some Matildas arrived in time to participate in the winter battles before Moscow. Most Matildas kept the 2-pounder (40mm) gun (that fired only armor-piercing ammunition, hence the low AP value) but some were converted to carry the same 76mm gun found on the T-34c (AT value 22, AP value 18).
Valentine - two major Marks of this tank were produced, the Mark 3 with a 2-pounder gun, and (later in 1942-3) the Mark 9 with a 6-pounder (approximately equal to a 57mm). Almost 2,700 Valentines were sent to Russia in 1941-3.
Churchill - Culmination of the "Infantry Tank" concept in British design (strong armor, pitiful gun and speed). About 250 of the Mark 3 and Mark 4 versions, carrying a 2-pounder and 6-pounder gun respectively, were sent in 1942-3. Most of them went to the 49th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, which fought at Kursk in the summer of 1943.
American Vehicles
M5A1 Stuart - Over 1,200 of these were sent in 1942-3. This fast tank carried an improved 37mm gun. It did well in the Western Desert but was too lightly armored to be of much use against the heavier German tanks it met in southern Russia.
M3 Grant - About 1,300 of these were sent, with small numbers arriving early enough in 1942 to meet the German offensive into the Caucasus. This tank carried two guns: a 37mm gun in a turret and a 75mm gun in a sponson on the right side of the hull. Therefore, there are two AT and AP values given: the higher (the 75mm gun) is used when the target is in "12 to 3" field of fire (imagining the bow of the tank to be 12 o' clock), and the lower (the 37mm gun) when the target is anywhere else. Guns may be fired at different targets in the same Phase.
M4A2 and M4A4 Sherman - About 2,000 of the M4A2 model were shipped, beginning at the end of 1943. These carried the standard "short" 75mm gun. Beginning in early 1944, M4A4 Shermans with the higher-velocity, more accurate 76mm gun began to arrive, and a total of about 2,100 had been sent by the end of the year. The 3rd Guards Tank Corps was equipped mainly with Shermans.
Halftracks - Thousands of these were sent to Russia, beginning in the summer of 1943. By the end of the war, the Russians were also producing modest numbers of an armored truck called the ZIS-33. Treat these units exactly as German halftracks but bear in mind that they were less frequently available.
Early-War Soviet Tanks
T-26b and T-26c - Thousands of these were built before the war as "fast tanks", and formed the majority of Russian stocks at the beginning of the war. They served well in the Spanish Civil War but were chewed up by the heavier German tanks. The T-26b had a 37mm gun and the T-26c had a 45mm gun.
T-60 - This light tank entered production in November 1941 and about 6,000 were built. It was modestly armed with a 20mm gun and was specially adapted for mobility on snow.
T-70 - The T-70 began production in early 1942 and over 8,000 were made. It carried a 45mm gun but many different versions were produced (e.g. flamethrower tank, artillery tractor, command vehicle, etc.). The T-70 chassis was also used for the SU-76 SP gun.
Statistics
(underline = Weapon Accuracy or well-sloped armor
DYO
pts = point value for DYO scenarios, see formula in previous article)
|
Armament |
AT |
Arm |
Mvt |
AP |
DYO pts | |
| British |
||||||
| Matilda Mk 2 |
2-pdr (40mm) |
12 |
E |
3 |
5 |
79 |
| Valentine Mk 3 |
2-pdr (40mm) |
12 |
F |
3 |
5 |
74 |
| Valentine Mk 9 |
6-pdr (57mm) |
18 |
F |
3 |
12 |
87 |
| Churchill Mk 3 |
2-pdr (40mm) |
12 |
D |
3 |
5 |
84 |
| Churchill Mk 4 |
6-pdr (57mm) |
18 |
D |
3 |
12 |
97 |
| American |
||||||
| M5A1 Stuart |
37mm |
10 |
H |
8 |
8 |
75 |
| M3 Grant |
37mm + 75mm |
15/10 |
G |
5 |
15/8 |
98 |
| M4A2 Sherman |
short 75mm |
20 |
E |
5 |
15 |
95 |
| M4A4 Sherman |
long 76mm |
25 |
E |
5 |
18 |
113 |
| Halftrack |
-- |
0 |
J |
6 |
0 |
29 |
| Russian |
||||||
| T-26b |
37mm |
10 |
I |
4 |
8 |
54 |
| T-26c |
45mm |
16 |
I |
4 |
12 |
64 |
| T-60 |
20mm |
8 |
I |
6 |
5 |
57 |
| T-70 |
45mm |
16 |
H |
6 |
12 |
77 |