Where did the captured German equipment go? What captured Soviet weapons did the Germans fight with?

It is known that capturing a trophy is as natural in war as a mistake... After all, what is war if not a system of mistakes? And the fewer mistakes, the fewer trophies the enemy has... This “trophy” photo selection will be shown only from the German side. However, this will not hurt to show us a wide variety of equipment from the main countries that participated in the Second World War.

Soviet five-turret heavy tank T-35 manufactured in 1938, abandoned in the Dubno area in a roadside ditch due to a malfunction or lack of fuel. Such non-combat circumstances were the main reason for the loss of almost all of these tanks in the first weeks of the war.
Two white stripes on the turret are the tactical insignia of the 67th Tank Regiment of the 34th Tank Division of the 8th Mechanized Corps of the Kyiv OVO. Nearby is a T-26 manufactured in 1940.

The use of captured equipment is fraught with many dangers, primarily the danger of being hit by your own units. However, this did not prevent the use of not only captured tanks, but also aircraft. In the photo is the Yak-9!

Of course, sometimes the trophies needed some work. The next photo (which has already become a classic) is a T34 with an improved commander’s cupola, a flash suppressor, additional boxes and a headlight...

Soviet IS-2 heavy tank captured by the Germans. On the tower there is an inscription in German: “Designed for OKW” (OKW, High Command Wehrmacht).


Matilda abandoned by the crew

German soldiers with Churchill in the background

German soldiers, probably with a BA-10 in the background

American soldier inspects the abandoned Sturmgeschutz III Ausf. G with the left track "unbooted", France, 1944. The self-propelled gun was immobilized by a shell hitting the left sloth.

"Panther" (Pz.Kpfw V Panther Ausf. G), knocked out near a bridge in Germany. Inscription on German reads: “Attention, the bridge is closed to all types of vehicles, cyclists should dismount.”

Destroyed Sturmgeschutz IV near Aachen, Germany. Apparently, the car was repainted by the crew to a quick fix– winter color is absent in many places. To clear the roadway, the self-propelled guns were dragged to the edge of the road.

Heavy anti-tank self-propelled gun "Panzerjäger Tiger" blown up by its crew, Germany, March 1945. The photographer decided to take a photo before the representative military police(Military Police) will put itself in order. Roof armor plate fighting compartment thrown back by the explosion, the 250 mm thick front of the cabin is clearly visible.

This Pz.Kpfw IV Ausf. J was lost in the battle for St. Fromonde, France, in July 1944, and is being prepared for recovery using an American M1A1 tractor. A hole in the frontal armor of the hull is clearly visible. On the tank turret, to the right of the gun mantlet, on the surface of the zimmerit you can see traces of bullets from small arms

"Sturmtiger" (38cm RW61 auf Sturmm?rser Tiger) with a downed track, photographed near the autobahn in the Ebendorf area. Germany, April 1945. At the rear of the fighting compartment there is a crane designed to load 330 kg jets. high explosive shells through the sunroof.

Local residents inspect the damaged Sturmgeschutz III Ausf. G, belonging to the 10th Panzergrenadier Division, photograph taken May 10, 1945. Field work side skirts give this self-propelled gun the appearance of a Jagdpanzer IV.

StuG III, captured by Red Army units in full service. August 1941

Red Army soldiers on captured Pz.lll and Pz. tanks. IV. Western Front, September 1941



Red Army soldiers near a captured Romanian R-1 tank. Odessa area, September 1941

* Captured German armored car Sd.Kfz.261 in service in the Red Army, Western Front, August 1941. The car was repainted in the standard Soviet protective color 4 BO, a red flag was attached to the left wing

* A column of captured combat vehicles (a Pz. III tank and three StuG IIIs) on the Western Front, March 1942. On the side of the tank is the inscription “Death to Hitler!”

* The picture clearly shows the emblem of the 18th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht and the regimental badge of the 18th Tank Regiment painted on the turret of the Pz tank. IV. Western Front, September 1941

* A team of tank repairmen studying captured StuG III (from the 192nd assault gun division) at repair base No. 82. April 1942

* Captured German armored vehicles captured by units of the 65th Army at Demekhi station. Belorussian Front, February 1944

* A column of captured combat vehicles (a Pz. III tank in front, followed by three StuG IIIs) on the Western Front, March 1942.

* Inspection of the repaired Pz tank. III engineer-major Gudkov. Western Front, 1942

* Captured StuG III self-propelled gun with the inscription “Avenger”. Western Front, March 1942

* Captured tank Pz. III under the command of Mitrofanov is sent to combat operation. Western Front, 1942

The crew of the captured self-propelled gun Panzerjager I clarifies combat mission. Presumably the 31st Army of the Western Front, August 1942.

The crew of the tank Pz. III under the command of N. Baryshev in his combat vehicle. Volkhov Front, 107th separate tank battalion, July 6, 1942

Unit Commissioner I. Sobchenko conducts political information in the 107th separate tank battalion. Volkhov Front, July 6, 1942. Pz tanks are visible in the background. IV and Pz. III (tower numbers 08 and 04) (RGAKFD SPB).

Scout V. Kondratenko, a former tractor driver, made his way to the German rear and took a serviceable Pz tank to his location. IV. North Caucasus Front, December 1942

Captured tank Pz. IVAusf FI with Soviet crew. North Caucasus Front, presumably the 151st Tank Brigade. March 1943

German armored vehicles (armored car Sd.Kfz. 231, tanks Pz. III Ausf. L and Pz. IV Ausf.F2), captured in full service near Mozdok. 1943


A captured T-34 tank, converted by the Germans into an anti-aircraft self-propelled gun with a 20-mm quad automatic cannon. 1944

One of the T-34 tanks of the motorized division "Gross Germany". In the foreground is an Sd.Kfz.252 armored personnel carrier. Eastern Front, 1943

Heavy tank KV-1, used by the 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht. Eastern Front, 1942

“Stalin’s Monster” - the KV-2 heavy tank in service with the Panzerwaffe! War vehicles This type was used by the Germans in several copies, however, judging by the photo, at least one of them was equipped with a German commander's cupola

A captured T-60 tank is towing a 75mm light infantry gun. Noteworthy is the fact that this vehicle, used as a tractor, retains the turret. 1942

This turretless captured T-60 is used as a light armored personnel carrier armed with an MG34 infantry machine gun. Voronezh, summer 1942

The T-70 light tank, converted into a tractor, tows a 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun

The tractor - a captured Soviet T-70 tank without a turret - is towing a captured Soviet 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon. Rostov-on-Don, 1942

German officer uses the turret of a captured BA-3 armored car as an observation post. 1942 The wheels of the rear axles are equipped with “Overall” tracks.

Ferdinand", captured intact and with his crew by soldiers of the 129th rifle division

KV-1 model 1942 with a ZIS-5 gun in a cast turret:

KV-1 of the earliest series, with L-11 cannon and early chassis.
German visible alteration - German commander's cupola.

Panzerwaffe crew on the Soviet KV-1 tank (Klim Voroshilov)

The same KV-1. Captured? Or...

And these are our T-26s. They fought successfully even in Africa, just like soviet guns ZIS-2

And this is the Komsomolets tractor

Another Komsomolets pulls out the stuck headquarters Mercedes

Quite a curiosity. Red Army soldiers returned the Soviet BA from captivity.

Our T-26 again

And this is the legendary “thirty-four”

BT-7. A high-speed tank, created by Soviet designers specifically for combat operations in Europe. It is clear that in Russia there was no place to accelerate. Just like now, however.

Do you recognize? This is our BA-10

Another T-26

The most popular and most reliable T-34 in the world. Long-living record holder. No tank has ever been in service for such a long time. The last car left the assembly line in 1958. It is still in service in some countries to this day.

Another Klim Voroshilov - 1

And again it’s him!

52-ton monster, pillbox killer Klim Voroshilov - 2

Another KV-1. A very popular car among the Krauts! And now we have: - “Black boomer, black boomer...”

And this BA is from the Waffen-SS stable

The legendary "Sushka" - self-propelled gun SU-85

This is simply a masterpiece! After tuning the T-26 is simply unrecognizable!

More KV-2

Strange cross on the T-34, are there any ambulance tanks?

T-34 again

And again he is born...

And it's him again!

It may seem that the Germans had very few tanks of their own!

And this is him. Obviously, the Germans did not use our technology just once, and this raises a lot of questions. It is clear even to a non-specialist that equipment requires maintenance and repair. Well at least it's simple oil filter where to get enemy equipment? In the store "Auto parts for foreign cars"? What about ammunition? Yes, even though the same tracks are caterpillar, they are required in order during operation. Has he really established the production of consumables and spare parts?

BT-7 again.

And printing houses in Germany produced do-it-yourself cardboard toys - copies of the KV-1. And the funny tankers themselves just got out of this tank and started doing nonsense. If only they sent them coloring books...

We study the materiel of the T-34

And the KV-1 glued toy was released. Somehow this doesn’t fit with reality.

Such normal German KV-1s. There is also information that our light mortars were produced in Germany. And they copied them so carefully that they even left the letter “F” in the markings on the barrel.

The KV-1 took a running start, wanted to jump over, but... didn’t jump enough.

And again T-26

Well, without the "thirty-four" there is nowhere... And what happened to captured aircraft?

Fine. Few aircraft were captured, but the Luftwaffe and our I-16s were in service.

And this is already thought-provoking. The caption under the illustration in Russian reads like this: “We have a swarm of such tanks.” So they were captured in such a huge number? In principle, the number of losses in the first weeks of the war has been announced more than once. Yes, many were captured by our equipment. But the number of Panzerwaffe tanks commissioned is simply amazing. After all, it is more logical to assume that small arms were captured by an army of millions! Where is it? Eat. Eat. But a little.

And here, by the way, is a mortar crew next to the "thirty-four"

To summarize the first part, I will explain why the title contains a portrait of Joseph Vissarionovich. There really is a serious problem - the word Motherland is capitalized, but the essence is clear. The USSR made money by importing finished products. Not with oil and gas, like our rulers, but with products created at high-tech enterprises. Now you will be surprised, but I will tell you. The Soviet car "Moskvich 408" was recognized as the car of the year in the UK and became a sales leader. Its production was established in Belgium, and it was the first people's car of the British. Do you still want to spit on the Soviet auto industry?
I am developing an idea. What do you think Russia could trade before 1941? There is no need to rush to “Google” right away. IN open information only grain, legumes, manganese, phosphates and all kinds of ores. And volume foreign trade simply amazing. Who did you trade with? With Germany, naturally. What did you buy from them? Machine tools, pipes, high-grade steel, etc. I.e. It is quite obvious that the economies of our countries were simply interdependent. What about our equipment and weapons? You don't have to look. The data is classified to this day. What... didn't Russia sell arms? Have mercy! When did this happen? Only in troubled times of breakdown Russian Empire, when the Deputy Minister of Defense was sent to lifelong hard labor, having sent carriages of “obsolete” rifles and revolvers for melting down on the eve of the First World War. Now the same thing is happening, like a carbon copy. Machine guns and rifles, revolvers and pistols are transported by the wagons to the press in Nizhny Novgorod. Only sergeant-major Taburetkin, instead of hanging on the gallows in the middle of Red Square, is moving to Latvia for permanent residence.
Now let's remember the military-technical cooperation between the USSR and Germany. Contrary to popular belief, I come to the conclusion that it was not Ferdinand Porsche who taught us to produce trucks and armored cars in Gorky. On the contrary, we raised the German auto industry. Who now remembers that the general designer of all MAN and Daimler automobile engines was a Soviet engineer? But know this! Write down the name of the creator of the legend of the world automobile industry - Boris Grigorievich Lutsky.
In the meantime, take a look at how a German T-34 was pulled out of a lake in Estonia. Rumor has it that this tank is now on the move, in excellent condition, ready for battle!

Not only small Soviet weapons fell into the ranks German army. Against Soviet troops The Germans also converted tanks, including the legendary KV-2 and T-34, which also distinguished themselves in service in the troops of the Third Reich.

But the T-34 with crosses on board looks, at least, strange and unusual. However, sadly enough, there were a sufficient number of such tanks in the German troops. Along with them, heavy tanks KV-1 and KV-2, superior in firepower to German armored vehicles, also turned against the Soviet troops.

It is worth noting that for their combat characteristics“KVshki” were quite popular among the Germans. True, it is not very clear where the Germans got spare parts to repair the T-34 and Klimov Voroshilovs damaged in battle. And a lot of equipment was captured. By the end of the summer of 1941 alone, more than 14 thousand Soviet tanks had become the prey of the Germans. More often, due to a lack of spare parts, damaged T-34s and KVs left service, and suitable parts were used to repair other tanks.

In 1943, the Germans set up a repair shop in Kharkov on the territory of a tractor plant. Here, Soviet T-34s damaged in battle were repaired and modified.

According to one version, the Germans got Soviet tanks not only as war trophies, but also as banal goods - in the pre-war period. It is no secret that until 1941 the USSR had diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany.

Whether this is true or not, it is a fact - in the same ranks as part of the SS division "Reich" German PZ.IV and Soviet T-34 went to fight against the allied forces. The towers of the latter, by the way, were used by the Germans to create an armored car - Panzerjagerwagen, a formidable anti-tank weapon.

During the war years, not only the KV and T-34 “lit up” in the ranks of the Wehrmacht troops. In the service of the Germans were also less famous examples of heavy equipment from the country of the Soviets, such as the T-26, BT-7, T-60 and T-70 Komsomolets tractor, BA armored vehicle and even Po-2 aircraft. The Germans used our howitzers and self-propelled units.

But, in fact, the number Soviet armored vehicles in the service of the Germans was not so great on the scale of the war. From June 1941 to May 1945, about 300 Soviet tanks took part in battles against the Red Army.

Let's talk about the trophies of the Red Army, which the Soviet victors took home from defeated Germany. Let's talk calmly, without emotions - only photographs and facts.

A Soviet soldier takes a bicycle from a German woman (according to Russophobes), or a Soviet soldier helps a German woman
align the steering wheel (according to Russophiles). Berlin, August 1945.

Whatever happens on this famous photo, we will never know the truth anyway, so why argue? But the truth, as always, is in the middle, and it lies in the fact that in abandoned German houses and shops, Soviet soldiers took everything they liked, but the Germans had quite a bit of brazen robbery.
Looting, of course, happened, but sometimes people were tried for it in a show trial at a tribunal. And none of the soldiers wanted to get through the war alive, and because of some junk and the next round of the struggle for friendship with local population, to go not home as a winner, but to Siberia as a convicted person.
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Soviet soldiers buy up on the “black market” in the Tiergarten garden. Berlin, summer 1945.

Although the junk was valuable. After the Red Army entered German territory, by order of the USSR NKO No. 0409 dated December 26, 1944. All military personnel on active fronts were allowed to send one personal parcel to the Soviet rear once a month.
The most severe punishment was deprivation of the right to this parcel, the weight of which was established: for privates and sergeants - 5 kg, for officers - 10 kg and for generals - 16 kg. The size of the parcel could not exceed 70 cm in each of three dimensions, but home different ways they managed to transport large equipment, carpets, furniture, and even pianos.
Upon demobilization, officers and soldiers were allowed to take away everything that they could take with them on the road in their personal luggage. At the same time, large items were often transported home, secured to the roofs of the trains, and the Poles were left to the task of pulling them along the train with ropes and hooks (my grandfather told me).
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Three hijacked to Germany soviet women carrying wine from an abandoned liquor store. Lippstadt, April 1945.

During the war and the first months after its end, soldiers mainly sent non-perishable provisions to their families in the rear (American dry rations, consisting of canned food, biscuits, powdered eggs, jam, and even instant coffee, were considered the most valuable). The Allied medicinal drugs, streptomycin and penicillin, were also highly valued.
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American soldiers and young German women combine trading and flirting on the “black market” in the Tiergarten garden.
The Soviet military in the background in the market has no time for nonsense. Berlin, May 1945.

And it was possible to get it only on the “black market”, which instantly appeared in every German city. At flea markets you could buy everything from cars to women, and the most common currency was tobacco and food.
The Germans needed food, but the Americans, British and French were only interested in money - in Germany at that time there were Nazi Reichsmarks, occupation stamps of the victors, and foreign currencies of the allied countries, on whose exchange rates big money was made.
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An American soldier bargains with a Soviet junior lieutenant. LIFE photo from September 10, 1945.

But the Soviet soldiers had funds. According to the Americans, they were the most good buyers- gullible, bad at bargaining and very rich. Indeed, since December 1944, Soviet military personnel in Germany began to receive double pay, both in rubles and in marks at the exchange rate (this double payment system will be abolished much later).
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Photos of Soviet soldiers bargaining at a flea market. LIFE photo from September 10, 1945.

The salary of Soviet military personnel depended on the rank and position held. Thus, a major, deputy military commandant, received 1,500 rubles in 1945. per month and for the same amount in occupation marks at the exchange rate. In addition, officers from the position of company commander and above were paid money to hire German servants.
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For an idea of ​​prices. Certificate of purchase by a Soviet colonel from a German of a car for 2,500 marks (750 Soviet rubles)

The Soviet military received a lot of money - on the “black market” an officer could buy himself whatever his heart desired for one month’s salary. In addition, the servicemen were paid their debts in salary for past times, and they had plenty of money even if they sent home a ruble certificate.
Therefore, taking the risk of “getting caught” and being punished for looting was simply stupid and unnecessary. And although there were certainly plenty of greedy marauding fools, they were the exception rather than the rule.

During the fighting of World War II, German troops captured a significant number of various armored vehicles in the occupied countries, which were then widely used in the field forces of the Wehrmacht, SS troops and various types of security and police formations. At the same time, some of them were redesigned and rearmed, while the rest were used in their original design. The number of armored fighting vehicles of foreign brands adopted by the Germans fluctuated according to different countries from a few to several hundred.

Supplement to the magazine "MODEL CONSTRUCTION"

By May 1940 french army had 2637 tanks of a new type. These include: 314 B1,210 tanks - D1 and D2, 1070 - R35, AMR, AMC, 308 - H35, 243 - S35, 392 - H38, H39, R40 and 90 FCM tanks. In addition, up to 2,000 old FT 17/18 combat vehicles (of which 800 were combat-ready) from the First World War period and six heavy 2Cs were stored in the parks. 600 armored vehicles and 3,500 armored personnel carriers and tracked tractors complemented the armored armament of the ground forces. Almost all of this equipment, both damaged during the fighting and absolutely serviceable, fell into the hands of the Germans.

We can safely say that never before has any army in the world captured so many military equipment and ammunition, like the Wehrmacht during the French campaign. History knows no example of captured weapons such large quantities were adopted by the victorious army. The case is undoubtedly unique! All this applies to French tanks, the exact number of which is not given even by German sources. Repaired and repainted in German camouflage, with crosses on the sides, they fought in the ranks of the enemy army right up to 1945. Only a small number of them, who were in Africa, as well as in France itself in 1944, were able to once again stand under the French banner. The fate of combat vehicles forced to operate “under a false flag” turned out differently.

Some tanks captured in good working order were used by the Germans during the fighting in France. The bulk armored vehicles After completing the “French campaign”, she began to be taken to specially created parks, where she underwent a “technical inspection” in order to clarify malfunctions. Then the equipment was sent for repair or re-equipment to French factories, and from there it went to German military units.

However, in the winter of 1941, things did not go further than the formation of four regiments and the headquarters of two brigades. It soon became clear that units armed with French armored vehicles could not be used in accordance with tactics tank troops Wehrmacht. And mainly due to the technical imperfections of captured combat vehicles. As a result, already at the end of 1941, all regiments that had French tanks were re-equipped with German and Czechoslovak combat vehicles. Released captured equipment went to staff numerous individual units and subunits that performed mainly security service in the occupied territories, including SS units and armored trains. The geography of their service was quite extensive: from the islands in the English Channel in the west to Russia in the east and from Norway in the north to Crete in the south. A significant part of the combat vehicles were converted into various kinds of self-propelled guns, tractors and special vehicles.

The nature of the use of captured vehicles was most directly influenced by their performance characteristics. Only the H35/39 and S35 were supposed to be used directly as tanks. Apparently, the decisive factor was their higher speed than other machines. According to the original plans, they were supposed to staff four tank divisions.

After the end of hostilities in France, all serviceable and faulty R35 tanks were sent to the Renault plant in Paris, where they underwent inspection or restoration. Due to its low speed, the R35 could not be used as battle tank, and the Germans subsequently sent about 100 vehicles for security duty. 25 of them took part in battles with Yugoslav partisans. Most of the tanks were equipped with German radio stations. Domed commander's cupola replaced with a flat double hatch.

The Germans transferred part of the R35 to their allies: 109 to Italy and 40 to Bulgaria. In December 1940, the Berlin company Alkett received an order to convert 200 R35 tanks into self-propelled guns armed with a Czech 47-mm anti-tank gun. Used as a prototype similar self-propelled guns on chassis German tank Pz.l. At the beginning of February 1941, the first self-propelled gun based on the R35 left the factory floor. The gun was installed in a wheelhouse open at the top, located on the site of the dismantled turret. The frontal sheet of the cabin had a thickness of 25 mm, and the side sheets were 20 mm thick. The vertical pointing angle of the gun ranged from -8° to +12°, and the horizontal angle was 35°. A German radio station was located in the aft niche of the cabin. The crew consisted of three people. Combat weight - 10.9 tons. On a trial basis, one self-propelled gun of this type in 1941 was armed with a German 50-mm Pak 38 anti-tank gun.

Of the 200 ordered vehicles, 174 were manufactured as self-propelled guns, and 26 as command vehicles. The latter did not have a cannon installed, and there was no embrasure in the front deck of the cabin. Instead of a cannon, an MG34 machine gun was mounted in a Kugelblende 30 ball mount.

The remaining R35 tanks, after the turrets were dismantled, served in the Wehrmacht as artillery tractors for 150 mm howitzers and 210 mm mortars. The towers were installed on the Atlantic Wall as fixed firing points.

As mentioned above, the Hotchkiss H35 and H39 tanks (in the Wehrmacht they were designated 35Н and 38Н) were used by the Germans as... tanks. They also had double-leaf tower hatches mounted on them and German radios were installed. The vehicles converted in this way entered service with the German occupation units in Norway, Crete and Lapland. In addition, they were intermediate weapons in the formation of new Wehrmacht tank divisions, for example, the 6th, 7th and 10th. As of May 31, 1943, the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, SS troops and others operated 355 35N and 38N tanks.

15 vehicles of this type were transferred to Hungary in 1943, and another 19, in 1944, to Bulgaria. Croatia received several 38N.

In 1943 - 1944, 60 Hotchkiss tank chassis were converted into a 75 mm self-propelled anti-tank gun. Instead of the removed turret, an impressively sized conning tower, open at the top, was mounted on the tank’s hull, in which a 75-mm Pak 40 cannon was installed. The thickness of the front conning armor plates was 20 mm, and the side armor plates were 10 mm. With a crew of four combat mass vehicles was 12.5 tons. The conversion of tanks into self-propelled guns was carried out by the company Baukommando Becker ( apparently, army repair plant).

At the same enterprise, 48 Hotchkisses were converted into self-propelled guns armed with a 105-mm howitzer. Externally, it was similar to the previous vehicle, but its wheelhouse housed a 105-mm leFH 18/40 howitzer. The vertical gun pointing angles ranged from -2° to +22°. The crew consisted of five people. 12 self-propelled guns of this type entered service with the 200th assault gun division.

For units armed with self-propelled guns based on Hotchkiss tanks, 24 tanks were converted into forward artillery observer vehicles, the so-called grosser Funk-und Befehlspanzer 38H(f). Not a large number of 38N was used for training purposes, as tractors, ammunition carriers and ARVs. It is interesting to note an attempt to increase the firepower of the tank by installing four launch frames for 280- and 320-mm rockets. On the initiative of the 205th Tank Battalion (Pz. Abt. 205), 11 tanks were equipped in this way.

Due to their small numbers, FCM36 tanks were not used for their intended purpose by the Wehrmacht. 48 vehicles were converted into self-propelled artillery units: 24 with a 75 mm Rak 40 anti-tank gun, the rest with a 105 mm leFH 16 howitzer. All self-propelled guns were manufactured at Baukommando Becker. Eight anti-tank self-propelled guns, as well as several 105-mm self-propelled howitzers, entered service with the 200th assault gun battalion, included in the 21st tank division. The so-called Fast Brigade "West" - Schnellen Brigade West - also received some of the self-propelled guns.

The few D2 medium tanks they received were also not used at all by the Germans. It is only known that their turrets were installed on Croatian armored trains.

As for the SOMUA medium tanks, most of the 297 units captured by the Germans under the designation Pz.Kpfw.35S 739(f) were included in the Wehrmacht tank units. SOMUA underwent some modernization: German Fu 5 radios were installed on them and the commander's cupola was retrofitted with a double-leaf hatch (but not all vehicles underwent such modifications). In addition, a fourth crew member was added - a radio operator, and the loader moved to the tower, where there were now two people. These tanks were supplied mainly to man tank regiments (100, 201, 202, 203, 204 Panzer-Regiment) and individual tank battalions (202, 205, 206, 211, 212, 213, 214, 223 Panzer-Abteilung). Most of these units were stationed in France and served as reserves for replenishing Wehrmacht tank units.

For example, at the beginning of 1943, on the basis of the 100th tank regiment (armed mainly with S35 tanks), the 21st was again formed tank division, completely destroyed at Stalingrad by units of the Red Army. The revived division was stationed in Normandy, and in June 1944, after the Allied landings in France, it took an active part in the battles.

As of July 1, 1943, there were 144 SOMUA in active Wehrmacht units (not counting warehouses and parks): in Army Group Center - 2, in Yugoslavia - 43, in France - 67, in Norway - 16 (as part of 211- th tank battalion), in Finland - 16 (as part of the 214th tank battalion). On March 26, 1945 in German tank units There were still five 35S tanks operating against Anglo-American troops on the Western Front.

It should be noted that the Germans used a number of SOMUA tanks to fight partisans and protect rear facilities, 60 units were converted into artillery tractors (the turret and upper front part of the hull were removed from them), and 15 vehicles entered service with armored trains No. 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30. Structurally, these armored trains consisted of a semi-armored locomotive, two open-top armored platforms for infantry and three special platforms with ramps for S35 tanks.

Tanks of armored train No. 28 took part in the assault on the Brest Fortress, for which they had to leave their platforms. On June 23, 1941, one of these vehicles was hit hand grenades at the Northern Gate of the fortress, there with fire from anti-aircraft gun another S35 was damaged. The third tank broke into the central courtyard of the citadel, where it was shot down by artillerymen of the 333rd rifle regiment. The Germans managed to evacuate two cars immediately. After repairs, they again participated in battles. In particular, on June 27, the Germans used one of them against the Eastern Fort. The tank fired at the embrasures of the fort, as a result, as stated in the report of the headquarters of the 45th German Infantry Division, the Russians began to behave more quietly, but the continuous shooting of snipers continued from the most unexpected places.

As part of the mentioned armored trains, S35 tanks were used until 1943, when they were replaced by Czechoslovakian Pz.38(t).

After the occupation of France, the Germans repaired and returned to service 161 heavy tanks B1 bis, which received the designation Pz.Kpfw in the Wehrmacht. B2 740(f). Most of the vehicles retained standard armament, but installed German radios, and the commander's cupola was replaced with a simple hatch with a double-leaf lid. Turrets were removed from several tanks and all weapons were dismantled. In this form they were used to train driver mechanics.

In March 1941, the Rheinmetall-Borsig company in Düsseldorf converted 16 combat vehicles into self-propelled units, mounting an armored cabin open at the top and rear with a 105-mm leFH 18 howitzer in place of the previous armament and turret.

On the basis of French heavy tanks, the Germans created a large number of flamethrower combat vehicles. At a meeting with Hitler on May 26, 1941, the possibility of arming flamethrowers was discussed captured tanks AT 2. The Fuhrer ordered the formation of two companies equipped with such machines. The first 24 B2s were equipped with flamethrowers of the same system as on the German Pz.ll (F), which operated on compressed nitrogen. The flamethrower was located inside the hull, in place of the removed 75-mm cannon. All tanks were sent to the 10th battalion, formed by June 20, 1941. It consisted of two companies, each of which, in addition to 12 flamethrower vehicles, had three support tanks (linear B2, armed with a 75-mm cannon). The 102nd battalion arrived on the Eastern Front on June 23 and was subordinated to the headquarters of the 17th Army, whose divisions stormed the Przemysl fortified area.

On June 24, 1941, the battalion supported the advance of the 24th Infantry Division. On June 26, the attacks were continued, but this time in conjunction with the 296th Infantry Division. On June 29, the assault on Soviet pillboxes began with the participation of flamethrower tanks. The report of the commander of the 2nd battalion of the 520th infantry regiment allows us to restore the picture of the battle. On the evening of June 28, the 102nd battalion of flamethrower tanks reached the indicated starting positions. At the sound of tank engines, the enemy opened fire from cannons and machine guns, but there were no casualties. With a delay caused by thick fog, at 5.55 on June 29, 8.8 cm Flak opened direct fire at the embrasures of the pillboxes. The anti-aircraft gunners fired until 7.04, when most of the embrasures were hit and fell silent. Following the green rocket, the 102nd Flamethrower Tank Battalion went on the attack at 7.05. Engineering units accompanied the tanks. Their task was to place high-explosive charges under the enemy’s defensive fortifications. When some pillboxes opened fire, the sappers were forced to take cover in an anti-tank ditch. 88 mm anti-aircraft guns and other types heavy weapons returned fire. The sappers were able to reach their designated targets, plant and detonate high-explosive charges. The pillboxes were heavily damaged by 88mm gun fire and fired only periodically. The flamethrower tanks were able to approach the pillboxes almost closely, but the defenders of the fortifications put up desperate resistance, knocking out two of them with a 76-mm cannon.

Both cars burned out, but the crews managed to abandon them. The flamethrower tanks were never able to hit the pillboxes, since the flammable mixture could not penetrate inside through the ball mounts. The defenders of the fortifications continued to fire.

On June 30, the 102nd battalion was transferred to the direct subordination of the headquarters of the 17th Army, and on July 27 it was disbanded.

Further development of German tank flamethrowers took place using the same Pz.B2. For new types of weapons, a pump powered by a J10 engine was used. These flamethrowers had a firing range of up to 45 m, and the fuel supply allowed them to fire 200 shots. They were installed in the same place - in the building. The tank with the combustible mixture was located on the rear of the armor. The Daimler-Benz company developed a scheme for improving the tank's armor, the Kebe company developed a flamethrower, and the Wegmann company carried out the final assembly.

It was planned to convert ten B2 tanks in this way in December 1941 and the next ten in January 1942. In reality, the production of flamethrower vehicles proceeded much more slowly: although five units were ready in November, only three were produced in December, three more in March 1942, two in April, three in May, and finally in June - the last four. The further progress of the work is unknown, since the order for the rework was sent to French enterprises.

In total, about 60 B2(FI) flamethrower tanks were produced in 1941 - 1942. Together with other B2s, they were in service with quite a few units of the German army. So, for example, as of May 31, 1943, the 223rd tank battalion had 16 B2s (12 of them were flamethrowers); in the 100th tank brigade- 34 (24); in the 213th tank battalion - 36 (10); in the SS mountain division "Prince Eugene" - 17 B2 and B2 (FI).

B2s were used in the Wehrmacht until the end of the war, especially in troops located in France. In February 1945, there were still about 40 such tanks here.

As for French tanks of other brands, they were practically not used by the Wehrmacht, although many of them received German designations. The only exception is, perhaps, the light reconnaissance tank AMR 35ZT. Some of these vehicles, which had no combat value, were converted into self-propelled mortars in 1943-1944. The turret was dismantled from the tank, and in its place a box-shaped conning tower, open at the top and rear, welded from 10 mm armor plates, was built. An 81-mm Granatwerfer 34 mortar was installed in the wheelhouse. The vehicle had a crew of four people and a combat weight of 9 tons.

A story about the use of captured French tanks in the Wehrmacht would be incomplete without mentioning the FT 17/18. As a result of the 1940 campaign, the Germans captured 704 Renault FT tanks, of which only about 500 were in working order. Some of the vehicles were repaired and redesignated Pz.Kpfw. 17R 730 (f) or 18R 730 (f) (tanks with a cast turret) were used for patrol and security service. Renaults were also used to train mechanics and drivers of German units in France. Some of the disarmed vehicles were used as mobile command and observation posts. In April 1941, a hundred Renault FTs with 37 mm guns were allocated to reinforce armored trains. They were attached to railway platforms, thus obtaining additional armored cars. These armored trains patrolled the roads along the English Channel coast. In June 1941, a number of armored trains with Renault were allocated to fight partisans in the occupied territories. Five tanks on railway platforms were used to protect roads in Serbia. Several Renaults were also used in Norway for the same purposes. Captured Renaults and the Luftwaffe were constantly in use, which used them (about 100 in total) to guard airfields, as well as to clear runways. To do this, bulldozer blades were installed on several tanks without turrets.

In 1941, 20 Renault FT turrets with 37 mm guns were installed on concrete bases on the English Channel coast.

After the defeat of France, a significant number of French armored vehicles also fell into the hands of the Germans. However, most of them were outdated designs and did not meet the requirements of the Wehrmacht. The Germans hastened to get rid of such vehicles and handed them over to their allies. As a result, only one type of French armored car was used in the German army - the AMD Panhard 178.

More than 200 of these vehicles are designated Pz.Spah. 204(f) went to field troops and SS units, and 43 were converted into armored tires. The latter were equipped with a German radio station with a frame-type antenna. On June 22, 1941, there were 190 Panhards on the Eastern Front, 107 of which were lost by the end of the year. As of June 1943, the Wehrmacht still had 30 vehicles on the Eastern Front and 33 on the Western Front. In addition, by this time some of the armored cars had been transferred to security divisions.

The Vichy French government received permission from the Germans to retain a small number of armored vehicles of this type, but at the same time they demanded that the standard 25 mm guns be dismantled. In November 1942, during the Nazi invasion of the “free” zone (the unoccupied south of France), these vehicles were captured and used for police functions, and in 1943 the Germans armed some of the Panhards that did not have turrets with a 50-mm tank gun.

The Germans also actively used a significant fleet of French artillery tractors and armored personnel carriers, which included both wheeled and tracked, and half-tracked vehicles. And if the Citroen P19 half-track vehicles were used in the “West” brigade without any major alterations, then many other types of equipment underwent significant changes.

For example, the Germans used French all-wheel drive two- and three-axle specialized army trucks Laffly V15 and W15. These vehicles were used in various parts of the Wehrmacht, mostly in pristine condition. However, in the West brigade, 24 W15T trucks were converted into mobile radio stations, and several vehicles were equipped with armored hulls, turning them into wheeled armored personnel carriers.

Since 1941, in German troops stationed in France, as an artillery tractor for 75 mm anti-tank guns, 105 mm light field howitzers and mortars, transporter for transport personnel, ambulance and radio vehicle, carrier of ammunition and equipment, a captured half-track tractor Unic P107 - leichter Zugkraftwagen U304 (f) was used. There were more than a hundred such vehicles in the West brigade alone. In 1943, a number of them were equipped with an armored hull with an open top body (for this the chassis frame had to be lengthened by 350 mm) and reclassified into armored personnel carriers - leichter Schutzenpanzerwagen U304 (f), similar in size to the German Sd.Kfz.250. At the same time, some of the machines had open, and some had closed bodies. Several armored personnel carriers were armed with a 37-mm Rak 36 anti-tank gun with a standard shield.

A number of tractors were converted into semi-armored SPAAGs, armed with a 20-mm Rak 38 anti-aircraft gun. In an even larger series (72 units), Baukommando Becker produced armored SPAAGs with similar weapons. These vehicles also entered service with the West brigade.

The heavier half-track tractors SOMUA MCL - Zugkraftwagen S303(f) and SOMUA MCG - Zugkraftwagen S307(f) were used as artillery tractors. Some of them were also equipped with an armored hull in 1943. At the same time, they were supposed to be used both as armored tractors - mittlerer gepanzerter Zugkraftwagen S303(f), and as armored personnel carriers - mittlerer Schutzenpanzerwagen S307(f). In addition, combat vehicles were created on their basis: m SPW S307(f) mit Reihenwerfer - self-propelled multi-barreled mortar (36 units manufactured); in the rear of the vehicle, a double-row package of 16 barrels of French 81-mm mortars was mounted on a special frame; 7.5 cm Rak 40 auf m SPW S307(f) - self-propelled 75 mm anti-tank gun (72 units manufactured); armored ammunition carrier (48 units manufactured); an engineering vehicle equipped with special bridges to overcome ditches; 8 cm Raketenwerfer auf m.gep.Zgkw. S303(f) - a rocket launcher with a package of guides for launching 48 rockets, copied from the Soviet 82-mm launcher BM-8-24 (6 units manufactured); 8-cm schwerer Reihenwerfer auf m.gep Zgkw. S303(f) - self-propelled multi-barreled mortar (16 units manufactured) with a package of 20 barrels of captured French Granatwerfer 278(f) mortars.

Of the purely tracked French combat vehicles captured and widely used by the Germans, the first to be mentioned is the multi-purpose transporter Renault UE (Infanterieschlepper UE 630(f). Initially, it was used as a light tractor for transporting equipment and ammunition (including on the Eastern Front ) With an armored cabin and armed with a UE 630(f) machine gun, it was used for police and security functions.In Luftwaffe units, several vehicles were equipped with one or even two cabins with MG34 machine guns and were used to guard airfields, several hundred were converted into anti-tank installations for infantry units- 3.7 cm Cancer 36(Sf) auf Infanterieschlepper UE 630(f). At the same time, the upper machine and the gun shield remained unchanged. Another 40 transporters were equipped with a special armored cabin located in the stern, where the radio station was located. They were used as communication and surveillance vehicles in units armed with captured French tanks.

Several tractors were converted into cable laying machines. In 1943, almost all vehicles that had not previously undergone modifications were equipped with launchers heavy rocket mines - 28/32 cm Wurfrahmen(Sf) auf Infanterieschlepper UE 630(f).

At first, the 300 captured Lorraine 37L tracked armored personnel carriers were not very actively used by the Wehrmacht. An attempt to use them for transporting various cargoes was not very successful: with a mass of 6 tons, the tractor’s carrying capacity was only 800 kg. Therefore, already in 1940, the first attempts were made to convert these vehicles into self-propelled guns: 47-mm French anti-tank guns were mounted on several tractors. Mass conversion of tractors into self-propelled units began in 1942. Three types of self-propelled guns were manufactured on the Lorraine 37L chassis: 7.5 cm Rak 40/1 auf Lorraine Schlepper(f) Marder I (Sd.Kfz.135) - self-propelled 75-mm anti-tank gun (179 units manufactured); 15 cm sFH 13/1 auf Lorraine Schlepper(f) (Sd.Kfz. 135/1) - self-propelled 150 mm howitzer (94 units manufactured); 10.5 cm leFH 18/4 auf Lorraine Schlepper(f) - 105 mm self-propelled howitzer(12 units produced).

All of these self-propelled guns were structurally and externally similar to each other and differed from each other mainly only in the artillery system, which was located in a box-shaped conning tower located at the rear of the vehicle, open at the top.

Self-propelled guns on the Lorraine chassis were also used by the Germans on the Eastern Front and in North Africa, and in 1944 - in France.

One of the German armored trains included a self-propelled gun on the Lorraine Schiepper(f) chassis, in which a Soviet 122-mm M30 howitzer was installed in the standard wheelhouse.

Based on the Lorraine tractor, the Germans created 30 fully armored surveillance and communications vehicles.