The History of the West. Through the Eyes of Bears and Balalaikas. Konstantin Khait
the successors of the famous tachankas27.
As soon as tanks demonstrated their applicability, the question of countering them arose – every weapon immediately leads to countermeasures. The response was anti-tank artillery, anti-tank rifles, and by the end of the war, handheld anti-tank grenade launchers: bazookas and Panzerfausts. These are what can be densely supplied to the defending infantry ranks: the tank is an offensive weapon, their appearance on the battlefield is sudden and everywhere, and one must be prepared for it.
Anti-tank artillery had two principal drawbacks: low mobility and limited protection. And although firing from a stationary position, preferably from an ambush at pre-sighted targets, is much more effective than firing on the move, the tank also has a gun and moves quickly back and forth. Therefore, as soon as the opportunity arose, artillery began to be mounted on wheels or tracks and protected with some form of armor. Not as thick as a tank’s – otherwise, it would become expensive and unwieldy – but enough to protect against shrapnel. Thus, self-propelled guns appeared – weaponry similar to a tank but predominantly defensive.
The task of the tank is to break through enemy trenches and foxholes at full speed, helping its infantry to advance in the attack. The task of the self-propelled gun is to quietly move to a convenient position, cover the enemy with a couple of volleys, and relocate before a counterattack arrives.
The “tanks versus tanks” warfare, so popular among boys of all ages, is a phenomenon that professional military personnel have always tried and continue to try to avoid. Of course, an armored box with a gun can be used for such a purpose – but why? Why put expensive equipment at risk by sending it to do a job for which it is completely unsuited when there are simpler, cheaper, and equally effective means?
In those cases when tanks did encounter each other, it happened mostly by accident. Both sides, bewildered and rotating their turrets, tried to quickly retreat to their own lines – a tank cut off from the infantry is guaranteed prey for the opponent. By the way, in the pre-tank era, cavalry acted in exactly this way: charge – brief clash – disperse. Because as soon as a firmly standing man with a rifle appears on the battlefield, the cavalryman becomes an easy target for a bullet. Jeb Stuart28 is a testament to that.
The Second Front and Comrades in Arms
From any historical phenomenon, event, or process, we are left with sources: eyewitness accounts, memories, archaeological findings. They serve as the primary source of our knowledge but do not replace a balanced analysis. It is difficult for people who are inside events to judge them objectively and impartially. As a rule, contemporaries are, in one way or another, interested or biased towards a particular point of view, and only from the vantage point of the passing years can one see a more or less objective picture of what actually took place.
Moreover, an eyewitness sees an event from one specific point of view. The logic and context of other participants are usually unknown to them. Therefore, to understand the nature of historical processes, it is necessary to analyze a multitude of sources – the more, the better.
From the veterans, we inherited a legendary dream that the Soviet people bore the entire burden of the war alone because the allies did not open a second front. They did not wish to fight for the common cause, only offering handouts.
It’s easy to understand where it came from: when you’re sitting in a trench under fire, retreating through snow and mud, starving, and charging at a machine gun, you wish for a miracle to happen, for a kind deity to descend from the sky or for unexpected help to arrive and bring salvation and hope.
When a Soviet soldier or officer, who knows the state of affairs from the heavily censored “combat leaflet,” discusses the opening of the second front, it is forgivable. But, let’s say, Stalin, who constantly demanded the opening of the second front from the allies, was much better informed. What was he counting on? Who was supposed to strike the Wehrmacht from the rear, where, and when?
Before 1941, there was no talk of a second front. More precisely, the Western front did exist at that time, but it was not only the first but also mainly the only one. The Soviet Union was not at war with Germany at that moment because, according to the official version, it “was not ready,” but it was at war with Poland – on the side of the Germans – and with Finland29 – on its own side.
The military aid from the allies would have been most useful in 1941, during the difficult times of encirclements and retreats. When all of Hitler’s forces were directed to the east, it was the perfect time to strike him from the other side… but who could do it? France, as a power, no longer existed; its remnant – the Vichy regime – was allied with Germany. America was not participating in the war, essentially had no land army, and its entire fleet was gathered in the Pacific, anticipating the upcoming fight with the Japanese. By the end of the war, America would become a first-class military power, and it would have so many ships that they could be sunk by the batch without regret during nuclear tests30. And in 1941, it had practically nothing to fight with in the east.
Like England. Its army is demoralized, and the weapons abandoned at Dunkirk. English pilots have just barely prevented an invasion of the British Isles31; had it happened, there would have been no one and nothing to resist with. Moreover, numerous colonies need protection, while the fleet – the only real asset the empire has – is spread thin and suffering loss after loss. When by the end of the year it will be necessary to defend Singapore32 – one of the main military bases and most significant possessions of the crown – all that can be done Britain was able to send a couple of battleships, which will find a quick and inglorious end there33. England of 1941 is not concerned with a second front; it is more worried about surviving at all.
Then maybe 1942. How useful the news of the Normandy landing would have been in the midst of the battles near Kharkov, during the defense of Sevastopol, at the most tragic moment when everything was collapsing and burning. But the summer of forty-two was a terrible time not only for the Soviet Union; it was a terrible time for everyone. Germans in Crete, Italians sinking Maltese convoys one after another, Rommel driving the British to Egypt – the Mediterranean Sea almost lost. And for the Axis countries, it’s not only security from the south and freedom of maritime communications but also access to the Middle East and Arab oil, the main resource they so desperately lack. The Japanese are thoroughly beating the Yankees, and it smells of a landing in Australia, if not in Oregon. After Pearl Harbor, there’s almost nothing to defend with; the same ships are darting across the vast ocean, covering the south and then the north. Even the sudden victory at Midway34 doesn’t change much; we now know it became a turning point, but back then it was followed by failure after failure. In 1942, Japan and Germany were still stronger than the Allies, and only by the end of the year, after El Alamein, did the balance begin to shift. This is immediately taken advantage of – in November, the Americans and the British land in Morocco and Algeria, and for the Germans and Italians, the evening ceases to be tranquil. But this is, of course, not the second front that the exhausted and miraculously surviving Soviet soldier dreams of and still needed by Stalin.
Then maybe 1943. In forty-three, the second front happens. The Allies land in Sicily35 and then in Italy, from where it’s not far to Germany within reach, really. The triumphant march to Rome takes Italy out of the war, but as soon as German troops take the place of the defenders, a tough, months-long battle for Monte Cassino begins: the Wehrmacht of 1943 is still a worthy opponent that cannot be quickly crushed by the blows of inexperienced newcomers. By the way, the Red Army fully felt this at the
A tachanka was a horse-drawn cart (such as charabanc) or an open wagon with a heavy machine gun mounted on the rear side. A tachanka could be pulled by two to four horses and required a crew of two or three (one driver and a machine gun crew). A regular civilian horse cart could be easily converted to military use and back. This made the tachanka very popular during the Great War on the Eastern Front, where it was used by the Russian cavalry.
Jeb Stuart, a famous American general, commanded the Confederate cavalry in the Civil War in the United States. He was shot during a mounted counterattack by a dismounted Union cavalryman.
In 1939, the Soviet Union initiated a war with Finland, which went down in history as the Winter War. The formal objective was to change the border between the countries in such a way that Leningrad, located nearby, could not be subjected to a sudden attack. The real objectives are disputed by historians depending on their political views and biases. The Soviet Union achieved its goals at the cost of catastrophic losses, including the loss of international recognition and expulsion from the League of Nations, the then-equivalent of the UN.
During the nuclear tests under Operation “Crossroads,” the United States detonated two nuclear charges, one airborne and one underwater, with the aim of studying the effects of the explosion on surface ships. Captured ships, as well as ships that had become unnecessary for the navy with the end of the war, were used as targets.
During 1940, Hitler’s headquarters planned Operation “Sea Lion” – a landing on the British Isles followed by their capture. Given that the British fleet vastly outnumbered the German fleet and could disrupt the landing with significant losses, the Wehrmacht command considered the operation possible only with complete air superiority. As a result of the ensuing air “Battle of Britain,” the Luftwaffe (German air force) failed to achieve such dominance, and the landing was canceled, with the resources intended for the capture of England redirected to the USSR. During the “Battle of Britain,” several English cities, including London, suffered significant damage.
The fall of Singapore in December 1941 was a severe blow to British colonial policy, showing the colonies that the metropolis was unable to protect them. Additionally, Britain and its allies lost a crucial military base and logistics center, leading to a long chain of defeats in 1942.
For the defense of Singapore, “Force Z” was allocated, consisting of the battleship “Prince of Wales” and the battlecruiser “Repulse,” supported by four destroyers, but without air cover. It was assumed that the ships would operate in conjunction with the American fleet, but three days before their arrival in Singapore, most of the American fleet was sunk or damaged as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Nevertheless, the commander of the force, Admiral Phillips, decided to intercept the convoy with the Japanese landing forces using the two battleships. As a result of a subsequent series of air raids, both battleships were sunk, after which Singapore was captured from land.
The Battle of Midway was a major engagement between the American and Japanese fleets, lasting from June 4 to June 7, 1942. As a result of the American victory, the Japanese offensive on the eastern front was halted. Currently, the Battle of Midway is considered a turning point in the Pacific War, despite the fact that for more than half a year afterward, the US suffered defeats in most battles.
The landing of Anglo-American forces in Sicily in the summer of 1943, followed by the landing in Italy itself, aimed to remove Germany’s main European ally from the war. Additionally, in the event of the rapid occupation of the Apennine Peninsula, a foothold would emerge for an attack on German territory itself, as well as southern France and the Balkans. Italy’s exit from the Axis was achieved. However, timely deployed German troops halted the Allied advance and managed to block the operation’s development. The units used for this purpose could not be deployed on the Eastern Front, which contributed to the turn.