The Utterly Insane WW2 Strategy that lost 5,000 Tanks vs 1,000
The Soviet Union, reeling in chaos and fear, steeled itself for impact as Nazi Germany unleashed the ferocious Operation Barbarossa. Having swiftly conquered much of Europe, Germany’s vast Panzer formations rolled with the clear objective of crushing any soviet defense. General Mikhail Kirponos launched a desperate counter-offensive against the encroaching 1st Panzer Group advancing toward Kyiv. The impending battle was a tumultuous fray that would engage 2,648 Soviet tanks from a total force of 5,000, pitted against about 1,000 German tanks. The Soviets held a numerical edge, bolstered by many of the heavier KV and T-34 tanks, which were superior to anything in the German arsenal at the time. However, the six Soviet corps were mired in disorganization, suffering from a severe shortage of trucks and tractors essential for deploying battlefield logistics. They were all converging near the town of Brody for a brutally intense mechanized showdown. It was a clash of raw numbers against meticulous strategy and unyielding execution. For the Soviets, their very existence hung in the balance. Vast tank formations, extending as far as the eye could see, hurtled into battle. David Glantz, a historian of the Eastern Front and Soviet military, boldly declared about the Battle of Brody: (QUOTE) “This, in fact, is the biggest tank battle in World War 2.” Credit to : WW2 on TV