KV1: Almas de Ferro

Accuracy 10

The KV-1 was a Heavy Tank and had the same problems as the German Panzer 6 aka Tiger Tank Heavy Tank. Especially, getting stuck in Russia's mud, due to limited improved roads. The U.S. Caterpillar tractor transmission design as the KV-1 transmission was prone to failure. The few Panzer 6s aka Tiger Tanks were sent to the Western Front, not the Eastern Front.

The majority of the German tanks sent to Russia were Panzer III and Panzer IV Medium tanks with guns not capable of penetrating the KV-1 Heavy tank amour. Depicted are Panzer IV Medium Tanks with bolted on additional turret armour.

To defeat the heavy (thick) armour of the KV-1 the Germans created the Sturmgeschütz with the 75 mm Pak 40,

The few Panzer V aka Panther Medium Tank had a gun capable of penetrating the KV-1 tank amour. But because of the Low Ground clearance ended up stuck in Russia's mud, unlike the High Ground clearance of the T-34.

During the Battle of Stalingrad, the workers at the Russian Tank Factories were producing as many tanks as their lives depended on that. Many Men and Women ended up as Tank Crews. All the Russian Factories sent out Repair Teams of Men and Women to Field Units.

The T-34 with an 85mm gun was made starting 1944.

A russian woman who's a mechanical engineer travels to the front to be with her husband and to fix his KV1 heavy tank. and in the final battle thru all of the bad crap that happens in battle, she ends up as the driver of his tank, and together they kill 16 german panzer IVs. boy, they don't make movies like this anymore. why can't hollywood make movies like this?, actually I know why, at the same time in America it was illegal for a woman to be an engineer. turns all of the bad crap in war into a really fun movie, and I spent a year in Iraq and know about bad crap in war.

Ever wonder what happened to those WWII tanks that were knocked out of commission by enemy fire or broken down? This movie gives a behind the scenes look at a WWII Russian tank depot where those wrecks are brought in for salvage or repair. Not a bad flick, and even though I don't speak Russian, it's well acted.

Over the last decades war movies have become more realistic, showing the horrors and terrifying experiences soldiers of all nations are exposed to under battle. Since 1945 German war movies have almost always been Anti-war movies, like "Die Brücke", "Das Boot" and later "Stalingrad" and therefore leaving the audience depressive after viewing it. American War movies have mostly been glorifying vehicles for some kind of hero, which made them a bigger hit at the box office. That has basically first begun to change with "Apocalypse Now" and later the brilliant "Saving Private Ryan". British war movies are maybe kind of in-between and very well narrated with "1917" as the most recent, brilliant example. Most of those successful war movies have in common, that they bring us the persons and the events closer with high credibility and get the audience emotionally connected to the main characters - that is not the case with "The Tankers". The strange behavior of the male main character tank commander Konovalov towards his wife/ex wife, entering the story as a brilliant tank engineer, is never really explained. He is only described as a brilliant tactician but egocentric and ruthless man, for whom it is quite difficult to evolve any kind of sympathy. The background/charcters of the other tank crew members are only described on the surface if at all, they don't have their own story. But they all die "nicely" with "sleeping" eyes and as man doing their duty. You just don't buy it. The movie promotes the heroic efforts of his KV 1 tank crew under the battle of Rostov and it is certainly understandable that Mosfilm would like to give the russian audience russian heros - they just didn't touch me.

They put some efforts in the tank battle scenes and usually russian war movies are, when it comes to WW II tanks and material, more accurate than western movies. But the fighting scenes are just not convincing at all! 10+ German Panzerkampfwagen IV attacking one russian KV 1 tank exposed on a hill top with the apparently long range 75 mm KwK 40 which could penetrate 40 mm steel on 700 m distance, making no significant damage at all!! Even without being a nerd, when watching those scenes, the movie almost appears comic-like. The movie show a lot of russian war material and if you are interested in that it's worth watching, but it never get's you carried away.

And, on top of that, VERY bad CGI: tanks always explode in flames. Also, Tigers in Russia? Come on...