З ІСТОРІЇ КОНКУРЕНТНОЇ БОРОТЬБИ НІМЕЦЬКИХ ТА РАДЯНСЬКИХ ТАНКОБУДІВНИКІВ У РОКИ ДРУГОЇ СВІТОВОЇ ВІЙНИ

Abstract

Europe’s military theorists analyzed the course and results of the war, the causes of victories and defeats. One of them was German infantry general Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorf, in the past commander-in-chief of the Western Front during the First World War. His basic theoretical views on the preparation and conduct of an aggressive war were outlined in the book “Total War”, which was published in 1935. The essence of the theory was to preserve and consolidate the domination of the German people in the world solely through wars against other peoples. One of the main components of the concept of such a war is the theory of “lightning war”. It is a misconception among the public that this theory was developed by Nazi Ger- many’s military experts, that is, Hitler’s entourage. The plan for the “lightning war” belongs to the chief of operations of the General Staff of the Prussian Army, General Field Marshal Alfred von Schliffen, which he de- veloped in 1905. To secure the military industry. That is, a country cannot wage a long and simultaneous war on two fronts against the historic allies of France and Russia, whose banking system was entirely dependent on French money. Therefore, in order to successfully wage war, it is necessary to accumulate forces and means, while simulta- neously using all their mass, to conduct a fleeting (“lightning”) war, first with France, and after the victory over it – with Russia, in order to further capture the human and natural resources of these countries. The plan for the “lightning war” was first refined in 1906 by Helmut von Moltke Jr., who succeeded Schliffen, and then General E. Ludendorff, who closely linked the plan to his theory of “total war”. Hitler relied on this theory. This made it possible to succeed in a lightning-fast military campaign, where the primary purpose was to put an end to the enemy’s vigilance, to stun abruptness, to invade quickly and, thanks to large tank formations that would destroy the enemy’s defense, to advance deep into the country, to use mercilessness and intimidation to succeed. to the population, to paralyze his will and make him capitulate. With these methods, the Nazis calculated to defeat their opponents individually, pre- venting their efforts to join forces in supporting the aggressor. German military leaders hoped to win the war mainly through tanks and aircraft. The decisive role was planned to be achieved by encircling and destroying the enemy with the help of tank ticks and wedges. The purpose of the article is to understand how the principles of tank building in Nazi Germany and the USSR differed and how it affected the course of the war. The main role of the strike force in this case, was assigned to the tank group. Thus, throughout the Second World War, engineers of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union developed a “rivalry” in the design and manufacture of the best in their combat capabilities of the tank.