Soviet Union's KV-1 (Kliment Voroshilov) heavy tank

Photos

KV-1 Heavy Tank in 1941.	KV-1 Heavy Tank:	KV-1 Heavy Tank:	KV-1 Heavy Tank: Aberdeen Tank Museum
KV-1 Heavy Tank:	KV-1 Heavy Tank in Leningrad going to the front	KV-1 Heavy Tank:	KV-1 Heavy Tank:
KV-8 Heavy Tank with flame thrower	KV-13 prototype:
1/72 Die cast Models of KV-1
Hobby Master:			Easy Models:
3001:	3003:	3005:	36289:
3010:

Design

After experience in the Russio-Finnish War with the T-100 and the SMK, it was found that they were too large and complex.¹ Design work for the new heavy tank started in 1938.⁹ Kotin showed design plans for a single turreted heavy tank to Stalin in August 1939 and it was approved to construct a KV prototype.¹

This vehicle was originally called the Kotin-Stalin but was officially changed to the Klimenti Voroshilov^5,8 / Klementi Vorishilov / Marshal Klimenti Voroshilov^4,7/ Kliment Voroshilov³ (KV) after the Defense Commissar.

The KV-1 borrowed the hull, transmission, optics, and torsion bar suspension from the SMK.¹

Initially the armor was welded.⁵

The KV-1s were used as assault or break through tanks.^8,9

Crew

The driver sat in the middle.^5,7 The radio operator / machine gunner sat on the left.^5,7

The KV-1's vision was very limited for the commander and driver.¹ The driver had a limited traverse periscope and a slit in the front that had laminated glass, but it was usually of poor quality and hard to see through.¹ The commander of the KV-1 had two periscopes mounted in the top of the turret.¹ He was also the gun loader.¹

Engine

The engine was the same as the T-34 but with minor modifications.

Drive sprocket was at the rear.⁷

Armament

Initially the KV-1 was to have the 76.2 mm F-32, but due to delays the 76.2 mm L-11 was initially used.¹

Type	Name	Weight	Muzzle Velocity	Penetration
				500 m
AT2	BR-3502	6.3 kg2	612 m/sec2	66 mm2
HE2	F-342	6.23 kg2	610 - 635 m/sec2

Prototype

N. L. Duchov was the responsible designer from the S. J. Kotin design bureau that started development of the KV-1 in February 1939.²

The prototype was built at the Kirov Factory in February 1939.^3,5 A wooden mockup was ready in April 1939.⁵ By September 1939 the first prototype was show to the General Staff.^2,3,5 It was accepted in December 1939 / December 19, 1939^2,3, with production starting in February 1940.⁵

The KV-1 prototype was tested at the Kubinka test grounds outside of Moscow alongside the SMK and T-100.¹

Production

They came from the production lines in Leningrad and went straight to the front at Karelian.² The factory was later moved to Chelyabinsk.²

• KV-1: 3,015²
  • Production: February 1940 - ?⁵, 1940 - 1943¹
    • 1940: 141², 243³
    • 1941: 1,121^1,2
    • 1942: 1,753^1,2

Variants

• Prototype: Short 76.2 mm main gun.⁸ Three or four 7.62 mm machine guns.⁸ Armor was 3.94" / 100 mm thick.⁸
• KV-1: The first models were prone to clutch and transmission faults.
• KV-1A, KV-1 1940: Armed with 76.2 mm F-32.¹
• KV-1B, KV-1 1941: Armed with 76.2 mm ZiS-5.¹
• KV-1C, KV-1 1942:
• KV-1 S:
• KV-8: Flamethrower.¹ Had 45 mm M32 gun installed in place of main gun and an ATO-41 flamethrower installed coaxially.¹ It had 670 liters of oil and gave 52 - 55 / 107¹ bursts of flames.² It's range was about 46 meters. Used KV-1C chassis. Had 116 round of 45 mm, 2,772 rounds of MG, and weighed around 44 tons.
• KV-13: Prototype.¹ Mounted 152 mm ML-20.¹
• KV-85:

Usage

Finland Trials

In February 1940, 2² / a platoon of KV-1s were sent to Finland⁴ for trials.⁹

The T-100, SMK, and KV-1 prototypes were apart of the 91st Tank Battalion of the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade and had their first combat near Summa from December 17 to 19.¹

Despite hits from Finnish antitank weapons none were knocked out.³ It was also found that the diesel engine proved to be very reliable.³ The wide tracks allowed it to have excellent cross country performance.³

Invasion of the Motherland

By June 1941 there were 636 produced. By the Battle for Moscow (December 1941) 1,364.

Specifications

	KV-1
Crew	Commander, gunner, auxiliary driver, driver/mechanic, radio-operator Commander/loader, gunner, 2nd driver/mechanic, driver/mechanic, hull gunner/radio operator7 51,3,4,5,6,7,9
Physical Characteristics
Weight	94,600 lb9, 104,791 lb5 42,910 kg1, 43,000 kg4,9, 47,500 kg5 42.23 tons1, 42.3 tons4, 43 tons1, 43.5 tons7, 46.35 tons3,6
Length	20.6'5, 21' 11"4,9, 22.6'3,6, 24' 3"1 6.3 m5, 6.68 m4,9, 7.41 m1
Height	7.9'5, 8' 8"'3,6, 8' 10.7"9, 8' 11"4, 9' 5"1 2.4 m5, 2.71 m4,9, 2.87 m1
Width	10.2'5, 10.65'3,6, 10' 10.7"9, 10' 11"4, 11' 5"1, 3.1 m5, 3.32 m4,9, 3.49 m1
Width over tracks
Ground clearance
Ground contact length	14.2'3
Ground pressure	10.68 psi, 10.7 psi5, 11.23 psi 0.7 kg/cm2 5
Turret ring diameter
Armament
Main	76.2 mm M1938/39 L/30.53 76.2 mm L/30.57 76.2 mm1,9 76.2 mm L-111,2 76.2 mm F-345 76.2 mm L/41 ZiS-54
Secondary
MG	3: MG3,6 4: 7.62 mm MG9 up to 4: 7.62 mm MG4
MG - coaxial	1: MG7 1: 7.62 mm DT MG1,2,5
MG - rear	1: MG7 1: 7.62 mm DT MG1,2 (some models)5
MG - hull	1: MG7 1: 7.62 mm DT MG1,2,3
Side arms
Quantity
Main	1113,5
Secondary
MG	3,0005, 3,0243
Side arms
Armor Thickness (mm)	30 - 706, 754, 75+256, 75 - 1005, 90-1107, 1009 Front: 2.95"1 Front: 751
Hull Front, Upper	755, later models: 75+355, 1063
Hull Front, Lower
Hull Sides, Upper	75 - 773
Hull Sides, Lower
Hull Rear
Hull Top	30 - 403
Hull Bottom	30 - 403
Turret Front	3.5"1 30 - 1003, 901
Turret Sides
Turret Rear
Turret Top
Engine (Make / Model)	W-2-K2, V-27, V-2-K IS5, V2K4,9, V-2K1,3
Bore / stroke
Cooling	Water5
Cylinders	V-121,4,9, 123,5
Capacity
Net HP	5001, 5503,4,6, 6007,9, 600@2,000 rpm5
Power to weight ratio	12.6 hp/ton5
Compression ratio
Transmission (Type)
Steering
Steering ratio
Starter
Electrical system
Ignition
Fuel (Type)	Diesel1,3,4,5,6,9
Octane
Quantity
Road consumption
Cross country consumption
Performance
Traverse	360°
Speed - Road	21.7 mph4, 21.75 mph9, 21.8 mph1, 22 mph3,6,7 35 kph1,4,9
Speed - Cross Country	8.1 mph1, 12.4 mph 13 kph1
Range - Road	93 miles4, 93.2 miles9, 99 miles1, 140 miles1,3, 210 miles7 150 km4,9, 160 km1, 225 km1
Range - Cross Country	62 miles1, 94 miles3 100 km1
Turning radius
Elevation limits
Fording depth
Trench crossing	8' 6"9 2.59 m9
Vertical obstacle	3' 8"9 1.2 m9
Climbing ability
Suspension (Type)	Torsion bar1,3
Wheels each side	6 twin steel7, 121
Return rollers each side	37
Tracks (Type)
Length
Width	2' 3.5"3,7
Diameter
Number of links
Pitch
Tire tread
Track centers/tread