From: Fred Martin (mung@in-touch.net)
Date: Tue Jan 07 2003 - 20:01:36 PST
Steve....tracks freezing to the ground is a big problem in really cold winters.
How did they fight this? I have heard that this problem could strip gears in
transmissions or differentials. I suspicion that they wouldn't want to fire
their big gun and give their location away to do it....maybe bump it with
another tank? Fred
Steve Grammont wrote:
> Hi Glen,
>
> >just an "unverified fact".
> >
> >I was told when I was a boy that the military used gasoline because it did
> >not freeze in winter.
> >and one of the reasons Germany had problems in Russia.
>
> Not correct ;-) As I stated earlier, every single German tank (Czech
> Tatra based vehicles excepted) was gasoline powered. The Soviets, on the
> other hand, used diesel for most of their tanks. The problem the Germans
> faced with freezing was:
>
> 1. The mechanisms were quite complex, and complexity means less
> robustness (inherently, anyway).
>
> 2. They did not have the correct lubricants for the conditions. The oil
> in the pans and greese in bearings literally truned to goo.
>
> The Soviets had more simplistic mechanical componants (be it engines,
> transmissions, or even small arms) and therefore they were easier to keep
> working in adverse conditions. They also had propper formulated oils and
> grease.
>
> The Germans sometimes had to light fires under their gearboxes and
> engines to warm them up enough to get them started. Obviously this was
> quite dangerous due to the gasoline nature of their engines!
>
> The Germans' solution in 1941/2 winter was to keep some vehicles running
> and then switch them off and start up another batch. By doing this they
> wasted fuel but kept at least some of their vehicles in ready condition
> at any given moment.
>
> In later winters they had propper oils and grease so this became less of
> a problem. It also helped that the following winters were not as harsh
> as the first, which was the worst in decades.
>
> Steve
>
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