June 22, 1941, the greatest invasion army ever assembled was like a coiled spring, ready to leap into action.  Named after a legendary Tuetonic king who would return to Germany in her hour of need, Operation Barbarossa was the opening stage of a four year struggle unlike the world had ever seen before or since.  The ferocity and depth of the campaign was at such a level as to be incomprehensible to anyone who was not there, particularly for many Westerners, who have not been exposed to the level of conflict that raged in the East.

The war in the East is important because from this epic struggle between superpowers came the most significant developments in the technical aspects of the tank.   Realizing that they could never out-produce the Soviets, Germany turned to developing far superior tanks.  At the battle of Kursk the German Panther and Tiger tanks generated a kill ratio of between 7 and 10 to one, respectively. 

The Soviets, on the other hand, were able to significantly improve their designs while at the same time sustain an output of several thousand tanks each month.  In fact, early in the war the Soviets were producing generally superior tanks in the KV-1 and the T-34 in 1940-1941 which is what forced Germany to produce the heavier Tiger and Panther tanks.  The Soviets continued to develop these tanks, leading to the development of the Joseph Stalin series of heavy tank. 

SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE U.S.

These developments were significant for the US.  While as early as North Africa the Allies, upon seeing a limited number of Panzer IV and Tiger tanks, knew that the Sherman was outclassed, it became gruesomely clear in June 1944 that the Western allies had fallen far behind the Germans in the development of armor. 

SOURCES:

TANKS!

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by Chris Shimp March 1, 2001