"Stalingrad russian tanks" Topic

I understand the Russian tanks produced at the tractor factory were not painted. What color were they, then? rusted metal? or some primer color?

Steel allowed to cool in still air is actually a dark gray (much darker than panzer gray, almost black). Bare steel rusts quickly, to a rather orange color.

So mostly black-gray with orange rust streaks and patches of wear-polished bright steel is how I'd paint the "Germans at the factory gates!" tanks.

I believe that the Dzerzhinsky Tractor Works stopped building new tanks in August. From then until it was captured it was used as a repair facility for damaged tanks.

Were any tanks brought across the river into the city?

i recall reading that there were only around 20 t34s in the city. Many of them were damaged and used as pillboxes

"Were any tanks brought across the river into the city?"

Yes. But it's a mystery to me how, because the barges and boats available don't appear to have had any ro/ro capacity (with piers that lined up with deck surfaces), and I've never seen photographs indicating any crane/offload capacity at the city's docks. So I would welcome elucidation of this point.

I found a quote in a book, Stalin Grad day by day" from German reports of captured Russian hulks or confirmed kills (Simo's number is there) from the end of September. VIII Corps counted 62 T-34s in it's sector. XIV Corps destroyed 24 T-34s, 8 M3 Lees, 47 M3 Stuarts, and 24 Valentines. No way to tell though which came across or were already on the west bank. However. I would suspect some of the lend lease stuff came across.

I found an OOB that lists 20 T-70s, 5 KVs, and 24 T-34s landed on Oct 2, 42. 84th Tank Brigade. Hmm, now how as Tuscaloosa pointed out? link

I doubt it, but could the Volga have been frozen enough for tanks to cross?

Nope, the Volga didn't freeze over until mid December that year.

I found this though: "That night the light tanks (20 T-70s) of the 84th Armoured Brigades were ferried across (Chuikov, 1963; Erickson, 1993). Initially their heavies (5 KVs, 24 T-34s) had to stay on the east bank being too big for the barges." This is on the 4th.

Also: "That night (October 5th) the light tanks (20 T-70s) of the 84th Armoured Brigades reached the 37th and 308th Rifle Divisions (Chuikov, 1963; Erickson, 1993). They were used as pillboxes in the rubble"

Apparently the T.34's at least made it across some time in the next few days, because on the 10th "T-34s of 84th Tank Brigade with tank riders from 37th Guard Rifle Division (Zholudev) counter-attacked 14th Panzer Division on the south side of the Stalingrad Tractor Factory (Beevor, 1999)"

Nice research, number4. Looks like it was barges, at least for the lights.

The 1938 Engineer Manual has instructions on constructing tank ferries from sections of pontoon bridge.