German sIG-33 SPG Passing Abandoned Soviet KV-2 Tank

June 8, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

German sIG-33 drives past abandoned KV-2 with rare MT-1 turret. Eastern Front, 1941.

A German sIG-33 self-propelled howitzer clanks past a wrecked and abandoned Soviet KV-2 heavy tank—a chilling visual from the summer battles of 1941. The massive KV-2, once a symbol of brute force on tracks, now looms silent and empty, deserted by its crew from the 2nd Tank Division, 3rd Mechanized Corps of the 11th Army under General Morozov.

This is not just any KV-2. The tank visible in this image is armed with the rare MT-1 turret, of which only 24 units were ever produced. Such variants are prized in historical records due to their extreme scarcity and early appearance in frontline use.

Passing it is a sIG 33 auf Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. B, a Frankenstein of German engineering. It mounted a 150mm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun—first introduced in 1933—onto the light and frankly undersized chassis of a Panzer I. The resulting machine, protected by 10mm armor plates and standing nearly 3 meters tall, was both awkwardly massive and notoriously unstable. Its crew of four had limited protection and mobility, and the vehicle's high center of gravity made it prone to tipping over.

Initially designed to fire high-explosive and smoke shells, the sIG 33's lethality increased by late 1941 when cumulative rounds (Gr 39 HL/A) were introduced. These could penetrate 160mm of armor at close range, though they rarely made it into the field kits of these SPGs.

The image captures a moment of contrast: the technological extremes of the Eastern Front. A hulking Soviet fortress laid to rest, and a precariously overloaded German SPG, pressing forward on terrain it was barely fit to cross. A frozen scene of dominance, obsolescence, and sheer mechanical ambition.

🖼️ Technical photo data:

• 📸 Photographer: Unknown Wehrmacht soldier

• Date: 1941

• 📍 Location: USSR