Hey boys,
Im planning a dio w/ two T34/85s slamming thru the streets of Berlin, and I was wondering if anyone has seen or heard of laced or rolled barbed wire on the sides of tanks (anti-personal) to keep the enemy from "hitching a ride" so to speak. Now I know the Soviets (for the most part) always had infantry riding or close by, but would this be a feasable option for them to employ?

Thanks,
-Ziggy

Anti-infantry barbed wire was seen on Tigers in one battalion in Russia, but I've never seen it on a Soviet tank, and you've provided the reason yourself. In lieu of armored personnel carriers, Soviet infantry rode on the tanks. These were not casual hitchers, as in other armies--the "Tank Desant" troops were actually assigned to specific tanks, and the dismount squad and the tank crew worked together. They had to be able to mount and dismount safely.
In any event, the Germans weren't charging tanks and climbing aboard with hand grenades, as in old Hollywood movies--they were lavishly supplied with Panzerfaust antitank weapons, and could launch them from 100 or so meters away. In the Berlin operation, Soviet units did devise simple mesh screens which could be welded to the tank's exterior to detonate the Panzerfaust warheads prematurely (so-called bedstead armor, but most were fabricated from screening and angle irons, not actual bedsteads).

those were some solid facts.
thanks
ziggy