"Red Armyman A.A. Pimenov
Senior Lieutenant E.F. Polushkin
2nd Independent Training Automotive Regiment, Gorkiy
To the People's Commissar of Defense, comrade Stalin
Keeping in mind the important role of armoured vehicles in modern armies, with all due respect to high quality tanks used by our Red Army, which successfully smashes our enemies, the fact that the superiority of our equipment is only relative.
Inspired by our duty to tirelessly serve our Motherland, we, Senior Lieutenant Polushkin and Red Armyman Pimenov, based on our experience in the Patriotic war, tasked ourselves with contributing suggestions to the undertaking of the great Soviet people and their allies in the fight against the dark forces of fascist aggression.
Our observations show that, despite all of their advantages, our tanks, including heavy KV tanks, suffer from the drawbacks of turret design.
The drawbacks are as follows:
- Turrets can be jammed.
- They are vulnerable to shells when hit directly.
- They can be torn off with explosives.
- They do not have sufficient mobility, the quality that allows most effective use of the turret weapons.
In an attempt to rid the tank of these drawbacks, we came to the idea of creating a special tank, which could be called a sphere tank for its shape, but since its production would require significant restructuring of tank production, we settled on improving the turret alone, modification of which should not impact tank production.
The simplicity and other advantages of our design are so obvious and convincing, that we do not include technical calculations, limiting ourselves to our abilities.
In the attached description of the spherical turret, its advantages are outlined, but this is not the complete list. We can also add such advantages as the reduction of height, complete prevention of jamming, and increased protection from shockwaves, which protect the turret from being torn off.
In conclusion, let us add, comrade People's Commissar, that we serve the Soviet Union, and you, our chief, with all that we can serve, with all that we have, with all that we can achieve with our skill.
Believe the sincerity and passion of our Motherland's patriots, thoughts, wishes, and actions, aimed at protection of the Fatherland and defeat of the enemy, believe like we do, in our Party's mission, in Communists, in the mission of the great Lenin, in yourself, and in your leadership.
In our sincere aim to serve the greater good, we are not afraid to show our strengths and our weaknesses. Only these emotions and beliefs directed us in our message to you.
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