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Channel: Tank Archives

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African Pz.Kpfw.III

The heavy Panthers and Tigers are the best known of Germany's tanks. The lion's share of discussions of armoured vehicles in the Second World War is dedicated to them, even though lighter tanks carried...

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Video: Did Lend Lease Tanks Save Moscow?

Foreign tanks began arriving in the USSR in October of 1941 and reached the front lines a few weeks after. Were these tanks pivotal to saving Moscow from the Germans? Find out in my latest video.

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British Tanks in 1943

 "Report on use of foreign MK-2 [Matilda] and MK-3 [Valentine] tanks in combat1. General characteristicsSince the brigade was created on March 25th, 1942, it was armed with MK-2 and MK-3 tanks. The...

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2023 in Review

As Tank Archives nears the conclusion its eleventh year, I've decided to bring up the traditional year-end summary from the blog's birthday on February 28th to New Year's Eve. Without further ado,...

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Video: Comparing the D-25T and 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71

The IS-2 and King Tiger were equipped with some of the most powerful tank guns used in the Second World War, but which one of them takes the top prize? I compare the penetration power of these two...

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Flame War

A search for methods to combat tanks began as soon as the tanks themselves reached the battlefield. The first anti-tank rifles and anti-tank cannons were already created during the First World War....

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Video: Not-so-Soviet Inventions

We all know that Scotch was invented by a little old lady from Leningrad, but there were Soviet inventions that had foreign roots and not necessarily the ones you might think. Check out this video to...

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Foreign Tanks in Winter

 "Report on the tactical use of English made MK-2 and MK-3 tanks as well as domestic T-60 tanks in combat1. The 23rd Tank Brigade was engaged in nonstop fighting from December 16th to December 31st,...

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Video: How the T-34 got an 85 mm gun

The T-34 tank was upgraded with an 85 mm gun in a new enlarged turret in 1944. The true story of how the new gun and turret ended up on a 4 year old chassis is an interesting and complicated one. Find...

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There are Always Two

The tank was initially conceived as a mobile fortress; huge and slow. However, the army had to rein in their appetites from a 300 ton monster to just 28 tons. This didn’t mean that the idea of a mobile...

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Video: Evolution of the T-34's Armour

The T-34 tank might look like it started and ended the Second World War with more or less the same level of armour protection, but things are more complicated than they first appear. In this video, I...

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Single Hatch for Tank Turrets

The interwar period was a time of new technical solutions, and tanks were no exception. Even though tank development was allocated a limited budget, experiments never stopped. The budgets began to...

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Video: Why are we so obsessed with the Tiger tank?

Even though the Tiger tank was built in very limited numbers and not used very widely, it's seen as the quintessential German tank of the Second World War. I look at some reasons why that could be in...

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Quick-Fix Tank Destroyer

British tank building was in crisis in the spring-summer of 1941. The latest Pz.Kpfw.III and Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks encountered in North Africa could only be defeated with the 2-pounder gun at short range....

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Video: Historically Accurate Panzer '46

Many German tank designs allegedly on the brink of going into production were actually borderline fiction, while one new tank that was actually good to go is very rarely talked about. Find out what...

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Experience in the Far East

Soviet tanks and SPGs during the Battle of Lake Hasan and its impact on Soviet tank developmentBattle is the main stimulus for development of tank armament and protection. No matter how much technology...

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Video: IS-3 in 1945

The IS-3 entered production shortly before Germany surrendered, but how well would it have fought if VE Day was postponed by a few months? Check out my latest video to find out.

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German predecessor to the Soviet Gun Carrier

The Germans had the most diverse self propelled artillery branch of all belligerents in the Second World War. Even if it wasn't the most numerous, there were many different types from tank destroyers...

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Video: Soviet Optics vs German Optics

Just how good were Soviet optics? Would a Soviet tank struggle to hit the broad side of a barn, or could Soviet glass go toe to toe with German-made lenses? I whip out my vintage camera collection to...

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BA-10 at the Height of Power

It was not a surprise that armoured cars quickly made way for tanks in the food chain of the battlefield. The problem with an armoured car is its chassis. Even the best car falls short of a tank,...

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Video: The Myth of the Disposable T-34

You often hear that the T-34 was a disposable tank that was never intended to survive for very long on the battlefield, so there was no reason to make it particularly reliable, but how true is that...

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Pz.Kpfw.I Weak Spots

"Brief characteristics:Armour: front, side, and turret armour is 13 mm thick.Engine: gasoline.Length: 3.7 m, width: 2.1 m, height: 1.8 mArmament: 2 machine guns, 2 smoke launchers Vulnerable range:For...

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Video: T-54 in 1945

The T-54 is best known as a Cold War era tank, but if the war unfolded a little differently it could have seen battle in WW2. Check out my latest video to see when the T-54 was ready for battle and why...

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A Paper Alternative to the Panzer IV/70

The performance of German armoured vehicles is often overestimated, particularly of those that remained on paper. It can be anywhere between interesting and sad to watch an attempt to turn a doodle on...

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Video: Soviet Super-powered Tank Destroyers

 If the Maus or E-100 reached the battlefield during the Second World War, it would not be anywhere as invincible as it might have appeared. The Soviets had four prospective tank destroyers going...

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