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KV-3 Mulligan
"Proposal regarding the decree issued to the Kirov and Izhor factoriesThe Kirov and Izhor factories propose a new tank instead of the KV-3 approved by USSR SNK and CC or the VKP(b) decree #548-2332ss...
View ArticleGerman Heavy Tank Intel
"To the chief of the operations departmentInformation #19Description of new tanks used by the German armyAccording to information obtained by 10th Army HQ Reconnaissance Department, German tank units...
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Spare Barrels
It's no secret that guns have a limited lifespan. Shot out barrels have to be occasionally replaced. Aside from entire tanks, the Soviets received replacement barrels to perform repairs of foreign...
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The Road to SU-76
The T-50 tank was considered the highest priority platform for light SPGs in the pre-war Soviet Union. However, a proposal for an SPG chassis based on the T-40 amphibious reconnaissance tank was made...
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Light Paper SPGs
As with many other Soviet SPGs, the path to the SU-76 was not easy. Initially, the two-turreted T-26 tank would be used as the chassis for an infantry support vehicle. Later, the T-50 joined in the...
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Kalashnikov vs. Schmeisser: For the Umpteenth Time
The installation of a monument to the famous Soviet and Russian arms designer, M.T. Kalashnikov, was followed by a whole chain of scandals. Recently, Yuri Pasholok pointed out an unfortunate mistake...
View ArticleFlamethower Tanks, 1940
"Report on the current and prospective equipment of tanks with flamethrowers and chemical trailers1. Mass production1. Purpose of KhT-130 and KhT-133 tanks:Burning out strongholdsDestroying...
View ArticleCromwell Production Intel
"Report on production of Cromwell tanksBased on existing information, we can estimate the rate of production of Cromwell tanks.Cromwell tanks have been built in three varieties since June of 1942:...
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SU-26: Blockade Long-Liver
The start of the Great Patriotic War in the summer of 1941 forced many changes onto the prospective designs of Soviet SPGs. Many branches were cancelled, and work on the ZIS-30 SPG on the Komsomolets...
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Through Adversity to the SU-122
It was clear by the spring of 1942 that work on a medium SPG on the T-34 chassis with an 85 mm gun in a rotating turret hit a dead end. The result of this work, which started back in the summer of...
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Unlucky SPG from Mytishi
On December 2nd, 1942, GKO decree #2559ss "On organization of production of self propelled guns (SPGs) at the Uralmash factory and factory #38" was signed. It became the final point in the long history...
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Lend Lease Impressions: 57 mm M1 Anti-tank Gun
"57 mm M1 Anti-tank GunAmerican 57 mm M1 Anti-tank GunThe gun has a semiautomatic vertical sliding breech, the semiautomatic mechanism is a mechanical type. The mount has split trails. The gun fires...
View ArticleCancellation of the SG-122
"To the State Committee of Defense, comrade V.M. MolotovJanuary 3rd, 1943GOKO decree #2429ss issued on October 19th, 1942, which began domestic SPG development, also approved production of 120 SG-122...
View ArticleKV-1S Costs
"To the Director of the Kirov factory, comrade MakhoninRegional GABTU engineer at the Kirov factory, Engineer-Lieutenant-Colonel comrade KozyrevNotice #B1-521October 16th, 1942In accordance with GOKO...
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Light Tank M5: The Peak of Evolution
Rapid advances in armoured vehicles during WWII meant that even very good designs did not stay at the top for long. This was especially noticeable in American tank building. In 1939, the Light Tank M2...
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Medium Tank M3
The American army had only a handful of medium tanks at the start of WWII. That does not mean that American designers ignored vehicles of this class. In the summer of 1939, the Medium Tank M2Â entered...
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Cheating at Statistics 20: British Edition
The strange fact is that many people these days take German claims for gospel truth is made even stranger by the fact that skepticism was much more rampant 75 years ago.National Defense RG 24 C-2 vol....
View ArticleSU-122 Cost
"To UZTM Director, comrade MuzrukovUZTM Military Representative, comrade MitrofanovGAU FPO ChiefNKTP Military Department ChiefBased on GKO decree #2559ss issued on December 2nd, 1942, you are...
View ArticleHow Many Roads Must a Tank Drive Down
"Order to the forces of the 2nd Guards Tank ArmyThe commander of the Armoured and Motorized Forces of the 1st Belorussian Front indicated in directive #1/04210 issued on December 28th, 1944, that there...
View ArticleHammer Time
Here are some document excerpts regarding the PTRD bolt-action anti-tank rifle, that a lot of modern milsurp collectors might feel empathy with."Recent reports from the fronts, regions, and armies...
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