Light SPGs
"Decision of the meeting held by the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense, Marshall of the Soviet Union, comrade KulikMay 23rd, 19411. It is necessary to have four kinds of SPGs:SPAAGsAssault gunsTank...
View ArticleU-20 Requirements
"Tactical-technical characteristics for the development of an experimental prototype of the oscillating part of the 85 mm AA gun on a T-34 tank chassis to create a self propelled anti-tank gunNovember...
View ArticleTaubin's Automatic Grenade Launcher
In the mid 1930s, an automatic grenade launcher made by engineer Taubin was tested in the USSR. There were some good things about it, like a satisfactory shrapnel radius for grenades and a high rate of...
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The Swedish Army's Tough Choice
The time between the World Wars was that of rapid technical progress. Even tanks, a relatively new invention, could become obsolete quickly. Even though only several wealthy countries could afford a...
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Adventures of the Centurion in Scandinavia
Despite Sweden's goals to arm itself with domestic designs, foreign tanks in the Swedish army were not a rare sight. In cases when their industry was too slow or designers put out unsatisfactory...
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Lend-Lease Deficiencies and Spares
It's no small secret that a great number of vehicles ordered by the USSR through the Lend Lease program. Most of the issues with missing gear were solved very quickly, or so I thought. This table shows...
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Canadian Super-Tank
Most of my readers have probably heard of the Super Heavy Tank T28, a four-tracked 86 ton assault SPG that the Americans designed to bust through the defenses of the Siegfried Line. Interestingly...
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How Myths Are Born
I already discussed how, due to a mistake, the Light Tank M2A4 was "spotted" in the ranks of the Red Army. Since serial numbers were present in the listing, it was fairly easy to figure out that these...
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Molotov Cocktails
If you ask people that know next to nothing of history, they will tell you that Molotov Cocktails are a Russian invention. People that know a little bit more will tell you that they are a Finnish...
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Frenchman in German Hands
The belligerents in WWII had to improvise time and time again. Obsolete weapons, no longer suitable for their initial purpose, found surprising new applications. One of the most notable examples of...
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Devourer of Tungsten
In late summer of 1942, the Red Army captured a German weapon that piqued the interest of the Red Army Main Artillery Directorate. This was the new German tapered bore 7.5 cm Pak 41. Several shells...
View ArticleChurchill Problems
The following document is dated March 1942."Churchill I and II tanksThe following points need special attention while working with the aforementioned tanks.EngineIn order to reduce the chance of the...
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M10 Additional Armour
Major Berg, who you might remember from the Hellcat article, worked on the GMC M10 as well. The applique armour, the mounts for which are a distinguishing mark of this vehicle, were his idea.Via Yuri...
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8.8 cm KwK 36 Trials
"B. Firing on KV-1 and T-34 hulls with the 88 mm gun1. Firing on a KV-1 hull.The KV-1 hull was fired upon with armour piercing and high explosive rounds from 1500 meters. The results are shown in table...
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Kalashnikov's First
"Self-loading carbine developed by Kalashnikov and Petrov, according to technical-tactical requirements from the GAU KA Artillery Committee #2941.The carbine (right view) is shown on the photo."Via...
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Czechoslovakian Dead End
The greatest success of the Czechoslovakian tank industry was with light tanks. The LT vz. 35 and LT vz. 38 turned out to be excellent vehicles, used by several nations during WWII. Despite the fact...
View ArticleT-34 Armour Research
January 25th, 1940"When researching armour for 25-50 mm plates, the Ilyich Research Laboratory made the correct decision to explore highly hardened steel while preserving the necessary degree of...
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Panther Armour Quality
Long-time readers of this blog are no doubt already aware of the poor performance of German armour in British and Soviet trials, but you can never have too much evidence. Here's another log for the...
View ArticleIS Bug Report
"To the Deputy Chair of the Committee of Defense, comrade MolotovI report that, in accordance with GOKO decree #2943ss, issued on February 24th, 1943, Kirov factory and factory #100 produced two...
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Fashion Police
"Excerpt from an order of the 1st Mountain Infantry DivisionItem #3. On the wearing of ties.A red rag is the sign of a communist. Wearing red ties and armbands is forbidden. Wearing a brightly coloured...
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