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The Best French Pre-War Tank
France entered WWII with a rather controversial set of tanks. While most nations began to produce medium tanks, the French army was in a catastrophic position with medium tanks. The prioritization of...
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MKb.42(H) Trials
"To the People's Commissar of Defense, Marshall of the Soviet Union, comrade I.V. StalinI report that the Main Artillery Directorate performed trials of the captured German 7.92 mm MKb.42(H) carbine, a...
View ArticleSU-152 Production
"Deliveries for contract USA-936 signed on October 18th, 1943Customer: GBTU USAProducer: Kirov factory (Chelyabinsk)1. SU-152 SPGsSPGs must be built according to blueprints approved by the GAU...
View ArticleZIS-19
"Report on factory trials of an experimental prototype of the ZIS-19 37 mm tank gunBasis: order #52 issued on February 20th, 1942, to the I.V. Stalin, Order of Lenin, factory #921. History of the...
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DP Autoloader
Ever tried loading Degtaryev disk magazines by hand? I have, and it's not exactly a pleasant experience. Various devices exist to ease this process. Sadly, they weren't perfect."Photo #5: Overall view...
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Assault Gun from the Urals
December of 1942 was a key month in the history of Soviet SPGs. Work on light and medium SPGs reached the stage of preparation for production. The Ural Factory of Heavy Machinebuilding (UZTM) was...
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Mistimed Improvement
A notable event in the history of Soviet tank building took place in December of 1942. The SU-35, the first Soviet medium SPG, was put into production. There was the SG-122 that predated it, but it was...
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120 mm HESH vs 125 mm HE
Proxy wars during the Cold War weren't just a one way shipment of resources. For example, the USSR managed to obtain a functional Chieftain tank in Iran, allowing them to perform thorough trials of its...
View ArticleStalin and Ventilation
There is a story that is encountered in memoirs about Soviet tank building, describing how Stalin climbed up on the SU-152 during an inspection of new vehicles in the fall of 1943, and personally...
View ArticleKing Tiger Intel
"To chiefs of staff and unit commandersPersonally to the chief of operations.September 8th, 1944Attached is information on the new German heavy tank "King Tiger" (Konigstiger) and methods of combat...
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AK Trials
"Conclusions: The 7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle with a model 1943 round satisfies requirement #3131 in reliability of the automatic system, lifespan of components, usage characteristics, and...
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Second to Last Step
The first prototype of the KV-13 heavy tank entered trials on September 26th, 1942. The vehicle was quite unusual. With the protection of a heavy tank, it had both the size and weight of a medium. This...
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Engine Prejudice
By 1943, it was clear that the Canadian Ram tank could not keep up with the Sherman. The AFV Users Committee of the First Canadian Army was willing to switch to the Sherman, but their requirements were...
View ArticleAmmunition Capacity
No doubt, you've seen the words "ammunition loads" in various combat journals on my blog. You may have asked yourself: how much is an ammunition load, exactly? For tanks, that's pretty easy, it's the...
View ArticleWeapons Intel
"Information about the enemy. Translated from German.December 30th, 1942Overview of the enemy's operations on the front of the 9th Army...3. New types of weapons...d) Russian magnetic mineThis mine...
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Science Fiction
Sometimes, inventions that are sent in to the military seem pretty impressive. Like this one!"Comrade Lyadov proposes a super-speedy anti-tank rifle, where the propellant burns as fast as possible, and...
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T-60 from Sverdlovsk
The Urals became a center of Soviet tank industry in 1942. A year before, Chelyabinsk was the only place where tanks were built, but the number of tank-producing cities grew significantly towards the...
View ArticleAmerican Steel
"To: comrade Malyshev, Zaltsmann, Korobkov, Petrosyan. Discuss together and reply with a proposal.December 10th, 1942To the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, comrade V.M....
View ArticleSharpshooters on the Eastern Front
"Experience of using snipers in combat in the 289th Red Banner Rifle Division1. The current organisation of rifle units and formations does not define requirements for either sniper teams or lone...
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