Mega Hetzer
"Artillery HQ, 1st Order of Lenin Guards Mechanized CorpsFebruary 5th, 1945Only for: commander of the 1453rd Self Propelled Artillery RegimentBased on directive #0160 of the Commander of Artillery of...
View ArticlePanzerfaust & Co.
"Operational Department of the 1st Cavalry Corps StaffRE: â„–0902, March 31st, 1945Carrying out the orders of the Corps commander regarding the effectiveness of German anti-tank rifles and "Faustpatrone"...
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25 Pounds of Death
Divisional artillery of most WWII belligerents was filled with several types of weapons. The Wehrmacht and the US Army combined light and heavy howitzers, while the Red Army also used guns. The only...
View ArticleBirth of the GBTU
"Order of the People's Commissar of Defense #0954On the reorganization of the Main Automotive and Tank Directorate of the Red ArmyDecember 14th, 1942Decree of the State Committee of Defense #2589s...
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Priest Reliability
The following excerpt is taken from the AFV(T) Mediterranean Area Technical Report No.26, dated February 26th, 1945."PriestEngine lifeThe average life of the engine in one unit is 225 hours, which is...
View ArticleTiger Hunters
"Explanation of moving two 152 mm gun-howitzers to direct fire positionsAt 20:00 on April 17th, 1944, the commander of the 60th Army, Colonel-General Kurochkin, summoned me to the observation post of...
View ArticleKidnapping, Belorussian Style
"USSR NKODirectorate of Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the 1st Belorussian FrontAugust 18th, 1944To the Chief of Staff of the 16th Air Army, Lieutenant-General of Aviation, comrade BraikoAccording...
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Baby: 25-pounder Australian Style
The British 25-pounder Mk.II gun-howitzer proved itself a universal weapon which met the requirements of the North African and European theatres of war. However, a more compact weapon was needed for...
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Tiger's Hide
Preliminary British intelligence on the Tiger that was available for fairly general consumption throughout 1943 did not set up great expectations for the quality of its armour, already indicating that...
View ArticleSupply Drop
"Report on assistance to the uprising in Warsaw by elements of the 16th Air Army in September of 1944On September 12th, 1944, based on the request from the Polish Committee of National Liberation,...
View ArticleSturmoviks
"Excerpt from an intelligence report from the 1st Belorussian Front on the enemy's impression of our aircraftA captured memo issued by the 9th Army command begins with these words: "Enemy Sturmoviks...
View ArticlePPD Woes
"December 26th, 1940#S07059To: Chief of the GABTU, Lieutenant-General FedorenkoMoscow, Red Square, 2nd NKO houseCC: Chief of the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red ArmyMoscow, Red Square, 2nd NKO...
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Kursk Trio
"To the Deputy Chief of the GBTU, Lieutenant-General of the Technical Service, comrade LebedevBy your instruction, I present you with a brief summary of new type of vehicles in the German army...
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Heavy Trophy from the Kursk Salient
The relatively rare German heavy Panzerjäger Tiger (P) SPG, more commonly known as the Ferdinand, left a noticeable mark in history and in Soviet tank building. The name "Ferdinand" itself became...
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Overseas Doorknocker
At the time the United States joined WWII the main anti-tank gun of the American army was the 37 mm M3 gun. As experience in North Africa showed, this gun could not successfully combat modern tanks....
View ArticleDiscipline Abroad
"I order that:Commanders and chiefs of political departments in units must immediately create strict order in their units, mobilize the communists and komsomol members to strengthen and maintain...
View ArticleSecond Wind
"Award OrderName: Stogniy, Ivan AlekseevichRank and position: Guards Lieutenant, officer reserve company with the 1st Independent Training Regiment of the Far Eastern FrontYear of birth:...
View ArticleCensorship
"Order # 9/113s of the Entrusted Agent of Safekeeping of Military Secrets in Print and Chief of the Literature and Publishing DirectorateFebruary 3rd, 1943MoscowIntroduce the following changes into...
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Porsche's Tiger: A Victim of Dirty Competition
The German heavy tank program began in 1937, but work dragged on. Changes were being introduced into the design of tanks that hadn't even been built yet. Because of this, Porsche K.G. began working on...
View ArticlePenalty Company Inventory
"TO&E #04/395Independent penalty company of the active armyOrganizationCommandThree rifle platoons82 mm mortar platoonMedical unitQuartermaster unitPersonnelOfficers: 8 permanent, 0...
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