L-11 Installation
"To: AU, ABTU, 520, AU Military Representative at factory #183The installation of the L-11 system in the A-34 tank can be done without changes to the following parts only:Gun barrelRecoil mechanismAs...
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Captured Panzerfausts
"To regimental commanders and their political deputies:On the initiative of the political department of the 2nd Tank Army, captured Panzerfausts have been widely used in the forces of the 1st...
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SU-100, Czechoslovakian Style
Domestic tank and SPG designs took a downturn in post-war Czechoslovakia. The cause of this was more technical than political. Czechoslovakian engineers could not keep up with the changing requirements...
View ArticleGetting Ahead
"To the People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal of the Soviet Union comrade TimoshenkoCC: Chief of the GABTU, Lieutenant-General FedorenkoNovember 27thRE: acceptance of 143 T-34 tanks with 25 degrees of...
View ArticleLeaning by Doing
"December 13th, 1939#212472To the Assistant of the Chief of the General Staff of the RKKA, Corps Commander comrade ZaharovRE: your #57129s/sIt is not possible to perform battlefield trials of the KV,...
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By Any Other Name
The AK is subject to a number of ongoing raging discussions, one of which had to do with its name. Some claim that there was no such thing as an AK-47, with the name of the gun being simply AK, later...
View ArticleQA
"Attachment to order #113-MssApproved by GKO decree #1148ss issued on January 14th, 1942Requirements for quality assurance at tank factoriesQuality assurance is performed by the military representative...
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Can Poland Into Tanks?
Having broken away from its collapsing "big brother", Poland recalled its once serious military and political ambitions. In certain people's minds, Poland would rise to the status of a regional...
View ArticleFactory #183 Experimental Work
"To the Chief of the 4th Department of the BTU, Military Engineer 1st Class, comrade AfoninDecember 1st, 1940Summary of experimental work at factory #183 in November of 1940Trials of A-7M tank #0314-2...
View ArticleF-34 Installation
"Technical Meeting MinutesHeld on September 8th, 1940, at the State Order of Lenin Comintern Factory #183Present:Factory #183 Chief Engineer, MakhoninFactory #183 Deputy Chief Designer, A.A....
View ArticleSavin's AA Turrets
"Order of the People's Commissariat of Tank Production #26sChelyabinskJanuary 15th, 1942To director of factory #174, comrade Katsnelson: immediately stop the work comrade Savin is performing on the...
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Romanian Czech with a Russian Accent
The Romanian tank fleet was largely composed of Skoda Š-II-aR tanks (an export version of the LT vz. 35), accepted into service as the R-2. 126 units were purchased in 1938-1939. Fighting on the...
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Canadian Shermans Inside and Out
By the time the M4A2E8 entered production, the Americans had no intention of using these tanks in their own army. While WWII continued, these tanks were supplied to the USSR. Afterwards, the remaining...
View ArticleMan Hours
"Order of the People's Commissar of Tank Production #117-MsJanuary 16th, 1942Lately, many directors and chief engineers do not dedicate necessary attention to the issues of improving technologies,...
View ArticleHE vs Tanks
"Due to a shortage of armour piercing shells presently experienced by artillery units, the practice of firing other types of ammunition out of 76.2 mm divisional guns is common.Armour piercing shot....
View ArticleTank Archives Turns Six
Hello, dear readers! Another year of running this blog went by. And what a year it was. I finally got past the medium of text, appearing in not one, but two podcasts by Military History Visualized: one...
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Long Barrel for Infantry Tanks
At the moment of its debut in 1940, the Infantry Tank Mk.III, later known as Valentine, was the most balanced vehicle in the British army. Its low top speed was compensated by a rather respectable...
View ArticleCessation of T-50 Production
"Order of the People's Commissar of Tank Production#101-MssJanuary 7th, 1942To carry out decree #1114ss issued by the State Committee of Defense on January 6th on the cessation of the production of the...
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Wet Ammo Rack Effectiveness
After reading reports of frequent fires in Sherman tanks coming from the British, the Americans decided to investigate. Separate trials were done on tanks cleared of ammunition, and frequent fires did...
View ArticleBringing Tractors Back
"Order of the People's Commissar of Tank Production of the USSR #133-MsMoscowJanuary 21st, 1942Factory #183 (director comrade Maksarev), having performed the evacuation of equipment to manufacture the...
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