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New Year, New Engine
"To the Chief of the 1st Section of the 1st Department of the BTU, Military Engineer 2nd Class comrade ChikovIn response to your request by telephone, I reply with the program of 150 hour trials of the...
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6-pounder, American Style
The Ordnance Department gave its permission to produce the British QF 6-pounder under license in February of 1941 in order to supply them through Lend Lease. At that point, only prototypes of the gun...
View ArticleBig Guns
"To the Chief of the 16th Department of the GAU Artillery Committee, Colonel comrade ZhevanikI report on the work that I performed during my trip to Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk from May 3rd to May 28th,...
View ArticleT-43, Take One
"For further development and improvement of medium tanks, permit the NKTP and factory #183 to produce two experimental prototypes of T-44 tanks with the following tactical-technical requirements by...
View ArticleAnti-Tank Snipers
"Translated from German. Truncated.November 11th, 1943146th Motorized Regiment, 25th Tank Division#14143 February 10th, 1943Supreme Command of the German ArmyFrom experience on the front lines in the...
View ArticleThick Skin
"The 38th Tank Brigade with elements of the 266th Rifle Division began an offensive at 5:00 on a front from height 183 to Koshpurovka, overcoming stout enemy resistance at Grushino by 17:00 and...
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Temporary Reinforcement
Modernization often starts immediately after a tank is accepted for service and put into production. The T-34 was no exception in this regard. A number of changes to simplify production and improve the...
View Article1942 Lineup: New Players
"Wundsdorf Tank SchoolMarch 1st, 1942Which Russian tanks will you encounter in 1942?...When looking at modern types of Russian tanks, you must realize that tanks of significantly high quality have been...
View ArticleExperimental Work at factory #183, January 1941
"February 4th, 1941#87sTo the Chief of the 3rd Department of the BTU, Military Engineer 1st Class, AfoninThe following work was performed at factory #183 during January of 1941:1. Experimental...
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Panther Intel
"British Military Mission in the USSRMoscowJuly 9th, 1943To: Major General DubininCC: GABTU ChiefContents: new German medium and heavy tanksI present to you the following information that we already...
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Pz.Kpfw.III Replica at the Ontario Regiment Museum
This tank is not an actual PzIII, but you can hardly tell just by looking at it. The only giveaway was that the tires don't say "Continental" on them. According to the driver, it was built entirely to...
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Cruiser with a Big Head
SPGs are hardly a strength of the British tank industry. The country developed the first SPG on a tank chassis, but then the birthplace of tanks fell behind in the creation of self propelled artillery....
View ArticleThe New T-34
"December 6th, 1940#77319ssTo Regional Engineer at factory #183, Military Engineer 2nd Class, comrade KozyrevThe following is a list of changes and additions necessary to add to the production T-34...
View Article1942 Tactics
"Wundsdorf Tank SchoolMarch 1st, 1942What tactics will Russian tanks use in 1942?Throughout the Eastern campaign, the Russians did not attack according to their manuals. We must assume that this will...
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M4A2E8 at the Ontario Regiment Museum
Canada received a large number of M4A2E8 Shermans that were originally meant for shipment to the USSR. These tanks were still used for training well into the 1970s, and a great many of them are still...
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Weaponized Carboard
Scale model building as it is known today has its roots in something that is distant from the world of hobbies. Everything started with the Navy: special models of prospective ships, known as...
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Project 423
Project 423 was an ersatz SPG designed by the artillery chief of the Kirov factory, Lev Izrailyevich Gorlitskiy. The SPG consisted of a 76 mm regimental gun on a cruciform mount, surrounded by an...
View ArticleDelivery
"Operational summaryOn completion of the ABTU's order for January 1941 by Comintern factory #183Military Representative P.F. RusakovItemProduced this yearDelivered this yearT-34 tank, L-11 gun85...
View ArticleBig Caliber
"To the Commander of the 370th Order of the Red Banner Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Rifle DivisionI report that:At [illegible] the enemy used 210 mm guns in the artillery barrage of [illegible], which...
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Universal Carrier in Action
Like most Commonwealth forces, the Canadians used Universal Carriers extensively, and they were even produced in Canada. There are always a couple kicking around Aquino Tank Weekend.
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