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From Support Tank to a Lead Role
It often happens that tanks are built for one purpose, but become necessary for another. German tank building is an excellent example of this. The situation with medium tanks was the most complicated....
View ArticleScorched Earth
"Intelligence department, 1st Ukrainian FrontCaptured by the 4th Guards Tank Army on March 20th, 1945Copy from a copyTranslated from GermanSupreme command of the land forces, Field Marshal...
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More or Less
Human intelligence is a fickle thing rumours might end up being almost completely wrong, or pretty much right on the money. For instance, this interrogation resulted in information that ends up being...
View ArticleSupercharge
"Order of the People's Commissar of Tank Production #120sChelyabinskMarch 31st, 1942In order to improve the driving qualities of our tanks, I order that:STZ director, comrade K.A. Zadorozhniy,...
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Book Announcement
I mentioned this in my annual update, but I'm writing a book! Or, rather, I have written a book, and am currently in the final stages of neatly arranging everything and sending it off to the publisher....
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OT-810/Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.C at Aquino Tank Weekend 2019
The Sd.Kfz.251 was one of the few German army vehicles to see any post-war service. Not only that, it was produced in Czechoslovakia under the index OT-810. Dubbed "Hitler's revenge" by the soldiers,...
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Schmeisser vs. Kalashnikov
There are quite a few brands in the world of weapons that are recognizeable even to the outside observer. One of them is the legendary "Kalashnikov", the AK-47. The assault rifle found a place in...
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Canadian Dry Pin
This was originally written as a submission to a question on r/AskHistorians. Reddit user Jeddaven asked "What disadvantages did Canadian Dry pin tracks face versus tradition tank tracks?" Since this...
View ArticleDummy Tanks
"Translated from GermanMemo on using dummy tanksDummy tanks must influence the enemy's decisions in our favour. They must introduce confusion regarding the amount and application of the tanks that...
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Gun Maskirovka
The art of concealment and camouflage was incredibly important for anti-tank gun crews. One position was also not enough: it was necessary to prepare multiple positions, concealment for the crew in...
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Sd.Kfz.251/10 Ausf.D in Action
Another Sd.Kfz.251 from the Ontario Regiment Museum, this time a 251/10 Ausf.D. As far as I can tell, this is an actual German vehicle.
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Kalashnikov's Debut
If you ask a foreigner words he associated with Russia, "Kalashnikov" is likely going to be one of them. The famous assault rifle became one of the symbols of not only Russia and the USSR, but the 20th...
View ArticleInfantry vs. Tigers
The German 4th Tank Army received an impressive injection of new reserves in March of 1944: three infantry divisions and a brigade of assault guns. The generosity of their superiors did not end there....
View ArticleUpgunning the T-43
"T-43 tank turret with the D-5 systemDescriptionDuring installation of the D-5 system into the T-43 tank turret, an insert is welded into the gun port, as the D-5 system is narrower than the F-34. An...
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Beast vs Beast Killer
If you read this blog, you're probably already familiar with tests performed with 152 mm guns against King Tiger tanks. Fans of the King Tiger needn't worry about unfairness, since the ISU-152 was in...
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Light Tanks at Aquino
The Stuart and Chaffee are always a welcome sight, zooming around on the relatively small battlefield. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a lot of footage of the Chaffee this year, so it's getting...
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A Tank for Allies
The American Medium Tank M4 became the second most numerous tank produced in WWII after the T-34, and the first if you count the T-34-85 separately. This record did not come easy. It is often said that...
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Cheating at Statistics: Machinations at Malinovo
The engagement of Otto Carius vs the "1st Tank Brigade Joseph Stalin" is pretty well known. It's already been established that there was no such brigade, no Hero of the USSR major, and the tanks...
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Density
The concept of density of fire per minute was a very important one in Soviet strategic planning. Effective offense and defence hedges on first and foremost having enough bullets that can fly at the...
View ArticleRabbit Season
"Order #04293rd Guards Tank ArmyOctober 30th, 1944RE: prohibition of hunting with automatic weaponsIndividual units and formations in the army had instances where officers and enlisted men hunted game...
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