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Reparations
"Record of payment for citizens Zimmerman, Finkler, and Gonfeldman of the city of OdessaFor restoration of health after being bruised by tanks, the corps commander issues: 600 rublesTotal: 600 (six...
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Backwards Tank Destroyer
British industry was one of the first to create the concept of an SPG, but did not have much success with these vehicles in WWII. Aside from Challenger and Avenger tank destroyers and Crusader AA...
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T-34 and KV-1 First Intel
The T-34 and KV-1 may have been a surprise for the Germans at the start of Operation Barbarossa, but fairly good information was obtained very quickly. As early as June 23rd, 1941, the Germans...
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Stielgranate 41
"Supercaliber ammunition allowed the enemy to fire at our fortifications and strongholds at close range. Firing the subcaliber projectile is almost silent, but the sound of the explosion is equal to...
View ArticleGotta Go Fast
"To the Chief of the Rear and Supply Directorate of the General Staff, Major General comrade YermolinAccording to your order, I present to you the conclusions on the draft project of a tank glider...
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T-44 Under Fire
The T-44 proved a tough nut to crack. Neither the Soviet 85 mm gun nor the German 8.8 cm Pak 43 could penetrate the upper front plate even from 100 meters. The lower front plate could not be penetrated...
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The Golden Standard
The fate of the Soviet T-29 medium tank was a complex one. The development of a 20-ton amphibious PT-1 tank began in April of 1933. First the tank was developed in two variants, later this number grew...
View ArticleReport on King Tigers
"HQ of the Commander of Artillery of the Red Army1st DepartmentSeptember 27th, 1944#671654MoscowFor the Commander of Artillery of the 2nd Ukrainian Front onlyDuring battles of the 1st Ukrainian Front,...
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Amphibian
On January 3rd, 1943, a ship by the name of Ballot carrying Lend Lease cargo ran aground and was abandoned. Measures to recover the cargo from the ship were taken immediately, but due to the difficulty...
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Recovery
"Experience in recovery of sunken vehiclesDivers examined the position of the tank. The tank was standing flat on its tracks. The bottom of the river was composed of clay.The descent to the river was...
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Marishkin's KV-4
The KV-4 family of tanks were built to rather loose requirements, and therefore had a very large variety of designs submitted. F.A. Marishkin's 85 ton design was one of the more reasonable ones, but it...
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The Avenger that Came Too Late
The situation with British tank destroyers during WWII can be described by the Russian saying "the English take a long time to saddle their horses and ride slowly". The best example of this is the...
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Turn up the HEAT
"Report on the actions of 122 mm howitzer model 1938 armour burning ammunitionBatteries of the 77th Howitzer Artillery Brigade used armour burning ammunition against enemy tanks near Gorodisk on August...
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Night Vision Driving
"InformationThe range of vision with two lights using 100 watt electric bulbs each results is the following:A person or other vertical object on the road or on terrain can be seen from 35...
View ArticleInfantry and Mortars
To the Chief of Staff of Artillery of the 115th Rifle CorpsRE: #0574 May 29th 1945On the use of mortarsThe Great Patriotic War showed that the rifle division cannot complete objectives independently...
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Lend Lease Wishlist
"Do not purchase armament in the following categories if possible, as their value is substantially less than analogous domestic production: submachineguns, anti-tank guns, anti-tank rifles and rocket...
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The Best Renault FT Clone
Italian tank building is usually treated with a large dose of derision. However, Italy managed to create a number of vehicles that were quite good for their time. This mostly applies to armoured cars,...
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ISU-122S Acceptance
"State Committee of Defense Decree #6430ssAugust 22nd, 1944Moscow, KremlinOn the acceptance of the ISU-122S SPG with the 122 mm D-25S gun into service and into production The State Committee of Defense...
View ArticleGerman Night Vision
"Description of a German rangefinder sight with night visionThe device is designed to measure distance and to observe at night. Observation at night is performed by attaching special lenses to the...
View ArticleSU-26 Production
"Decree of the Military Council of the Leningrad Front #001336November 13th, 1942Active ArmyRE: production of SPGs on the chassis of the T-26 tankIn order to supply the Front's tank units with SPGs,...
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