KV-4: At the Edge of Insanity
On March 11th, 1941, Soviet intelligence reported on the production of new German heavy tanks. The largest of them, Type VII, allegedly had a mass of 90 tons and was armed with a 105 mm gun. Soviet...
View ArticleWorld of Tanks History Section: Love as Tough as Armour
Heroes of our history have a direct connection to tanks. They created them, they tested them, strengthening the Soviet military. They lived in a difficult time and withstood many trials. Some,...
View ArticlesPzB 41 Russian Style
"To the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal of Artillery, comrade VoronovTo the Chief of GAU, Colonel-General of Artillery, comrade YakovlevThe faculty of artillery armament at the...
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Extra Fuel Tanks
What happens when you need external fuel tanks, but the shipment is late? Why, there are perfectly good German gas cans lying all over the place!CAMD RF 38-11355-2227
View Article45 mm Gun Upgrade
"February 27th, 1942To the Chair of the Artillery Committee, Major General of Artillery HohlovRE: Modernization of the 45 mm mod. 1937 anti-tank gunConsidering the importance of this task, Molotov...
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Improvised Guns
In 1941, the Red Army found itself desperately struggling to fill a shortage of small caliber anti-tank artillery. While anti-tank rifles were still on the drawing board, improvisations like these had...
View ArticleAMX ELC 90
The creation of the AMX ELC 90 for French airborne units reflected post-war France's desire to return to the superpowers club. The enormous colonial empire of the Fourth Republic was splitting at the...
View ArticleWorld of Tanks History Section: Battle for the Philippines
The phrase "I'll be back" gained popularity many years before the Terminator movie hit theatres. In 1942, it was spoken by Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the Philippine defenses, after breaking...
View ArticleCenturion's Younger Brother
The British post-war FV4202 medium tank never entered mass production, and its run was limited to three units. One of them was scrapped and another converted to an ARV. The third became an exhibit at...
View Article16th Tank Division Interrogation
"Interrogation record of a German army prisoner, Gefreiter Arthur Fantull from 7th Company, 2nd Battalion, 64th Motorized Regiment 16th Tank Division captured on November 18th, 1941 in Grevtsovo.1....
View ArticleZiS-30 Distribution
"To the Deputy Chief of GABTU, Major General of the Technical Forces, comrade LebedevMoscow, 2nd NKO BuildingRE: reviews of the ZiS-30 SPGIn July-August of 1941, factory #92 developed a prototype and...
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Harsh Reality
People have complained about how Front or Army level documents sometimes lack the amount of detail they want. The harsh reality of war is that the Front or Army HQ is usually in a much safer place...
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KV-13, First Steps
"To Chief of the 6th Department of BTU, Engineer-Major VoroshilovOn the condition of the KV-13 as of September 30th, 1942, I report that:On September 26th, the first factory trial began, a 20 km march....
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Tank Autobiography
"SecretTo directors, chief engineers, and chief designers of factories:Kirov: comrades Zaltsmann, Makhonin, Dukhov, Trashutin#183: comrades Maksarev, Korduner, MorozovUZTM: comrades Muzrukov, Kizime,...
View ArticleWorld of Tanks History Section: American Pre-War Tank Building
At the end of the 19th century, the United States of America began a sharp rise in the development of industry, science, education, and culture. The army and navy guaranteed protection from any...
View ArticleBritish Colossus: FV4005
The story of Britain's most powerful tank destroyer began in late January of 1951, when it was decided to develop a tank destroyer even more powerful than the FV4004 Conway, armed with a 120 mm L1A1...
View ArticleObservation Device QA
"Technical Requirements for bulletproof glass blocks for tanks and armoured cars, 19411. DefinitionBulletproof glass blocks are rectangular parallelepipeds, 82-84 mm tall, composed from steeled plates...
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2nd Tank Army Markings
The following markings were ordered for elements of the 2nd Tank Army, in effect on October 1st, 1943.Markings for army command units, 3rd Tank Corps, 16th Tank Corps, and 11th Guards Independent Tank...
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Factory #92 prototypes
"To the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSRMarshall of the Soviet Union, comrade KulikReport #5 (previous report from September 24th, 1940 #383463ss)I report on the status of experimental...
View ArticlePrice of Tanks (1941-1942)
Here are the prices of some tanks and components for 1941 and 1942.Tank: KV-1Manufacturer: LKZPrice in 1941: 523000Price in 1942: -Tank: KV-2Manufacturer: LKZPrice in 1941: 558000Price in 1942: -Tank:...
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