Organization
"Central Committee of the VKP(b) to comrade G.M. MalenkovThe straight PPSh magazine designed by comrade O.S. Petrenko was vetted by the GAU and approved for production in July of 1943 (after a ten...
View ArticleThe One with the Rifle Shoots
"The first myth that is repeated by the film industry in particular is that the Red Army went into battle with one rifle for every 3, 5, even 10 men, fill in the blank yourself. This myth maintains...
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Designing the T-34: Now Available in North America
My first book, Designing the T-34, is finally available in North America! US Amazon has it in stock, Mexico and Canada are going to get it in the upcoming weeks. If you're still on the fence, watch the...
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Whisper Quiet
When firearms were invented, the loud noise produced by a gunshot was more of an advantage than a drawback, especially when it was used against "old school" armies. With time, the demoralizing effect...
View ArticleIS #1 and #2
"To the People's Commissar of Tank Production, comrade I.M. ZaltsmannIn accordance with the GOKO decree and your orders, the Kirov factory and factory #100 jointly produced two IS tanks, one with a 76...
View ArticleGuided Tour
"July 15th, 1942To commanders of units and formations, chiefs of directorates and departments of the 5th ArmyCopy for: 20th TBrInformation was received that commanders do not recognize English and...
View ArticleSurvivor
"Award OrderName: Gryazev, Vasiliy FyodorovichRank: Guards SergeantPosition, unit: gunner in an M4A2 tank, 1st tank battalion 5th Guards Tank BrigadeIs nominated for the Order of the Red Star.Year of...
View ArticleNight Vision Conclusions
"Conclusions on night driving devices for the T-34The devices for driving tanks at night did not prove themselves.The field of view is weak.Only vertical objects are well defined. Terrain and...
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Optimal Modernization
GKO decree #3892ss "On organization of 85 mm SPGs on the T-34 chassis at the Uralmash factory" was signed on August 8th, 1943. The first 100 vehicles of this type were ready by early September. The...
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How to Kill a Tiger
There were many guides on how to take out Tiger tanks printed in the Red Army. I've shown two of them here, but this one is a lot more detailed.Turret and upper hull side:45 mm model 1937 gun with a...
View ArticleDrive Me Closer
"Award OrderName: Aleksey Georgievich LebedevRank: Guards SergeantPosition, unit: Mechanic-driver, 1st tank battalion, 5th Guards Tank Brigadeis nominated for the Order of the Red Star.Year of birth:...
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Kotin's Visit
Despite being promoted to very high posts, Zh.Ya. Kotin did not restrict his work to the office and visited the front lines frequently. On October 7th, 1942, he dropped by the 1st battalion of the 3rd...
View ArticleSore Feet
"Cipher telegramTop secretEncipheredDo not copyTO: 1st Baltic FrontDeputy Commander of Armoured and Mechanized Forces, Colonel KarpenkoThe 21 M4A2 tanks that arrived do not have a single spare road...
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The Other Degtyaryev
The Red Army had two primary machine guns during the Great Patriotic War and the period preceding it: the light DP-27 and heavy Maxim. All Soviet armoured vehicles were equipped with a modified variant...
View ArticleTank Experience
"Report on the use of tanks in the Patriotic War of 1941-19451st Tank Battalion, 3rd Guards Minsk-Gdansk Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov Tank BrigadeThe armament and ammunition...
View ArticleForward Observer
"To the Chief of Staff of the 10th Artillery Breakthrough CorpsI present to you an article by Guards Captain Cherkashenko titled "observation and fire correction from a radio tank".Chief of Staff of...
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AA Tanks
"To the Chief of the Main Tank Directorate of the Red Army, Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces comrade VershininIn response to your letter dated March 26th, I reply the following:The People's...
View ArticleLend Lease Shipments
"Information on shipments of imported tanks as of November 1941 until October 21st, 1943TimeChurchillMatildaValentineM4A2M3 medM3...
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"Furniture Truck", "Whirlwind" and "Eastern Wind"
The Flakpanzer 38(t) SPAAG that was put into production in late 1943 was treated as only a temporary fix until a more effective SPAAG could be developed for tank units. German designers analyzed a...
View ArticleLend Lease Review
"Report of the 92nd Tank Brigade on the use of American M3 medium and M3 light tanks.Advantages, from a tactical point of view.High density of fire.Good observation (a commander's cupola is...
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