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Black Prince
The British military had strange ideas about what a tank should look like in WWII, which led British tank building into a dead end. It's not surprising that the American Stuart tank became the most...
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On Water Like On Land
WWII clearly showed the importance of combat and transport vehicles that could cross water hazards. Crossings of rivers, lakes, channels, and reservoirs made planning any military operation more...
View ArticleFinal Exam
"Questions that must be studied during evening training by privates and sergeants of the 8th Independent Guards Belaya Tserkov Order of Lenin Artillery Tank Destroyer Brigade of the Reserve of Supreme...
View ArticleSU-85 Production
"Order of the People's Commissar of Tank Production of the USSR #477ssMoscowAugust 9th, 1943On the organization of 85 mm SPGs on the T-34 chassis at the Uralmash factoryTo carry out State Committee of...
View ArticleVideo: SPG or Tank Destroyer?
In this week's video, I take a look at a commonly asked question: what's the difference between a self propelled gun and a tank destroyer? Was the SU-152 either or both? Watch and find out!
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Warspot Article: Shermans in Mud
The Sherman was a great tank, but even so it was not without weaknesses. One of the most glaring faults of the design was the narrow track, which gave the tank poor mobility in mud. Read about the...
View ArticlePanzerfaust Manual
"To Chiefs of StaffCopy only for the 37th Tank BrigadeI attach the German instructions for using the Panzerfaust translated from German. Study these instructions with your personnel.Attachment:...
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Beefy Sherman
American light and medium tanks had distinctively well balanced characteristics in WWII. The Americans rarely went too far in the armour department, reasoning that the mobility of a tank is one of its...
View ArticleIndirect Fire
"USSR NKO160th Tank RegimentJanuary 11th, 1944#60To the Commander of Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the 63rd ArmyRE: your letter #079 dated January 9th, 1944The azimuth circle and clinometer...
View ArticleDriver's Hatch Penetration
"Record of proving grounds trials of part 34.29.1051 (driver's hatch), cast, mechanically finishedThe commission consisting of:Representatives of factory #183:Deputy Chief Metallurgist comrade D.I....
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The Best of the "Varangians"
The first American Lend Lease tanks arrived in the USSR towards the very end of December 1941. The volume of shipments was small at first, but this changed in the spring of 1942. American light and...
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Fake Antenna
Soviet tank industry outpaced the electronics industry. As a result, until 1943 "premium" tanks like the T-28, T-35, and KV were all built with radios, while "ordinary" tanks like the T-26, BT, and...
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Herald of a Revolution
The decision to mass produce the T-44 medium tank was made in the summer of 1944. This happened not only before the final prototype indexed T-44A was built, but before the GBTU even composed...
View ArticleWeakest Link
"April 5th, 1941#145447sRE: supplies of V-2-34 diesel engines with a main clutchTo the Deputy People's Commissar of Medium Machinebuilding, comrade Goreglyad8a Ryazanskaya St.In response to your...
View ArticleIS-3 Production
"To the Deputy Commander of Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army, Colonel General of the Tank Forces, comrade KorobkovI report that:In accordance with order of Deputy Commander of the...
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Intermediate Tank
GKO decree #6209s "On organizing T-44 tank production at factories #75 and #264" was signed on July 18th, 1944. With this order, Stalin gave permission to produce a replacement for the T-34. However,...
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Book Review: Panzer IV
As a military history writer, it is hard to strike a balance between the two sides of a tank's history. Many opt to focus exclusively on the technical specifications of a tank, judging its...
View ArticleTank Comfort
Vadim Elistratov is a renowned restorer of armoured vehicles, with experience of bringing WWII era tanks back to life with their original components. Since he doesn't just rebuild the tanks but also...
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Red Army's First HEAT Grenades
Tanks became a true terror for infantry in WWI, although an "antidote" for these steel monsters was quickly found. The first stage was introduction of new ammunition for existing weapons: armour...
View ArticleFirst Emchas
"Brief report on the technical condition of M4-A2 tanks arriving at the Gorkiy foreign vehicles QA department of the GABTU26 M4-A2 tanks arrived in Gorkiy from November 20th to December 28th,...
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