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Elephant Hunters
 "Characteristics of penetrative ability of guns and mines against enemy tanksBased on combat experience and trials1. Experimental firing against the 88 mm "Ferdinand" self propelled gun gave the...
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Winter War Tank Experience
"Copy #14th Army Chief CommandArmy Staff#578/41 secretGeneral rules of using Russian tanks:Russians support their offensives with tanks (50-100 per division, up to 200 or about 20 per battalion when...
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On the Way to the King Tiger
There is an unwritten rule in tank building: start working on a replacement for the tank that you just built. This rule is especially true in wartime. In some cases, work on the replacement began...
View ArticleSPG Feedback
 "Brief conclusions drawn from usage of [self propelled] artillery regiments within the Central Front...The following main conclusions can be drawn from the use of self propelled artillery in offensive...
View ArticleSU-152 Regiments
 "State Committee of Defense Decree #2889ssFebruary 14th, 1943Moscow, KremlinTopic: on the formation of heavy SPG regiments within the Reserve of the Supreme CommandThe State Committee of Defense...
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In the Panther's Shadow
The theory that Germany should have kept producing the Pz.Kpfw.IV instead of the Panther is common among amateur historians. However, the peak of Pz.Kpfw.IV production coincided with Panther...
View ArticleKV-13 Trials
 "To the Chief of the 6th Department of the GABTU BTU, Engineer-Colonel comrade KovalevRE: the condition of the KV-13 as of October 19th, 1942I report the following on the condition of the KV-13 as of...
View ArticleAnti-Tank Gunner's Advice
 "Reminder to tank destroyer battery commandersCheck your sight lines every day.Dial in on landmarks, especially on on off-road terrain.Have each gunner personally measure the range to landmarks in...
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Wrong Place, Wrong Time
 Work on Soviet heavy tanks split into two directions in 1944. One was the development of a new heavy tank, called Object 701. The second was the improvement of the IS-2 heavy tank, which later split...
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A German Cat in King George's Court
As soon as a new enemy tank appears on the battlefield, it is critically important to study it and find out which of its strengths can be mitigated and which weaknesses can be exploited. In case of the...
View ArticleSU-152 and ISU-152 Tactics
The SU-152 is an often misunderstood vehicle. Some think that because of its thick front armour and relatively short gun it engaged enemies point-blank, but in reality it was actually a long ranged...
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An Alternative Layout
SPG designs hit a dead end in many nations by the end of WWII. The concept of a heavier gun on the same chassis stopped working. Regular guns were getting so large that there were issues with the...
View ArticleBig Gun, Small Turret
 "State Committee of Defense Decree #4873ssJanuary 1st, 1944On installing 85 mm guns on T-34 tanks instead of the 76 mm F-34 gunTo improve the artillery armament of the T-34 tank, the State Committee...
View ArticleHeavy Tank Brigades
 "Report by the Commander of Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Red ArmyTo the People's Commissar of Defense I.V. Stalin on the equipment of a heavy IS tank brigadeNovember 20th, 1944I report...
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The English Panther
The British tank building school was playing catch-up throughout WWII, which is why by 1943 the most common tanks in the British army were American made. Of course, they did not fully satisfy the...
View ArticleD-25 vs D-10
F.16 Op.2154 D.4"Top SecretTo the People's Commissar of Armament of the USSR, comrade D.F. UstinovOn your orders, we report on the issue of replacing the D-25 gun in the IS tank with the D-10T.Due to...
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Warspot Article: All the King's Horses
The Pz.Kpfw.Tiger Ausf.B or King Tiger was the heaviest mass produced tank of WWII. The British had almost no warning before encountering this formidable machine on the battlefield, but it wasn't too...
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100 Stings
Even though mass production of SU-100 tank destroyers began in September of 1944, their debut in battle was delayed until January of 1945. Front line troops would no doubt have been glad to have a new...
View ArticleGerman Tank Riders
For some reason, infantry hitching a ride on tanks is a tactic stereotypically associated only with the USSR. In reality, infantry from all nations did this, even those that produced APCs such as...
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Mystery Tank
"To the commanders of the 6th Guards Motorized Rifle BrigadeA POW revealed that the German army received a new type of heavy tank called the Leopard, weighing 40 tons and armed with one 75 mm gun and...
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