Ammunition Storage
 "#01725June 9th, 1945In accordance with your letter #843079s dated May 25th of this year, we present the following ideas regarding rational locations of ammunition in ammunition racks and painting of...
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T-20 Komsomolets
The Red Army is often criticized for its vehicle fleet. On one hand, there is plenty to criticize. On the other hand, if one examines the situation carefully, it is often much better than claimed. This...
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Coded Accounting
 "December 19th, 1944Proposals to change marking and numbering of tanks, SPGs, and enginesThe following system is to be used for numbering tanks and SPGs:January and February 1945:Leave the factory...
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Soviet Upgrade for an American Tank
Modernization of a fighting vehicle over the course of production is a normal phenomenon. This was not the case from the very beginning, but modernization rather than creation of whole new designs was...
View ArticleBack to Battle
 "On the actions of liberated POWs and repatriated citizens in the 47th Guards Tank Regiment between January 18th and February 8th, 1945.On January 14th, 1945, after the 9th Guards Tank Corps was...
View ArticleRise and Shine
 "22nd Guards Tank BrigadeMarch 22nd, 1944Active armyTraining held on March 21st, 1944, showed that assembly for action after an alarm takes a long time. The 208th Tank Battalion assembled in 42...
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Room Clearing Guide
Assault group - forward!Your submachine gun is around your neck, 10 grenades are at hand, and courage is in your heart. Act!Be bold and take initiative! Believe in your strength!Move unseen and without...
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The Unluckiest Next Generation Tank
The history of mass production and use of Soviet T-50 infantry tanks and why it was doomed to failInitially, small tanks (later support tanks and then combined arms tanks) became the most numerous of...
View ArticleThicker Roof
"May 8th, 1943Conclusions of the 16th Department of the GAU Artillery Committee1. General part:On April 27th, 1943, the Artillery Committee received a proposal from the Uralmash factory to transition...
View ArticleDevelopment Trends Abroad
 "October 5th, 1945Armament:GermanyGun caliber increased from 37 mm to 128 mm, a factor of 3.5.Muzzle velocity increased from 720 m/s to 1000 m/s, a factor of 1.4.Magazine fed machine guns were...
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Surprises in the Snow
Trials of foreign materiel, including captured vehicles, were quite limited before the war. This had a lot to do with the technical condition of the vehicles that fell into the hands of the Red Army....
View ArticleFirst Anti-Tank Rifles
"To the Chairman of the State Committee of Defense, I.V. StalinAugust 9th, 1941Trials of the German 7.92 mm Pz.B.39 rifle conducted by the Scientific Research Small Arms Proving Grounds of the Red Army...
View ArticleTrials SNAFU
 "Conclusions on the report on firing the M7 gun on the American M10 SPGThe GBTU Chief and GBTU SPG Directorate instruction #149068 issued on October 18th, 1943, by the GBTU proving grounds (Kubinka...
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Big Guns for the T-34
There is a large category of fans of alternative history who like to install large guns into small tanks. These people don't exist only on the internet, but also among popular authors of...
View ArticleFine Vintage
 "May 23rd, 1945#0859140The Armoured and Mechanized Units of the Far East and Transbaikal Front possess 1600 functional old tanks: T-27, T-37/38, T-30/40/60, MK-2, MK-4, M3 light, M3 medium. There are...
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F-34 vs Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E
 "Results of firing on the German T-IV tank with the 76 mm model 1940 (F-34) gun on the T-34 tankPhoto 68. Penetration of the right side, 40 mm thick (20+20 mm) from 800 meters.Photo #69: Penetration...
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The Longest Millimeter
The first tanks of the Medium Tank M4 family saw combat for the first time in the summer of 1942, during the Second Battle for El Alamein. Combining excellent mobility, thick armour, and firepower that...
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Cheating at Statistics: Staudegger's Secrets
In a video, British historian Mark Fenton describes a truly fantastical battle. According to Felton, a Tiger tank commander from the 1st SS Tank Division Franz Staudegger pulled off a truly incredible...
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Tsyganov's Armour
Additional armour developed by Engineer-Major N.F. Tsyganov, author of the BT-IS and BT-SVPlenty of tank designers were among those who were repressed in the 1930s. 1937-38 was the most difficult...
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A Round Too Long
Attempts to create fixed ammunition for the 122 mm D-25 gun in 1944-45It is no secret that the firepower of tanks in WW2 increased dramatically. Armies of the world began the war wither with 37-47 mm...
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