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Tank Archives @Tank_Archives

Military history writer specializing in armoured warfare in the 1930s and 1940s.

Joined January 2016
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Shortages of M4A2 tanks forced the Red Army to explore alternatives. Trials of the Medium Tank M4A4 began #OTD in 1943, showing that it had a lower top speed and worse fuel economy than its diesel brother. The Red Army decided to wait for the M4A2. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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The British were quite interested in the design of the T-34 tank, since it stood head and shoulders above their own cruisers, also descendants of Christie tanks. #OTD in 1943 a T-34 tank was loaded onto the Empire Portia to be taken to the UK for study. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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The design was rated very highly, showing "a clear-headed appreciation of the essentials of an effective tank and the requirements of war". The British report called the T-34 “an engineering achievement of the first magnitude”. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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The tank was pulled apart to the tiniest detail and studied thoroughly as a result. Unfortunately, it was never reassembled and only the gun remains on display today.
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#OTD in 1931 the US expanded its order for Christie M.1931 tanks from 5 to 7. This was a considerable order, but not large enough to make up for the expense Christie incurred developing the tank in the first place. An order for 250 was discussed, but never made. #tanks #history
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Annexation of Czechia gave the Germans access to the advanced Czechoslovakian tank industry. The LT vz.38 tank was superior to their own Pz.II and on par with the Pz.III. #OTD in 1939 a contract was signed to begin production for the German army. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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#OTD in 1940 the Australian General Staff proposed production of a large amount of cruiser tanks in the 10 ton class. This was the start of the work on the AC I or Sentinel tank, an original design inspired by American, Canadian, and French influences. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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The distinctive design of the Sentinel tank makes it popular among WW2 tank enthusiasts, even though it never saw battle.
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My Panzer 46 AMA with @askhistorians is live! Come ask me about "paper panzers", super-powered tank destroyers, progenitors of Main Battle Tanks, and everything else on the drawing board at the end of the Second World War. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/c…
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British trials of a Panther tank began #OTD in 1944. Gearbox and suspension defects made the trials difficult to conduct, but critical engine issues resulted in two fires, the second one of which destroyed the vehicle for good. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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In a report submitted #OTD in 1951, General Gladeon Barnes lamented the losses American light tanks took from the "Russian T-34 heavy tank" in Korea. Indeed, North Korean T-34-85 could indeed easily defeat South Korean Chaffees head to head. #tanks #history #ColdWar #KoreanWar
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This changed when American forces turned up. While the Pershing and Patton in turn surpassed the T-34-85 in armour and armament, the #1 killer of North Korean tanks was napalm dropped from aircraft. Lacking fire extinguishers, even a small fire proved fatal to North Korean tanks.
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The installation of a ZIS-6 107 mm gun instead of a 152 mm howitzer was pitched for the KV-2 #OTD in 1940 . This gun was installed in a prototype in 1941, but only as a test bed for the prospective KV-3 tank. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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A successor to the T-100Y SPG was ordered #OTD in 1940: a breakthrough tank called T-100Z with a 152 mm gun. A turret was built for this tank but never installed. Instead, it was used in a line of fortifications near Leningrad. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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Comparative trials between the T-34 and T-43 were scheduled to begin #OTD in 1943. Delays led to trials starting only in August, by which point the Battle of Kursk introduced changes to requirements for new tanks. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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The Germans began to gather knocked out and abandoned French tanks #OTD in 1940. Captured French tanks made up a large portion of the German tank fleet. Many were deemed unsuitable for front line service but could be used in security and auxiliary roles #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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A Pz.Kpfw.III tank was examined at the Kubinka proving grounds #OTD in 1940. While the tank had some interesting technical novelties that were copied on the T-50 tank, the overall design was considered to be lacking in armour and firepower. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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The biggest surprise was the armour, the quality of which was so poor that a 30 mm plate taken from the tank shattered on the first hit from a 45 mm gun and could be penetrated even by Soviet heavy machine guns. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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Shocked at these results, Soviet testers cut an equivalent piece from domestically produced armour, which stood up much better to exactly the same attack. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
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#OTD in 1945 the Red Army developed requirements for a new tank. Its aim was to combat tanks like the newly discovered Maus. Even though it never had a worthy adversary, the IS-7 was ready for production when all superheavy tanks were cancelled in 1949. #tanks #history #ColdWar
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