Tank Archives

The 85 mm gun to be used on the T-220 heavy tank was tested in a T-28 while a new turret was being developed. #OTD in 1940 the trials were completed and the gun was sent to Kirov factory for installation. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1941 a group of 6 British instructors arrived in Kazan at the foreign tank training center to train Soviet tankers on British vehicles. Crews with freshly issued Valentine and Matilda tanks reached the front lines by the end of November. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Budapest Offensive Operation began #OTD in 1944. Even though the German and Hungarian forces were nearly spent, they put up a fierce fight. A breakthrough out of the encircled city was only attempted over three months after the start of the operation. #history #WW2 #WWII

A Skink tank turret was sent to Valcartier, Quebec, for splash trials #OTD in 1944. The results were discouraging, as even rifle fire resulted in splash passing through the gun mantlets and it was very easy to hit the gunner through the open sight port. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The 7th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment received KV-85 tanks #OTD in 1943. Fighting as a part of the 1st Ukrainian Front, this was the only KV-85 unit to encounter Tiger tanks that the KV-85 was intended to fight. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Heavy Tank T26 was sent to Fort Knox for trials #OTD in 1944. There was no chance for this tank to enter mass production, but it was still tested to compare the performance of the electric transmission to torque converters. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1942 factory #92 petitioned the government to let them produce the 85 mm ZIS-25 gun for the KV tank. The request was denied, but half a year later work on this gun was used as a starting point for the S-31 gun that went into the Object 238 tank #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Requirements for the SU-85 tank destroyer were approved #OTD in 1943. The Red Army finally got a gun capable of taking out Tigers on a medium tank chassis. The T-34-85 was put into service several months later, but production of the SU-85 continued. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The fearsome looking T-35 tank accomplished nothing in the summer of 1941. However, the battlefield was very different from what it was 10 years earlier when this tank was designed. I talk about how useful the T-35 was in its prime in my latest video. youtu.be/4vxle8zYvT8

The Maus was impressive on paper, but even the Nazis realized that it was a waste of resources. #OTD in 1943 Speer told Porsche that the Maus would not be mass produced. Only two hulls and a turret were completed. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1944 the Heavy Tank T26 prototype was finished. This tank had an electric transmission, which made it heavier than the T26E1 (future Pershing) but also easier to drive. The T26 was used in experiments from November 1944 to July 1945. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

A SU-100 replacement project on the T-44A chassis was approved #OTD in 1944. Unlike its predecessor, this vehicle had a rear fighting compartment to reduce the overhang of the gun. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

A second stage of trials for Object 701 prototype #1 began #OTD in 1944. Reliability issues with this iteration of the design meant that prototype #2 was submitted for government trials later that year. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Discussions of where to mount the OBM-51 high power 122 mm gun began #OTD in 1943. The gun was originally intended to go into a new turret on the KV-1S chassis, but high power 122 and 152 mm guns were only installed in fixed casemates. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The ersatz Panzer IV/70(A) was put into production to make up for shortages of the Panzer IV/70(V). Not enough of these were built either, as Nibelungenwerk was bombed #OTD in 1944 and rates of production cratered. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Production of the first 10 SG-122s was due #OTD in 1942, with 10 more expected every two weeks. Unfortunately, production was limited by the number of captured StuG and Pz.Kpfw.III chassis, and so only 21 units were ever produced. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

The 67th Infantry Regiment (Medium Tanks) was formed #OTD in 1932. F company of this regiment was composed of three Christie tanks. These tanks served the infantry well, although convertible drive tanks never became common in the US Army. #tanks #history

A model of factory #8's ZIK-20 was due #OTD in 1942. The idea of putting a 152 mm gun on the KV chassis in a casemate rather than a turret was a good one, but by the time the project was reviewed it was clear that ChKZ's SU-152 was a better implementation. #tanks #history #WW2