The Red Army wanted a superheavy tank since its inception and in 1945 the conditions were finally right to procure one. The IS-7 was the heaviest Soviet tank yet, but could it see service if the war lasted long enough?
This blog is dedicated to bringing World War II era documents to the general public, with an overall focus on armoured warfare. Questions? Requests? Comments? Email me at tankarchives@gmail.com or find me on Twitter @Tank_Archives.
Monday, 23 June 2025
Friday, 20 June 2025
Controversial Commander's Cupola
Three-man turrets appeared in the USSR back in the 1930s. The T-28 and T-35 tanks already had a dedicated commander. The problem was that his abilities were limited. He only had a periscope at his disposal, which had a limited field of view. The KV-1 tank that came to replace the T-28 and T-35 kept the overall layout of the fighting compartment. As before, the commander sat in the front right and had a periscope to look through. It was clear by 1940 that this was not enough. Nevertheless, it took a while for engineers to arrive at a classic commander's cupola.
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| The commander's cupola on the KV-1S tank appeared a full two years after the start of the KV tank family. |
Monday, 9 June 2025
Video: Three Way Heavy Tank Contest
In 1939, the Red Army had not one, not two, but three whole heavy tank designs. Find out how they competed and who the winner was in my latest video.
Wednesday, 4 June 2025
Book Review: Tank by Mark Urban
When I'm asked to review books, they are usually written by tank historians for tank historians. They bristle with technical details, tables of organization, unit numbers, millimeters and kilograms, with some pages more footnotes than text and a thick heft bibliography that can be the size of a chapter of its own. This is not one of those books.
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