Beefy Sherman

American light and medium tanks had distinctively well balanced characteristics in WWII. The Americans rarely went too far in the armour department, reasoning that the mobility of a tank is one of its most important characteristics. However, the idea of building a tank with improved protection was not alien to them. One of these tanks was the specialized M4A3E2 tank, the best protected medium tank of WWII. Even though few were made, the M4A3E2 fought actively and proved itself to be an effective weapon.

Panzerfaust Manual

 "To Chiefs of Staff

Copy only for the 37th Tank Brigade

I attach the German instructions for using the Panzerfaust translated from German. Study these instructions with your personnel.

Attachment: instructions on two pages.

Chief of Staff of the 1st Mechanized Krasnograd Corps
Colonel Yershov
April 11th, 1945

Warspot Article: Shermans in Mud

The Sherman was a great tank, but even so it was not without weaknesses. One of the most glaring faults of the design was the narrow track, which gave the tank poor mobility in mud. Read about the various ways that American designers tried to solve that problem and how successful these methods were in my latest article on Warspot.net.

Video: SPG or Tank Destroyer?

In this week's video, I take a look at a commonly asked question: what's the difference between a self propelled gun and a tank destroyer? Was the SU-152 either or both? Watch and find out!

SU-85 Production

"Order of the People's Commissar of Tank Production of the USSR #477ss

Moscow

August 9th, 1943

On the organization of 85 mm SPGs on the T-34 chassis at the Uralmash factory

To carry out State Committee of Defense order #3892ss issued on August 8th, 1943, I order that:

1. Uralmash factory director comrade Muzrukov must prepare for production of SU-85 SPGs designed at the Uralmash factory on the T-34 tank chassis and armed with the factory #9 D-5 gun.
2. The following quota for SU-85 SPGs at the Uralmash factory is established:
1. August: 100 units. Production begins on August 25th according to the daily table approved by me on August 8th.
2. September: 150 units.

Final Exam

"Questions that must be studied during evening training by privates and sergeants of the 8th Independent Guards Belaya Tserkov Order of Lenin Artillery Tank Destroyer Brigade of the Reserve of Supreme Command 

1. Combat qualities of your weapon.
2. Ballistic properties of your weapon.
3. Ammunition issued per each of our weapons.
4. Penetration of our weapons with AP and APCR ammunition.
5. Armour thickness of the T-6 (Tiger) tank.

On Water Like On Land

WWII clearly showed the importance of combat and transport vehicles that could cross water hazards. Crossings of rivers, lakes, channels, and reservoirs made planning any military operation more complicated, reduced the rate of offensives, and led to significant losses among attackers. The USSR performed nearly no work on amphibious vehicles for transport or combat. Only T-37, T-38, and T-40 tanks designed for reconnaissance were accepted into service. They were armed only with machine guns and could not effectively support infantry. After the end of the war the USSR began development of a wide variety of amphibious vehicles.

Black Prince

The British military had strange ideas about what a tank should look like in WWII, which led British tank building into a dead end. It's not surprising that the American Stuart tank became the most common light tank in the British army and the most common medium tank was the Sherman. The British were on their own when it came to heavy tanks, as there was no foreign alternative to the Churchill. That didn't stop the British from making several attempts to replace it throughout the war. The Black Prince I was one such attempt. This was a direct descendant of the Churchill tank that came up short compared to its ancestor.

Distorted Tanks

"October _, 1942

#050

To the Chief of Staff of the 1st Motorized Brigade

The Red Army General Staff reports that the German army has the following new types of tanks:

1. T-5 tank. Weight: 30 tons. Armament: 1 88 mm gun and 2 machine guns.
2. T-12 tank. Weight: 40 tons. Armament: 1 75 mm gun and 4 machine guns.
3. V-K-18 tank. Weight: 18 tons. Armament: 1 20 mm gun and 1 machine gun.

Determine the presence of these tanks and their tactical-technical characteristics from interrogation of POWs and captured documents. Report to the 3rd Mechanized Corps on your results. Send captured documents and photographs of these tanks to the 3rd Mechanized Corps.

Chief of Staff of the 3rd Mechanized Corps, Guards Lieutenant Colonel Nikitin."

Via Yuri Pasholok.

Looks like a bunch of nonsense based on unverified information that was pretty common, but these descriptions match reality quite well. The T-5 could very well be the VK 30.01(P), which indeed had an 88 mm gun. The T-12 looks more unusual, closer to the fledgeling Panther, which would have reached the weight of about 40 tons in late 1942. Finally, the V-K-18 could be the VK 18.01, but this tank only had machine guns for armament, unlike the similar VK 16.01 which the report could be confusing it with. 

Video: Performance of Tanks in Snow

It is often said that the Red Army effortlessly won battles in the winter because its tanks worked in the snow while the German ones didn't. I take a look at how true this statement is in my latest video, comparing wintertime performance of several Soviet, German, British, and American tanks.