Tank Archives

#OTD in 1940 the ABTU composed a list of desired improvements for the T-34 tank. Many of them were implemented fairly quickly. Compare the T-34 from the pilot batch and a tank produced in October of 1940 and see if you can find them all! #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

The T-45 tank entered trials #OTD in 1942. This was a radical modernization of the T-60 to bring it almost, but not quite, up to the level of the T-70. This was not enough to save the T-60 from being phased out of production entirely. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Pz.Kpfw.I tanks on parade in Madrid, #OTD in 1939. The tank in the background had its German MG-13s replaced with DT machine guns from Soviet tanks captured during the Spanish Civil War. #tanks #history

The first order for 5000 Bazooka launchers and 25,000 rockets was made #OTD in 1942. This was a revolutionary light and cheap yet powerful man-portable anti-tank weapon. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Trials of the M-4 203 mm mortar began #OTD in 1942. Since it was compatible with the ML-20 carriage, a proposal was made to put it into the SU-152, creating the SU-203. The design was rejected since the M-4 penetrated less concrete than the ML-20. #artillery #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1942 the new German 100 ton tank project received a new name: Maus. The tank's already extreme weight made the name ironic, but it would nearly double in mass by the time a prototype was completed. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The decision to build a tank destroyer using the Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.F chassis and 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun was made #OTD in 1942. By the end of the year, production of the tank ended, but the chassis remained in use to build this and other SPGs. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

When the Red Army was pressed for armour in the summer of 1941 even prototypes were sent into battle. This included the T-150 heavy tank. #OTD in 1943 the tank was reported as an irreparable loss. The tank was repaired and returned to service anyway. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Conclusions on trials of T-34 tanks with 100 mm guns were submitted #OTD in 1945. While the LB-1 could be accepted into service as is and the D-10T could be accepted with minor changes, the preferred option was to wait for the T-54 to enter production. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The MS-1 tank was relegated to training duties #OTD in 1934. Nearly all tanks still in service were transferred to academies and training facilities. The few exceptions were stripped of engines, running gear, and weapons to be dug in as pillboxes. #tanks #history

A training center for Zrínyi II assault gun crews was opened #OTD in 1944. This vehicle on the chassis of the Škoda T-21 medium tank with a 105 mm L/20.5 howitzer was roughly the equivalent of the German StuH 42. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The trials program for the ISU-122S was signed #OTD in 1944. This tank destroyer used the D-25S gun which fired 2-3 times faster than the old A-19 used on the ISU-122. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.F was a uniquely useless tank armed only with machine guns despite its thick armour. There was nowhere to use them on the front lines and #OTD in 1943 a portion was allocated to SS security companies for policing and reprisal actions. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Fusilier Frank Jefferson from the 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, photographed in front of a StuG he knocked out with his PIAT #OTD in 1944, stopping a German tank attack. For this Pvt. (later L.Cpl.) Jefferson earned the Victoria Cross. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1944 a proposal was made to rearrange the front suspension bogey on the Panzer IV/70 to deal with overloading of the chassis. This could not be done and the Germans had to settle for using steel rimmed wheels that didn't wear down as quickly. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Object 704 was a considerable upgrade to the ISU-152, but the project was troubled from the start. Concerns were raised about how future proof the IS-3 chassis was #OTD in 1945, as the Red Army was already looking forward to the IS-4. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The USSR shared a lot of information and samples of German tanks with the British. #OTD in 1944 a query was made to the USSR about the design specifics of the Ferdinand, even though the British already captured some Ferdinands in Italy. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1944 the order for GMC M36 tank destroyers was expanded to 600 units. The M36 carried a powerful 90 mm gun that could knock out any German tank, especially with tungsten carbide HVAP ammunition. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1942 the Howitzer Motor Carriage T47 was standardized as the HMC M8. This vehicle on the chassis of the Light Tank M5 mounted a 75 mm howitzer in a rotating open top turret, an impressive feat for such a small vehicle. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Czechoslovakia was an incredibly successful arms dealer for its time. #OTD in 1935 Iran signed a deal with ČKD for 26 TNH light tanks and 30 AH-IV tankettes, a powerful tank force for the time. #tanks #history