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Tank Archives

@tankarchives.bsky.social

3K followers 80 following 2.9K posts

Author, reenactor, film photographer, military historian specializing in 1930s and 1940s armoured warfare.

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · Nov 13

Following the latest Twitter exodus here. For everyone who didn't come from there, I post daily tidbits from the history of tanks and other armoured vehicles. Check out my website at www.tankarchives.com

Tank Archives

A blog about World War II era archive documents, primarily dealing with armoured warfare.

www.tankarchives.com

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 26m

Due to a dire situation near Moscow, a special tank company was formed #OTD in 1941. In addition to production vehicles, it included T-29, A-20, and AT-1 prototype tanks from the museum at the Kubinka proving grounds. All three were lost in battle. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2h

Trials of the T-46 and T-29 tanks that were supposed to replace the T-26 and T-28 respectively were approved #OTD in 1936. However, due to constantly changing requirements neither tank ended up being mass produced. #tanks #History

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 5h

The first order for Char B1 bis tanks was made #OTD in 1936. Even though it was a great vehicle for its time, only 369 of these tanks were built over the course of 4 years. French industry was unable to provide its army with a sufficient number of heavy tanks. #tanks #history

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 6h

Guards Heavy Tank Regiments began forming #OTD in 1942. They were armed with either KV-1S or Churchill heavy tanks, numbering 21 tanks (4 companies of 5 tanks each plus one tank in the HQ). #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 16h

Work on a heavy cruiser tank began #OTD in 1943. The aim of this project was to drop all the traditions dragging down British tank design and build a tank from scratch. The resulting tank, the Centurion, came too late to fight Germany but served for many decades after. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 1d

The SU-100's 100 mm D-10S gun was powerful, but it was also long and heavy. To make the chassis shorter and balance it better, a rear casemate SPG on the chassis of the new T-44 medium tank was proposed #OTD in 1944. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 1d

#OTD in 1944 an M4A2(76)W tank was chosen to undergo trials at the Kubinka proving grounds. The proving grounds staff were busy with other projects, and only a surface level description was composed. Real trials only took place in December of 1944. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 1d

The first contract for Valentine IX tanks was signed with Elswick Works #OTD in 1941. This tank mounted a powerful new 57 mm 6-pounder gun that made it more than a match for any German tank produced at the time. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 1d

The 13ème Régiment de Dragons armed with Char B1 bis tanks recaptured from German forces was formed #OTD in 1944. This was mostly a PR move, since the Char B1 bis was hopelessly obsolete by 1944 and the French had plenty of more useful tanks. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 1d

The AI bots were annoying enough, but now they're posting pictures at me. Thank you Grok for generating a suspension system worse than the Tiger's.

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 1d

The Red Army captured several types of tanks in Poland that they had never encountered before, including the 7TP. Trials of this tank began #OTD in 1940. Its performance was compared with the T-26, which shared a common ancestor with the 7TP. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 1d

It's not that the Allies couldn't build Tiger tanks, they didn't want to. Hell, even the Germans didn't want to. They built the Tiger in very small numbers and went back to the drawing board for the Tiger II instead of iterating.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMCs...

Was the Tiger overengineered?

YouTube video by Tank Archives

www.youtube.com

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 1d

Fans of German tanks will be absolutely shocked to find out where the Pz.Kpfw.IV stored its ammo (in huge unarmoured bins right behind the driver and all around the fighting compartment).

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 1d

www.tankarchives.com/2022/10/near...

Also Pz.Kpfw.II and 7TP tanks were taken in the same raid:
www.tankarchives.com/2017/08/an-a...
www.tankarchives.com/2019/02/mode...

Near-useless Frenchman in Polish Service

A blog about World War II era archive documents, primarily dealing with armoured warfare.

www.tankarchives.com

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 1d

There was some concern that adding a heavier gun to the IS-2 would reduce its mobility compared to the IS-1, so thorough set off-road trials began #OTD in 1943. It turned out that the concerns were unfounded and the speed and reliability did not change. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2d

Study of these vehicles showed that the quality of the cast armour was very poor and the design overall from the suspension to the observation devices was far behind the curve. A guide on fighting these tanks was composed nevertheless. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2d

Two Renault R 35 tanks were among the vehicles stolen by the Red Army from the Germans in a raid #OTD in 1939. Poland bought 50 of these tanks from France before the war, but was unable to use them effectively. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2d

#OTD in 1945 orders were given to stop production of the SU-76M. Nearly 14 thousand were built, making it the second most common AFV in the Red Army behind the T-34/T-34-85. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2d

A mesh to protect against shaped charges was tested #OTD in 1944 by the 7th Armoured Brigade. This method offered good protection against the Panzerfaust 30, but not the larger and more powerful Panzerfaust 60. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2d

Soviet trials of a captured 7.5 cm Pak 41 anti-tank gun began #OTD in 1942. This squeezebore gun had high penetration, but the ammunition used rare and expensive tungsten alloy and the barrel wore down quickly due to high pressure. #artillery #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2d

The first Panzer IV/70 (V) tank destroyers were issued #OTD in 1944. The overloaded and unreliable vehicle required a skilled driver to operate, but these were hard to come by since Germany lost its training grounds in France by this time. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2d

The raid happened before the border was solidified so the Red Army got away with it. Another incident where a Pz.Kpfw.III was stolen didn't go unnoticed and the Germans did eventually get it back but not before enough measurements were made to make this poster.

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2d

#OTD in 1939 a raiding party was organized by the Red Army. This party stole a number of vehicles from a vehicle yard in German-occupied Poland, including a Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.C tank. Analysis revealed a lot of information about German tank building. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

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Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2d

I don't think you can blame broken German tanks on Russian corruption.

Tank Archives @tankarchives.bsky.social · 2d

Combat Car M1E2. The running gear was modified #OTD in 1935. This resulting layout with VVSS bogeys went on to be used on all American tanks for nearly a decade. #tanks #history

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