If the Maus or E-100 reached the battlefield during the Second World War, it would not be anywhere as invincible as it might have appeared. The Soviets had four prospective tank destroyers going through testing by the summer of 1945, each powerful enough to pierce its armour from a long range. Find out how and why in my latest video.
Sunday 3 November 2024
Thursday 17 October 2024
A Paper Alternative to the Panzer IV/70
The performance of German armoured vehicles is often overestimated, particularly of those that remained on paper. It can be anywhere between interesting and sad to watch an attempt to turn a doodle on a napkin into an ultimate weapon that could have changed the balance of power. It is clear why this happened. The thing is that the first German documents to be declassified were the ones with the least value. These were the documents that saw the widest publication even though weapons prepared by other nations for 1945-46 had much more potential.
The "canonical" E-25. The cupola appeared here due to a mistake made by American intelligence. |
The E-series is usually the main subject of these fantasies. However, a careful evaluation shows that these projects achieved very little. The E-100 superheavy tank was actually a resurrection of the Tiger-Maus, rejected back in late 1942. At least the E-100 ended up as an unfinished prototype. None of the other E-series projects made it even this far, including the E-25.
Friday 4 October 2024
Video: T-54 in 1945
The T-54 is best known as a Cold War era tank, but if the war unfolded a little differently it could have seen battle in WW2. Check out my latest video to see when the T-54 was ready for battle and why it took so long to fight.
Tuesday 17 September 2024
Pz.Kpfw.I Weak Spots
"Brief characteristics:
- Armour: front, side, and turret armour is 13 mm thick.
- Engine: gasoline.
- Length: 3.7 m, width: 2.1 m, height: 1.8 m
- Armament: 2 machine guns, 2 smoke launchers
Wednesday 4 September 2024
Video: The Myth of the Disposable T-34
You often hear that the T-34 was a disposable tank that was never intended to survive for very long on the battlefield, so there was no reason to make it particularly reliable, but how true is that really? I run through the numbers to compare where the Red Army wanted its T-34 tanks to be in terms of reliability and how far the tank could actually be expected to travel.
No T-34s were harmed in the making of this video.
Monday 12 August 2024
BA-10 at the Height of Power
It was not a surprise that armoured cars quickly made way for tanks in the food chain of the battlefield. The problem with an armoured car is its chassis. Even the best car falls short of a tank, especially when it comes to cross-country terrain. Because of this armoured cars were relegated to reconnaissance and signals duties. The Red Army was no exception.
It just so happens that there are no aces among armoured car crews due to the special place they occupy on the battlefield. However, that was not always the case. For instance, BA-10 armoured cars played an important part in the battle for Bain-Tsagan and not as a method of reconnaissance.
Thursday 1 August 2024
Video: Soviet Optics vs German Optics
Just how good were Soviet optics? Would a Soviet tank struggle to hit the broad side of a barn, or could Soviet glass go toe to toe with German-made lenses? I whip out my vintage camera collection to find out.
Tuesday 16 July 2024
German predecessor to the Soviet Gun Carrier
The Germans had the most diverse self propelled artillery branch of all belligerents in the Second World War. Even if it wasn't the most numerous, there were many different types from tank destroyers with bulletproof armour to assault guns. One of the classes that the Germans created was called Waffenträger (Gun Carrier). They could be built on tank chassis, but there were also completely original chassis that used components from production tanks.
Waffenträger für 8.8 cm PaK 43 L/71 (Ardelt) in Patriot Park. |
Monday 1 July 2024
Video: IS-3 in 1945
The IS-3 entered production shortly before Germany surrendered, but how well would it have fought if VE Day was postponed by a few months? Check out my latest video to find out.
Monday 24 June 2024
Experience in the Far East
T-26 crews near Lake Hasan, summer 1938. |