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.

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. 

Pz.Kpfw.I Weak Spots

"Brief characteristics:

1. Armour: front, side, and turret armour is 13 mm thick.
2. Engine: gasoline.
3. Length: 3.7 m, width: 2.1 m, height: 1.8 m
4. Armament: 2 machine guns, 2 smoke launchers

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.

 

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.

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.

 

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.

Patriot Park now contains the world's largest collection of German vehicles from the Second World War. Today, most of the exhibits are displayed in display area #1, including one quite unusual vehicle. This is the Waffenträger für 8.8 cm PaK 43 L/71 (Ardelt), a tank destroyer that appeared towards the end of the war. In this case the concept of a "Gun Carrier" is quite literal, since the vehicle was developed to replace the towed carriage of the Pak 43 anti-tank gun.

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.

Experience in the Far East

Soviet tanks and SPGs during the Battle of Lake Hasan and its impact on Soviet tank development

Battle is the main stimulus for development of tank armament and protection. No matter how much technology evolves during peace, only war will give a proper measure of its effectiveness. A conflict where tanks was used could be analyzed to show where to go from here. Even small conflicts like the Rif War yielded valuable experience for its combatants.

T-26 crews near Lake Hasan, summer 1938.

Soviet tanks first saw battle in the fall of 1929 during the East China Railroad Conflict. The experience gained there was minimal. Spain was a much better lesson, as Soviet T-26 and BT tanks were used fairly intensively. Experience in using the T-26 in late 1936 and early 1937 in Spain gave a lot of material for Soviet tank designers. Other local conflicts were also valuable. For instance, the events at Lake Hasan that erupted 85 years ago were the first time where the Red Army used its tanks and SPGs against a peer enemy.

Video: Historically Accurate Panzer '46

Many German tank designs allegedly on the brink of going into production were actually borderline fiction, while one new tank that was actually good to go is very rarely talked about. Find out what tanks Germany would have fielded had the war gone on for a year longer in my latest video.