Thursday 10 October 2019

Lend Lease Wishlist


"Do not purchase armament in the following categories if possible, as their value is substantially less than analogous domestic production: submachineguns, anti-tank guns, anti-tank rifles and rocket propelled grenade launchers.

It is desirable to continue ordering the following from the United States:
  1. AA guns of all calibers and ammunition for them.
  2. Pistols or revolvers and ammunition for them.
  3. Explosives and gunpowder.
  4. 81 mm mortar rounds.
  5. 76.2 mm AA rounds.
  6. Mobile repair workshops.
Acting Chief of the GAU, Lieutenant-General of Artillery, Volkotrubenko
March 11th, 1943"

6 comments:

  1. 81mm mortar bombs? Did those fit Soviet 82mm mortars?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, they were compatible.

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    2. That was the whole idea behind adding that extra millimeter, if memory serves - glorious proletarian 82 mm could eat captured running dog capitalist 81 mm shells just fine but not the other way around.

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    3. Yuri Pasholok told me that he's seen a guide on how to convert 82 mm rounds to work in 81 mm mortars, so the ideological difference is not as severe as it seems.

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    4. ...this isn't a literal case of "file to fit" I hope?

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  2. Also, "pistols or revolvers" is a surprise. I can't find any mention of the USSR getting any lend-lease handguns.

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