Tank Archives

A month into my latest social media experiment. 1433 new followers there, -6 (yup, minus) here for the exact same posts.

The contract to build the Pz.Kpfw.38(t) Ausf.E was signed #OTD in 1940. Building on lessons from the French campaign, the tank had a simpler front hull made from two 25 mm thick plates sandwiched together for a total of 50 mm of armour. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Turret traverse trials on a Pz.Kpfw.IV tank captured by the British began #OTD in 1943. Trying to use the electric traverse to track a target led to “exhaustion and pain” for the gunner, plus the motor broke when the traverse direction was switched. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Today is a special day, and not just because it's Aquino Tank Weekend. It's the 80th birthday of the T-34-85 tank here at the Canadian Tank Museum. T-34-85 tank #392311 shipped out of factory #112 on July 26th, 1945. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Medium Tank T26 was supposed to weigh 36 tons, but its weight was trending to exceed 40 tons by the summer of 1944. Even the T26E1 was not much lighter. #OTD in 1944 the Chief of Ordnance faced reality and upgraded the T26 from a medium to a heavy. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1942 Canada named two prospective tanks: the M4A1 with the 17-pdr gun built in Canada would be called Buffalo II and the M4A2 would be called Bear II. These names were never used as tanks with 17-pounders were not built in Canada. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Gunnery trials of the AT-1 infantry support SPG began #OTD in 1935. This Soviet equivalent of the StuG was accepted into service, but production of both the vehicle and the gun ran into significant problems. The AT-1 was never mass produced. #tanks #history

The Red Army introduced vodka rations #OTD in 1941. Initially, 100 grams was issued daily to all soldiers, but this was quickly reduced to only actively fighting soldiers in units that achieved success on the battlefield. #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1943 the Light Tank T24 was standardized as the Light Tank M24. This was the perfect blend of existing automotive components and new solutions that crammed a record level of armour and firepower into a light tank while remaining mobile. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

The s.Pz.Abt.501 was issued their 45 King Tigers #OTD in 1944. These were brand new June-July production tanks, but two weeks later only 8 could be made ready to fight at the Sandomierz bridgehead. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1941 Tanque 39 tanks produced in Czechoslovakia first saw battle in the war between Peru and Ecuador. Due to a lack of competitive tanks in the region, the Tanque 39 enjoyed incredible success in battle. #tanks #History

A T-50 tank with the serial number K-11217 was lost #OTD in 1941 near Petrozavodsk. The tank was later recovered and used by the Finns with registration number Ps.183-1. This tank can now be seen at the Parola tank museum. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Jagdpanther had a powerful gun and armour, but its debut was marred by poor reliability. #OTD in 1944 Captain Karl-Heinz Noak of the 654th TD battalion wrote a report blaming unreliable final drives and track links for taking out most of his unit. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The T-60 was supposed to be just a simplified T-40, but shortages of 12.7 mm DShK machine guns made a change necessary. At a meeting held #OTD in 1941, the 20 mm ShVAK aircraft autocannon was identified as an alternative. Its tank variant was named TNSh #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

A small secondary turret was added to the Maus tank design for defense against infantry. #OTD in 1942 the turret was dropped. Later, the 75 mm gun returned into the main turret as an auxiliary weapon. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII