Warspot Digest for October 2021

KV-1S: From Temporary to Permanent [READ MORE]

The KV-1S was not as much of a legend as the KV-1, but this was the tank that defeated the Germans at Stalingrad and Kursk. Its creation and production was, in many ways, a necessary evil, but the KV-1S remained in production for a year, and remained on the front lines until 1944. This article covers its production and use in combat.

The Tiger's Predecessors [READ MORE]

The famous Tiger tank became a symbol of German military might. Germany, along with Great Britain and the U.S.S.R., was one of the few belligerents who not only mass produced heavy tanks, but used them in combat in large numbers. The first production Tigers were ready in 1942, but their story begins five years prior to that. The Tiger's predecessors D.W. and VK 30.01(H) were quite a bit lighter, and were designed to perform a different set of tasks.

FCM 36 from Saumur [READ MORE]

The Museum of Armored Vehicles in the French city of Saumur boasts one of the largest collections of tanks in the world. Among its exhibits, there are also unique ones, such as the last surviving light tank FCM 36. You can read about the creation and the poor history of the combat use of this interesting combat vehicle in the article FCM 36: Ahead of its Time. In the same review, we suggest getting to know this Frenchy better.

Assault Gun from the Urals [READ MORE]

December of 1942 was a key month in the history of Soviet SPGs. Work on light and medium SPGs reached the stage of preparation for production. The Ural Factory of Heavy Machinebuilding was chosen to produce medium SPGs. There were two reasons for this. In addition to the fact that development of the U-35 SPG was coming to an end in Sverdlovsk, there was a strong manufacturing base here. Local production of T-34s, which started here in late September of 1942, ensured a supply of chassis for SPGs.

Taking into account the factory's abilities, GKO decree #2559, "On organization of production of SPGs at the Uralmash factory and factory #38," was signed on December 2, even before the start of U-35 trials. According to this document, UZTM was expected to deliver the first two SU-35 SPGs (later renamed SU-122) in December of 1942.