For the Record has an interesting post translating information on the Valentine infantry tank in Soviet service provided by Russian researcher Yuri Pasholok. The post relates the results of Soviet testing at Kubinka in March of 1943 of a Valentine IX tank. The IX variant was equipped with a larger turret and 57mm 6 pounder gun as compared to earlier versions of the vehicle which had the 2 pounder gun. The report concludes that the Soviets were less than enthusiastic about this varient of the tank due to the lack of an HE round for the main gun and lack of coaxial machine gun. The test results can be viewed at the Archive Awareness website.
Valentine IX Trails in the USSR
February 17, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Altorfer Bros. Co. armor piercing tank shells
February 17, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Washington Times-Reporter (Indiana) has an article about the Altorfer Bros. Company of East Peoria discussing their production of armor piercing tank ammunition during World War II. Altorfer Bros. Co. (A.B.C.) was a manufacturer of washing machines prior to the war. During the war they switched over to the production of war materials, including tank ammunition. The article is written primarily based on the remembrances of 91 year old Hank Altorfer and his sons. Much of the information is frankly either incorrect or exaggerated, but tank enthusiasts will still find the article of interest. Unfortunately the article does not mention the type, or even the caliber of shell that A.B.C. manufactured.
From the Vault: “The Big Picture” Armor episodes
February 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment
For those old enough to have grown up during the early days of the Cold War, you may remember a series of films produced by the US Army called “The Big Picture.” These half hour episodes aired on ABC-TV from 1951 to 1964. Fortunately, these films have been digitized and we can watch some of the episodes that centered around tanks and armored forces.
See all six videos below:
Book Alert: Images of War T-34/76 & T-34/85 in Combat
February 16, 2015 by 1 Comment
Amazon has listed the Pen and Sword Books upcoming title Images of War: T-34/76 & T-34/85 in Combat as having a May 19 release date. Readers familiar with the Images of War series will have a good idea of what to expect from this book. As with the other titles in this series, the book is written by Anthony Tucker-Jones and promises “rare photographs from wartime archives.”
Publishers Description: [Read more…]
Paul Hannah AFV Photo Gallery
February 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Today we present a gallery that is truly outstanding. Paul Hannah, (known as “vagabond” over at the AFV News discussion group) has been able to travel all over the US and Canada, taking pictures of tanks wherever he goes. He and his wife have assembled an amazing photo gallery of tanks from all over, not just museum pieces but also gate guards and individual vehicles sitting out in front of VFW and American Legion halls. If you like pictures of US armor, be prepared to spend plenty of time in this gallery. Visit the gallery here.
Jagdpanzer 38 restoration
February 15, 2015 by Leave a Comment
War History Online has an interesting article about the restoration of a Jagdpanzer 38 “Hetzer” by Axis Track Services for the Australian Armor & Artillery Museum. The article contains pictures of the restored vehicle next to another preserved Jagdpanzer 38, one of which is an early model, the other from later in the production run. Both vehicles are actual war-time “Hetzers”, not the post war Swiss G-13 variant. Read the full article here. Readers will also find the website for Axis Track Services of interest. They are currently selling vehicle props used in the film “Fury.“
WoT’s Chieftain posts new article: US Centurion Part 1
February 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Over at The Chieftain’s Hatch section of the World of Tanks forum, the Chieftain has published a new article. The beginning of the article is posted below, please follow the link at the bottom to read the entire piece.
US Centurion Part 1 – You will recall that some time ago I covered the US Army’s evaluation of the Sherman Firefly in three parts comparing it to the M4(76) and the M26. Frankly, Firefly didn’t fare all that well. The Cruisers didn’t do all that well against Sherman in either British or American tests either. Well, a couple of years later, a similar, albeit less rigid, set of tests was conducted, comparing Centurion to M26 and T29.
These tests were a little more generic, as they were more focused on the tank as a whole rather than, as in the Firefly’s case, the weapon installation effectiveness. I’ve come across three Centurion reports so far, and I’ll go over then over, again, a period of articles. Interestingly, they are not in the sequence you might expect: The first two reports were filed on the Centurion III in the first half of 1950, the third was of the Centurion II in the second half of the year.
Click here to read the full article at The Chieftain’s Hatch.
From the Vault: Type 95 Ha-Go tested by US troops
February 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment
SNAFU! blog today posted a link to a new youtube video posted by Digital Implosion showing footage of a WWII era Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go light tank being tested by US troops. The first half of the video shows the Ha-Go being tested over various terrain features. The limitations of it’s simple suspension are quite apparent in these videos. Later in the video, various measurements and armor thicknesses are shown. The video ends with footage of a race between the Ha-Go and an M5 Stuart. The Stuart wins by a small margin.
Inside the Tanks: The AMX 13 Part 1
February 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Wargaming Europe has released a new installment of their “Inside the Tanks” video series. This episode features series host “The Challenger” (Richard Cutland) examining a restored AMX-13 light tank belonging to collector Warwick Bolton.
Russia’s Armata too expensive?
February 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Motley Fool financial news has published another article on the Russian Armata tank. This article asks the question of whether or not the new Armata tank is something that Russia can currently afford to purchase. According to the article, there has been disagreements over the cost of the vehicle between Russia’s Ministry of Defense (MinOboron) and UralVagonZavod (UVZ), the military contractor responsible for building Armata. Russia has invested 15 billion rubles ($239 million) in developing the Armata tank, and budgeted 39 billion ($622 million) more. However, MinOboron is demanding UVZ both complete its design and lower its price. According to UVZ, mass production is key to reducing the unit price of the Armata. The tank is expected to be complete and ready for mass production this year.
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