Kagero Press has released a new entry in their Photosniper series. This new book by Dick taylor is titled British Infantry Tanks in World War II (Photosniper)
Publisher’s Description:
Before the start of the Second World War, British armored doctrine was in a terrible muddle. Opinion had been divided between the proponents of the tank who saw it as the weapon of break-in, using it as an infantry support weapon, and those who saw it as the weapon of breakout, using it to restore mobility and to destroy the enemy’s forces behind the frontline. In many ways it was a division between those who saw the tank solely through the prism of the experience of the First World War, and those who saw it a decisive weapon for the future. Britain was also conscious of the continuing requirements for imperial policing, in which small tanks and armored cars had already proved their worth. As a consequence, it was decided that Britain needed three different classes of tanks: Light tanks for the policing role that could also be used for reconnaissance duties in a general war, fast and lightly armored Cruiser tanks for breakout and exploitation, and heavily armored but slow Infantry tanks for the break-in.
This past weekend saw the start of the 2017 iteration of the Tank Biathlon competition in Russia which runs from July 29 to August 12. To the surprise of no one, the Russian team is so far in first place, having beaten the Chinese team. Later this week the Russian and Chinese teams will face off against the Indian team. The Russian team operates T-72BM3 tanks, the Chinese bring their own Type 96 and the Indians will be using The T-90S. Other competitors who do not bring their own tank are supplied with a T-72B3 by their Russian host. The English language version of the official site for the competition 
Speaking to the staff at the state-owned Ukroboronprom facility in Lviv, Poroshenko announced that the deal would also include the production of “a new fire engine based on the T-72” in a deal worth up to UAH920 million (USD35.3 million). Further procurement of T-84 Oplot MBTs is also to be expected, with Poroshenko disclosing that “more than” UAH300 million would be made available.
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s procurement authorities have decided to release a request for proposal, to be sent to three local armored vehicles manufacturers, as part of the Altay tank program. This decision effectively means the three companies will be invited to bid on the program, estimated to reach beyond $10 billion. The companies that received the RFP from the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries, or SSM, are BMC, Otokar and FNSS, all privately owned companies.
Ben Franklin offered a parable in Poor Richard’s Almanac (1758) about how a kingdom could be lost for want of a simple nail. Without the nail, a horse lost its shoe; without the shoe, the horse was disabled and a rider could not deliver his message; without the message, a battle was lost; and losing the battle brought down the kingdom .Philadelphia’s favorite son wasn’t the first sage to warn that small failings can lead to huge consequences — especially in wartime — but it seems every generation needs to relearn the lesson. Bridges collapse for want of paint and planes crash because one item was skipped on the pilot’s pre-flight checklist.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia’s Uralvagonzavod company said earlier the first shipment of 73 tanks was scheduled for this year. “A significant contract for a large batch. I cannot name its exact worth but the amount [of tank] is large,” Vladimir Kozhin told the Izvestiya newspaper, adding Kuwait was also interested in this type of hardware. According to the outlet, more T-90MS shipments would follow. Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, which oversees such deals, declined to comment.
Under its new strategic defence review, Poland plans to expand its armoured component by purchasing additional Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBTs), upgrading older T-72 and PT-91 tanks, and increasing the level of protection of other combat vehicles. The defence review, published in May 2017, sets as the main priority for Poland to prepare to defend its own territory and reinforce deterrence capabilities based on national defence capabilities.
The Firearms Blog has posted a review of the Kubinka Tank Museum outside of Moscow. This is not a particularly in-depth review, but it does include some nice photos of the museum and some of the vehicles housed there. The vehicle descriptions are not particularly detailed, something not unexpected given that this is posted on a firearms blog, not an AFV themed blog. Enjoy it for what it is.
This came out in April, but we just came across it today. Noted tank expert and author Steven Zaloga discusses the history of tanks on the War College podcast. This podcast is a nice primer on the topic. War College is a weekly podcast hosted by Matthew Gault of War Is Boring and produced by Bethel Habte, podcast editor at Reuters.com.
Tank and AFV News 