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tankarchives.bsky.social
Tank Archives
@tankarchives.bsky.social
3.1K followers 80 following 3.2K posts
Author, reenactor, film photographer, military historian specializing in 1930s and 1940s armoured warfare.
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tankarchives.bsky.social
#OTD in 1941 a German commission arrived on the Eastern Front to study captured T-34 and KV-1 tanks. The results of this study had a significant impact on German tank development over the course of the following years. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII
November 18, 2025 at 5:06 AM
tankarchives.bsky.social
My bin is ready.
November 17, 2025 at 10:22 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
An engineer from the Soviet Central Artillery Design Bureau came up with an interesting proposal. Sherman tanks coming to the USSR could be modified with a casemate which would let them take an 85 mm or even 100 mm gun. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

www.tankarchives.com/2025/11/russ...
November 17, 2025 at 6:52 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
The AT-1 SPG passed trials #OTD in 1936. The vehicle remained in limbo, as the PS-3 gun was not put into production. While it could be adapted to carry the L-10 gun, factory #174 was having enough trouble with the T-26 and so the gun-less SPG was abandoned. #tanks #history
November 17, 2025 at 5:51 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
State trials of the Russian Renault began #OTD in 1920. This was a copy of the French Renault FT tank adapted for production in the USSR with some improvements. 16 tanks were built, none of which were finished in time to fight in the Russian Civil War. #tanks #history
November 17, 2025 at 4:01 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
In part, the MS-1 was too slow to keep up with fast-paced offensives. Attempts were made to made to modernize the platform with the T-19 and T-20 tanks, but it turned out that the Vickers Mk.E was a much better fit for the role of infantry tank. #tanks #history
November 17, 2025 at 5:35 AM
tankarchives.bsky.social
#OTD in 1929 the MS-1 tank went into battle for the first and last time during the Manchuria-Zhalainuo'er Operation of the Chinese Eastern Railroad conflict. While the tanks proved effective at chasing off Chinese warlords, the Red Army found many drawbacks. #tanks #history
November 17, 2025 at 5:35 AM
tankarchives.bsky.social
#OTD in 1941 a decision was made to reinforce the T-60's armour, making it immune to autocannons and resistant to even the 37 mm anti-tank gun, an impressive feat for a such a light tank. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 16, 2025 at 8:51 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
Requirements for a heavy SPG on the KV-1S chassis were completed #OTD in 1943. By the time the vehicle indexed S-51 was built, the KV-1S had been out of production for a year and there was no point in continuing the project. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 16, 2025 at 7:28 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
#OTD in 1939 Italy ordered 400 Carro Armato M 13/40 tanks. With a 47 mm gun and up to 30 mm of armour, this was a competitive tank for its time, on par with British Crusaders and early variants of the German Pz.Kpfw.III. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 16, 2025 at 4:51 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
The Medium Tank T5 entered trials #OTD in 1937. The vehicle that entered trials had a wooden mockup instead of a superstructure, since the priority was to test how well the VVSS suspension designed for light tanks would work on a medium tank chassis. #tanks #history
November 16, 2025 at 3:46 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
Assembly of the 701-A (later Kirovets-1) began #OTD in 1944. This tank was highly resistant against any known guns at a weight of just 48 tons. The design was combined with a pike nose developed by factory #100 to create the IS-3. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 16, 2025 at 5:24 AM
tankarchives.bsky.social
#OTD in 1942 Morozov pushed back against requirements for a wider turret ring for the T-43, arguing that backwards compatibility with the T-34 was mandatory. A year later, the delay in widening the turret ring would spell death for the T-43 #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 16, 2025 at 2:24 AM
tankarchives.bsky.social
The ISU-122 with the high velocity 122 mm S-26-1 gun was delivered for trials #OTD in 1944. The gun failed trials and an improved version was presented only in July of 1945, when such a weapon was no longer necessary. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 15, 2025 at 10:59 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
Trials of the Skink AA tank began at the Lulworth artillery proving grounds #OTD in 1944. Even though a long list of desired changed was composed, the British were very positive about the Canadian vehicle. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 15, 2025 at 9:56 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
#OTD in 1941 a Medium Tank M3 equipped with the Chrysler A57 Multibank engine entered trials, proving that this unconventional 30-cylinder engine was fit for service. The tank was accepted into service as the Medium Tank M3A4. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 15, 2025 at 5:11 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
Trials of the Assault Tank T14 ended in failure #OTD in 1943. The tank was sent to the UK to see if they could make use of it, but it didn't perform any better in British trials. With the Pershing on the horizon, the Assault Tank program was closed. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 15, 2025 at 5:33 AM
tankarchives.bsky.social
The USSR received its first FIAT 3000 tank #OTD in 1927. Some claim that it was copied to make the MS-1, but the MS-1 was accepted into service earlier that year and had very little to do with the Italian tank from a technical standpoint. #tanks #history
November 14, 2025 at 9:48 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
Trials of the 76 mm S-54 gun began #OTD in 1943. This gun greatly boosted the firepower of the T-34 tank without the need for a new turret, but was not put into mass production since it required different ammunition than the F-34. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 14, 2025 at 8:38 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
The USSR was informed of the characteristics of the Light Tank M3 #OTD in 1941. An order was made for these tanks, which began arriving in January of 1942. The Red Army considered these to be the best light tanks of the period short of their own T-50. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 14, 2025 at 6:49 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
Nazi Germany's second attempt at building a medium tank was a failure. #OTD in 1936 a third project arose, codenamed Begleitwagen (support vehicle) or B.W. for short. This tank became the Pz.Kpfw.IV, a successful model modernized and produced until 1945. #tanks #history
November 14, 2025 at 5:53 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
Initially, the turret of the Maus tank was located in the middle. In October of 1942 the tank was redesigned to move the turret to the front, but #OTD in 1942 the turret moved again, this time to the rear of the hull. This was the final layout. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 14, 2025 at 4:43 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
Jumbo Sherman tanks turned out to be incredibly resistant even to the enemy's most powerful weapons. #OTD in 1944 a Jumbo from the 6th Armored Division took 6 hits from 88 mm guns without a single penetration. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII
November 14, 2025 at 3:47 PM
tankarchives.bsky.social
Read about Soviet impressions of Sherman tanks on the proving grounds and on the battlefield in my book, Sherman Tanks of the Red Army.
November 14, 2025 at 5:20 AM
tankarchives.bsky.social
A study of a new M4A2(76)W tank was completed at the NIBT Proving Grounds in Kubinka #OTD in 1944. The upgraded Sherman tank was much more than just a new gun on an old chassis, as it had a whole new turret and features like wet ammo racks. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII
November 14, 2025 at 5:20 AM