Chars lourds KV-1 et KV-2 - URSS : livres - histoire

Fallen Giants : The Combat Debut of the T-35A Tank

The Soviet T-35A is the only five-turreted tank in history to enter production. With a long and proud service history on Soviet parade grounds, the T-35A was forced to adapt to the modern battlefield when the Second World War broke out.
Outclassed and outdated, the T-35A tried to hold its own against the German invaders to no avail.

Very little is known about these strange vehicles, beyond their basic shape and photographs of them on parade grounds and battlefields. For the first time, actual battlefield photographs have been cross-referenced with maps and documents to bring about the most complete look at the T-35A in the Second World War to date.
It is a grim depiction of the aftermath of the giants that were the Soviet T-35A tanks.

Caractéristiques

IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73 (Osprey)

The Iosef Stalin tanks were the ultimate heavy tanks developed by the Soviet Union and were popularly called 'Victory tanks' due to their close association with the defeat of Germany in 1945. Yet in spite of their reputation, the Stalin tanks emerged from a troubled design, had a brief moment of glory in 1944 and 1945, and disappeared in ignominy after 1960.

This title covers the events contributing to the Soviet Union's need to design the new series, with particular reference to the unsuccessful KV series and the advent of a new generation of heavy German tanks including the Tiger. It also covers their development, operational history and myriad variants.

Contents: Developmental History - Operational History - Post War History - Stalin Tanks in Foreign Service - Variants - Variants in Foreign Service.

Caractéristiques

King Tiger vs IS-2 - Operation Solstice 1945 (Osprey)

This book examines the technology and strategy that defined the outcome of the battles between the King Tiger and the IS-2. The Soviets had been quick to develop tanks that could fight the Tiger on an equal footing, but these were developed as part of a completely different strategy than that employed by the Germans.

The King Tiger was a modern marvel, and remained unmatched in one-on-one combat. Technologically superior, with greater firepower and better armour than the Soviet IS-2, the King Tiger was a formidable opponent.
However, the IS-2 was lighter, more manoeuvrable and most importantly, far more numerous. With overwhelming numerical superiority the Soviets were able to simply overwhelm their opponents, negating the technical superiority of the King Tiger.

Caractéristiques

KV Tanks on the Battlefield

Contains 120 photos of the KV-I, KV-II and KV-85 in Russian and German service. Large format photos, one to a page, mostly unpublished.

Pages du livre "KV Tanks on the Battlefield"

Caractéristiques

KV-1 & 2 Heavy Tanks, 1939-1945 (Osprey)

Named after Klimenti Voroshilov, the People's Commissar for Defence, the KVs proved a nasty surprise for German tank crews during the early days of Operation Barbarossa. Although slow, they were extremely heavily armoured.
This volume examines the transition from multi-turreted tanks to heavy single-turret vehicles, consisting of the KV-1 and 2, and the increased favour given to the heavy single-turret after the Germans began to develop ammunition capable of penetrating even the thickest armour, whilst detailing the design, development and operational history of the Soviet Union's monstrous KV series of tanks.

Contents: Design and Development - Inside the KV-1 - Operational History - Improvements in Armament - Variants - Tactical Problems.

Caractéristiques

Panzerjäger vs KV-1 - Eastern Front, 1941-42 (Osprey)

On the Soviet side, based upon lessons from the Spanish Civil War, the Red Army decided to develop a heavy "breakthrough" tank to smash enemy infantry defenses. This resulted in the KV-1 and KV-2 tanks, introduced in 1939.

At the start of Operation Barbarossa, both these tanks were virtually invulnerable to the weapons of the Panzerjäger and demonstrated their ability to overrun German infantry on several occasions. This advantage gave the Red Army a window of opportunity between the fall of 1941 and the spring of 1942 to use their heavy tanks to repel the German invasion in a series of desperate counteroffensives.

Yet the window of Soviet advantage was a narrow one and the duel between the Soviet KV heavy tanks and German Panzerjäger had a major impact upon the struggle for the strategic initiative in 1941-42.

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Stalin's Giants - KV-I and KV-II

This book covers the larger heavy tanks of Russia, the KV-I and KV-II.

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Schwere sowjetische Panzer 1930-1945

The Soviets began building heavy tanks earlier than the Germans. But the first models proved to be far too heavy and immobile. Later, after the outbreak of war, the heavy Russian tank KW-1 and in 1943 the JS-1 and 2, inspired by the German Tiger tank, surprised the world.

Pages du livre "Schwere sowjetische Panzer 1930-1945"

In this volume, Alexander Lüdeke concentrates on the heavy Soviet tanks built from 1939 to 1945. He describes not only the main types T-35, T-100, the KW and JS series, but also numerous variants.
He also discusses the development and operational history of the types.

Caractéristiques