Category: Soviet Union
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IS-3
Type: Heavy Tank Nation: Soviet UnionPeriod: Cold War Location: Muzeum Broni Pancernej w Poznaniu, Poznań, Poland Berlin tank panic The IS-3 caused a serious shock among the Western Allies when it was first presented publically while taking part in the Berlin Four Nations Victory Parade on 7 September 1945. Having just celebrated the end of…
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T-72B (Ukraine Memorial)
Type: Main Battle Tank Nation: Soviet Union/Russia Period: Cold War/Modern Location: Embassy of the Russian Federation, Berlin, Germany Ageing backbone Following 1978’s T-72A, the T-72B was the second upgraded version of the standard T-72 Main Battle Tank. First introduced in 1985, it featured an improved 125mm gun and fire control system, a more powerful engine…
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BM-13-16 NM Katyusha
Type: Self-Propelled Artillery Nation: Soviet Union Period: World War 2 Location: Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen, Seelow, Germany Just in time The BM-13 first was first produced in May 1941. Just around forty units had been built when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union the following month, but by the end of the war it would be…
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PT-76 (Model 1954)
Type: Light Tank/Special Purpose VehicleNation: Soviet UnionPeriod: Cold WarLocation: Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr (Depot), Dresden, Germany Archimedes would be proud The PT-76 was developed from 1949 onwards by the renowned engineer Josef Kotin who previously had supervised the design of the KV-1, IS-2, SU-152 and ISU-152. When the Soviet Navy became interested in the new…
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SU-152
Type: Self-Propelled Artillery/Tank Destroyer Nation: Soviet Union Period: World War 2 Location: Lubuskie Muzeum Wojskowe, Drzonów, Poland Versatile bunker buster The SU-152 was built on the chassis of the KV-1S heavy tank. Designed to attack enemy fortifications, it was replacing the T-34-based SU-122 which had been found unsuitable to fight against tanks. “SU” stood for…
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T-34/85
Type: Medium Tank Nation: Soviet Union Period: World War 2 Location: Kienitz, Germany Late-war upgrade The T-34/85 was an improved version of the Soviet Union’s standard medium tank of the Second World War. First produced in January 1944, the new model was a much more efficient combat vehicle due to its 85 mm gun and…
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SU-100
Type: Tank Destroyer Nation: Soviet Union Period: World War 2 Location: Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Ravensbrück, Fürstenberg/Havel, Germany Inspired by the German turretless StuG assault guns, the Soviet Union had started to develop a similar vehicle based on the T-34 chassis in the summer of 1942. The resulting SU-122 was equipped with a short 122 mm…
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T-34/85 “Rudy”
Type: Medium Tank Nation: Soviet Union Period: World War 2 Location: Muzeum Broni Pancernej w Poznaniu, Poznań, Poland The very successful Soviet T-34 was one of the most well-balanced medium tanks of World War 2. The hull armour was sloped on all four sides which made its interior awfully cramped but offered very good effective…
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KV-1 (Model 1941)
Type: Heavy Tank Nation: Soviet Union Period: World War 2 Location: The Tank Museum, Bovington, UK The KV-1 was named after Kliment Voroshilov, a politician who had been serving as Soviet Defense Commissar from 1925 to 1940 and who had played a key role in Stalin’s Great Purge of 1937. The KV was first put…