The Medium Tank M3 tested at Farnborough suffered from many defects, although some were self-inflicted. #OTD in 1942 staff of the proving grounds left the tank in an unheated garage for the weekend. At night, the hydraulic system hoses froze and burst. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1931 a meeting was held at the Stalingrad Tractor Factory to evaluate the possibility of producing the Vickers Mk.E tank. STZ management judged this tank easier to build than the Soviet T-20, the tank meant to replace the MS-1. #tanks #history

#OTD in 1943 Lieutenant Osatyuk successfully engaged two German medium tanks in his T-60. Although the 20 mm autocannon could do little against their armour, the small tank managed to lure the Germans into the range of fire of Soviet anti-tank guns. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The LT vz.38 stood head and shoulders above German light tanks and matched its medium tanks in armour and firepower. The Germans used it eagerly and even continued production after the occupation of Czechia. #OTD they gave it a new index: Pz.Kpfw.38(t). #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The TO&E for German light self propelled howitzer batteries was issued #OTD in 1943. Each battery had 6 Wespe SPGs, a Pz.Kpfw.III artillery observer tank, and a light Sd.Kfz.250/5 halftrack. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Kirovograd Offensive Operation ended #OTD in 1944. Building on their success in the Battle of the Dnieper, the 2nd Ukrainian Front encircled and destroyed the German forces occupying Kirovograd, depriving the Germans of an important transportation hub. #history #WW2 #WWII

The Americans preferred to keep the Medium Tank M4A3 to themselves, but the British still got a sample for study. Trials of what they called the Sherman IV began #OTD in 1943. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Czech LT vz.35 tank was quite a competitive vehicle for its time and the Germans put them into service for themselves. #OTD in 1940 the tank received the name it became most famous under: Pz.Kpfw.35(t). #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Light Tank T1E1 was standardized as the Light Tank M1 #OTD in 1928. The standardization was rolled back just a few months later, as trials showed that while the tanks surpassed the M1917, they were still worse than newest tanks developed abroad and in the US. #tanks #history

#OTD in 1945 the British offer of A.30 Challenger tank destroyers was forwarded to the Red Army. Seeing as how the USSR did not find the 17-pounder nor the Cromwell chassis particularly impressive, this offer was declined. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

Assembly of T-34 prototypes was due #OTD in 1940. Even though the tank was technically already accepted into service, the prototypes would not be completed until the end of the month and only accepted into production in April. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The testing program for the T-150 and T-220 tank was signed #OTD in 1941. These tanks were supposed to replace the KV-1 in the short and long term respectively. Both were cancelled when intelligence reported that the Germans were building new superheavy tanks. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

Two prototypes of the Heavy Tank T32 were finished #OTD in 1946. This tank was developed to fight German heavy tanks, but the Second World War ended long before it was finished. #tanks #history

Vasily Grabin put the ZIS-3 gun into production at factory #92 without official permission and kept it there despite orders otherwise. Stalin finally relented and the gun was accepted for official trials #OTD in 1942. #artillery #History #WW2 #WWII

Work to blend the Pz.Kpfw.IV turret and Pz.Kpfw.III hull was finished #OTD in 1943. The resulting tank was called Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.K. Only the Pz.Bef.Wg.III Ausf.K command tank was ever built. but not the basic tank. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

Churchill tanks of the 49th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment went into battle #OTD in 1944 near Leningrad. These were some of the last Churchill tanks to see combat in the Red Army. In February, its Churchills were replaced with IS-2s. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The ZIK-20 assault gun design was presented #OTD in 1943. Work was in late stages of completion, but the idea was rejected, as the need to modify the 152 mm ML-20 for installation made it less desirable than the SU-152, which could take the gun as is. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Applique armour for the T-60 tank was approved #OTD in 1942. Extra armour gave it some resistance against at least the German 37 mm anti-tank gun at medium and long ranges. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Trials of the 107 mm M-75 gun finished #OTD in 1942. This weapon was the most powerful anti-tank gun in the Soviet arsenal, but the Germans had no tanks that would justify fielding such a large and heavy weapon with short barrel life. #tanks #artillery #history #WW2 #WWII

New quality assurance rules were established #OTD in 1942. Every T-34 and KV tank build would be subjected to brief driving trials and every tenth tank was put through gunnery trials. Longer trials were also periodically carried out. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1944 the Maus V1 prototype arrived at Böblingen and began final assembly. Camouflage was also applied here. The tank was disguised as a captured Soviet vehicle by painting red stars, hammers and sickles, and random Cyrillic letters on it. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Trials with fixed ammunition for the D-25T gun in an IS-2 tank and ISU-122 tank destroyer began #OTD in 1945. The complete round was so long and heavy that it didn't actually solve any existing problems and only introduced new ones. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

The Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive Operation began #OTD in 1944. The successful offensive was aimed at breaking the blockade of Leningrad fully, rather than the crack made a year prior. The siege was fully lifted by March. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

It's time to address the most requested subject in the comments to every one of my Panzer '46 videos. What did the British manage to achieve by the end of the Second World War to put up against the latest German tanks? #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII youtu.be/GUYXjuwPJl0

Installation of the 37 mm ZIS-19 gun into the turret of the T-60 tank began #OTD in 1942. This weapon was supposed to extend the service life of the vehicle, but it was easier to replace it with the T-70. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The first production Medium Tank T25E1 was shown to Ordnance Department representatives #OTD in 1944. The T25E1 had the same 90 mm gun as the T26E1 (future Pershing tank), but less armour, plus its suspension was not as reliable despite being lighter. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The 1st company of s.Pz.Abt.502 went into action #OTD in 1943 for the first time after the battalion's disastrous debut in August of 1942. A few days later they would "donate" four Tiger tanks to the Red Army, only one of which was successfully demolished. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The East Prussian Operation began #OTD in 1945. As a result of this offensive, the Red Army pushed the Germans out of East Prussia, with the exception of "fortress cities" and a few scattered groups pressed against the Baltic Sea coast. #history #WW2 #WWII

The Americans made no secret of the shortcomings of their own tanks. As shipments of Shermans to the USSR picked up, a memo was sent to the Soviet tank directorate #OTD in 1944 listing the most common defects encountered with the latest variant of the M4A2. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1945 the German s.Pz.Abt.424 attacked Lisow with 29 Tigers and 23 King Tigers. The attack failed and the battalion ended up losing all its tanks. They claimed to have ran into a massive tank force, destroying 50-60 IS-2s. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

HEAT ammunition for the Soviet 76 mm regimental gun entered production in 1942. #OTD in 1944 Red Army artillery chief Yakovlev issued a memo stating that troops were not using this ammunition enough, encouraging them to use it against fortifications and armoured targets. #history #WW2 #WWII

Lend Lease shipments had a rough start with many issues to iron out. For example, #OTD in 1942 a complaint was lodged that the first shipment of American tanks to come to the USSR was oiled with summer lubricants, which thickened in the cold and became useless. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Two T-50 prototypes were submitted for trials #OTD in 1941. As with any progressive design there were teething troubles. It was accepted into service in April but the start of the war left little time to iron out issues with the design. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

The Light Tank T2E1 was sent to Ford Benning for trials #OTD in 1935. Harry Knox's volute spring suspension used on this tank was a huge hit. It was used by most American tanks for the next 10 years until it was finally dethroned by torsion bars in the mid-40s. #tanks #history

#OTD in 1945 the Ordnance Committee recommended building ten T26E5 tanks. The front hull was 152 mm thick and the gun mantlet was 279 mm thick, making the vehicle impervious to the German 88 mm Pak 43. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1945 a Heavy Tank T26E1 modified with the longer 90 mm T15E1 gun was submitted for trials. This gun was more powerful, but the length and weight of the gun and its ammunition made it difficult to work with in the confines of the existing turret. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1944 convoy JW-56A departed from Scotland. It carried three GMC T70 Hellcat tank destroyers to the USSR. Trials showed that the vehicle ran well on paved roads, but the torque converter was unsuitable for offroad driving. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Operation Iskra (Spark) began #OTD in 1943. The Soviet offensive punctured a considerable hole in the Leningrad blockade. While the partial blockade remained for another year, a new railway could now be built to save thousands of civilians from death by starvation. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

T-34 tanks were equipped with a clinometer and an azimuth circle for indirect fire. #OTD in 1944 the 160th Guards Tank Regiment reported that these items could be removed, as this ability was not used and incoming tankers weren't trained to use them. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1943 Red Army tank units were fleshed out with support assets: submachine gunners in tank regiments, anti-tank riflemen in brigades, and mortars plus self propelled artillery at the corps level. This helped tank units fight independently. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Special Vehicle Design Committee began working on a tank that would come to be known as the TOG 1 #OTD in 1940. The TOG 1 was rejected by the army, but it was still built to test the electric transmission concept. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

A meeting of the Heereswaffenamt held #OTD in 1934 defined the German army's need for light and medium tanks. Projects codenamed "Platoon Commander's Vehicle" and "Escort Vehicle" were defined here. These later evolved into the Panzer III and IV respectively. #tanks #history

#OTD in 1922 Sweden allocated a large sum to the creation of a tank force. For the sake of urgency, the Swedes bought LK-II tank parts built in Germany that the Germans could no longer use themselves and assembled them in Sweden. The resulting tank was called Pansarvagn fm/22. #tanks #history

A variant of the KV tank with a 152 howitzer for fighting fortifications was ordered #OTD in 1940. This tank was later named KV-2, with the 76 mm variant retroactively renamed KV-1. Just over 200 were built before production ended in June of 1941. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The SU-100 first saw battle #OTD in 1945. This tank destroyer mounted the powerful 100 mm D-10S gun, which could destroy nearly any German tank at long range. Armour was also thicker compared to the SU-85 and a new commander's cupola improved vision. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1941 Ansaldo presented a model of a new SPG on the M 13/40 tank chassis. This vehicle was accepted into service soon after as the Semovente M40 da 75/18. Variants on the M 14/41 and M 15/42 tanks (M41 and M42) were also built. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The last blueprints for a SU-152 prototype were sent to production #OTD in 1943, just five days after the order to develop the vehicle was given. This seems fast, but the designers already had a year of heavy SPG concept work under their belt. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1944 the Maus V1 prototype was sent to Böblingen for completion of assembly and mobility trials. Here the tank showed the drawbacks of its weight, sinking in mud so deep that it took a whole day of digging to get it unstuck. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

The Red Army began Operation Ring #OTD in 1943. The German forces holding on to Stalingrad and its vicinity were squeezed into the city and then cut in half. Remaining in command of the southern group, Paulus surrendered on January 31st. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Red Army began Operation Ring #OTD in 1943. The German forces holding on to Stalingrad and its vicinity were squeezed into the city and then cut in half. Remaining in command of the southern group, Paulus surrendered on January 31st. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII