Stalin's Armour, 1941-1945: Soviet Tanks at War

by Anthony Tucker-Jones

Overview

Insight into the evolution of Soviet tank design which produced war-winning armored vehicles like the T-34, KV-1, JS-1 and SU-100.

Stalin’s purge of army officers in the late 1930s and disputes about tank tactics meant that Soviet armored forces were in disarray when Hitler invaded in 1941. As a result, during Operation Barbarossa, the Wehrmacht’s 3,200 panzers ran circles round the Red Army’s tank force of almost 20,000 – thousands of Soviet tanks were disabled or destroyed.

Yet within two years of this disaster the Red Army’s tank arm had regained its confidence and numbers and was in a position to help turn the tide and liberate the Soviet Union. This is the remarkable story Anthony Tucker-Jones relates in this concise, highly illustrated history of the part played by Soviet armor in the war on the Eastern Front.

Chapters cover each phase of the conflict, from Barbarossa, through the battles at Moscow, Stalingrad and Kursk to the massive, tank-led offensives that drove the Wehrmacht back to Berlin. Technical and design developments are covered, but so are changes in tactics and the role of the tanks in the integrated all-arms force that crushed German opposition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526777942
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	04/01/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	298
File size:	34 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Anthony Tucker-Jones is a former defense intelligence officer and a widely published expert on regional conflicts, counter-terrorism and armored and aerial warfare. He is the author of over thirty books, is security and terrorism correspondent for intersec – The Journal of International Security, and has freelanced for Channel 4 News.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 A Tank Aficionado 11

Chapter 2 Lost Advantage 21

Chapter 3 Stalin's Mechanized Corps 29

Chapter 4 Desperate Counter-Attacks 39

Chapter 5 Tank City Falls 49

Chapter 6 The T-34 Escapes 59

Chapter 7 The Stalingrad Flank 71

Chapter 8 Save the Oil 83

Chapter 9 New Tank Armies 91

Chapter 10 Other People's Tanks 97

Chapter 11 Triumph at Kursk 105

Chapter 12 Battles for Kharkov 111

Chapter 13 Victory in the Crimea 121

Chapter 14 Stalin's Armoured Steamroller 129

Chapter 15 Punishing Traitors 139

Chapter 16 Stopped Before Warsaw 145

Chapter 17 The Road to Hungary 155

Chapter 18 Tanks in Budapest 163

Chapter 19 Beneath the Brandenburg Gate 173

Chapter 20 Heroes of Socialist Labour 179

Appendices 191

A Red Army Tank Units 1941-1945 193

B Soviet Tanks and Tracked Armoured Fighting Vehicles 1941-1945 201

Bibliography 241

Index 245

Editorial Reviews

"Enjoyed it."

Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

"Highly Recommended for anyone interested in the story of Soviet armor in WWII."

AMPS

"...will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike."

AMPS Indianapolis

"The book is full of details that really make reading it very informative."

IPMS/USA