The Hungarian Ambush near Hill 386.0

Introduction The history of the Hungarian tank forces during WWII still has many “blank spots”. The existing sources are contradictory and data is difficult to verify. However, the depths of the Russian archives hold hidden treasures. One of the finds in the Russian archives sheds light on the first combat engagement of the Hungarian Tiger …

1942 Combat Damage Analysis of the T-34 and T-70 tanks

Translation and Analysis of Original 1942 Combat Damage Survey Introduction On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, conquering over 1500 square kilometers of Soviet territory within 6 months. By November 1941, German forces were within reach of Moscow, but were driven back by a counteroffensive of Soviet …

The Soviet Counter-Attack at Verba

30th of June 1941 Operation Barbarossa On the 22nd of June 1941, the Soviet Union was attacked by the armed forces of Germany and its allies. From the Baltic sea in the north, to the Black Sea in the south, three German army groups, comprising about 3,000 tanks, 5,000 planes, and nearly 3,000,000 men, attacked …

The Soviet 21st Tank Brigade’s Assault On Kalinin

October 17th to October 20th, 1941 The Brigade of Heroes One of the most discussed counterattacks ever conducted by the Red Army, the 21st Tank Brigade’s assault on the City of Kalinin (the modern day city of Tver, [Russia]), has gone down in Russian history as one of the defining moments of the ‘Great Patriotic …

Effectiveness of Tactical Air Strikes in World War II – “Tank busting”

The Hawks with Stump Claws Literature, movies and video games have contributed to the formation and spreading of historical misconceptions and generated a distorted view on tactical air strikes, not so much to the way they were conducted, but rather their effectiveness in eliminating armored, moving targets. In order to better understand the core issue …