At the start of the campaign on the Eastern Front, in the earliest days of Operation Barbarossa, it was the German armour that swept all in front of it as the Wehrmacht drove eastwards in an unrelenting advance on Leningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad. The ill-prepared and under-resourced Russian forces were forced to retreat. Gradually, the balance of the war swung in favour of the Russian forces, whose strength both in numbers and equipment proved decisive in the ultimate defeat of the German forces in the east. Critical in the Soviet victory was its armour; tanks such as the T-34 proving the equal, if not better than, some of the tanks available to the Germans. This authoritative history of the Soviet forces before and during World War 2, reveals the development of their tactics in the early post-revolutionary era right through to the ultimate victory in Berlin in May 1945. The dramatic struggle of the tank crews against the German advance is told through some 200 contemporary photographs, many of which have never been seen before.The photographs include images of tank training in the 1920s and 1930s, on active service, and many compelling pictures from some of the major tank battles of the day. Over the past five years, aided by the opening up of archives in Russia previously closed to western experts, there has been a massive growth in interest in the events that occurred on the Eastern Front. Russian Tanks is an important addition to the literature currently available, exploring as it does, the vitally important Soviet armour of the period.

From an internationally acclaimed expert in the field comes a detailed, analytical and comprehensive account of the worldwide evolution of tanks, from their inception a century ago to the present day. With new ideas stemming from the latest academic research, this study presents a reappraisal of the development of tanks and their evolution during World War I and how the surge in technological development during World War II and the subsequent Cold War drove developments in armour in Europe and America, transforming tanks into fast, resilient and powerful fighting machines. From the primitive, bizarre-looking Mark V to the Matilda and from the menacing King Tiger to the superlative M1 Abrams, Professor Ogorkiewicz shows how tanks gradually acquired the enhanced capabilities that enabled them to become what they are today – the core of combined-arms, mechanized warfare.

There has been nothing published outside of Russia concerning the activities of its motor industry, by 1937 the Soviets had become the largest producers of motor vehicles in Europe, albeit with the help of Henry Ford The author decided to concentrate on the work of the pioneers in Czarist Russia, for their efforts were more diverse than those of their counterparts in the Soviet era. However, one Soviet motor car which was an indigenous product has been included to illustrate how the industry might have evolved if Henry Ford had not been approached. This is a comprehensive overview of all facets of vehicle production from the early days to the final demise of the Soviet Union. All the manufacturers of motor vehicles, certain accessories, military machines, and even aero engines are recorded in this unique book.

After World War II Russian tank development continued to strive for dominance on numerous fronts. This book accounts for all of the Russian and USSR armored vehicles developed just prior to the end of the Second World War to the present. Each models specifications and data, as well as developmental history, are given in comprehensive text and numerous photos of striking detail. This book is a superb reference for historians and modellers.

About the evolution of the Soviet offensive doctrine during World War II. Where did this doctrine and armored formations that takes practice arise?. Why was the USSR as a nation which in 1940 developed a tank as advanced as the T-34?. 100 pages trying to answer these and other questions with a description of the principal armored vehicles and the formations in which were integrated from its beginnings in the Russian Empire until June 22, 1941.

This book describes in excellent detail and striking photos, many unpublished, the development and amassing of Russias armored vehicles from World War I through World War II. Included in this text are those models that did not make it to production, and also the history behind Russias tank development, including the numerous foreign models that it based its designs on. This book is a superb reference for historians and modellers.