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Tank Gallery 18
The following Photographs and information have been donated by Battlefrontmodels Customers over the years they range from basic to customised RC tanks and vehicles to heavily modified models.
All images and data are copyright to the Members and BFM
' Soviet KV 1 '
Sent in by
Michael Dady of Nottingham UK
This is my Heng Long KV 1 'Ekranami' (Applied Extra Armour) version! It also has metal gears, sprockets and Idlers also an RX 18 control unit to stop the tank 'kangerooing' when the main gun is fired.
As you can see this model is also fitted with an extra powerful drivers head light and rear red convoy light.
Regards Michael Dady
A nicely done tank Michael. BFM HQ
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They have a fine specimen of a KV 1 at Bovington Tank Museum - Pop along sometime and check it out.
Visit: www.tankmuseum.org
A Brief History of the KV's
The Soviet KV series of Heavy Tanks were Named after Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov, one of the five marshals of the Soviet under Stalin. They were developed to try and hold the Germans in the first year of the German invasion of Russia. The KV1 and KV2 were very capable of halting a German offensive and with infantry support stop it dead.. The KV's were known throughout the War as a stand it's ground tank, Gernam tanks at the time with weak armour could not face the Russian Koloss or 'Rusian Colossus'
These tanks were so armoured that the Germans could not penetrate the hull, only the 88mm flak Gun could do serious damage.
Prior to operation Barbarossa out of 22,000 tanks of the Si=oviet Army only 500 were KV1's. It was decided that it was too expensive to manufacture this type of tank and design medium fast tanks like the T35 -75 and later the T34-85 which could be made quickly in the Sovoet Tank Factories.
The KV series later became the IS version of tanks and was known as the ''Iosif Stalin'' Heavy Tank
The KV 2 above was a formidable tank there is a case where one of these tanks parked itself at a cross roads and halted a German push for three days, eventually the tank ran out of ammunition and the German forces knocked it out of action in the end, there was a drawback to this tank it was considered 'top heavy' and on poor soft ground it would tip over onto its side.
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DID YOU KNOW
After Germany's defeat in WW1 Germany was forced to sign the 'Treaty of Versailles' in 1919. The Germans lost all there overseas empires as well as land to its neighbours.
And it was prevented from maintaining a large Army and Airforce also it was forced to pay war reparations back to the Allies France, Britain and the USA.
Most Germans opposed this treaty, and there resentment would eventually undo this Treaty which let to WW2, basically lead by Hitler and the Nazi Government.
Germany under Hitler secretly built up the German Navy, Luftwaffer and Army mass producing tanks and designing all types of newer weapons including Machine Guns, Machine Pistols and Artillery.
When the Nazi's overan France Hitler forced the French to sign a 'New Treaty' in the origional 'Railway Sleeper' car that they were made to use in the WW1 treaty with the Allies.
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' Soviet T34-85 '
Sent in by
Peter Symonds of Nottingham UK
The T34/85 was one of the greatest tanks in history with a Rare compromise of speed, protection, reliability and fire power and designed from the start with simple ease of production.
It's arguably the first true 'universal tank' a single medium tank suitably equiped to protect infantry and dealing with enemy armour.
It was such a durable design that it remained in active service in 27 countries.
One was recently found in a bog in Estonia for 56 years it had minimal water damage as the bog is airless. After being steam cleaned and the inside made safe of all munitions.
The diesel engine was serviced and fuel tanks cleaned etc the motor started on the second attempt.
Another innovative tank from Peter.
This model has been heavily modified with bedspread armour a common quick fix in the field to deter shaped charges such as the Panzerfaust attack or 'Tank Fist'.
If the warhead exploded with the Bedspread armour attached the distance between the tank armoured body helped absorb the force of the shaped charge explosive device.
The Panzerfaust was fitted with a simple Piezo electric crystal which required a hard strike to set off the Panzer Faust warhead properley.
This T34/85 has been painted as the 1st Polish Army's 1st Polish Brigade
The Hero's of Wasterplatte this unit had Russian officers but all the men were mostly recruited from POW's captured by the Stalin and deported to Siberia when he invaded Eastern Polend in Sept. 1939.
After the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact broke down with the start of Barbarrossa the attack on Russia, the poles were released and organised into Polish Brigades under Siviet command.
In combat the units fought as part of the Belorussian front and spearheaded the red army's crossing of the Vistula and Oder rivers.
This tank represents one of the many of the Polish T34's involved in the final battles around and inside Berlin. The unit saw heavy action around the Tecnical University, Tiergarten and Berlin Zoo area.
The Zoo area which was heavily fortified and also had Flak Towers so tough they have not been changed since 1945, they are indestructable with walls and ceilings of concrete and rebar 11 ft thick these towers some were designed by Hitler for the defence of Berlin and would hold 10,000 of Berlin's citizens in total safety during allied raids.These Flaktowers held out until May 1945 and were eventually stormed by Soviet troops.
After the war they tried to dismantle the towers using heavy explosives but to no end so they are still there but hidden by trees and buildings.
They seem as though they are the only items of Hitlers dream 1000 year Reich that will last.. or even longer.
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Above: The 'G' Tower
at Augarten, Vienna
Above: Pragsattel
Flakturm in Stuttgart.
Modernised to blend in.
Above: Humbolthain Flak
Tower in Berlin.
Below: The 12.8 cm
Flak gun and crew.
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Below: A Flakturm under Construction 1940
DID YOU KNOW
In WW2 the Clairevoyant Helen Duncan conducted a Seance in Portsmouth England a usual event in that area, as she was a local clairvoyant in a trance watched by a large number of people, she said that HMS Barman was sunk in the Atlantic with all 800 hands lost at sea.
The statement was TRUE at the time as the ship was sunk three months earlier and was kept a state secret to avoid panic amongst the British, this was also because of the unstoppable German U boat threat at the time.
This raised eyebrows in London and the MI5 started to panic, how did she know, did someone tell her. A few weeks later she announced that the HMS Hood would be destroyed totalling 1400 hands lost.
Two days later the ship was sunk. Mrs Duncan was arrested and sent to trial, not under the special war secrets act at the time.
But under the British witchcraft act of 1735.
She received 9 months in prison not so much for the information about HMS Barman and HMS Hood, but the fact the Goverment thought she was such a security risk and may mention the D Day landings which was due to take place in June 1945, and was being prepared for at that time.
She died in1956.
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' War STuG '
Sent in by
Bob Abson Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. UK
This Torro make STuG from Bob has been modified heavily using a Std. BFM STuG kit to show battle damage to the Schurzen plates it also features a well equiped stowage area at the rear, a very nicely painted and battle damaged model worthy of any shelf collection.
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' M26 Korean War '
Sent in by
Peter Symonds of Nottingham. UK
This M26 is a change from Peters usual WW2 Tanks, this Tank remodelled in the Korean Campaign livery with painted teeth and some light stowage items plus commander, this tank was used in Vietnam in the 60's by the US and also issued to ARVN tankers.
DID YOU KNOW
The German prisoners of War held in Russian Camps after 1945
experienced an 85% mortality rate very few came home and were used by the Soviets as slave labour to rebuild Russia.
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This heavy tank known as the M26 Pershing was an American Heavy Tank used in WW2 briefly and also in the Korean War. It was named after Gen. John Pershing who lead the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe in WW1.
Developement of the M26 in WW2 was prolonged by many factors, the most was the opposition to the tank by Army Ground Forces (AGF). As a result only the initial 20 M26's (T26E3) were deployed to Europe in Jan. 1945 only these saw combat in WW2.
The M26 and its improved derivative, the M26 Paton, both saw more combat in Korea. The M26 was both under powered and mechanically unreliable and was withdrawn form Korea in 1951, in favour of the M46 which had a more powerful engine. The lineage of the M26continued with the M47 Paton and was reflected in the new designs of the later M48 Paton M60 Paton.
An M26 in Vietnam with resting tankers note the teeth and eyes painted on the vehicle.
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"Come Let Me Show You Where The Iron Crosses Grow"
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DID YOU KNOW
At the time of Pearl Harbour the top Commander was called CINCUS pronounced 'Sink Us' the shoulder patch of the US Armys 45 infantry division was the Swastika, also Hitler's train was named 'Amerika'.
All were changed for PR purposes.
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