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Tank Gallery 20

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

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' Soviet KV 2 '

Sent in by

Peter Symonds of Nottingham UK

During the Russian-Finnish War the commander of the Soviet 7th Army General Meretshov made a request for a heavy armoured tank mounting a very large gun to destroy Finnish bunkers.

In responce the design engineers at the KTZ took the hull of the KV1 heavy tank and added a huge turret mounting a 152mm M10 Howitzer.

Despite its many flaws huge height, dangerously high centre of gravity highly dubious mechanical reliability and poor turret layout the KV2 was still a monsteron the battlefield, iit was a moving bunker with its arour vertually impregnable and its gun one of the largest ever mounted in a turreted AFV.

It's crews named it 'The Dreadnought' with good reason. On 23rd and 24th. June 1941 near the town of Rasssaynjay in Lithuania a single KV2 of the second tank division took position on a crossroad and held up the advance of the 6th Pz. Div, for two entire days.

Numerous attacks including a batttery of 50mm anti tank guns (which were destroyed by the KV2 at a 500 mtr distance.

A Flak 88 destroyed at 800 mtrs distance, plus attacked by a special engineer unit all attacked but all failed to silence the Russian tank.

105mm Howitzers were brought up and managed to hit a track which partially immobilised the KV2. Under the cover of a massed Panzer attack by nerly 50 Pz. II's and Pz38t plus a second 88mm was brought up and deployed finally managed to silence the KV2.

Even then German infantry had to throw grenades into the tank to kill the crew.

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Despite the limited successes the KV2 was a poor tank and production was ceased in October 1941. The last KV2 to see combat was in April 1945. Civillian workers at the Krupps plant in Essen used a captured one to defend the plant un-successfully from a division of US troops.

This model represents one of the very first KV-2's built, These can be recognised by the curved turret sides, smaller mantle and the ribbed trunions on the side of the mantlet.

The model was made by combining a Heng Long KV-1 hull with a German Jawa Models resin fromed turret kit to make

a really enormous model.

Test by Peter Symonds.

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A fabulous tank from Peter and considering the model was heavily modified using a very accurate Jawa kit. I also like the tank riders which give a scale to this Dreadnought of a model.

BFM-HQ

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DID YOU KNOW

Members of Adolf Hitlers inner circle allegedly called Rudolph Hess 'Fraulein Anna' because he was reportedly a homosexual. He was also known as the 'Brown Mouse'

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' Bergepanzer II '

(German Tank Support Vehicle)

Sent in by

Bob Abson Bromsgrove Worcestershire. UK

A change from the general Tank fodder this Bergepanzer II is built from a kit onto a Pz. III chassis, as you can see it is rich with stowage and details, all the tools you need for when you Tiger or Panther is poorly. A nicely detailed tank with some supplied BFM stowage items.

A nice job Bob. BFM - HQ.

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' Soviet KV 1 '

Sent in by

Peter Symonds of Nottingham UK

KV-1 24th Soviet Tank Corps

Tatsinskaya Raid, Christmas Eve 1942.

Despite the success of 'Operation Uranus' the Germans were not going to abandon the sixth armyin Stalingrad without a fight. The desperate airlift to supply and keep the German army alive in the pocket continued and Von Mansteins Panzers launched 'Winter Storm' to attempt to relieve the city,

However the Soviets countered with 'Little Saturn' and by threatening to encircle all of Army Group A regained the initiative.

On the 17th Dec 1942 the Soviet 24th Tank Corps under Major General Vasily Mikaylovich Banahov launched an incredibly daring raid 150 miles behind German lines in the depth of a Russian winter.

Despite promising 800 tons of supplies a dayGoerings 4th air fleet was doing well to deliver 120 tons a day in the harsh winter, this required the Luftwaffer to divert fuel and planes from training and other theatres,

This fragile air link keeping the 6th army just about supplied was to become a prime Soviet target.

On Christmas eve 1942 the Soviets without warning assulted the airfield from three sides at once. Despite desperate resistance by the Germans the Russian Tanks manoevered around the airfield destroying over 300 aircraft including 70 JU-52s which was 10% of the Luftwaffe's entire transport fleet.

Because the Soviet tanks were low on Ammunition many of th eplanes were destroyed by ramming!

However with the airfield captured 24th Tank Corps was now cut off without its supporting motor rifle division and with few supplies. The Germans responce which included three armoured trains meant that very few tankers survived to see 1943.

This model is an Heng Long KV-1 with extra applique armour marking it out as an 'E' or 'Ekranami' type. This added 35mm of spaced armour to the standard KV-1 increasing it's armour protection significantly. Extra fuel drums were made specially made by Battlefrontmodels for the project as raiding behind German lines required a lot of fuel to be varried.

Text by Peter Symonds.

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DID YOU KNOW

The Italian Facists took as there symbol the 'Fasces' which was a bundle of bound rods that symbolised the power of Ancient Rome.

'Fasces'

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"Come Let Me Show You Where The Iron Crosses Grow"