While we were writing the ‘Tank War’ book, I did some research into Italian tank crew in WWII as, being Italian, I wanted to add an Italian tank ace to the book… …and I eventually found one – with over 50 kills, Alfredo Carpaneto was ranking on par with the best Allied tank aces. However,…
With Tank War now making it’s way into the hands of eager Bolt Action players around the world and all these tanks rumbling around, we thought it was high time we highlighted some anti-tank weaponry. Matthew Davies starts us off with a look at the arsenal of the US army: Tanks can be a terrifying…
The Soviet T-34 series was unsurprisingly the mainstay of the Soviet armoured forces during World War Two – its sloped armour changed the fundamental design of armoured vehicles later in the war, and allowed it to withstand all but the heaviest of German fire. The T-34/85 introduced a new turret to the rugged and reliable…
History The T-34 series, with its sloping armour, changed the principles of tank design during the war. The sloping, angular layout of the T-34 increased the effective armour thickness, and also saw a larger proportion of shells deflected away than penetrated its armour. The introduction of the T-34 into action saw German tank design follow…
History The mainstay of the Allied armies, the Sherman was one of the most versatile tanks during the war, from the fields of Europe to the jungles of the Pacific. The M4 Sherman was produced by the thousand in the automotive factories of Detroit, and became a platform for countless variants as the way developed…
Throughout World War II, the Allied forces leaned heavily upon armoured units to provide an unwavering backbone to their forces which – when backed by the infantry, air forces, naval prowess, and artillery – would stand firm in the face of the Axis threat. At the front and centre stood the M4 Sherman. Created in…
We thought we’d give a little primer on some of the typical historical tank platoon structures to give you guys a little head-start before all hell kicks-off and full-scale Tank War breaks out! As a basic guideline, a World War Two tank platoon would typically number from three to five vehicles, depending upon nationality and…
The 33rd Waffen-SS Charlemagne (1st French) were French volunteers in the Wehrmacht and latterly the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. From estimates of 7,400 to 11,000 at its peak in 1944, the strength of the division fell to just sixty men in May 1945. They were one of the last German units to see action in a pitched battle during the war, where they held…
By 1945 the German Army was a beaten force. It could not surrender, damned by Hitler’s orders to fight to the last man and the Allies’ demand for an unconditional surrender that the Nazi Party could not accept. The war ground on as the Russian armies approached from the east, targeting Berlin itself, and the western Allies fought through the…
1942 – Fall of Singapore After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and their simultaneous invasions of several islands across the Pacific, and then Malaysia the following day, the British interests in the region had been put on high alert. The fortified city of Singapore was supposedly invulnerable to assault and many fled there for safety. Imperial Japanese Expansion, courtesy…
Rich Dando
Graham Davey