An American report on the Maus tank based on the interrogation of German staff at Meppen was made #OTD in 1945. The tank still largely remained a mystery and its weight could only be estimated as somewhere between 150 and 200 tons. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Soviet tank unit organization was altered #OTD in 1942. Tank corps were formed composed of three brigades: one heavy and two medium. Both had light tanks for support. Independent tank brigades would be composed of a mix of light, medium and heavy tanks. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The 66th Special Purpose Tank Battalion was formed #OTD in 1942 to take part in the invasion of Malta. In addition to rare Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.F and Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.J tanks it included captured Soviet T-34, KV-1, and KV-2 tanks. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

The Black Prince was a modernization of the Churchill VII tank featuring a wider hull and a larger turret with a 17-pounder gun, but the same engine and transmission despite weighing 10 tons more. #OTD in 1945 the contract for 300 units was cancelled. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The ZIS-5 gun originally had the ballistics of the 76 mm 3-K AA gun. #OTD in 1941 the project suffered a serious setback as production of 3-K ammunition ceased. The ZIS-5 went into production using the shorter barrel and ammo from the F-34. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The T-34 was far from the only vehicle to use a V-2 engine. A variant was used in the Voroshilovets prime mover. Trials that began #OTD in 1939 showed that the engine could pull impressive loads, including a T-35 heavy tank uphill. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

Light tanks with 80 mm of armour were not cancelled when the German tank program was revised as they slid under the weight cutoff, but the priorities defined #OTD in 1941 oddballs like the Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.J were still dead last. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The British tested the stabilizer on the Medium Tank M3 #OTD in 1942. The results were not very encouraging. Hit rate improved by a few %, but gains were only noticeable when the tank was firing directly forward while driving uphill at an even pace. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

The Israeli Defense Force was officially formed #OTD in 1948. The newly formed nation couldn't be picky regarding its military hardware, resulting in a very heterogeneous armoured force featuring many obsolete WW2 era tanks. #tanks #history

The Renault FT tanks first saw battle #OTD in 1918. These tanks were a lot cheaper and easier to build than the heavy tanks that were most commonly seen previously. #tanks #history #WW1 #WWI

The USSR and Ford Motor Company signed a deal #OTD in 1929 to establish a factory in the USSR. The factory in Gorky started out assembling trucks from parts produced in America and shifted to using domestically produced components by 1932. #cars #History

Scale models were used during the Second World War to train vehicle recognition, particularly for pilots. This cardboard scale model of the KV-2 tank was published #OTD in 1942. Ironically, the KV-2 had been out of production for nearly a year. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1942 the GABTU put out a report criticizing the KV-1 and requesting a new 30 ton heavy tank. The KV-13 showed that this was possible, but too many compromises had to be made. A year later, Soviet heavy tanks were back to 45 tons. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

#OTD in 1943 the VT-43 gun passed trials. This gun offered more firepower to the T-70B light tank. Unfortunately, by this point the Red Army was pessimistic about the future of the light tank class as a whole, and so the gun was never mass produced. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

As with many tanks, the T-70 became heavier over the course of production as improvements were introduced. #OTD in 1942 an order was given to develop heavy duty running gear and wider tracks to make up for the extra weight. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

A 107 mm ZIS-6 gun was delivered to LKZ #OTD in 1941. It was installed in the turret of a KV-2 for trials. The gun passed but the KV-3 tank it was meant to go into was not completed before the German invasion and cancelled in 1942. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII