British Tanks of the Red Army
More Information
British Tanks of the Red Army
By Peter SamsonovÂ
The first encounter between British armour and the Red Army was not on friendly terms – with the British sending surplus tanks to reinforce the pro-monarchy White Army in the Russian Civil War. When the Reds won, war trophy Mark V heavy tanks as well as medium Mk.A Whippets and Mk.B Hornets entered service with the RKKA. As the political landscape changed during the 1920s, the Red Army assessed British designs available for export and a licensed copy of the Vickers Mk.E entered production in 1931 as the T-26.
During the early days of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, armour losses were huge and the Red Army once again looked abroad to acquire new fighting vehicles. A large-scale programme of military aid to the USSR began in August 1941, with the US and Britain offering help under separate terms – though not for free. A deal was struck and Convoy PQ-1 with the first 20 British tanks for the Red Army left for Arkhangelsk on September 29, 1941. These tanks arrived in time to take place in the Battle of Moscow and as shipments continued, British armoured vehicles would remain in service with the Red Army until the conclusion of the Second World War nearly four years later.
A wide range of British vehicles served under the Red flag during the war – ranging from Matildas and Valentines to Churchills and even Tetrarch light tanks.
In British Tanks of the Red Army, tank expert Peter Samsonov presents a history of British tanks in the Soviet Union and provides a detailed account of their use on the battlefield, including what the Red Army tankers thought of them.
UK delivery schedule Books, Binders, Back Issues, Clothing and all Accessories:
Delivery of the above items is usually made within 7Â days, but please allow up to 28 days....
UK delivery schedule for magazine subscriptions:
We endeavour to load all subscription orders for dispatch from the next available published issue. Depending on the publishing cycle and the time of your order this could be 1-6 weeks for monthly titles, up to 3 months for quarterly titles and 1 to 2 weeks for weekly publications. Should you wish to start your subscription from the issue currently on sale please add this as a comment in your customer notes when placing your order or call the team on 01959 543 747.
Europe and Rest of the World delivery schedule Books, Binders, Back Issues, Clothing and all Accessories:
Delivery of the above items is usually made within 14 days to European countries and 28 days for other countries, but please allow extra time during busy periods such as Christmas. Due to high cost of international postage and in, some cases, customs costs, some products are available for despatch to UK-based customers only. Validation on whether we are able to deliver to your selected country will be completed on the checkout page as will any postage charges that need to be applied to your order.
Europe and Rest of the World delivery schedule for magazine subscriptions:
We endeavour to load all subscription orders for dispatch from the next available published issue. Depending on the publishing cycle and the time of your order this could be 1-6 weeks for monthly titles, up to 3 months for quarterly titles and 1 to 2 weeks for weekly publications. Should you wish to start your subscription from the issue currently on sale please add this as a comment in your customer notes when placing your order. The day after we have posted your mail, it usually takes three more days to reach Western Europe, five days to Eastern Europe and seven days to the rest of the world.