Book Review of
Images of War
Red Army Auxiliary Armoured Vehicles
1930-1945
Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives
Author: Alexey Tarasov
Pen & Sword Military Books
ISBN: 9781526785985
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $22.95
ISBN: 9781526785985
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $22.95
During the 1930’s in the Soviet Union, a remarkable range of auxiliary armoured vehicles were produced for the Red Army, which have rarely had the attention they deserve, and Alexey Tarasov’s photographic history is the ideal guide to them. These innovative designs demonstrate the diversity and innovation of the Soviet arms industry.
Among them were armoured flails, ambulances, bridge-layers, flame-throwers and amphibious cars which prefigure similar designs made by western engineers during WWII. As this selection of rare photographs shows, Soviet designer were in many ways ahead of their time and it was short-sighted internal policy and the short-comings of Soviet industry which led to the cancellation or postponement of many of these promising projects. As a result, when faced with Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the Red Army lacked the auxiliary armour that would have helped to stem the German advance.
Alexey Tarasov’s in-depth research and the rare photograph he has assembled, give a fascinating insight into a little-known aspect of the history of Soviet armoured vehicles.
Alexey Tarasov has made a special study of the armoured forces of Germany, Great Britain, France, the USA and the Soviet Union, and he has compiled an extensive documentary and photographic archive covering the history of the tanks and other fighting vehicles they have produced. He is an author of Tank Encyclopedia Magazine and writes for shephardmedia.com, Izru (Izvestia) and oborona Rossil.
Among them were armoured flails, ambulances, bridge-layers, flame-throwers and amphibious cars which prefigure similar designs made by western engineers during WWII. As this selection of rare photographs shows, Soviet designer were in many ways ahead of their time and it was short-sighted internal policy and the short-comings of Soviet industry which led to the cancellation or postponement of many of these promising projects. As a result, when faced with Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the Red Army lacked the auxiliary armour that would have helped to stem the German advance.
Alexey Tarasov’s in-depth research and the rare photograph he has assembled, give a fascinating insight into a little-known aspect of the history of Soviet armoured vehicles.
Alexey Tarasov has made a special study of the armoured forces of Germany, Great Britain, France, the USA and the Soviet Union, and he has compiled an extensive documentary and photographic archive covering the history of the tanks and other fighting vehicles they have produced. He is an author of Tank Encyclopedia Magazine and writes for shephardmedia.com, Izru (Izvestia) and oborona Rossil.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 158 pages in 7 ½” x 9 ¾” page format. Ten of the pages are blank.
The cover art at the top shows a black and white photo of a TPP Obstacle Crossing Tank. It Is the most peculiar armoured vehicle of the inter-war period, based on the T-26 chassis.
Below it is 3 more black and white wartime photos, showing 2 bridge-laying type tanks and T-20 remotely controlled tractors.
The back cover has 3 more black and white wartime photos on it, of the nose of a tractor, a BA-22 armored medical transport and a bridge layer tank.
The book contains 134 black and white photos. They include:
A photo of a 20mm M1931 (B.4) howitzer
A BKhM-1 fighting chemical vehicle.
Twenty-two photos of the BA-22 armoured medical transport.
A TR-1 armoured personnel carrier.
Two photos of a TPP.
A J-65 diesel tractor.
A OT-130 chemical tank flame-thrower.
A BT-7
Two photos of an automatic flame-thrower.
Six photos of a OU-T26.
A SU-5-2 Light self-propelled gun.
A SU-14 heavy self-propelled gun.
Two photos of a T-20 remote-controlled armored vehicle.
Five photos of a Kominten medium tractor.
Four photos of a STZ cargo tractor.
Six photos of a Stalinets-2 medium artillery tractor.
Two photos of a T-28.
Twenty-one photos of a SBT bridge-layer tank.
A photo of just a wood bridge.
Two line-drawings of flail tanks.
Seven photos of a T-50 flame thrower.
A photo of the armored mantle on a OT-34 flame-thrower.
A OT-34 flame thrower tank.
Two photos of a T-60.
A photo of a T-70.
A photo of a Gaz truck on a train.
A photo of a Stalinets-65 tractor.
Five photos of a STZ-5 artillery tractor.
A Yak-12 fast-moving tractor.
A STZS-NATI tractor carrying a bridge.
A M-4-Quad motor mount on a Zis-5.
A Studebaker truck towing a 122mm D-2 gun.
There are 14 information tables in the book.
Seven line drawings.
5 ½ pages of SOURCES.
This book will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword books and all Pen & Sword titles can be seen on Casemate’s web-site at.
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 158 pages in 7 ½” x 9 ¾” page format. Ten of the pages are blank.
The cover art at the top shows a black and white photo of a TPP Obstacle Crossing Tank. It Is the most peculiar armoured vehicle of the inter-war period, based on the T-26 chassis.
Below it is 3 more black and white wartime photos, showing 2 bridge-laying type tanks and T-20 remotely controlled tractors.
The back cover has 3 more black and white wartime photos on it, of the nose of a tractor, a BA-22 armored medical transport and a bridge layer tank.
The book contains 134 black and white photos. They include:
A photo of a 20mm M1931 (B.4) howitzer
A BKhM-1 fighting chemical vehicle.
Twenty-two photos of the BA-22 armoured medical transport.
A TR-1 armoured personnel carrier.
Two photos of a TPP.
A J-65 diesel tractor.
A OT-130 chemical tank flame-thrower.
A BT-7
Two photos of an automatic flame-thrower.
Six photos of a OU-T26.
A SU-5-2 Light self-propelled gun.
A SU-14 heavy self-propelled gun.
Two photos of a T-20 remote-controlled armored vehicle.
Five photos of a Kominten medium tractor.
Four photos of a STZ cargo tractor.
Six photos of a Stalinets-2 medium artillery tractor.
Two photos of a T-28.
Twenty-one photos of a SBT bridge-layer tank.
A photo of just a wood bridge.
Two line-drawings of flail tanks.
Seven photos of a T-50 flame thrower.
A photo of the armored mantle on a OT-34 flame-thrower.
A OT-34 flame thrower tank.
Two photos of a T-60.
A photo of a T-70.
A photo of a Gaz truck on a train.
A photo of a Stalinets-65 tractor.
Five photos of a STZ-5 artillery tractor.
A Yak-12 fast-moving tractor.
A STZS-NATI tractor carrying a bridge.
A M-4-Quad motor mount on a Zis-5.
A Studebaker truck towing a 122mm D-2 gun.
There are 14 information tables in the book.
Seven line drawings.
5 ½ pages of SOURCES.
This book will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword books and all Pen & Sword titles can be seen on Casemate’s web-site at.
Recommended.