The T-12 was developed as a replacement for the D-48 85mm anti-tank gun, and was the first smoothbore anti-tank gun to enter service, in 1961. The decision to adopt a smoothbore barrel led to improved HEAT performance, higher muzzle velocity, and longer barrel life than an equivalent rifled barrel. The kinetic energy penetrator was very long and thin, further improving penetration.

I'm not a fan of Christmas songs, so I thought it would be interesting to make a playlist of music related to, or about history. With one exception, all the songs here are from my personal collection. Consequently, there's a lot of folk and rock, particularly Billy Bragg and Iron Maiden. I've added a few notes about some tracks.

Recently, I saw a link to an Atlas Obscura article about the M65 “Atomic Annie”. The M65 was a US 280mm artillery gun that could fire nuclear ammunition. The article claims that it was the world’s first and only nuclear gun. Atomic Annie was the first nuclear gun, but it wasn’t the only one. 2A3...

I choose to wear a red poppy. Some wear a white one, others choose to wear nothing. I have no argument with any of those people. I save my anger for those that think it is acceptable to send teenagers to die. I direct my anger at those that demand war, then ask why our...

I’ve just discovered that the band Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate have included a song about Lidice on their new album, Out of Mind. I was both surprised and very proud when one of the band, Malcolm Galloway, contacted me to tell me that the song was inspired by my interview on The WW2 Podcast...

I’m happy to announce that I’ve just released an ebook of the first three books in the Weapons and Equipment of the Warsaw Pact series. If you haven’t already bought the ebooks, this will give you the chance to get all three in a single file at a reduced price. It is available at all...

Development of the Stridsvagn 103 began in 1958, led by Bofors. A contract was awarded in 1959 for two prototypes, followed by a pre-production order from the Swedish army for 10 vehicles in mid 1960. The initial two prototypes were finished in 1961, and differed from production vehicles. They had no return rollers, no support...

I’m happy to announce that Artillery of the Warsaw Pact, the third book in my Weapons and Equipment of the Warsaw Pact series, has been released. Artillery of the Warsaw Pact provides a compelling and detailed account of the artillery used by Warsaw Pact countries and the important role it played during this period of...

In the late 1970s, Czechoslovakia began development of a wheeled 152mm self-propelled gun-howitzer. The result was the vzor 77 Dana, which entered service with the Czech army in 1981. It had an eight-wheeled chassis based on components of the Tatra 813 8×8 lorry, rather than the more usual tracked chassis. The Tatra 813 had been...

In the 1950s, the British army investigated the possibility of a main battle tank weighing around 20-30 tons. Named the FV4401 Contentious, it was part of Project Prodigal, which eventually led to the highly successful CVR(T) range, some of which are still in service today. Contentious was envisioned as a small tank, but with armour...