"The
Klim Voroshilov Heavy Breakthrough Tank"
by V.V. Gagin
Poligraf Publishing, Voronezh, Russia, 1996
32 pp.
| ISBN: | 5-86937-010-8 |
| Review Type: | Book Review |
| Rating: | Recommended |
S u m m a r y |
| Price: | £12.99 (UK); Approx US$22 |
| Advantages: | Good, useful book on the KV series with a number of new photos of KV and KV-1s tanks in action |
| Disadvantages: | High price, low distribution; new facts from other authors have passed parts of this book by; Russian language, but with English subtitles to illustrations |
| Recommendation: | For Soviet armor fans and Russian linguists |
T h e B o o k |
I am a real sucker for any new books on Soviet armor. Although stung on two other
purchases due to sleazy Russian marketing practices, this book is not bad and has the one
advantage that its illustrations are subtitled in English for wider appeal. The author in
this case is not only identified but illustrated "in drag" from his days in the
early 1980s when he was a serving tank officer in the 2nd GMRD – the "Taman
Guards" division.
The book uses new and old material to cover the history of the KV tank, and has a large
number of what appear to be fresh illustrations of the KV tanks in action. Some
information has been made obsolete (i.e. we know know that the KV tank carried three guns
as designed – a 12.7mm machine gun, a 45mm AT gun, and a 76mm gun all in one
mantelet, and the 152mm version built in 1939 was called the "KV with Big
Turret", not the KV-2) but most is pretty fair, and the information is pretty good
where new sources are cited. A number of incidents in the combat career of the KV are
cited in text, and the overall presentation is pretty good stuff.
This is a pricey book – thirteen pounds works out to around $21.70 for a slim 32 page
effort -- but the photos alone just about justify the price of the book.
Note that the press runs of Russian books are very low as a rule. This one only had some
1000 copies printed in its first run, and the scarcity of the books makes them worth more
in the English bookshops, and hence to the West. Few of these books filter past England,
with exceptions like Lou Bobiyak's Ace Hobbies in New York City. If you can find one,
expect it to come dear.
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