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New: KV-1 (1939 pattern) heavy tank

The Red Army receives fresh armour this week and the first of two resin tanks to be added to our Soviet range is a Kv-1 modelled on the early war 1939 pattern – just what is needed to attempt to stem the tide of the German invader or to suppress the Finns during the Winter War.  The KV-1 proved a rude awakening for the German panzers during the early stages of the war on the Eastern Front as it seemed virtually immune to the German armour’s guns!


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At the onset of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the Red Army had around 500 KV-1 heavy tanks built. Outclassing every other tank in operational service – including the world’s only other heavy tank, the French Char B1 bis, it came as something of a rude awakening for the rampant German panzer divisions. As a result some of the battles against numerically superior Axis forces became almost legendary.

The KV-1 had serious advantages over its counterparts in the German armoured formations. Foremost amongst these was its armour being impenetrable by any tank-mounted weapon at the time unless fired at point-blank range. It had good firepower with a 76.2mm main gun in addition to hull and turret mounted machine guns. Another plus point was its good traction on soft ground –  not always the case with heavy tanks.
However, these advantages were offset by difficult steering, poor visibility from inside the tank, a less than reliable transmission (that often need a little help by taking a large hammer to it!) and the lack of a turret basket which would have had serious affects on the reloading times. Arguably its biggest disadvantage was its sheer weight. Its massive, for early war, 45 tons impacted directly in its manoeuvrability as it struggled to cross structures such as bridges that more conventionally sized armour could navigate.

The KV-series tanks were a fearsome and formidable weapon through most of the Second World War.

The rules for the KV-1 can be found in the Bolt Action supplement – Armies of the Soviet Union which is available to order in our webstore!

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This book provides Bolt Action players with all of the information they need to field the military forces of the Soviet Union. From the bitter urban warfare of Stalingrad, through the Winter War against Finland and the final drive to Berlin, the detailed army lists provided in this supplement allow players to construct Soviet armies for any theatre and any year of the war.

Contents

  • Introduction
  • Army Lists
  • Theatres

Written by none other than Andy Chambers, a copy of the Bolt Action rulebook is needed to use this supplement.

When you buy the Armies of the Soviet Union from Warlord Games you also receive for free this exclusive ‘For the Motherland!’ figure that depicts a commissar proudly flying the Soviet flag as he fights the fascist invaders. Za Rodinu! Za Stalina!

As a great companion to Armies of the Soviet Union we have our plastic Soviet infantry box set and our plastic T34/85 medium tank.

Stalin’s Red Army was revitalised by the recent release of our Bolt Action plastic boxed set – Soviet Infantry! With a massive 40 miniatures in each box and a bewildering variety of poses, weapons and equipment, you have everything you need to defeat Hitler’s forces. Death to the German invaders!

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As you can see below you get an absolute stack of troops in the boxed set. Painter Alan Mander built three 11-man squads, a sniper team, anti-tank rifle team and an officer with two subordinate Red Army comrades. Of course, this is just one way you can build the contents of the box – there is a staggering number of options to choose from.

Warlord’s second 1:56 scale plastic vehicle was the iconic Soviet T34/85!

The T-34 series, with its sloping armour, changed the principles of tank design during the war. The sloping, angular layout of the T-34 increased the effective armour thickness, and also saw a larger proportion of shells deflected away than penetrated its armour. The introduction of the T-34 into action saw German tank design follow suit with similarly angled armour on the likes of the Panther and King Tiger. As German tank design came to the fore,  the Soviet war machine once again raised the bar with the T-34/85.

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The box contains 1 plastic tank, assembly leaflet and a fantastic decal sheet. Please note the models is supplied unassembled and unpainted.

We have a comprehensive range for Soviet players in our webstore including the KV-1, KV-2, Iosef Stalin-2 and Soviet Command.

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