This week sees the release of two new heavy tanks to help the defence of the Motherland against the invading German Army during Operation Barbarossa – the up-armoured KV-1E and the KV-8 flamethrower tank!
The KV tanks were a series of Soviet heavy tanks named after the Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov and used by the Soviet Army during World War II. The KV series were known for their extremely heavy armour protection during the early part of the war, especially during the first year of the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
First up we have the KV-1E where the “E” stands for ekranami (“with screens”) with its additional bolted-on appliqué armour.
The KV-series of Soviet tanks provided a serious problem for the German military to overcome as their thick armour proved all but impenetrable to their anti-tank options. With German anti-tank guns such as the Pak 38 and Pak 40 German forces could finally best these steel monsters. In an attempt to once again make these tanks all but invincible Soviet engineers took to attaching extra armour plates in keys areas to old, damaged or recovered KV-1s. The resulting KV-1E made the series once again all but impregnable…
Fitting a KV-1 with the ATO-41 flame-thrower in the turret, beside a machine gun resulted in the KV-8 flamethrower tank. In order to accommodate the new weapon, the 76.2mm gun was replaced with a smaller 45mm Gun M1932, though it was disguised to look like the standard 76 mm (the cannon was placed inside 76mm tube).
Even though the operations of the KV family of tanks were severely hampered by restrictions due to its weight, they were still fearsome and formidable weapons through most of the Second World War.
Rules for both tanks can be found in Armies of the Soviet Union – a must have for all collectors of the Red Army…
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!
Dan Hewitson
Tom Mecredy
Craig Nixon