ARK models. Німецька 150-мм польова гаубиця siG 33 (15 cm schweres Infanterie Geschütz 33) 1/35

                                         На фото форма коліс відрізняється (крім шини)

Виробництво гармат цього типу було розпочато в 1933 році. По дві такі гармати входили до роти піхотних гармат кожного полку піхотних дивізій вермахту. Влітку 1941 року на озброєнні вермахту було 867 важких піхотних гармат siG 33. Наявність гармат такого великого калібру не спостерігалося у піхотних полках інших армій світу. Саме завдяки цим гарматам, які стріляли снарядами вагою 38 кг, німецькі полки мали можливість оперативно вирішувати бойові завдання не вдаючись до допомоги дивізійного артилерійського полку. siG 33 використовувалися для боротьби з піхотою, знищення польових укріплень, танків і бронеавтомобілів. Скорострільність була обмежена 3-4 пострілами в хвилину внаслідок застосування пострілів роздільного заряджання. Гармата транспортувалася кінної (шість коней) або механічною тягою. Крім того, siG 33 з успіхом встановлювалася на шасі різних танків, що значно підвищувало її мобільність.

The 15 cm sIG 33 (schweres Infanterie Geschütz 33) was the standard German heavy infantry gun used in the Second World War. It was the largest weapon ever classified as an infantry gun by any nation.
Sources differ on the development history, but the gun itself was of conventional design. Early production models were horse-drawn, with wooden wheels. Later production models had pressed steel wheels, with solid rubber tires and air brakes for motor towing.
The sIG 33 was rather heavy for its mission and it was redesigned in the late 1930s to incorporate light alloys in an effort to save weight. This saved about 150 kilograms (330 lb), but the outbreak of war forced the return to the original design before more than a few hundred were made, as the Luftwaffe had a higher priority for light alloys. A new carriage, made entirely of light alloys, was tested around 1939, but was not accepted for service.

ITALERI. 50-мм протитанкова гармата Pak 38 (5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 38 (L/60) 1/35

Початок розробки гармати Pak 38 відноситься до 1938 року.
Гармата мала лафет з розсувними станинами, який забезпечував кут горизонтального обстрілу 65°, стрільбу можна було вести при кутах піднесення від -8° до +27°. Лафет мав підресорювання, яке автоматично вимикалось при розсовуванні станин і включалося при їх змиканні. Максимальна швидкість переміщення при транспортуванні гармати становила 35 км/год. Ствол-моноблок складався з труби і казенника, надітого на трубу і укріпленого на ній сполучною муфтою.
Горизонтальний клиновий затвор мав механізм автоматичного зачинення. Щитове прикриття складалося з верхнього і нижнього щитів. Верхній щит був подвійним, і складався з двох сталевих листів товщиною 4 мм кожен, розташованих на відстані 20-25 мм один від одного.
Для полегшення перекочування вручну знаряддя поєднувалося з легким одноосьовим передком.
У 50-мм протитанкової гармати Pak 38 застосовувалися постріли патронного заряджання з осколковими або бронебійно-трасуючими снарядами.
Гармата Pak 38 була прийнята на озброєння в ході підготовки до нападу на Радянський Союз. Командування Вермахту припускала наявність у Червоній Армії великої кількості танків, але поява на полі бою танків Т-34 і KB з протиснарядною бронею виявилося неприємним сюрпризом. Бронепробиваємість гармати Pak 38 виявилася недостатньо високою для боротьби з ними, тому з 1943 року почалася заміна гармат Pak 38 більш потужними 75-мм гарматами Pak 40.

The Pak 38 was first used by the German forces during the Second World War in April 1941. When the Germans faced Soviet tanks in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, the Pak 38 was one of the few early guns capable of penetrating the 45 mm (1.8 in) armor of the T-34. The gun was also equipped with Panzergranate 40 APCR shots with a hard tungsten core, in an attempt to penetrate the armor of the heavier KV-1 tank. The Pak 38 was also used in the Atlantic Wall because of its range and anti-tank capabilities, which would have been very useful in destroying allied tanks on the shore.
Although it was replaced by more powerful weapons, it remained a potent and useful weapon and remained in service with the Wehrmacht until the end of the war.
The Pak 38 carriage was also used for the 7.5 cm Pak 97/38 and the 7.5 cm Pak 50(f) guns.
Romania imported 110 Pak 38s in March 1943. The guns remained in service with the Romanian Armed Forces until 1954, when the 57 mm anti-tank gun M1943 (ZiS-2) replaced them.

                                             Гармата зібрана в похідному положенні.

ITALERI (ZVEZDA) Танковий екіпаж РККА (Soviet tank crew WW II) 1/35

Zvezda. САУ Semovente da 75/18 M40 (Self-propelled assault gun) 1/35

Самохідна артилерійська установка Semovente da 75/18 М40.
У 1941 році на базі італійського командирського танка була створена артилерійська установка з екіпажем 3 чоловіка. На шасі середнього танка М 13/40 встановлювалася повністю закрита броньована  рубка з 75-мм гаубицею.                                   

With the StuG, the Germans had devised a way to assist infantry with motorised artillery fire at divisional level, mostly due to General Guderian’s ideas before the war. Following the French campaign, an artillery colonel of the Regio Esercito was impressed by the StuG and lobbied for the production of a similar vehicle, based on an existing chassis. This man was Sergio Berlese, who had designed the successful Obice da 75/18 mod.34. Under his supervision, a prototype was quickly built at FIAT, and delivered for trials in February 1941. It was based on the latest M13/40 chassis. After successful trials, the Army ordered a first batch of 60 Semovente da 75/18s, to be delivered before mid-1941. However, it was not before January 1942 that these machines saw action in North Africa.
Design of the Semovente Da 75/18
Basically, the Semovente 75/18 (caliber in mm/barrel length in calibers) was based on the medium tank M13/40. The turretless hull received a large casemate, tall enough to allow the gun servants to operate around the main gun.
Construction was similar to the regular medium tank, with a bolted hull, the crew/fighting compartment inside the casemate, and separated engine at the rear. However, this compartment was small and redesigned. The suspension (semi-elliptical leaf spring bogies) and tracks were also similar. The crew was reduced, and the commander needed to aim and fire the gun as well.
The gun itself protruded through a half-ball armored mantlet, which allowed considerable traverse (40°) and elevation (-12°/+22°). The 75/18 was a modern artillery piece, fitted with a muzzle brake dotted with small blast exhaust holes. 44 rounds were carried. The gun was meant for infantry support, and had a low velocity (around 450 m/s) and, although the original gun had a 9500 m (5.9 mi) range at maximum elevation (45°), the more reduced elevation of the Semovente reduced this range at 7000-7500 m (4.3-4.7 mi). For close-quarter combat and self defense, the crew carried their personal weapons and a Breda 6.5 mm (0.25 in) machine-gun, which could be mounted near the roof hatch, on a fixed point. However, this machine-gun was rarely carried in practice. A model RF1 CA with interphone radio was usually fitted, served by the loader.
Production and deliveries
Production took place at the same factories which produced, in parallel, the M13/40 and later M14/41. The model evolved accordingly, both in weight, power, speed, range, and protection. The Semovente da 75/18 M40 had the original FIAT 125 hp engine and maximum 40 mm (1.57 in) of armor, while the heavier M41 had a 145 hp (108 kW) engine and double armored plates, with a combined width of 50 mm (1.97 in). This solution proved even stronger than a single plate of similar thickness, although the plates were near-vertical. The original 6.5 mm (0.25 in) Breda was replaced by a heavier 8 mm (0.31 in), and around 1108 rounds were carried. By mid-1943, the M42 was the new basis, with few changes except protection and some accommodations.
Production was scheduled to stop in late 1943 as better models were needed, namely the Semovente 75/34, 75/46 and 105/25. The Semovente 75/18 was seen as an interim vehicle before the heavier P26/40 could enter service. The numbers built are pretty elusive, with most sources mentioning 60 M40s and 162 M41s, with no information as to the M42. “Jane’s World War Two Tanks and Fighting Vehicles” states that there 30 M40s, 196 M41s and 66 M42s were built, for a total of 292.
The Semovente 75/18 in action
Tactically, these vehicles were mostly used as mobile artillery at divisional level. The organic structure consisted of two artillery groups for each armored division, 2 batteries of four 75/18 each and a command vehicle. The first batch was just enough to equip three armored divisions. The first units equipped with these vehicles started operating in Libya in January 1942. At El Alamein they performed remarkably well, continuing to do so during the entire campaign, until November 1943. They proved versatile and even deadly against many Allied tanks in direct fire, although the American M3 Lee/Grant and M4 Sherman required the use of HEAT rounds. They also served as assault guns, providing indirect fire. These vehicles were well-served by their low profile, good protection, and could fire either HE, AP or HEAT shells, and often performed even better than the mediums equipped with high-velocity 47 mm (1.85 in) guns.
However, there were several issues with this machine. Firstly, its lack of ammunition, with only 44 round carried, which required supply vehicles to be permanently on hand. Secondly, they lacked range compared to the open-topped Allied SPGs, like the Priest and Sexton, or the German Wespe, limiting the effectiveness of indirect support. Thirdly, they did not have a coaxial machine-gun and proved vulnerable to infantry assaults. The old-fashioned bolted hull was weaker than welded ones, and the 1930-style suspension did not allow great speeds. The Semoventes were also seen in action in Sicily, and later in southern Italy, in Italian hands.
However, in the aftermath of the Italian surrender in November 1943, the Germans seized 123 vehicles and ordered the production to continue for their needs, delivering 55 more. They replaced the much-needed StuGs in the same role, the most heavily equipped unit being the Austrian 22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division Maria Theresa and one Gebirgsdivision soldiering in Northern Italy and the Balkans. The last Semoventes saw action until the capitulation of all German forces in Italy. Nowadays, a few vehicles can still be seen in some museums and collections. (http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/)     

Zvezda. Радянський легкий танк Т-26 РТ (Soviet light tank mod. of 1933) 1/35

Танк Т-26 (однобаштовий танк з радіостанцією 71-ТК-1)  зразка 1933 року був модернізацією двобаштового танка зразка 1931 року. На ньому була встановлена ​​одна велика башта з 45-мм гарматою і спареним кулеметом. На командирських танках, у зв'язку з установкою радіостанції, башти забезпечувалися поручневими антенами.

The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used during many conflicts of the 1930s and in World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and was one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s until its light armour became vulnerable to newer anti-tank guns. It was produced in greater numbers than any other tank of the period, with more than 11,000 manufactured. During the 1930s, the USSR developed 53 variants of the T-26, including flame-throwing tanks, combat engineer vehicles, remotely controlled tanks, self-propelled guns, artillery tractors, and armoured carriers. Twenty-three of these were series-produced, others were experimental models.
The T-26 and BT were the main tanks of the Red Army's armoured forces during the interwar period. The T-26 was the most important tank of the Spanish Civil War and played a significant role during the Battle of Lake Khasan in 1938, as well as in the Winter War in 1939–40. Though nearly obsolete by the beginning of World War II, the T-26 was the most numerous tank in the Red Army's armoured force during the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. The T-26 fought the Germans and their allies during the Battle of Moscow in 1941–42, the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of the Caucasus in 1942–1943; some tank units of the Leningrad Front used their T-26s until 1944. Soviet T-26 light tanks last saw use in August 1945, during the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria.
The T-26 was exported and used extensively by Spain, China and Turkey. Captured T-26s were used by the Finnish, German, Romanian and Hungarian armies. The tank was reliable and simple to maintain, and its design was continually modernised between 1931 and 1941. No new models of the T-26 were developed after 1940.

Zvezda. Бронеавтомобіль БА-3 (Armored car BA-3 mod. 1934) 1/35

Випущений в 1934 році бронеавтомобіль БА-3 мав саме потужне артилерійське озброєння серед бронеавтомобілів того часу. На БА-3 встановлювалася башта від танка Т-26 з гарматою калібру 45 мм. БА-3 брали участь у боях з японськими військами біля річки Халхин-Гол, у Зимовій війні з Фінляндією і на полях Другої світової війни в самий складний початковий період.

The BA-3 (Russian: Broneavtomobil 3) was a heavy armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1933, followed by a slightly changed model BA-6 in 1936. Both were based mostly on BA-I, the most important development being the new turret, same as in the T-26 m 1933 and BT-5 tanks, and also equipped with the 45 mm main gun. Around 180 BA-3 cars were built at the Izhorskij and Vyksunskij factories, until production ended in 1935. BA-6 followed with 386 cars produced between 1936 and 1938 in Izhorskij factory. Most of BA-3 production was based on the Ford-Timken chassis, a 6×4 modification of the US Ford AA 4×2 truck, but the last batch was built on Russian version of the same chassis - GAZ-AAA, continued to be used in BA-6. The biggest limitation of the BA-3 was the mobility, limited to roads or very hard ground, the result of unnecessarily large weight. The innovation that slightly improved mobility were the auxiliary ("Overall") tracks that could be fitted onto the rear tandem wheels, converting the car to half-track.
The BA-3 is externally very similar to the BA-6; the BA-3 retained door in the rear of the hull that was not present in the BA-6. More important improvement of BA-6 were the new GK tires, filled with sponge (porous rubber), and thus much less vulnerable to small-caliber fire. On the downside, the tires reduced both the speed and range of the vehicle, despite it had a somewhat thinned armor. BA-3/6 cars were superseded by BA-10 model. All cars of this series were very heavily armed for the era; they could knock out other vehicles with ease, including tanks. However, their thin armor made them vulnerable to heavy machine gun fire and small caliber cannon fire.
A prototype railway BA-3ZD variant was created in 1936, but was not accepted for production. The BA-6ZD was produced in limited numbers.
The BA-3/6 were used in combat in the Spanish Civil War, against the Japanese in the Battle of Khalkhyn Gol, in the Finnish Winter War, and against the Germans in the early stages of the Eastern Front. Ironically, the German Army used a few Spanish-built six-wheeled armored cars that were close copies of the BA-3/6 series. Later in the war, the BA-3/6/10 were replaced in the Red Army's heavy scout vehicle role by light tanks, such as the T-60 and T-70.
A few captured BA-3 cars were used by Finnish army under designation BAF A (sometimes also BA-32-1), and captured BA-6 cars under designation BAF B.