Casemate Publishing

Tanks in the Winter War 1939-1940

Reviewed By  Tom Jett, IPMS# 46082

MSRP: $39.95 ISBN: 91-975895-2-7 Website: www.casematepublishing.com Covering a rather obscure and sparsely-documented period of the early days of WWII, Tanks in the Winter War examines the bitter fighting between Russian and Finnish troops during the winter of 1939 and 1940. The book gives the Russian perspective of the Finnish war using recently-discovered Russian archival photos and documents. All the major engagements on the Karelian Isthmus are covered in great detail including the commanders, the tactics and most interestingly, the tanks employed. Featured in the 160 pages of text are approximately 150 black-and-white photographs of early war Russian tanks of all shapes and sizes including the FT-17, T-26, T-28, T-35, T-70 and the BT-5, just to mention a few of the popular varieties. Also pictured are one-side views of the predecessors to the KV series tanks, the T-100 and SMK Heavy Tanks. The photos are largely of good quality (although there are a few photos that don’t seem to depict anything recognizable) and provide the modeler with a wealth of diorama and painting ideas. There are some excellent photos of worn white-washed finishes that will really prove invaluable for those wanting to depict a convincing winter tank. In addition to the text and photos are 40 pages of extra material including eight pages of short vehicular descriptions, seven pages of "1/35 scale" line drawings. (Note: scale might not appear accurate- needs further verification) and 25 pages of very nice side-view color plates of various vehicles and camouflage patterns. Overall, this is a very worthwhile volume of a unique, early WWII period and will prove a great reference for any Russian armor buff. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Casemate for the review sample.