File:KV-1B Heavy Tank ‘716’ “From the Women of Leningrad to the Front” (35781546074).jpg

Chassis No 11306. Official designation:- Heavy Tank KV-1 Model 1941 The KV series of tanks were named after Klement Voroshilov, the Soviet Defence Commissar and politician. They were heavily armoured and were immune to the 37mm or 75mm guns on the German Panzer III or IV and were only vulnerable to 88mm weapons. Over 5,200 of all variants were built, with 4,468 being KV-1. This is a Model 1941 KV-1 with cast turret, which had the German designation KV-1B. It was built at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, known as ‘Tankograd’ after production of the ‘KV’ series moved there from the Leningrad Kirov Plant. It was one of two which (according to contemporary sources) had a lot of extra care lavished on them and were then supplied to the West by the USSR as samples, one to Britain, one to the USA. This exhibit is the British sample and after evaluation at the British Army’s School of Tank Technology it was donated to the Tank Museum. It was put on the museum books in 1952. It has been painted to represent a Red Army tank, whitewashed for winter conditions and bearing the patriotic slogan ‘From the women of Leningrad to the Front’. On display at The Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset, UK.