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Terminology
There are many differing opinions on the correct terminology when describing different variants and sub-variants of Soviet armored vehicles. It has become an accepted practice among historians and authors to describe sub-variants according to the year of their introduction; for example 'KV-1 Model 1942'. However, the Soviet manufacturers and even the RKKA did not use such designations at the time, and they were only introduced by historians in the post-war period.
For the KV series, there are numerous variations between authors in terms of how these designations are applied. For the purpose of discussion in my book and on this site, I have used the following designations:
| Designation |
Meaning |
|---|---|
| KV s malenkiy bashniy |
Vehicles armed with the 76.2mm L-11 gun, manufactured between April
and October 1940. These vehicles were completed with either the
prototype turret with its rounded rear plate (April to July 1940), or
the early welded turret with its flat rear plate (July 1940
onwards). These vehicles also featured a pistol port in the
driver's plate, in front of the radio operator's position. |
| KV-1 Model 1939 |
Vehicles armed with the 76.2mm L-11 gun, manufactured between
October and December 1940. These vehicles featured a ball-mounted
machine fun in the driver's plate, in front of the radio operator's
position. |
| KV-1 Model 1940 |
Vehicles armed with the 76.2mm F-32 gun, manufactured between
January and November 1941. These vehicles mounted the main
armament in either the 75mm-armored welded turret (January to July
1941) or the 90mm-armored welded turret (July to November 1941). |
| KV-1 Model 1941 |
Vehicles armed with the 76.2mm ZIS-5 gun, in either the
90mm-armored welded turret, simplified welded turret or both types of
cast turret. These vehicles were manufactured between October
1941 and June 1942. These vehicles mounted the turret on the
original hull design with its rounded rear overhang. |
| KV-1 Model 1942 |
Vehicles armed with the 76.2mm ZIS-5 gun, in either the 90mm-armored welded turret, simplified welded turret or both types of cast turret. The vehicles were manufactured between January and September 1942. These vehicles mounted the turret in an uparmored hull with its angular rear overhang. |
| KV-1S | Vehicles armed with the 76.2mm ZIS-5 gun in a lighter hull and cast
turret design, introduced in September 1942. These vehicles were
manufactured until September 1943. |
| KV-85 | Vehicles armed with the 85mm D-5T gun in a cast turret intended for
the IS series heavy tanks, mounted on a modified KV-1S hull.
These vehicles were manufactured between September and November
1943. |
| KV s bolshoiy bashniy |
Vehicles armed with the 152mm M-10S howitzer in an MT-1
turret. Four pre-production vehicles were manufactured in
January/February 1940 and a further twenty series production vehicles
in mid-1940. |
| KV-2 Model 1940 |
Vehicles armed with the 152mm M-10S howitzer in an MT-2
turret. Two production batches were manufactured in
November/December 1940 and May/June 1941. |
| KV-8 | Vehicles armed with a 45mm gun and ATO-41 flame projector in a
90mm-armored welded turret on a KV-1 Model 1942 hull. |
| KV-8S | Vehicles armed with a 45mm gun and ATO-42 flame projector in a
simplified welded turret or KV-1S cast turret, on a KV-1S hull. |
| SU-152 | Vehicles armed with a 152mm ML-20S howitzer in an armored superstructure on a modified KV-1S hull. |
Throughout the site, there are numerous references to fender stowage configurations and to the various positions on each fender, which are numbered 1 thru 10, as shown in the following diagram:
The front of the vehicle faces left.
Early KV-1 Flamethrower Tanks
