Soviet Motor Gunboats of World War II: The Red Army's 'river tanks' from Stalingrad to Berlin (New Vanguard, 324)

This Osprey New Vanguard series book examines the use by the Soviet Union of armored motor gunboats in the Second World War. The armored gunboat, a carry-over from Imperial Russian days, were light enough to be transported by rail. They proved to be very useful on river systems and in coastal waters from Siberia to Finland to the German frontier.The book includes an excellent selection of period photographs and modern illustrations and diagrams. The author's wry but truthful comments about the Soviet Union and its methods of manufacture are refreshing. Very well recommended to students of the Second World War as an underexamined aspect of that conflict.

Very good 48 pages booklet.it discusses the development histories, technical design characteristics, and the deployments of the boats in WW II. There are tabulations of dimensions, displacement, armament, machinery and speed, crew complement, and armor thickness. The text is also accompanied by numerous black and white photos and a couple of color renderings. There are few accounts of any specific river battles or assaults involving the boats.An oddity of most of the early designs, I felt, was the thinking that a thin 7 mm side armor belt and 4 mm deck armor could accomplish anything. Wartime experience showed that it was useless — it could not keep out even 7.62 mm (30 caliber ) rifle or machine gun fire. Later gunboat designs doubled the side armor thicknesses to 14 mm and even 20 mm.I have long thought that the use of tank T-28 and T-34 turrets for the main armament was pretty clever. It allowed for the use of standard army ammunition and also meant that army technical troops could repair and maintain most of the boats’ components.

The whole story of Soviet Motor Gunboats of World War II can be found in this book. Great narrative and photos and drawing of every class and sub class of Soviet Motor Gunboats of Pre World War II to 1990.

A unusual and little known subject, a very interesting read on something so obscure that not many people know about them.

本書はソ連の砲艦をテーマにしており、この砲艦と言えばT-34の砲塔を装備していることで知っている人もいるかと思います。　本文記事は河用砲艦の起源と歴史とソ連での河用砲艦（実質はプロジェクト1124と1125）の開発史と実戦での運用、航洋砲艦と戦後第一世代の河用砲艦プロジェクト191と1204等にも触れています。　本文にはモノクロ写真（現在ハバロフスクに展示されているプロジェクト1124の1隻BK-302はカラー写真）とカラーイラスト（プロジェクト1124と1125の第1シリーズ、プロジェクト1124と1125の第2シリーズ、プロジェクト1124第2シリーズ1940年型、プロジェクト191と1204、インアクション2頁、プロジェクト1124の1隻BＫ-324の1945年時の内部イラスト）が視覚情報を補ってくれます。また河用砲艦の系統図やプロジェクト1124の武装バリエーション12隻分も理解に役立ちます。　第2次大戦中の河用砲艦は2種類しか無いことに驚きます。現在のロシア戦車もそうですが、仰角が低く土手の背後に隠れた敵を射撃するには不満足なので改善を要求しても拒否されたり、T-34の砲塔も鋳造砲塔を好んだ陸軍の残り物である溶接砲塔で我慢しなければならなかった話や工場疎開で工程の簡略化が進められるなか、トイレまでバケツになった話。河用砲艦の設計者でフランス革命を逃れた貴族の末裔であったユーリ　べノアの危機など面白いエピソードも多いのですが、その分48頁という頁数を守るために実戦が少し寂しい印象もありますが良い本だと思います。

Basically a list of soviet gunboats the numbers built and some development history. Apart from where used very little information on there actual use in combat. That said it's a big subject and a small format so something has to give. Some nice pictures and the plates are good too. I'd recommend it afterall what else is out there in English on this subject.