Discover the untold story of the Soviet KV (Kliment “Klim” Voroshilov) series of heavy tanks in this groundbreaking and meticulously researched book. Traditionally overshadowed by the renowned T-34, the KV tank has often been mischaracterised in Western sources as slow and cumbersome, with limited impact during Operation Barbarossa—the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union. However, recent research has revolutionised our understanding of the KV, revealing its critical role on the Eastern Front.

In this comprehensive publication, the author presents a fully updated and unbiased reassessment of the KV tank’s legacy. Drawing on newly uncovered evidence, this work argues that the KV’s contribution to the Soviet war effort has been vastly underestimated. This book provides an entirely fresh perspective on a legendary Soviet tank design that took the German Wehrmacht by surprise, slowing their advance under the most challenging conditions and laying the groundwork for the eventual Soviet victory.

The author boldly asserts that the KV tank’s impact on the Eastern Front in 1941 was, in many respects, comparable to the psychological and tactical influence of the German Tiger tank on the Western Allies during the Normandy campaign in 1944.

This authoritative volume covers every aspect of the KV family’s development, from prototypes and pre-series vehicles to mass-production models and their combat deployment. It also addresses and corrects errors in previously published works, offering astonishing new details and unveiling previously unknown variants for the first time. A dedicated chapter also explores the fascinating history of KV tanks captured and used by the German Wehrmacht as KW Beutepanzers.

Spanning 728 pages and featuring over 1,030 wartime photographs, 204 additional black-and-white images, 345 detailed 2-D and 3-D graphics, as well as 18 1/35-scale 5-perspective line drawings, 32 colour plates, and 45 colour photographs, this book is the most extensive visual coverage ever published on the KV tank series. At last, the “Klim Voroshilov” tank family is given its rightful place in the annals of Soviet military history, standing proudly alongside the defenders of the motherland in 1941 and securing its place in world tank history.