Anti-tank defense during the Spanish Civil War of 1936—1939 by the assessments of Soviet military advisers
Nikolay A. Vetoshkin, Postgraduate Student
Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russia, vetoshkinnikolaya@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4877-8666
Abstract
The article studies the views of the Red Army command on ensuring anti-tank defense during the Spanish Civil War of 1936—1939. Based on the reports of Soviet military advisers, it examines how anti-tank defense was organized and which anti-tank weapons became its basis. Soviet commanders believed that artillery would play a decisive role in repelling tank attacks. Tanks and gasoline bottles, used for the first time in defense, proved to be good auxiliary means of combating armored vehicles. Engineering preparation of positions and their camouflage, the creation of a mobile anti-tank reserve and the provision of deeply echeloned anti-tank defense were of great importance.
Keywords
Anti-tank defense, anti-tank artillery, Spanish Civil War, anti-tank warfare, Soviet military advisers in Spain, Red Army.
For citation:
Vetoshkin N. A. Anti-tank defense during the Spanish Civil War of 1936—1939 by the assessments of Soviet military advisers. Vestnik of Orenburg State Pedagogical University. Electronic Scientific Journal, 2025, no. 1 (53), pp. 69—82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32516/2303-9922.2025.53.5.
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