Book "Czołg T-55" by James Kinnear, Stephen L. Sewell

This richly illustrated book thoroughly tells the story of the development and service of the most popular post-war T-55 tank, which has powered the armies of nearly 40 countries since the 1960s. The authors, eminent experts on the subject, draw on the latest research of Russian archives and a rich collection of photographs.

The T-55 tank entered armament in the Soviet Union in May 1958. In fact, it was developed as a "rationalization" version of the T-54B tank: with a powerful 100mm cannon and a W-2 diesel engine. In later years, other significant improvements were made to it, including the ability to fire with anti-tank missiles, laser rangefinders, higher engine output and a new chassis system, as well as additional protection measures, particularly against nuclear weapons.

Although the T-55 was closely related to the designs of previous Soviet tanks, it was one of the most famous types of weapons developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and at the same time became one of the most widely used weapons types in history. Nearly 23,000 copies of the T-55 in all versions were produced in the Soviet Union, 15,000 - in Poland and Czechoslovakia, a small number - in Romania, while thousands of derivative versions left factories in the People's Republic of China. In total, more than 95,000 units of this combat vehicle (and its derivatives) were produced - making it the first in terms of numbers in the world

Book in Polish

Technical data
Author: James Kinnear, Stephen L. Sewell
Release year: 2022
Number of pages: 208
ISBN: 978-83-8151-553-5
Publisher: RM