Comments on: Zhozef Jakovlevich Kotin

By: Fishrokk

Fishrokk — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 21:46:13 +0000

Am I the only one that thinks we’ve found Matthew Broderick’s body double here?

Bueller?

By: Kellomies

Kellomies — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 07:17:13 +0000

Weren’t the T-150 and KV-220 projects pretty specifically aimed at “debugging” the various flaws of the original KV design though, dodgy mobility included? And the last I checked it wasn’t exactly unusual to plan for engines still on drawing boards if even that far along – the Germans managed to screw over more or less an entire generation of new bombers that way.

By: Mark Ragil

Mark Ragil — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 05:29:00 +0000

I agree 100% in your statement there bro.

By: Laforeta .

Laforeta . — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 21:38:12 +0000

Brilliant? Questionable. Simplicity? No no no no no

Kotin, like Tukhachevsky, is hopelessly obsessed with the idea of building giant land fortresses without considering the technical difficulties. The SMK was a total failure, KV had an underpowered engine and many transmission problems directly contributing to their heavy loss in 1941, T-50 design was essentially abandoned because it was too complex to build, not to mention the all the wasted effort to produce an even heavier KV (T-150 and KV-220 derivatives) without a suitable engine available.

KV and IS tanks did not win the war, the credit goes to the many thousands of T-34, SU-76 and T-60/70 tanks.

By: Laforeta .

Laforeta . — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 21:26:29 +0000

The above reads “He had a (well-connected) father-in-law.”

By: Dominatus

Dominatus — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 18:04:17 +0000

I recall that he was closely related to Voroshilov by marriage, so he had nothing to worry about.

By: Drakko

Drakko — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 15:41:55 +0000

‘cept the original AK-47 isn’t really…how to put it?…100% Kalahsnikov’s design…

By: Kellomies

Kellomies — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 13:40:39 +0000

It’s more likely than you’d think.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 13:05:13 +0000

Impossibru!!!

By: Kellomies

Kellomies — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 12:57:41 +0000

Yeah except not really. The Purges weren’t noted for being terribly discerning in that regard – Hell, when Stalin called off the Great Purge in mid-’38 the terror apparatus had apparently started tearing at *itself*.
‘Course engineers and scientists tended to end up in the sharashkas instead of the Kolymas, what with being too useful to waste, but that’s beside the point.