Tanks of North Korea
On 9 August 1945, as agreed by the Allies at the Yalta Conference, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and advanced into Korea.
On 24 August, the Red Army entered Pyongyang and established a military government over Korea north of the parallel.
Both occupying powers began promoting into positions of authority Koreans aligned with their side of politics and marginalizing their opponents.
[6] Politics in the South were more tumultuous, but the strongly anti-communist Syngman Rhee, who had been educated in the US, was positioned as the most prominent politician.
[7] After World War II, tanks would not only continue to be produced in huge numbers, but the technology advanced dramatically as well.
Just after World War II and during the Soviet Union's occupation of the part of Korea north of the 38th Parallel, the Soviet 25th Army headquarters in Pyongyang issued a statement ordering all armed resistance groups in the northern part of the peninsula to disband on 12 October 1945.
After the military was organized and facilities to educate its new recruits were constructed, the Constabulary Discipline Corps was reorganized into the Korean People's Army General Headquarters.
The previously semi-official units became military regulars with distribution of Soviet uniforms, badges, and weapons that followed the inception of the headquarters.
The South Koreans, lacking tanks, anti-tank weapons, or heavy artillery, were unable to mount an effective defense.
The heavier but older M26 Pershing was deemed unsatisfactory due to its inferior mobility, which was unsuitable for a medium tank role as it used the same engine that powered the much lighter M4 Sherman, and in November, 1949, the upgraded M26 received a new power plant and a main gun with bore evacuator, and the M46 Patton designation.
[13] Subsequent shipments of M46 and M46A1 Pattons allowed all remaining M26 Pershings to be withdrawn during 1951, and most Sherman equipped units were also reequipped.
Despite facing a greatly superior enemy numerically, the brigade held its general positions for three days.
[16] The hull of PT-85 becomes wider over the fenders, has sloped sides, driver moved on the right, plates are composed in a different way etc.
Its simple construction made it the second most produced Soviet armoured vehicle of World War II, after the T-34 tank.
The SU-76M thin armour and open top made it vulnerable to antitank weapons, grenades, and small arms.
They included armour-piercing (usual, with ballistic nose and subcaliber hyper-velocity), hollow charge, high explosive, fragmentation, shrapnel and incendiary projectiles.
The M4A3E8, firing 76 mm HVAP rounds, was a closer match to the T-34-85 as both tanks could destroy each other at normal combat ranges.
300 T-54s were ordered in 1967 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1969 and 1974 (the vehicles were probably produced or assembled in North Korea).
[21][24] Some 2000 T-55 and Type 59 Tanks are thought to currently be in service these can be equipped with spaced armor to defeat HEAT warheads.
[25] North Korea also received and built T62M tanks [26] (Ob'yekt 166M) which is an extensive modernization of the T-62 with protection and mobility improvements and the "Volna" fire control system.
The "Volna" fire control system was improved by fitting the KTD-2 (or KTD-1) laser rangefinder in an armoured box over the main armament.
The US intelligence saw T-62M main battle tanks for the first time during the Soviet war in Afghanistan and they gave it the designation T-62E.
The Chonma-ho (Korean: 천마호; Hancha: 天馬號) is one of North Korea's secretive indigenous main battle tank designs.
It is a locally designed main battle tank and contains elements or incorporates technology found in the T-62, T-72, Type 88 and Ch'onma-ho MBTs.
[33] The Songun-915 is a North Korean main battle tank which features a similar chassis with 6 wheels on each side when compared to the Pokpung-ho, but is fitted instead with a cast turret and the 2A46 125 mm gun.
[36][37] The main difference of this vehicle are its 7 suspension wheels and a design with strong resemblance to a M1 Abrams or the T-14 Armata.
[35] The tank was officially named "Cheonma-2" in a release by Korean Central Television, and features a hard-kill Active protection system, a 4 man crew, Explosive Reactive Armor, one piece ammunition, and possibly a new engine.
