The tank has long become a symbol of Soviet military power. Hundreds of our tanks, raised on a pedestal, stand throughout the country and half of Europe as monuments to the Great Victory. But here’s the paradox: for 60 years, not a single serious study has been published on the combat use of Soviet tanks during the Great Patriotic War. That is, there are plenty of worthy works about the history of their creation, design, and performance characteristics, but there was not a single one about Soviet tanks in battle. THIS BOOK IS THE FIRST. Its author, a famous researcher, a recognized expert in the history of armored vehicles, talks in detail about the combat path of all types Soviet tanks - light, medium and heavy - on the eve and during the Patriotic War, about their combat capabilities and features of combat use, about weaknesses and strengths, successes and mistakes, defeats and victories.