Crimean Spring: 'KV-9' Against Manstein's Tanks

Spring 1942. Our troops on the Kerch Peninsula prepare to liberate Crimea. But Manstein gets there first, delivering an unexpected and powerful blow. His goal is to smash the Red Army units near Kerch, cross over to the Taman Peninsula, and press the offensive toward the oil fields of Grozny, Mozdok, and Baku.

But on the path of the German breakthrough stands the «Stalin giant»—the newest tank KV-9, whose production is only just beginning at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant… Its sturdy Ural armor makes it invulnerable to most German guns, and a powerful howitzer allows it to take on any German tanks.

How could one machine possibly matter against an entire mechanized division? A lot… especially if it’s operated by an experienced crew that gained combat experience in the heavy tank battles of 1941 near Brody and Dubno…