The KV-1 heavy tank was one of the Red Army's most iconic-and controversial-vehicles of the Second World War. Its development emerged from the urgent need to modernize Soviet armor after the failure of the multi-turreted ""Leningrad monsters, which mounted guns of varying calibers. The tank's historical significance became clear during its first field tests in the Winter War against Finland (1939-1940), where early KV-1 prototypes demonstrated remarkable durability compared to their predecessors, despite lingering technical issues. Later, an upgunned variant with a ""Bol'shaya Bashnya"" (large turret) entered service as the KV-2, a heavy artillery tank designed for assault support. More than mere weapons of war, the KV-1 and KV-2 embodied the Stalinist doctrine of armament: mass production and ruggedness at any cost-a philosophy that would define Soviet military industry for any years to come.
