Meet Stalingrad, an ambitious Soviet battlecruiser designed chiefly as a “cruiser killer.”

Vehicle History

On May 15th, 1941, the People’s Commissariat of the USSR Navy approved the design specifications for the "Project 82" heavy cruiser. The ship was conceived as a multi-purpose vessel, capable of engaging heavy enemy ships, supporting light naval forces, laying minefields, and suppressing coastal batteries. The cruiser was initially planned to be armed with eight 203 mm guns, powerful anti-aircraft weaponry, torpedo tubes and four reconnaissance aircraft. During the initial review of the plans, however, the 203 mm main battery was considered by many specialists to be insufficient for a ship of such size. Increasing the main caliber would give the ship superiority over foreign cruisers designed under the Washington Naval Treaty, which was an appealing concept for the designers. However, work on these revisions was interrupted by Operation Barbarossa, marking the start of the Second World War for the USSR and necessitating an immediate shift in priority.

The project was revisited later in 1943 after the course of the war started to turn more favorable, and the duties and specifications of Stalingrad were further refined. The first revision saw the planned firepower increased to 220 mm, and later again to 305 mm in 1947, after the government expressed their desire for more powerful armament. It was with this caliber that the final design was approved on August 31st, 1948. The lead ship, Stalingrad, was laid down in Nikolaev on December 31st, 1951, with construction on two more cruisers beginning the following year. However, in 1953 following the death of J. V. Stalin, all work on the cruisers was halted, and the partially constructed hulls were dismantled on the slipways. The hull of Stalingrad itself was used as a training target for various weapon systems, including early missiles.

Introducing Stalingrad!

A highly specialized ship will be arriving in the next War Thunder update — the battlecruiser Stalingrad! It features excellent armor penetration, impressive speed, but mediocre protection. The ultimate glass cannon of the Soviet bluewater fleet, let’s have a look!

The final approved concept of the Project 82 series of battlecruisers featured three triple SM-31 turrets housing high-velocity 305 mm guns. The performance of its AP and HE shells is comparable to that of battleship guns, offering very high penetration for their caliber. This impressive firepower is further aided by an advanced mechanized loading system that keeps the fire rate high. Stalingrad’s auxiliary weaponry consists of six twin 130 mm dual-purpose guns, which will be nicely familiar to captains experienced with Soviet post-war destroyers. The anti-aircraft battery is not lacking either, featuring twenty four 45 mm guns in six quad mounts and forty 25 mm guns in ten quad mounts, making Stalingrad a truly formidable force in terms of firepower.

Even with this powerful, almost battleship-esque armament, Stalingrad firmly remains a cruiser, chiefly because of its speed, and secondly because of its armor. Stalingrad can cruise at an enviable 35.2 knots (65 km/h), making this battlecruiser one of the fastest ships at its rank! All of this comes with a harsh drawback, however, and that’s the armor. Protection had to be sacrificed to keep the speed high, and was reduced further as a consequence of the heavy gun mounts and their weighty reloading mechanisms. Stalingrad’s main belt armor is only 180 mm thick at a slight angle. The main caliber turrets fare slightly better at 240 mm, but protection is certainly unimpressive across the board. Stalingrad’s armor is vulnerable to nearly all guns at medium and close range, so make sure to rely on the high speed, and stick with more armored teammates for protection while making good use of the powerful long range performance of Stalingrad’s cannons.

Fast, lethal, but vulnerable, the battlecruiser Stalingrad will be waiting for skilled and tactical commanders when it arrives in the final update of 2025. Stay tuned, we have literal tons of vehicles still to show you, we’ll see you soon for the next blog!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.