Towards the end of the First World War, the collapse of the Russian Empire and its forces in the Caucasus left the Armenians exposed to Ottoman attack. Following the break-up of the short-lived Transcaucasian Federation, the First Democratic Republic of Armenia was proclaimed on 28 May 1918. The Treaty of Versailles did not resolve the question of the frontiers of the new Armenian state, which was in conflict with its neighbours in a tangle of ethnic and religious issues.
In the course of these conflicts, during the Turkish-Armenian War of September to November 1920 and the subsequent invasion and takeover of Armenia by Bolshevik forces, several armoured trains – no doubt having their origins in the Russian Civil War – were employed. The lack of reliable independent sources does not allow us to construct an accurate historical record of these trains and the actions in which they were engaged.
During the Second World War, an armoured train bearing the name Soviet Armenia recalled the status of this nominally autonomous Republic (1936–91).
Two photos of the Type OB-3 armoured train Soviet Armenia.
(Photo: Paul Malmassari Collection)
The turrets are armed with 76.2mm Model 27/32 guns, identical to those mounted in T-35 tanks, plus a quadruple 7.62mm machine-gun mounting.
(Photo: Paul Malmassari Collection)