T-70
T-70 | |
---|---|
torsion bar | |
Fuel capacity | 440 L (120 US gal) |
Operational range | 360 km (220 mi) |
Maximum speed | 45 km/h (28 mph) |
The T-70 is a
The T-70 was armed with a 45-mm L/46 gun Model 38 with forty-five rounds carried, and a
Production history
By 1942, light tanks were considered inadequate by the Red Army, unable to keep up with the T-34 medium tank and unable to penetrate the armour of most German tanks, but they could be produced by small factories that were unable to handle the large components of medium and heavy tanks. The T-70 was an attempt to remedy some of the shortcomings of the T-60 scout tank, which had very poor cross-country mobility, thin armour, and an inadequate 20-mm gun. It also replaced the very short production run of the T-50 light infantry tank, which was more sophisticated, but also much more complicated and expensive to produce.
The T-70 was designed by Nicholas Astrov's design team at Factory No. 38 in Kirov.
The first batch of T-70s were built with a GAZ-202 automotive engine on each side of the hull, one driving each
Curiously, even after the T-70's production line was redesigned, SU-76 self-propelled guns started to be built with the same unsatisfactory unsynchronized two-engine layout, and all of them were later recalled for factory rebuilding as SU-76Ms.
T-70s were put into production in March 1942 at Zavod No. 37, and along with T-60 production at GAZ and Zavod No. 38. They completely replaced T-60 production in September 1942, although that tank remained in use until the end of the war. Production ended in October 1943, with 8,226 vehicles completed.
In April 1942, the conical turrets on early-production machines were replaced with new welded turrets. The end of the T-70's production run was built with two 85-hp GAZ-203 engines, a Mark 4 commander's periscope replacing a vision slit, and other improvements.
The T-70 remained in service until 1948.
Decline of light tanks
The one-man turret of the Soviet light tanks made co-ordinating a tank platoon nearly impossible, because the commanders were kept busy acquiring targets, loading and firing the main gun and machine gun, and commanding their drivers.
The infantry tank role was already considered obsolete.[citation needed] The SU-76 self-propelled gun was better suited for infantry support, its 76.2-mm gun capable of firing a larger high explosive shell. Industrial resources could be redirected from light tanks to building SU-76s.
In an attempt to compensate, the T-80 light tank was designed, a more robust version of the T-70 with a two-man
In November 1943 Red Army tank
The Soviets did start development work on an amphibious light tank in 1945, resulting in the post-war PT-76, introduced in 1954.
Variants
- SU-76 self-propelled gun: tank destroyer with a 76mm ZiS-3 cannon mounted on a modified T-70 chassis.
- T-90 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun: the Soviet Union lacked tracked, armoured M1939towed carriage.
- ZUT-37: prototype anti-aircraft tank armed with a Sh-37 cannon. The tank passed field tests but was not accepted into production.
See also
- List of Soviet tanks- covers all periods
References
- Notes
- ^ Zaloga 1984, p 184.
- ^ "Soviet Tank T-70". russian-tanks.com. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Zaloga & Grandsen 1984:119
- Bibliography
- Zaloga, Steven J.; James Grandsen (1984). Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-606-8.
External links
- Full panorama of external and internal T-70 Archived 2012-01-08 at the Wayback Machine
- T-70 Light Tanks at WWIIVehicles.com
- Specifications at WWIITanks.co.uk
- Photo gallery at svsm.org Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
- T-70 tanks, T-70 tanks in museum and monuments