70 ton tank. The most massive of the lungs. Technical characteristics in comparison with analogues

Already in October 1941 it became clear that new lightweight the T-60 tank, whose serial production began a month earlier, is almost useless on the battlefield. Its armor was easily penetrated by all Wehrmacht anti-tank weapons, and its own weapons were too weak to deal with enemy tanks. It was not possible to strengthen both without a fundamental change in the design. The engine and gearbox already worked in an overstressed mode. The increase in the mass of the combat vehicle, inevitable with increased armor and armament, would simply lead to the failure of these units. A different solution was required.

In September 1941, the Design Bureau of Plant No. 37, at that time the leader in the production of the T-60, proposed a variant of its modernization, which received the T-45 index. In fact, it was still the same T-60, but with a new turret, in which a 45-mm gun was installed. This vehicle was supposed to use a new 100 hp ZIS-60 engine, which would make it possible to increase the thickness of the tank's frontal armor to 35-45 mm. However, the ZIS plant could not master the production of the engine due to the evacuation from Moscow to the Urals, to the city of Miass. The attempt to install the ZIS-16 engine with a power of 86 hp did not save the situation. With its development, not everything went smoothly either, and time did not wait.

In parallel with the plant number 37, work on the creation of a new light tank deployed at the Gorky Automobile Plant. There was nothing unusual in such a development of events - this enterprise already had experience in the production armored vehicles doing serial production tankettes T-27 and small amphibious tanks T-37A in the 1930s. A number of prototypes of armored vehicles were also designed and manufactured here. separate structural subdivision tank production and the corresponding design bureau In early September chief designer plant number 37 N.A. Astrov overtook under its own power from Moscow to Gorky prototype tank T-60, which was to be used at GAZ as a reference. N.A. Astrov himself was also left at GAZ to help organize the production of tanks.

It was Astrov who presented to the GABTU of the Red Army a draft of a new light tank with reinforced armor and weapons, created on the basis of the T-60.

As a power plant on this machine, it was supposed to use a pair of GAZ-202 automobile engines. Prototypes of twin power units, which received the GAZ-203 index, were manufactured by the end of November. However, at the very first tests of the twins, after 6-10 hours of operation, the crankshafts of the second engines began to break, and only thanks to the efforts of the designers under the guidance of A.A. Lipgart, the resource of the twin power unit was brought to the required 100 hours. The design of the new tank at the GAZ Design Bureau began at the end of October 1941. It was carried out very quickly, using the technique adopted in the automotive industry, unusual for tank designers. General views combat vehicles were drawn in full size on special aluminum plates measuring 7 × 3 m, painted with white enamel and divided into squares measuring 200 × 200 mm. To reduce the drawing area and improve its accuracy by main view- longitudinal section - a plan was superimposed, as well as full and partial transverse sections. The drawings were made as detailed as possible and included all the components and parts of the internal and external equipment of the machine. These drawings later served as the basis for control during the assembly of the prototype and even the entire first series of machines.

1 - drive wheel, 2 - 45-mm cannon, 3 - DT machine gun, 4 - MK-4 observation device, 5 - plug of a hole for firing from personal weapons. 6 - carrier roller, 7 - guide wheel, 8 - road wheel, 9 - transmission access hatch, 10 - air intake hatch armor, 11 - hatch cover over the filler neck of the cooling system, 12 - air outlet shutters, 13 - spare support kayuk, 14 - manhole covers over the filler necks of fuel tanks, 15 - commander's hatch cover, 16 - mufflers, 17 - hatch cover for installing a portable blowtorch to start the engine in winter time, 18 - headlight, 19 - driver's hatch cover, 20 - hatch for manual engine start, 21 - emergency exit hatch cover, 22 - towing device

At the end of December 1941, for the tank, which received the factory designation GAZ-70, an armored hull was welded and a turret designed by V. Dedkov was cast. Along with the cast, a version of the welded tower was also developed. The assembly of the tank began in January 1942 and, for a number of reasons, proceeded rather slowly. It was only completed on February 14, after which the tank was sent to Moscow, where it was shown to representatives of the GABTU. The military did not arouse much enthusiasm for the new car. In terms of armor protection, the tank only slightly surpassed the T-60, and the nominally increased, thanks to the installation of a 45-mm gun, the power of weapons was leveled by the placement of one person in the tower, a master of all trades - commander, gunner and loader. However, N. A. Astrov promised the shortest time eliminate the shortcomings Quite quickly it was possible to increase the armor, bringing the thickness of the lower frontal hull plate to 45 mm, and the upper one to 35 mm. fighting machine was adopted by the Red Army under the symbol T-70. Two days later, the GKO decree on the production of a tank saw the light, according to which plants No. 37 and No. 38 were involved in its production from April. However, reality did not allow these plans to be fully realized. So, for example, new tank required twice as many engines as the T-60. It was not possible to establish the production of a cast turret, and GAZ had to hastily provide other plants with documentation for a welded turret. As a result, the April plan for the production of the T-70 was fulfilled only by GAZ, which assembled 50 vehicles. Plant No. 38 in Kirov managed to produce only seven tanks, while Plant No. 37 failed to assemble them either by April or later. new car did not fundamentally differ from that of the T-60 tank. The driver was located in the forward part of the hull near the port side. The tank commander was located in the rotating turret, also shifted to the port side. In the middle part of the hull along the starboard side, two engines were installed in series on a common frame. constituting a single power unit. The transmission and drive wheels were located in front.

The hull of the tank was welded from rolled armor plates 6,10,15,25,35 and 45 mm thick. Welded seams were reinforced with riveting. The frontal and stern hull sheets had rational angles of inclination. In the upper frontal sheet there was a driver's hatch, in the cover of which the tanks of the first releases had a viewing slot with a triplex, and then a rotary periscope observation device was installed.

The welded faceted tower, made of armor plates 35 mm thick, was mounted on a ball bearing in the middle part of the hull and had the shape of a truncated pyramid. The welded joints of the tower walls were reinforced with armored corners. An entrance hatch for the tank commander was made in the roof of the tower. A periscope mirror observation device was installed in the armored cover of the hatch, providing the commander with a circular view. In addition, there was a hatch for flag signaling in the cover.

On the T-70 tank, a 45-mm tank gun mod 1938 was installed and, to the left of it, a coaxial DT machine gun. For the convenience of the tank commander, the gun was shifted to the right of the longitudinal axis of the turret. The length of the gun barrel was 46 calibers, the height of the line of fire was 1540 mm. The aiming angles of the twin installation along the vertical ranged from -6 ° to + 20 °. Telescopic sights TMFP were used for firing (a TOP sight was installed on some of the tanks) and a mechanical one as a backup. Sighting range firing was 3600 m, maximum - 4800 m. When using a mechanical sight, only direct fire at a distance of not more than 1000 m was possible. The rate of fire of the gun was 12 rounds per minute. on right. The trigger mechanism of the gun was foot, the gun was lowered by pressing the right pedal, and the machine gun - by pressing the left one. The ammunition included 90 shots with armor-piercing and fragmentation shells for the cannon (of which 20 shots were in the store) and 945 rounds for the DT machine gun (15 disks). The initial speed of an armor-piercing projectile weighing 1.42 kg was 760 m / s, fragmentation mass 2.13 kg - 335 m/s. After firing an armor-piercing projectile, the cartridge case was ejected automatically. When firing a fragmentation projectile, due to the shorter recoil length of the gun, the shutter was opened and the cartridge case was removed manually. The power plant GAZ-203 (70-6000) consisted of two four-stroke 6-cylinder carburetor engines GAZ-202 (GAZ 70-6004 - front and GAZ 70-6005 - rear) with a total power of 140 hp. The crankshafts of the engines were connected by a coupling with elastic bushings. The crankcase of the flywheel of the front engine was connected by a rod to the starboard side to prevent lateral vibrations of the power unit. The battery ignition system, lubrication system and fuel (except tanks) system for each engine were independent. Two gas tanks with a total capacity of 440 liters were located on the left side of the aft compartment of the hull in a compartment isolated by armored partitions.

The transmission consisted of a two-disc semi-centrifugal main clutch of dry friction (ferrodo steel), a four-speed automotive-type gearbox (4 + 1), a main gear with a bevel gear, two side clutches with band brakes and two simple single-row final drives. The main clutch and gearbox were assembled from parts borrowed from the ZIS-5 truck.

The composition of the propulsion of the tank in relation to one side included a drive wheel with a removable ring gear, five single-sided rubber-coated road wheels and three all-metal support rollers, a steering wheel with a crank tensioning mechanism of the caterpillar and a small-link caterpillar of 91 tracks. The design of the guide wheel and the track roller were unified. The width of the cast track track was 260 mm. Suspension - individual torsion. Command tanks equipped with a radio station 9R or 12RT, located in the tower, and an internal intercom TPU-2F. Line tanks were equipped with a light signaling device for internal communication between the commander and the driver and an internal intercom TPU-2.

During production, the mass of the tank increased from 9.2 to 9.8 tons, and the cruising range on the highway decreased from 360 to 320 km.

At the beginning of October 1942, GAZ, and since November, Plant No. 38 switched to the production of T-70M tanks with an improved chassis. The width (from 260 to 300 mm) and the pitch of the tracks, the width of the road wheels, as well as the diameter of the torsion bars (from 33.5 to 36 mm) of the suspension and gear rims of the drive wheels were increased. The number of tracks in the caterpillar was reduced from 91 to 80 pieces. In addition, the support rollers, stopping brakes and final drives have been reinforced. The mass of the tank increased to 10 tons, and the cruising range along the highway decreased to 250 m. The gun ammunition was reduced to 70 rounds.

From the end of December 1942, Plant No. 38 stopped producing tanks and switched to the production of SU-76 self-propelled guns. As a result, starting from 1943, light tanks for the Red Army were produced only at GAZ. At the same time, in the second half of 1943, the production was accompanied by great difficulties. From June 5 to June 14, the plant was subjected to German air raids. 2170 bombs were dropped on the Avtozavodsky district of Gorky, of which 1540 were dropped directly on the territory of the plant. More than 50 buildings and structures were completely destroyed or badly damaged. In particular, the chassis workshops, wheel, assembly and thermal No. 2, the main conveyor, the locomotive depot burned down, and many other workshops of the plant were seriously damaged. As a result, the production of BA-64 armored vehicles and cars had to be stopped. However, the production of tanks did not stop, although it slightly decreased - only in August was it possible to block the May production volume. But the age of the light tank had already been measured out - on August 28, 1943, a GKO decree was issued, according to which, from October 1 of the same year, GAZ switched to the production of self-propelled guns SU-76M. In total, in 1942-1943, 8226 tanks of the T-70 and T-70M modifications were produced.

The light tank T-70 and its improved version T-70M were in service with the tank brigades and regiments of the so-called mixed organization, together with the medium tank T-34. The brigade had 32 T-34 tanks and 21 T-70 tanks. Such brigades could be part of composition of tank and mechanized corps or be separate B tank regiment were in service with 23 T-34s and 16 T-70s. At the same time, regiments could be part of mechanized brigades or be separate. By the spring of 1944, T-70 light tanks were expelled from the states tank units Red Army. Nevertheless, in some brigades they continued to be used for quite a long time. In addition, some tanks of this type were used in self-propelled artillery battalions, regiments and brigades SU-76 as command vehicles. Often they were equipped with tank units in motorcycle units T-70 and T-70M tanks took part in hostilities until the end of World War II.

The T-70 tanks received their baptism of fire during the battles in the South-West direction in June-July 1942 and suffered serious losses. The first battles revealed the low combat qualities of the new light tanks, whose armament did not allow them to fight German medium vehicles in the Wehrmacht was rapidly declining), and armor protection was insufficient when used as tanks for close infantry support. In addition, the presence of only two tankers in the crew, one of which was extremely overloaded with numerous duties, as well as the lack of communications equipment on combat vehicles, made it extremely difficult to use them as part of units and led to increased losses. The final point in the combat career of these tanks was put Battle of Kursk- the ability to survive, not to mention emerge victorious, in an open battle with new German heavy tanks, the T-70 was close to zero. At the same time, the troops also noted the positive merits of the "seventies". 70 was the best suited for pursuing the retreating enemy, which became relevant in 1943. The reliability of the power plant and chassis of the T-70 was higher than that of the T-34, which made it possible to make long marches. The "Seventy" was quiet, which again differed sharply from the roaring engine and the "thirty-four" rattling with caterpillars, which at night, for example, could be heard for 1.5 km.

In clashes with enemy tanks, the crews of the T-70 had to show miracles of ingenuity. Much also depended on the crew's knowledge of the features of their car, its advantages and disadvantages. In the hands of skilled tankers, the T-70 was a formidable weapon. For example, on July 6, 1943, in the battles for the village of Pokrovka in the Oboyan direction, the crew of the T-70 tank from the 49th Guards Tank Brigade, commanded by Lieutenant B.V. Pavlovich, managed to knock out three medium German tanks and one Panther1. A completely exceptional case occurred on August 21, 1943 in the 178th tank brigade. When repulsing an enemy counterattack, the commander of the T-70 tank, Lieutenant A.L. Dmitrienko noticed a retreating German tank. Having caught up with the enemy, the lieutenant ordered his driver to move next to him (apparently, in the "dead zone"). It was possible to shoot at close range, but when he saw that the hatch in the turret of a German tank was open (German tankers almost always went into battle with open turret hatches), Dmitrienko got out of the T-70, jumped onto the armor of an enemy vehicle and threw a grenade into the hatch. The crew of the German tank was destroyed, and the tank itself was towed to our location and, after minor repairs, was used in battles.

M. BARYATINSKY

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Hello to all fans of fighting in the sandbox, the site is with you! Tankers and tankers, now we will talk about a really worthwhile little car, a Soviet light tank of the third level, in front of you T-70 guide.

Without exaggeration, I hasten to inform you that among the huge variety of light equipment at the third level, this device can really please its owner. T-70 WoT has an impressive number of advantages that will allow the player to "bend over" in the sandbox and have a lot of fun, but for this, you must know your tank well.

TTX T-70

According to the already established tradition, we will start with the fact that our light tank has a standard view by the standards of classmates, as well as the Soviet weak viewing range of 310 meters.

It is noteworthy that, unlike most classmates, our survival rate is quite good, but with nuances. First of all, at T-70 characteristics frontal armor is impressive.

If we talk about the frontal projection of the hull, then due to the excellent slope of the armor plates, the upper frontal part T-70 World of Tanks it has 72 millimeters of armor over the entire area, and a small red square on the model's collage is also reinforced, here the thickness of the metal reaches 113 millimeters. At the same time, it is better to hide the NLD, because this is only a 51-mm section that can ricochet, but on the whole it breaks through easily.

The turret is protected from the front by a large 50 mm gun mantlet, behind which light tank T-70 it has about 86 millimeters of reduced armor, and a small “shelf” above the mask boasts 98 millimeters of reduced armor, but the cheeks break through easily, but fortunately they are quite small.

A completely different picture opens up when examining the side projection, since the sides of T-70 World of Tanks even thinner than the stern, because there is a miserable 15 millimeters of armor without slopes, which breaks through not only land mines, but also small-caliber machine guns. However, this does not mean that the stern can be substituted, both of these projections are vulnerable and need to be hidden.

In terms of mobility, everything is relative, because top speed T-70 tank develops a decent, and also has excellent maneuverability. But in dynamics, we are inferior to many classmates, although it is impossible to call the car slow or tight, in this regard, we are more like a dynamic medium tank.

gun

It's no secret that armament is the main component of any tank, and in our case the gun is really good, it deserves not only attention, but also respect.

First of all, you must know that T-70 gun alphastrike has an average level, but also has a high rate of fire, thanks to which we have the opportunity to deal decent damage per minute, which is approximately 1320 units.

In terms of penetration, our gun is really good, even with an armor-piercing projectile T-70 WoT able to confidently deal damage to classmates and most of the fourth levels. Fives can also be dealt with, but for skirmishes with heavy tanks, you should have about 15 gold sub-calibers with you.

Accuracy did not let us down either, although not everything here is as smooth as we would like. Soviet light tank T-70 has at its disposal a good dispersion at 100 meters, but the stabilization of our gun is poor and it takes quite a long time to reduce, that is, something needs to be done about it.

In general, all indicators of weapons T-70 tank received good ones, but there is one serious flaw - vertical aiming angles. Downward, our barrel drops only 4 degrees, which is very sad and it will be really difficult to play from the terrain.

Advantages and disadvantages

As you all perfectly understand, from the knowledge of the strong and weaknesses The vehicle you use to go into battle depends on a lot. First of all, you will better understand which modules and skills you should bet on, but also in building tactics this question can help a lot, so now we will highlight the main pros and cons T-70 World of Tanks.
Pros:
Good frontal armor;
Decent mobility (maximum speed and maneuverability);
Impressive damage per minute;
High penetration rates;
Nice spread at 100 meters.
Minuses:
Small base viewing range;
Poor booking of sides and stern;
Low one-time damage;
Mediocre mixing and stabilization;
Poor elevation angles.

Equipment for T-70

Despite the fact that at the third level the choice of additional modules is very limited, it is possible and necessary to strengthen the tank, especially since everything necessary for this vehicle is, in principle, available. For maximum results on tank T-70 equipment it is better to put the following:
1. - as you can see from the list of shortcomings, this device needs to improve the speed of information, which we will deal with first of all.
2. is a good and thoughtful choice that will give a 5% boost to the most important stats, improving damage, accuracy and slightly increasing vision.
3. - there is no point in inventing something, because you can radically increase the viewing range and gain an advantage over the enemy only by choosing this module.

Crew training

A properly trained crew with enough skills at level three is a colossal advantage that you should strive for if you really want to conquer the sandbox. The problem is that our crew consists of only two people, but even in such circumstances for the T-70 it is better to learn the perks in the following sequence:
Commander (gunner, radio operator, loader) - , , , .
Driver mechanic - , , , .

Equipment for the T-70

As always, the process of purchasing consumables remains standard, and therefore simple and understandable. If you don't have enough silver in your supply or you are saving up for a tank, take , , . However, in combat, you will feel much more confident if you buy for T-70 equipment in the form of,, especially understanding the problems with the shell shock of such a multifunctional commander. By the way, a Soviet tank burns infrequently, so you can also replace a fire extinguisher with one.

T-70 game tactics

From the foregoing, you could form an opinion about this device, and I must say that the machine in our hands is really worthwhile, capable of crushing enemies in the sandbox, but for this you need to act correctly.

I want to say right away that our most comfortable Soviet light tank T-70 feels at the top of the list, because here our armor shows itself with the best side. In order to confidently deal with the enemy, you should always turn your forehead to him and the hull can be turned quite a bit so as not to expose the vulnerable side, but to increase the reduced armor of the VLD.

Of course, fighting at the top of the list for T-70 tactics combat consists in taking a position on the front line, where, hiding your NLD and hiding from enemy artillery, you will be able to confidently tank, holding or pushing the direction along with the allies.

However, when we are talking about battles against fourth and even more so fifth levels, on your armor T-70 World of Tanks can no longer rely so blindly. In such cases, we become good tank support, which is able to deal excellent damage from behind the backs of stronger teammates.

No less confident T-70 tank feels like standing on the second line, because this tactic is much safer and allows you to deal damage with impunity. Fortunately, for remote firing, we have pleasant accuracy and good penetration, all that remains is to glow less and target vulnerable areas in the enemy’s armor.

As a conclusion, I would like to say that T-70 WoT- This is one of the few cars at the third level, which is comfortable and pleasant to play. Otherwise, try to keep an eye on the mini-map, beware of artillery and formidable Tier 5 vehicles, and don't expose the sides and stern to the enemies.

The hastily developed was clearly not enough firepower and security, and the designers were aware of this. But it was no longer possible to return to the production of a fairly perfect opportunity. A new armored vehicle had to be created on the basis of the T-60. Immediately after its launch in the series, Nikolai Astrov began work on further improving the machine.

The prototype T-70 was assembled at the beginning of 1942, and at the end of February it went for testing and officially entered service in March. From the same year, mass production of the "seventieth" began, which quickly replaced its predecessor from the conveyors.

Design Description

The T-70 layout scheme was inherited from its predecessor. The transmission was in front of the welded hull, in the stern - fuel tanks and the cooling system, the fighting compartment was combined with the engine compartment. But herself power point changed - instead of one six-cylinder automobile engine, two began to be installed. Accordingly, twice - up to 140 hp. - Increased power. The engines were started by electric starters connected in parallel, a preheater boiler was available.

The T-70 four-speed gearbox was manufactured on the basis of components from the gearbox of the ZiS-5 truck. Chassis changed somewhat due to an increase in the total length - the road wheels were not four, but five. The suspension was kept torsion bar, without shock absorbers.

Two tankers sat one behind the other, to the left of the engines. The commander remained overloaded with duties - he also performed the tasks of a gunner and loader. On the T-70, unlike its predecessor, the intercom for crew members was included in the standard equipment of linear light tanks. Only command vehicles were still equipped with radio stations.

To ensure the operation of the radios on the commander's T-70, more powerful generators were installed.

The thickness of the upper frontal sheet of the T-70 was brought up to 35 mm (it had an angle of inclination of 62⁰), the lower one (with a smaller angle of inclination) - up to 45 mm. Such armor could protect against 37 mm and 50 mm shells. The thickness of the vertical sides is 15 mm, sufficient to protect against bullets. The driver's cabin disappeared from the front sheet, now it only had a hatch with a viewing slot.

The octagonal tower was welded from 35 mm armor plates, instead of 25 mm for the T-60. It was covered in front by a 50 mm cast mask. In the turret hatch cover there was one rotary viewing device for the commander. As with the T-60, during the production of the T-70, its security improved somewhat due to the change from homogeneous armor to surface-hardened.

Armament

The 20 mm TNSh automatic cannon on the T-70 was replaced by a 45 mm 20K gun. Developed in the early 30s, this gun was successfully used on many pre-war Soviet tanks and armored vehicles.

The main ammunition was unitary shots with armor-piercing shells BR-240.

At a short distance, they pierced a vertical sheet of armor about 50 mm thick, and 18-19 grams of hexal provided an armor action.

The solid BR-240SP projectile did not have an explosive charge, but its penetration was slightly better - up to 60 mm of armor. In 1942, to defeat new German tanks with better protection, developed the BR-240P sub-caliber projectile with a tungsten core. It could also penetrate 90 mm armor plates, although only from short distances.

To combat groups of infantry and unarmored vehicles, the O-240 fragmentation projectile could be used. Its use was associated with some difficulties - due to less initial speed projectile automation of the gun did not work, and the sleeve had to be removed manually. On other machines, this could only mean a loss of rate of fire. For the T-70, this meant that the sleeve, in the conditions of a cramped turret, would be “picked out” by the commander, who completely loses control over the situation at such moments.

In an attempt to improve the combat qualities of the T-70, they tried to re-equip it with more powerful cannon of the same caliber, and replace the tower with a double one. From this project in the end.

Technical characteristics in comparison with analogues

In 1942, light tanks began to fall out of wide use. The American "Stuart" was becoming obsolete, and he was actively looking for a replacement. The German Pz.II was transferred to training units. The latest American and British light tanks were specialized vehicles for airborne troops.

The American light tank, developed before the war, was superior to the T-70 both in size and weight. At the same time, its 37 mm gun was inferior to the Soviet "forty-five", and the voracious engines "provided" a small power reserve. The German light tank won in terms of communications and surveillance, but could not boast of anything else.

It should be noted that more modern american tank The M24, which began production in 1944, was almost twice as heavy as the T-70 and was equipped with a more powerful 75 mm gun. That is, although it was considered “light”, it was actually a car of a slightly different class.

Combat use

According to the state, each tank brigade of the Red Army was supposed to have two companies of light tanks armed with T-70s. One company each was to be part of separate tank regiments and battalions.

Service T-70 in the Red Army began in the summer of 1942.

The first light tanks delivered to the 4th Panzer Corps were completely lost when the German offensive was repelled. It soon became obvious that despite the enhanced armament, the "seventieth" did not surpass its predecessor in terms of combat effectiveness. Of course, experienced and talented crews acted quite effectively in the "seventies".

The light weight of the light tank made it possible to use it effectively in forests and swamps, while its maneuverability and small size played into the hands of urban battles. In the Battle of Kursk, the T-70 suffered heavy losses, but the high manufacturability of the design contributed to a lower percentage of irretrievable losses compared to even the T-34. However, in the same 1943, the T-70 was decided to be discontinued.

Not everyone supported this decision - for example, Lieutenant General Bogdanov reported that the T-70 is great for chasing retreating units and acting from ambushes. However, the release was stopped, and the "seventies" began to go to training units. Companies of light tanks were removed from the states.

Light tanks T-70 were transferred to the Polish and Czechoslovak armies formed in the USSR.

Immediately after the war, they were withdrawn from service. A small number of the "seventies" captured by the Nazis were officially adopted by the Wehrmacht, and were used in police units. More than four thousand tanks were produced, and about two dozen have survived to this day.

findings

The light tank T-70 inherited from the T-60 simplicity and manufacturability in production and operation. But from there they all came negative sides designs. In addition, despite the enhanced armament, the real firepower increased slightly - the Germans in 1942 began to receive armored vehicles with enhanced protection. Using the T-70 in open battles was fraught with high losses.

A light tank could still make a good reconnaissance vehicle - but primitive observation devices and crew congestion interfered. Contributed a mite and low-power engine. But it was precisely the “reconnaissance” qualities that helped the obviously outdated “Stuart” to serve until the end of the war.

Of course, the designers tried to solve these problems, but the T-80 with a two-man turret immediately lost its remarkable reliability. To ensure the mobility of the heavier structure, the motors had to be forced - and this had a deplorable effect on their motor resource. Probably, if the T-50 with a diesel engine had been preserved in production, the conclusion about the uselessness of light tanks would not have been made.

The T-70 developed the ideas laid down in its predecessor to create a simple and reliable armored vehicle, the mass production of which could be deployed as soon as possible.

And the designers succeeded in this to the fullest. side effect this approach has become a very low potential for modernization.

By 1943, there was no longer any need to ensure the production of "at least some" tanks, and, unfortunately, the T-70 was not suitable for the tasks that arose before the new generation of light tanks.

Video

Soviet light tank T-70

At the beginning of 1942, the team of N.A. Astrov developed a light tank, which was the development of the T-60. It was better armored, armed with a 45 mm cannon. Hull and turret - with rational angles of inclination of armor plates, connected by welding or riveting. Later, cast towers began to be installed.

The layout of the T-70 was inherited from the T-60. The control compartment was located in the front left case, the transmission compartment was in the front right. Due to the fact that the power unit - two twin six-cylinder automobile engines - was located along the starboard side, the fighting compartment with the turret was shifted to the left. The main clutch and gearbox were on the right in the block with the motors, and the main gear and side clutches were in the front.

From September 1942, T-70s were produced with a reinforced undercarriage, parts of which were not interchangeable with the previous model. The width of the track was increased (from 260 to 300 mm), rollers, sloths and supporting rollers. Some changes were made to the design of the drive wheel, main and final drives.

An attempt was made to install a mechanism for automated loading of the gun. It was caused by low aimed rate of fire, since the commander had to combine the functions of the gunner and loader. This circumstance forced the T-70 to be taken out of production in early 1943 and replaced by the T-80 with an enlarged turret that housed two tankers. The armor of the hull side was increased to 25 mm, the engines were boosted to 85 hp, the weight increased to 11.6 tons, and the height of the tank to 217 cm. The ammunition load now amounted to 94 rounds. The chassis, transmission, control units, etc., remained the same as the T-70, the T-80 was a kind of "anti-aircraft": the elevation angle of the gun and machine gun was 60, it was equipped with an anti-aircraft collimator sight and could fire at aircraft and at upper floors buildings.

The production of the T-80 did not last long - until the autumn of 1943. This was due to insufficiently strong weapons and armor, and yet the T-70 and T-80 were best lungs tanks of the Second World War, 8226 and 75 vehicles were produced, respectively.

On the extended base of the T-70 created self-propelled units SU-76 and ZSU-37.

Soviet tank T-44

LIGHT TANK T-60 State adopted for service in 1941. Design Bureau GAZManufacturer. factories NN 37,38,264, GAZProduction. series 1941-42 Combat weight, t 5.8-6.4 Length, mm: - with a gun forward 4100 - hull 4100 Width, mm 2392 Height along the roof of the tower, mm 1750 Clearance, mm 300 Avg. beats ground pressure,