The most massive of the lungs. The most massive of the light Wrongly chosen direction of design

. According to the combination of characteristics, it is the Soviet T-70 tank that is the best of the light category. Sometimes the T-50 is given the palm, but taking into account that their release was limited to only 7 dozen (design complexity), compare with the T-70, more than 8000 pieces, the second-largest result is second only to. Who cares here =>> , back to the end of 41 years.
Already at the end of October 1941, N.A. Astrov in the Design and Experimental Department (DED) of GAZ started developing a new light tank armed with a 45 mm cannon. In its design, it was supposed to use the T-60 components and assemblies to the maximum extent, read assembling as much as possible using automotive components and components. It was quite obvious that without a significant increase in the power of the engine installation further development light tanks is almost impossible. But in 1941, increasing the power of a mass-produced engine by forcing it seemed a difficult task, except for the long term.

Alabino T-70 tank biathlon opening photo 2013

It was supposed to solve the problem more realistically by creating two autonomous drives from two engines with a gearbox, each for its own track. For sure rectilinear motion it was only necessary to connect the engines to each other through friction clutches. But then there were no comprehensive tests, and the hidden flaw of such a scheme was revealed later.
After four unsuccessful attempts to install two N.A. Astrov proposed a series direct connection of the engines "in single file", transmitting the power developed by the rear engine through the coupling to the crankshaft shank of the front working engine. And such a “spark”, consisting of two GAZ-M1 engines, was created at plant No. 37 on the eve of the war.

Tank T-70 power unit GAZ-203 consisted of two GAZ-202 engines (GAZ-70-6004 front and GAZ-70-6005 rear)

Now, in November, the first version of the paired unit of two GAZ-11 engines was made in metal and put on the stand. It soon became clear that the rigidity of the rubber "barrels" in the elastic coupling that connected the engines played an important role. Not trusting the instruments, the selection of stiffness (elasticity) was carried out by himself chief designer- Lipgart, evaluating the hardness of the rubber, pressing the fingernail into it. Rubber bands that were too soft allowed hard impacts in the inter-engine connection, and rubber bands that were too hard led to an overload of the main bearings of the engines. We were looking for the middle. Found that the relative position of the crankshafts does not play any role.

Brief description of the design of the T-70 light tank

The reliability of the 4-speed gearbox turned out to be insufficient, it was necessary to replace it with the ZIS-5 gearbox, making a new output shaft and changing the gear lever. This box had four gears forward and one reverse. Both the cooling system fan and its drive have been improved - a gear drive has been introduced instead of a V-belt.
At the same time, a frame was developed on which the complete power unit was mounted, which was installed in the tank hull on rubber cushions. The GAZ-203 power unit consisted of two GAZ-202 engines (GAZ-70-6004 front and GAZ-70-6005 rear) with a total power of 140 hp. The main friction clutch is a two-disk, semi-centrifugal type.

Padded seventy, street fighting for Stalingrad 1942

From the power unit, the search for new design solutions spread to the entire transmission, and then to the chassis. The number of track rollers of the undercarriage of the tank was increased to five per side.
The hull configuration has changed significantly. The upper frontal sheet with a thickness of 35 mm was set at an angle of 60 degrees. The lower frontal sheet was 45 mm thick. In the top sheet there was a driver's hatch with an armored (folding up) cover equipped with a viewing device (with a slot closed with a triplex on the machines of the first release). In the lower part on the right, as on the T-60, a hatch was made for access to the main gear of the transmission.

A column of T-70 light tanks on the outskirts of Krasnoye Selo

In a single faceted turret with an armor thickness of 35 mm (for comparison, the T-34 is 10 mm thicker) a 45-mm tank gun mod. 1932-1938 with vertical wedge gate. A 7.62 mm DT machine gun was paired with the cannon. Vertical aiming angles - from -6° to +20". Direct fire range was 3600 m, maximum - 4800 m. it was located on the left, and the lifting mechanism - on the right of the commander.Sights - telescopic or periscopic (partially), as well as mechanical.In the roof of the tower there was an entrance hatch for the commander.In the armored cap was mounted a periscopic viewing device for all-round viewing.
The large length and mass of the power unit, reinforced components and assemblies of other systems, as well as more powerful armor protection led to an increase in the combat weight (compared to the T-60) of tanks of the first releases to 9.2 tons (later - up to 9.8 tons) .

Unitary 45-mm rounds for the 20-K tank gun
From left to right, 1. UBR-243P with a BR-240P sub-caliber armor-piercing projectile
2. UBR-243SP with a solid armor-piercing projectile BR-240SP
3. UBZR-243 with armor-piercing incendiary projectile BZR-240
4. UO-243 s fragmentation grenade O-243
5. USCH-243 with buckshot Sch-240

Thus, the substantially modernized T-70, conceived in October 1941, came close in terms of parameters to the T-50 tank. In January 1942, the first prototype was ready. The leading engineer of the machine was V.A. Dedkov. After eliminating the identified shortcomings, a new sample was put into production at the GAZ and No. 38 plants (Kirov).
Since September 1942, the production of an improved T-70M with reinforced undercarriage(increased the width of the rollers and caterpillars, etc.), as well as with an increased thickness of the frontal armor (up to 45 mm, that is, the frontal armor became like that of a thirty-four). The combat weight was 10 tons. With power power plant 140 HP his maximum speed reached 45 km / h. Replaced with 12 volt onboard system, originally used 6 volts.

The best light tanks of the second world war T-70 photo and T-70M were assembled until the middle of 1943. The entire workshop was left 8.3 thousand such machines.
For the development of the design of the T-70 and its subsequent improvement in 1943, N.A. Astrov, A.A. Lipgart, V.A. Dedkov and other designers of GAZ were awarded the Stalin Prize II degree.

T-70 with landing on the armor on the Stalingrad front

The T-90 tank, which was created under the leadership of N.A. Astrov from September-October 1942, could be considered as a mobile means of conducting aimed machine-gun fire on ground and air (anti-aircraft) targets, operating in close cooperation with other light tanks.

light tank t 90 photo

On the tank, made on the basis of the T-70M, they installed a turret open from above and shifted to the port side, armed with twin 12.7-mm DShK machine guns T. The absence of an armored roof in an octagonal turret made of 35-mm rolled armor ensured free observation of air targets and firing at them. From above, it could be closed with a tarpaulin awning.
Machine gun aiming angles ranged from -6° to +85°. A collimator sight was used for anti-aircraft fire and a telescopic sight for ground targets. Sighting range was 3500 m, the maximum - up to 7000 m.
The most advanced light tank T-80 of the family .
In the second half of 1942 - the first half of 1943, work to improve the T-70M was carried out in several directions. So, there were designs of a cast, and then a double welded tower, which made it possible to free the tank commander from the functions of a gunner. The number of crew increased to 3 people. The increase in the volume of the tower required the introduction of additional viewing devices. To the left of the gun was the gunner, to the right - the commander-loader. On the roof of the tower above the commander's seat there was a fixed commander's cupola with an entrance hatch, closed by a lid, equipped with a periscope all-round viewing device. A hatch was made above the gunner's place, which was also closed with a hinged lid. In front of him were a periscope viewing device and a collimator sight with folding armor. The gunner's sights remained the same as on the T-70.
In addition, the collimator sight was used to fire at air targets or at upper floors buildings.
The welded tower was made multifaceted, with increased angles of inclination of the front sheets with a thickness of 45 mm. Handrails were welded to the sides of the tower.
Elevation angles of the 45 mm gun mod. 1938 ranged from -8e to +65°. A DT machine gun was paired with a cannon. The direct fire range reached 3600 m, the maximum - 6000 m. The gun ammunition consisted of 94 shots.
The tank used a power unit of increased power. Forced 6-cylinder GAZ-80 engines developed a power of 85 hp. everyone. The start was carried out either with the help of two electric starters, or a manual crank. The armor protection of the hull was strengthened by replacing the armor plates of the sides with a thickness of 15 mm with 25 mm sheets. As a result combat weight increased to 11.6 tons.
The tank was accepted for production as the T-80 at Mytishchi Factory #40. After the release of 81 cars, their production was discontinued.

Bridgehead at Peskovatka. Tank T-70 and Sd.Kfz.250. 3rd Motorized Division photo August 1942

The best light tank of the second world war T-70 photo on the battlefields .

Combat use light tanks of the T-70 family. The bulk of the vehicles ended up in the southwestern direction, where they suffered heavy losses. And what tank formations did not carry them that year. Estimates of combat activities vary to the exact opposite. Someone complains about weak armor, someone about weak weapons. Although the 45-mm tank gun 20K arr. 1932 of the year was quite enough for 1942, she could successfully fight all types of Wehrmacht tanks at a distance of up to 500 m. More advanced ones and the Panther began to be produced in 43, when meeting with which the chances of the seventies were equal to zero. But these heavyweights were not enough even in the 43rd. The tank regiment of the Red Army of that time consisted of 23 T-34 and 16 T-70 or 70M.

Tank T-70 with troops on board, in the background and destroyed Pz.KpfwIV

For some reason, German tanks of the latest modifications are always compared, and certainly head-on, a kind of tank battle. In fact, knocking out tanks was almost always assigned to anti-tank artillery. And for a direct comparison, not everything is so sad for the T-70, about the PzKpfw I with machine gun armament and weighing 5 tons with a penny, we will modestly keep silent (bulletproof armor, and even then it did not always fulfill its functions). Next comes our classmate, a 9-ton PzKpfw II with an automatic 20 mm cannon, almost the same as on our T-60 (in the 42nd, production was curtailed just because of weak weapons). Then it goes harder medium PzKpfw III, almost 20 tons, on which a decent gun did not appear immediately. Pz.Kpfw. IV is already a serious car, only truly mass production was launched just in 43, and before that they were crying. And for some reason, the tank sorakopyaty is treated as disdainfully as the anti-tank forty-five, forgetting that the Germans have the main anti-tank gun World War II was the Pak 35/36 in 37mm.

Tank T-70M of the guards crew of the summer I. Astapushenko takes a position December 1942

It's all about skill, examples: a tank under the command of Lieutenant B. Pavlovich, knocked out three German medium tanks and ... Panther, somehow they did it. Another out of the ordinary case. Ours are advancing, they are squeezing the Fritz. they gather forces, organize a counter-attack. Ours fight back, and the Germans begin to retreat. A. Dmitrienko saw a retreating German tank, lined up behind him in the dead zone, he wanted to shoot out of the cannon. But he saw an open tower hatch (which is typical, the Germans often left the hatch in the tower open), he jumps on a German tank and throws a grenade into the hatch. The crew was destroyed, the tank, after minor repairs, is used as a trophy in battles. The crew, consisting of a driver, Art. sergeant Rostovtsev and tank commander Lt. A. Dorokhin, destroyed two PzKpfw III. And there are a lot of such examples, there are also cases of ramming, “The crew of senior sergeant Krivko and art. lieutenant Zakharchenko when repulsing the attack of the 100th flamethrower tank battalion special purpose, having rammed 2 German Pz.II and captured the chief of staff and the battalion commander.

Southwestern Front December '42 light tank T-70M

And here is the course of the battle on July 9, 1943 for the village of Izotovo. Two T-70 tanks meet up with three Tigers advancing. the lead German vehicle knocks out one T-70. The second, under the command of Trubin, actively maneuvering, enters the rear of the Tiger and close range puts an armor-piercing projectile into his side, lights up, continuing the maneuver, the T-70 has already begun to get close to the next Tiger. Wanting to avoid the fate of the lead vehicle, the remaining two began to retreat. As proof, the wrecked "Tiger" was delivered to Moscow and was exhibited in Gorky Park at an exhibition of captured weapons.

Interesting facts, if the T-34 tank was damaged, about 60 percent could not be restored (detonation of ammunition), for the T-70 light tank, this figure is lower, 40 percent. Due to its low noise and mobility, it was used in reconnaissance, although the lack of a radio station in the tank reduced its effectiveness. In the 43rd year, it was decided to stop production, from the middle of the year the car ceases to be produced. The plant switches to the production of SU-76 and SU-76M, built on the basis of the T-70 chassis. Interestingly, the number of manufactured self-propelled guns of all types (light, medium and heavy) during the war years amounted to 22.5 thousand units, 12.6 thousand of them SU-76 and SU-76M.

adopted, everyone understood that he was only a temporary measure - his armor was too thin to withstand enemy tanks. At first there were attempts to modify the T-60 by installing a new turret on it, but this experimental tank The T-45 was not put into production due to insufficient engine power.

The new tank, which was named GAZ-70, was completed at the end of 1941. Its assembly was very slow, and the first prototype was completed in February 1942. At first, the tank did not cause much enthusiasm - in terms of armor protection, the new tank was not much superior to the T-60, and its combat power was reduced to a minimum due to the fact that one person had to combine the functions of loader, gunner and commander. Soon the shortcomings were eliminated, and the T-70 was compared with the T-34-76 in terms of frontal armor, which was a serious achievement. As a result, it was decided to put the tank into mass production.

TTX T-70

general information

• Combat weight - 9.2 tons or 9.8 tons (T-70M);
• Crew - 2 people;
• The number of issued - 8231 pieces.

Dimensions

• Case length - 4285 mm;
• Hull width - 2348 mm (2420 mm for the T-70M);
• Height - 2035 mm;
• Clearance - 300 mm.

Booking

• Type of armor - homogeneous rolled high hardness;
• The forehead of the hull (top) - 35/61 ° mm / hail;
• Forehead of the hull (bottom) - 45 / -30 ° mm / hail and 15 / -81 ° mm / hail for the T-70M;
• Hull board - 15/0 ° mm / hail;
• Hull feed (top) - 15/76 ° mm / hail;
• Hull feed (bottom) - 25 / −44 ° mm / hail;
• Bottom - 10 mm and 6 mm for the T-70M;
• Hull roof - 10 mm;
• Gun mantlet — 50 + 15 mm/deg;
• The side of the tower - 35/23 mm / hail;
• Tower roof - 10 mm and 15 mm for the T-70M.

Armament

• The caliber and brand of the gun is 45 mm 20-K;
• Barrel length - 46 calibers;
• Gun ammunition - 90 (70 for T-70M)
• Angles HV: −6…+20°;
• GN angles - 360°;
• Sights - TMFP or TOP, mechanical;
• Machine gun - 7.62 mm DT.

Mobility

• Engine type - twin in-line 4-stroke 6-cylinder carburetor;
• Engine power - 2 × 70 hp;
• Highway speed - 42 km / h;
• Cross-country speed - 20-25 km / h;
• Power reserve on the highway - 410-450;
• Power reserve over rough terrain - 360 km (250 km for the T-70M);
• Specific power - 15.2 hp / t (14.2 hp / t for the T-70M);
• Suspension type - individual torsion bar;
• Specific ground pressure - 0.7 kg / cm²;
• Climbability - 34 °;
• Overcoming wall - 0.7 m;
• Crossable moat - 1.7 m;
• Crossable ford - 1.0 m.

Photos of T-70

Modifications

The T-70 was produced in two versions, which differed in the design of the chassis:

• T-70, a tank weighing 9.2 tons and with 90 rounds of ammunition, the original version of an infantry support tank;
• T-70M with widened tracks and road wheels and reinforced suspension torsion bars. It has a mass of 9.8 tons and a reduced ammunition load of 70 rounds.

Refinement of the T-70 to the T-70M was impossible due to incompatible structural components.

Experienced tanks

The T-70 became the basis for many development works, which investigated the strengthening of the tank's armament and the improvement of ergonomics.

• T-70 with gun Sh-37. It had unsatisfactory ergonomics of the fighting compartment, despite the extended turret and the absence of a machine gun;
• T-70 with more powerful cannon BT-42 caliber 45 mm. The tank successfully passed the tests, but by that time the T-70 was discontinued and the BT-42 cannon was decided to be installed on the new T-80;
• T-70 with extra space in the turret for the loader. Work on this experimental model eventually led to the creation of the T-80 tank, and the T-70 was never equipped with a two-man turret;
• T-70-3, anti-aircraft tank. Had a converted turret with two heavy machine guns DShK. Together with the anti-aircraft T-90, he participated in tests that he did not pass due to an unbalanced weapon installation;
• T-90 - anti-aircraft tank based on the T-70M with DShK machine guns. Passed comparative tests with the T-70-3, but had a number of shortcomings. They needed to be eliminated, but they did not have time to do this - the requirements for the performance characteristics of such machines changed, and work on the T-90 was closed.

Application

The T-70 was actively used in many divisions and units of the Red Army along with other tanks, most often with the T-34. Baptism of fire these tanks were received in the summer of 1942, in the battles in the South-West direction, and it was then that their vulnerability was revealed.

However, the T-70 also had advantages - for example, they were ideal for pursuing retreating enemies, and in 1943 this task became very relevant. In addition, the T-70 had a reliable undercarriage and power plant, which made it possible to march over longer distances than the T-34 could. The relative quietness of the machine was also a plus.

Best of all, the T-70 showed itself in the Battle of Kursk. Despite the fact that the "seventies" were struck quite easily, they had a much lower percentage of irretrievable losses compared to better armored T-34s.

The effectiveness of the T-70 is very big influence the crew's knowledge of the features of the tank provided - in really capable hands, it became a formidable force. For example, in July 1943, during the battle for the village of Pokrovka, one T-70 was able to knock out one Panther and three medium German tanks. And in August 1943 there was another unique case. The T-70 managed to catch up with the retreating enemy tank and get into the dead zone, while the crew commander jumped on the armor of the enemy tank and threw a grenade into the open hatch. So the Soviet troops received almost a whole German tank, which was then used in battles.

In 1944, one T-70 was able to knock out two Panthers, which was a real achievement.

The operation of the T-70 actually ended immediately after the war, although in January 1946, 1502 T-70s were still in service with the Red Army.

tank memory

The T-70 in both modifications is presented in many museums around the world - in Russia, in the countries of the former USSR, and even in the tank museum in Parola in Finland. Also, the T-70 in the form of monuments is installed in many cities of Russia, as well as in Ukraine and Belarus.

The T-70 tank was developed at the Design Bureau of the Gorky Automobile Plant under the leadership of N.A. Astrov at the end of 1941. Serial production was organized in 1942-1943. at the Gorky Automobile Plant, plants No. 37 (Sverdlovsk) and No. 38 (Kirov). A total of 8226 tanks of modifications T-70 and T-70M were produced. The vehicles participated in the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, as well as in other operations of the Great Patriotic War.

Tank T-70
Combat weight - 9.2-10 tons; crew - 2 people; weapons: cannon - 45 mm, machine gun - 7.62 mm; armor - bulletproof; power unit power - 140 hp (103 kW); maximum speed - 45 km/h

The T-70 tank was designed to replace the T-60 tank in the army and differed from it mainly in size, more powerful weapons, enhanced armor protection and higher power density. The scheme of the general layout of the machine was fundamentally the same as that of the T-60 tank. The tank had five compartments: control - in front of the hull, combat - in the middle part, transmission - in the front of the hull on the right along the way, engine - in the middle part along the starboard side of the hull and aft. The crew of two was housed in the hull and turret. The driver was in the bow of the hull at the left side. In a rotating turret, shifted to the port side from the longitudinal axis of the hull, the tank commander was located. In the middle part of the hull along the starboard side on a common frame, two engines coupled in series were installed, which made up a single power unit. Such a constructive solution was first implemented in the domestic tank building. The transmission and drive wheels were front-mounted.

A 45-mm tank gun mod. 1938 and a 7.62 mm DT machine gun coaxial with it, which was located to the left of the 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 machine gun was mounted in a ball mount and, if necessary, could be removed and used outside the tank. The aiming angles of the twin installation along the vertical ranged from - 6 to + 20 °. When firing, sights were used: a telescopic TMFP (a TOP sight was installed on some tanks) and a mechanical one as a backup. The direct fire range was 3600 m, the maximum was 4800 m. The rate of fire was 12 rds / min. The gear turret traverse mechanism was mounted to the left of the commander, and the twin mount's screw hoist was mounted to the right. The trigger mechanism of the gun was connected by a cable to the right foot pedal, and the machine gun to the left. The tank's ammunition included 90 shots with armor-piercing and fragmentation shells for the cannon (of which 20 shots were in the magazine) and 945 rounds for the DT machine gun (15 disks). Additionally, in the fighting compartment of the vehicle fit: one 7.62-mm PPSh submachine gun with 213 rounds of ammunition (3 disks) and 10 F-1 hand grenades. On the machines of the first releases, the ammunition load for the gun consisted of 70 rounds. The initial speed of an armor-piercing projectile weighing 1.42 kg was 760 m/s, a fragmentation projectile weighing 2.13 kg was 335 m/s. After firing an armor-piercing projectile fired cartridge case 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. Created in the spring of 1942, a new armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile for a 45-mm cannon pierced an armor plate 50 mm thick at a distance of 500 m.

Armor scheme for the T-70 light tank

Armor protection - bulletproof, made of rolled armor plates with a thickness of 6, 10, 15, 25, 35 and 45 mm. Frontal and aft hull sheets and turret sheets had rational angles of inclination. In the upper frontal sheet of the hull there was a driver's hatch, in the armored cover of which a rotary periscope viewing device was installed (on the machines of the first releases, a viewing slot with a triplex was made in the hatch cover). To facilitate the opening of the hatch cover, a balancing mechanism was used. In addition, at the bottom right (along the tank) in the front sheet there was a hatch for access to the transmission units, which was closed with a bolted armor cover. In the lower front sheet there was a hatch for the engine crank, which was closed with an armor cover. Each side of the hull consisted of two sheets welded together. The weld seam was reinforced with riveting. In the lower part of each side, five cutouts were made for the installation of balancer brackets, as well as holes for attaching the rear roller balancer stop and for three support roller brackets. In addition, on the starboard side there was a hatch for installing a starting heater lamp, and an armored air intake box for the power plant was welded along its upper part.

The roof of the hull consisted of a turret sheet supported by a longitudinal beam and a bulkhead of the aft compartment; a removable sheet above the engine compartment and air intake armor, mounted on hinges and serving at the same time for access to the engines; a removable horizontal sheet above the water radiator of the cooling system, in which there were: a hatch for filling the cooling system with water and shutters for the exit of cooling air, as well as two removable sheets above the fuel tank compartment, one of which had two hatches for filling fuel tanks. The bottom of the hull was made of three armor plates and, to ensure rigidity, had box-section transverse beams through which suspension torsion bars passed. It housed: an emergency manhole located under the driver's seat, two small hatches for draining oil from engines, two hatches for draining fuel and two hatches for accessing the water radiator mounting studs.

The welded faceted turret, 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 were reinforced with armor squares. The frontal part of the tower had a cast swinging mask with loopholes for mounting a gun, machine gun and sight. An entrance hatch for the tank commander was made in the roof of the turret. A periscopic viewing mirror device was installed in the armored hatch cover, which provided the commander with a circular view. The impenetrable space around the tank ranged from 7.5 to 16.5 m. For flag signaling, there was a special hatch in the hatch cover, which was closed with an armored flap. Ensuring all-round visibility through the installation of a rotary viewing device was an innovation for domestic light tanks. In the sides of the tower there were holes for firing from personal weapons, which were closed with armor plugs.

Two hand-held tetrachlorine fire extinguishers were used as fire fighting equipment in the tank.

The power unit GAZ-203 (70-6000) consisted of two four-stroke six-cylinder carburetor engines GAZ-202 (GAZ 70-6004 - front and GAZ 70-6005 - rear) with a total power of 140 hp. (103 kW) with "M" type carburetors. The crankshafts of the engines were connected by a coupling with elastic bushings. The flywheel crankcase of the front engine was connected by a link 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. The oil-water radiator had two sections for separate engine maintenance. The engine cooling system compared to the cooling system of the T-60 tank was significantly improved, the water pump was made common to the two engines. In the air system, an oil-inertial type air cleaner was used. For accelerated start-up of engines in winter, a heater heater was used, powered by a portable blowtorch. The heater boiler and oil-water radiator were included in the cooling system. The engines were started from two ST-40 electric starters connected in parallel with a power of 1.3 hp. (0.96 kW) each or with a manual winding mechanism. On the command tanks(with a radio station) instead of ST-40 starters, two ST-06 starters with a power of 2 hp were installed. (1.5 kW). The engines ran on aviation gasoline KB-70 or B-70. Two fuel tanks with a total capacity of 440 liters were placed on the left side of the aft compartment of the hull in a compartment isolated by armored partitions. On the right side of the aft compartment there was a fan and a radiator for the engine cooling system. Two cylindrical silencers were placed on the starboard side behind the armor cover for the air intake.

The mechanical transmission consisted of a two-disc semi-centrifugal main clutch of dry friction (Ferodo steel); a four-speed simple automotive-type gearbox that provided four forward gears and one reverse gear; main gear with bevel gear; two multi-disk dry side clutches (steel on steel) with band brakes with Ferodo linings and two simple single-row final drives. The main clutch and gearbox were assembled from parts borrowed from the ZIS-5 truck.

In the suspension system, a reinforced individual torsion bar suspension and travel limiters for the balancers of the fifth road wheels were used. The role of the travel limiters of the first and third road wheels was played by the supporting rollers. The composition of the caterpillar mover included two drive wheels with removable gear rims of the lantern gear with caterpillars, ten single-sided support wheels with external shock absorption and six all-metal support rollers, two guide wheels with crank track tensioners and two small-link caterpillars with OMSH. The design of the guide wheel and track roller was unified. The width of the cast track track was 260 mm. To prevent the fingers from moving towards the hull when the machine was moving, special fists were riveted to the crankcases of the final drives from above and to the bottom of the hull from below.

The electrical equipment of the machine was made according to a single-wire circuit. The voltage of the on-board network was 12 V (on the tanks of the first releases - 6 V). Two 3STE-112 rechargeable batteries connected in series with a voltage of 6 V and a capacity of 112 Ah and a GAZ-27A generator with a power of 225 W with a relay-regulator RPA-14 or a G-64 generator with a power of 250 W with a relay- regulator RRA-44 or RRA-4574. From August 1942, GT-500S or DSF-500T generators with a power of 380/500 W with relay-regulators RRK-37-500T or RRK-GT-500S began to be installed on command tanks, and on line tanks - a G-41 generator with a relay - RRA-364 regulator. Commander tanks were equipped with a 9R or 12RT radio station located in the turret 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.

From September 1942, plant No. 38 and GAZ switched to the production of T-70M tanks with an improved chassis. Gun ammunition was reduced to 70 rounds. As a result of the work on the modernization of the chassis, the width and pitch of the tracks were increased (up to 300 mm and 111 mm, respectively), the width of the road wheels (from 104 to 130 mm), as well as the diameter of the suspension torsion bars (from 34 to 36 mm) and gear rims driving wheels. By increasing the track pitch, their number in one track was reduced from 91 to 80 pieces. In addition, the supporting rollers, stopping brakes were strengthened (the width of the brake band and drum was increased from 90 to 124 mm) and final drives. The mass of the tank increased to 10 tons, and the cruising range on the highway decreased to 250 km.

lovers military history sign designed by Nikolai Alexandrovich Astrov Soviet tank T-70.

The characteristics of this combat vehicle immediately speak for themselves: this Combat vehicles the battlefield is of the light type.

A depressing fact prompted the military to create a new tank: combat trials light and medium tanks of the Red Army (models from T-38 to T-60) during the first year of the Second World War revealed their non-competitiveness.

In January 1942, the 70th tank was demonstrated to Stalin as an enhanced version of the previous representative of the T-60 light tank line, and its serial production began in March.

Brief TTX light tank T-70

Consider the main characteristics of the brainchild of Astrov:

Frontal armor thickness: bottom - 45 mm; top - 35 mm;

Side armor thickness - 15 mm;

Main armament: 20-K cannon, 45 mm caliber, (previously used in the T-50 tank);

Ammunition - 90 shells;

Machine gun 7.62 mm, 15 discs with 945 rounds;

Two four-stroke six-cylinder petrol engines with a capacity of 70 hp each. with.;

Cross-country speed - up to 25 km / h, on the highway - 42 km / h;

Power reserve over rough terrain - 360 km, on the highway - 450 km;

On the command vehicle - walkie-talkie 12T or 9R.

The project of the T-70 tank was initially critical

T-70 is a tank of the Great Patriotic War, reviews of which are rather contradictory. And this is despite the fact that the number of such manufactured tanks (almost 8.5 thousand units) was second only to the famous T-34! An objective look at its advantages and disadvantages reveals main reason this historical and technical incident. It is banal: often a failed project is initiated and promoted not by end users (in this case, the military), but by the top party leadership.

The original pre-war thesis for the development of armored forces - "The army needs good light tank!" - turned out to be wrong. The strategists did not take into account the prospect of arming the Wehrmacht (and this happened in 1942) with artillery of 50 and 75 mm caliber. Reinforced enemy guns effectively hit the T-70 from any angle. The tank was inferior to the German "tigers" and "panthers" with 75-caliber guns both in terms of firepower and armor protection. Fifth Commander tank army Katukov M.E. wrote unflatteringly about them to G.K. Zhukov, pointing out the impossibility of using the T-70 in an oncoming tank battle due to pre-guaranteed losses.

Wrong direction of design?

Indeed, Russian WWII tanks were initially created in a banal way by improving the previous model, without predicting, based on intelligence, the weapons of the battlefield created by the enemies. Based on the foregoing, unflattering reviews about the imperfection of the T-70 seem natural. Just improving the T-60 tank was not enough. Now, more than 70 years after the project this weapon, we can already justify the dead end of such motivation.

Light tanks (photos of them are proof of this) would be ideal on the fronts of the First World War. It was for the guns of that time that the armor of the tank designed by Astrov was practically impenetrable. The second important trump card was the speed and maneuverability of the T-70.

In other words, the need to produce light tanks for the army in the middle of the 20th century was a fantasy of the Soviet strategists of that time, who had not grown either tactically or strategically since civil war. Customers of weapons should think adequately to their contemporary military thought!

Are the identified design flaws of the T-70 an indicator of its failure?

Such shortcomings were characteristic of almost all light tanks of that time, therefore, looking ahead, we state the fact: none of them became really effective on the battlefield.

All light Russian tanks of the Second World War were designed to order by the lead designer Astrov Nikolai Alexandrovich, like the T-70. Tests of new weapons, carried out in 1941, revealed areas for improving the tank:

Strengthening armor;

Replacement of a single cast turret with a double hexagonal turret;

Reinforcement of transmission, tracks, tires of road wheels;

Replacing the main gun with a more modern one (the latter was never implemented).

What can be said here? Were there too many flaws in the base model? Is it really just such a basic model that was in demand by the Red Army?

The inappropriateness of light tanks on the battlefield was proved by the further evolution of tank building: the armies of different countries gradually, in principle, abandoned such weapons on the battlefield. Instead, other light armored vehicles have been developed, mainly performing the role of support, which no longer act as the main fire armored force of the battlefield. However, on the other hand, the very process of creating and modifying the T-70 turned out to be very creative.

Serial types

The industrial production of light tanks T-70 was carried out in a version corresponding to the original design of the designer Astrov, as well as in a modified version of the T-70M.

The first variety had unreinforced armor, lighter weight - 9.2 tons and more ammunition - 90 shells; second - more weight(9.8 t), achieved through additional armor, reinforcement of units and parts. The ammo capacity of the upgraded tank was reduced to 70 rounds.

In fact, they were structurally different combat vehicles having different, non-interchangeable parts.

- fiasco for the T-70 light tank

In reality, the army needed medium and heavy tanks capable of effectively hitting enemy armored vehicles.

Party bosses did not hear the dishonestly repressed and shot in the basement of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Soviet Court Marshal Soviet Union Mikhail Nikolaevich Tukhachevsky: "The future war will be a war of tank formations!"

And, accordingly, the defense industry of the USSR since 1942 mass-produced the T-70 - a tank whose combat potential in 1943 did not stand the severe test - an uncompromising oncoming tank battle near the village of Kursk Bulge).

Armor did not save: 75th and 50th caliber enemy artillery even its frontal part easily made its way. Moreover, the tank turned out to be vulnerable even to outdated German regimental artillery of 37 mm caliber. Exam counter tank battle was a failure and, accordingly, after Kursk Bulge mass production of the T-70 was discontinued.

However, oddly enough, it was at the second stage of the Great Patriotic War, when the Red Army was advancing uncontrollably, that a number of qualified combat commanders expressed regret at the premature farewell to the T-70. The tank still, despite the obvious shortcomings, was useful!

On the positive combat qualities of the T-70

It was not given to reveal its positive to new tankers. At the same time, aces tank battle in conditions of crossed and wooded area even preferred this light vehicle to the more armored medium T-34. What motivated them to make this choice? Firstly, German heavy guns and heavy tanks almost equally hit the T-34 and T-70. In addition, due to the smaller size of a light tank, aimed fire at it is possible from a distance of half a kilometer, while at the T-34 - from a kilometer distance.

Also, with the help of the T-70, it was possible to use the surprise factor when attacking the enemy. At the same time, both the heavy tank IS and the medium T-34 were deprived of such an opportunity due to noisier diesel engines.

Almost close, unnoticed, a light tank T-70 drove up over rough terrain to the enemy camp. After all, the noise of the twin gasoline car engine with a capacity of 140 liters. with. in terms of sound level it resembled only passenger car. Lieutenant General Bogdanov reported to the main armored directorate that the T-70, due to its low noise, ideally performed the function of pursuing a retreating enemy.

The location of the fuel tanks in the rear of the hull contributed to the extremely rare detonation of fuel when it hit the tank.

In 1944, when about one and a half thousand T-70 tanks remained in the tank units of the Red Army, the OGK of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry stated its effectiveness in urban battles. The "Seventy" was difficult to hit with "faustpatrons" and grenades due to its small size and high maneuverability.

Manufacturability

It should be recognized that the Soviet T-70 tank in its design turned out to be one of the most technologically efficient. For its manufacture, a thoroughly balanced production base of the GAZ plant was used. Cooperation with factories-suppliers of components and parts was effectively established.

The repair of weapons on the basis of the T-70, damaged on the fronts, was effectively organized.

Initially, the designer Astrov set up its production at the Gorky Automobile Plant.

In 1942, the factory workers produced 3495 units of this weapon, and in 1943 - 3348. Then the production of the T-70 in 1942 was also debugged at plant No. 38 (Kirov). 1378 of these tanks were manufactured here.

It was also planned to involve the Sverdlovsk Plant No. 37 in the production of the tank. However, it was not prepared here, and the technological costs turned out to be critically high. Twice as many engines were required as for the T-60, making more powerful rolled armor more labor intensive. As a result - a modest result: 10 tanks and the cessation of production.

An objective look at the design flaws of the tank

The fact is obvious: the idea of ​​an effective light tank on the fronts of World War II turned out to be a complete utopia. Therefore, the work on the project to create the T-70 (despite the mass of original engineering findings, which we will write about later) obviously looked like, i.e., was doomed to failure.

Let's begin with soviet tanks The Second World War (and the subject of our description as well) had a layout design that was not devoid of obvious shortcomings, involving 5 compartments:

managerial;

Motor (right - in the middle of the body);

Combat (tower and left - in the middle of the hull);

Aft (where the gasoline tanks and the radiator were located).

A tank with similar compartments was front-wheel drive, so its undercarriage was characterized by increased vulnerability.

T-70 - an exhibit of the armored museum in Kubinka (Moscow region)

It's no secret that light tanks (a photo of the Japanese "Ha-Go" and the German PzKpfw-II, modern with the T-70, is presented below) should be designed taking into account mutually exclusive technical and combat criteria:

Efficient distribution of duties between crew members (functional overload of the tank commander in a crew of two, which also included the driver);

The firepower of the gun turned out to be insufficient (the design of the light tank assumed a 45-mm rifled automatic gun 20-K of the 1932 model as the main armament).

Those wishing to see the typical armament of the T-70 - the main gun and the coaxial machine gun DT-29 with a caliber of 7.62 mm - are recommended to visit the specialized military armored museum (Kubinka). Museum guests can see both the equipment and the equipment of the crew members' seats.

The tank commander was in the turret compartment, which is shifted to the left relative to the longitudinal axis, and also captures the left middle part of the hull. According to his duties, he directed the actions of the driver through intercom, monitored the situation, loaded and fired from the weapon and the machine gun coaxial with it.

The driver was in front of the hull, in the middle.

Since the exhibits of the museum have been carefully restored and, as they say, are on the move, tourists can see the operating components and assemblies of the T-70, making a visual impression for themselves. What do we mean when we mention the functional overload of the tank commander? Too many mechanical, routine processes in it were not automated. This shortcoming can be noticed by those who visited the museum (Kubinka). One has only to carefully examine the mechanisms of the restored combat vehicle. Judge for yourself:

Manual drive of the turret rotation device;

Manual lift for the gun;

When firing shells of a fragmentation type, the semi-automatic did not work, and the commander was forced to manually open the shutter and pull out a red-hot spent cartridge case.

Due to these factors, which objectively interfere with combat, the design rate of fire - up to 12 rounds per minute - turned out to be unattainable. In reality, the T-70 fired up to 5 shots per minute.

By the way, in the same museum, namely in pavilion No. 6, visitors will be able to see the tanks of fascist Germany: “tigers” and “panthers”, which opposed the Soviet tank we are considering.

Rapidly evolving, but still far from perfect, Soviet tanks from the Second World War invariably attract the attention of visitors.

Demanded undercarriage T-70

Especially for the T-70, a twin GAZ-203 engine was developed. Ahead is the GAZ-70-6004 engine, and behind is the GAZ-70-6005. Six-cylinder four-stroke engines - both have been derated for increased reliability and service life.

The T-70 transmission, inherited from the previous model, received generally positive reviews. It consisted of:

Double disc clutch;

Gearboxes 4-speed;

Cardan shaft of stepped type;

bevel final drive;

Onboard clutches multi-disc;

Single row final drives.

The T-70 caterpillar consisted of 91 tracks 26 cm wide.

Instead of a conclusion: military equipment based on the T-70

However, the T-70 tank was not a dead end model. was developed by the Design Bureau of Plant No. 38 (Kirov) on the basis of its extended undercarriage. The main armament of this self-propelled gun was the 76 mm ZIS-3 gun. The T-70 itself turned out to be technologically advanced and promising.

The design of the new weapons was dramatic. The first designer, Semyon Alexandrovich Ginzburg, was accused of non-existent "sins" after the depressing consequences of Kuskoy Duga, deprived of the right to design, sent to the front, where he died. The commissar of tank construction I. M. Zaltsman, who was in conflict with him, had a hand in this. However, this ambitious official was soon motivatedly dismissed from his post.

Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Malyshev, appointed to his position, appointed a competition for the modification of the SU-76, where representatives of GAZ and plant No. 38 were involved.

As a result, the ACS was reconfigured and put into mass production. The 75-mm gun made it possible to successfully destroy enemy self-propelled guns, light and medium tanks. It was also relatively effective against the heavy Panther, penetrating the gun mantlet and side armor. In the fight against the newer and more armored “tiger”, the SU-76 turned out to be ineffective before the introduction of cumulative and

In the second half of 1944, the Red Army entered service created on the basis of the chassis of the T-70 tank.

Today, amateur collectors have the opportunity to purchase any model of the T-70 tank. The price of the base model (full size) is 5 million rubles. Let's make a reservation that it is equipped with the original chassis, but, of course, it is not intended for combat. At the same time, the latest improvements are offered: from a leather interior to an echo sounder.

First fighting in 1941 they showed the Soviet military command the imperfection of the T-60 tank. The anti-tank weapons of Nazi Germany easily pierced the armor of this combat vehicle. In addition, the T-60 was not equipped with the weapons with which you can resist the enemy. The Red Army needed a more powerful and at the same time sufficiently mobile combat vehicle. She became a light tank T-70. It entered the history of the Great Patriotic War as one of the most popular types of weapons. This article provides an overview of the T-70 tank.

Start of creation

Light tank T-70 was assembled by the masters of Gorky car factory(GAS). This enterprise specialized in the manufacture of armored vehicles: the plant mass-produced tankettes T-27 and small amphibious tanks T-34A. The well-known military engineer Astrov Nikolai Aleksandrovich became the chief designer and developer of the combat vehicle. In the Great Patriotic War, under his leadership, a whole line of light tanks was created.

The developers did not rule out that after strengthening the armor and armament of the T-70 (tank), in the future it would need more fundamental design changes. There was a concern that an increase in the mass and size of the combat vehicle could adversely affect the operation of its engine and gearbox, which would have to function in enhanced mode.

It was decided to equip the Soviet T-70 tank with a ZIS-60 engine, the power of which reached 100 hp. with. Such engines were produced in Moscow by the masters of the Stalin plant. Due to the forced evacuation of the ZIS and its employees from Moscow to the city of Miass (Ural), work on the creation of such an engine was somewhat suspended. It was decided to equip the new tank with the ZIS-16 engine. Its power was 86 liters. with. Since December 1941, the T-70 tank (the photo below shows the external design features of this combat vehicle) was listed under the factory designation GAZ-70.

Design

In 1941, Astrov N.A. provided his design developments for the T-70 to the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army. The tank was an armored vehicle based on the T-60, but with significantly enhanced armor and weapons. It was decided to make the power plant by pairing car engines. The first model of the installation (index GAZ-203) was ready by the fall of 1941.

The design process was carried out using a technique typical for the automotive industry: using special aluminum plates, the dimensions of which were 300x700 cm. They, in turn, were divided into squares 20x20 cm. Drawings of all components and parts of internal and appearance T-70. The tank due to the use of this technique was going to quickly enough. All of its components are different. high precision. Using these drawings, both an experimental model of the T-70 tank and the entire first series of these combat vehicles were assembled.

Result

In 1942, the assembly of the T-70 was started. The tank was fully constructed only in February. In the same year he was sent to Moscow. When viewed by representatives of the Main Armored Directorate, shortcomings of the T-70 were revealed. The tank, the characteristics of which slightly exceeded the basic T-60, did not arouse enthusiasm among the members of the commission. In terms of armor protection, it slightly surpassed the T-60, and the presence of a 45-mm gun was leveled, since the tank turret was designed for only one person, who was forced to simultaneously perform the duties of commander, gunner and loader. Astrov N.A. assured the commission that this worthlessness of the T-70 tank would be corrected by March.

Final stage

In March 1942, a modified T-70 tank was sent to Moscow. Photos of this combat vehicle are presented later in the article. As a result of the increase in armor, the lower frontal hull plate was thickened to 0.45 cm, the upper one had a thickness of 0.35 cm. As a result, the design of the tank was approved by the Main Defense Committee, and it was adopted by the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army as the T-70 - light tank. The photo shows the external design of the tank.

Production

According to the decision of the Main Committee of Defense, the manufacture of the T-70 should be carried out by GAZ and factories No. 37 and 38. However, at first, the production of cast towers was not established at these enterprises. They were made in other factories. According to the April T-70 production plan, GAZ workers assembled 50 tanks. At the same Kirov plant number 38, only 7 were assembled. In Sverdlovsk, at the plant number 37, the assembly of a light tank was never established. The body of the tank was made by the workers of the locomotive plant in Murmansk.

Housing device

In the manufacture of a welded faceted tower T-70, rolled sheets are used. Their thickness is 3.5 and 4.5 cm. They provided differentiated bulletproof armor protection. Rivets are used to reinforce welds. For a welded faceted turret, steel sheets 3.5 cm thick are used. The tank turret was in the form of a truncated pyramid, for installation of which a ball bearing is used. Its location is the middle part in the tank hull. To strengthen the tower, the designers used armor squares. They were designed specifically for welded joints between the rolled sheets of the tower. Armored plates were used for manufacturing. In the tank, they were connected to each other by welding.

In the upper part of the hull was a hatch, which was used by the driver. Boarding and disembarking was carried out through the hatch. The bottom of the tank was equipped with an emergency hatch - a manhole. In the first version of the tank, the manhole cover was equipped with a special viewing slot. In the future, it was decided to replace it with a rotary mirror periscope observation device. Via this device the commander could carry out a circular review.

machine structure

The T-70 consisted of five squads:

• Transmission.
• Managerial.
• Motor (starboard).
• Combat (tank turret and port side).
• Aft, designed to accommodate fuel tanks and a radiator.

Armament

The combat vehicle is equipped with:

• 45 mm cannon (model 1938). A slight offset of the gun from the longitudinal axis of the tower provided the convenience of the commander.
• Twin machine gun. It is located to the left of the gun. Could be used for circular firing.

The tank was designed for firing, the line height of which was 154 cm. Shooting was carried out using telescopic and mechanical sights. Mechanical was used as a backup. The T-70 at direct fire could fire at a distance of up to one kilometer.

The gun was intended for firing at a distance of 4 km 800 m. Aimed fire was possible at a distance not exceeding 3 km 600 m. Rate of fire - 12 rounds per minute.

The turret was rotated using a special gear mechanism installed to the left of the commander. The place of the screw lifting mechanism was located to the right of the commander. Foot control was provided. For this purpose, special pedals are provided. It was possible to fire a shot from a tank gun using the right pedal. The left pedal was provided for the operation of the coaxial machine gun.

The T-70 gun was designed for 90 shots. In her ammunition there were armor-piercing and fragmentation shells. The coaxial tank machine gun contains 945 rounds of ammunition.

To accommodate twenty cannon ammunition, the designers created special stores. The location of the shells in these compartments ensured the convenient work of the tank commander. For the remaining seventy ammunition, standard stacking was intended. They were placed in the fighting compartment along the sides of the tank. During firing with an armor-piercing projectile, the extraction of cartridge cases was provided by automation. Due to the small initial speed firing a fragmentation projectile, the rollback of the barrel had a shorter length - it was not enough for the full operation of the automation. As a result, after firing with fragmentation ammunition, the extraction of the cartridge case was carried out by hand.

Theoretically, the T-70 was capable of firing 12 shots within one minute. In practice, the rate of fire was determined by lower rates: no more than five shots. This is explained by the lack of a loader and the need to manually extract the cartridge cases.

Power plant device

In the power plant GAZ-203, the designers used two four-stroke six-cylinder carburetor engines GAZ-202. Their total power was 140 liters. with. In these engines, the crankshafts were connected to each other using a coupling containing elastic bushings. To prevent transverse oscillations of the power plant, the designers connected the crankcase in the front engine and the starboard thrust to each other. The ignition process was carried out using a battery system. Each engine was equipped with lubrication and fuel systems. The T-70 provides for the presence of two gas tanks. Their total capacity was 440 liters. Their location is on the left side in the aft compartment. For this purpose, the tank was equipped with a special compartment isolated with armored partitions.

Transmission

The tank transmission included:

• Semi-centrifugal double disc main clutch.
• Four-speed gearbox (automotive type).
• Main gear containing a bevel gear.
• Side clutches (two pieces) using band brakes.
• Two single row final drives.

In the manufacture of the gearbox, parts of ZIS-5 trucks were used.

truck

Each side of the tank was equipped with:

• A drive wheel containing removable teeth, which provided the lantern gear.
• Five single-sided rubber-coated track rollers.
• Three supporting all-metal rollers.
• A guide wheel containing a special crank mechanism, which ensured the tension of the bead caterpillar.
• One small-sized caterpillar. It contained 91 tracks. The track width is 26 cm.

The tank propulsion system used an individual torsion bar suspension.

Means of communication

The combat vehicle was equipped with 9R and 12RT radios. Their location was the tower. T-70s were also equipped with internal intercoms TPU-2F. The commander could maintain internal communication with the mechanic and with the help of a light signal device, which was equipped with the T-70 tank.

Specifications

• Tank length - 4.29 m.
• The width of the tank was 2.3 m.
• Height - 2.5 m.
• The mass of the T-70 tank reached 9.2 tons.
• The power reserve of the combat vehicle dirt road was 235 km.
• On the highway - 350 km.
• The T-70 had a speed of 42 km/h.
• The average pressure on the ground was 0.67 kg/cm 2 .

Modification

Serial production of the T-70 was carried out in two versions:

• Standard T-70. The weight of the combat unit was 9.2 tons.
• The T-70M tank was a vehicle with an improved undercarriage: design changes affected the road wheels and tracks. If in the T-70 the width of the tracks was 26 cm, then in the T-70M tank it reached 30 cm. Also in the new version, the designers performed reinforcement of the torsion bar suspensions. The mass of the T-70M increased to 9.8 tons. The ammunition load is designed for 70 shots from a cannon.

By 1943, 8226 T-70 and T-70M units had been assembled.

Who used combat vehicles?

Combat vehicles T-70, T-70M and T-34 were in service tank brigades and regiments of mixed organization. Each brigade had 32 T-34s and 21 T-70s (T-70M). These brigades functioned separately or could be part of mechanized corps. The tank regiment had 23 T-34s and 16 T-70s. The regiments could be part of a mechanized brigade or represent independent military formations.

In the spring of 1944, the T-70 combat vehicles were withdrawn from the Red Army. Despite this, some brigades, self-propelled artillery battalions and regiments used the T-70 as training and command vehicles. Often they were used to complete tank units motorcycle parts. Thus, the activity of the T-70 was not stopped in 1944. This combat vehicle remained still quite in demand until the end of the Great Patriotic War.

First battle baptism

The 4th Tank Corps of the 21st Army of the Southwestern Front had a chance to test the T-70 in June 1942. This corps was armed with 145 units of combat armored vehicles. Of these, 30 T-70. After the first combat battle, all these units were destroyed. This was explained by experts both by the low ability of the T-70 to withstand enemy armored vehicles, and by imperfect combat tactics. Further battles showed that this light tank also had advantages: it was small in size and very mobile.

In January 1943, on the Voronezh Front, with the help of a T-70 going to ram Wehrmacht armored vehicles, two German tanks were destroyed in an open battle. As a result of a successful attack, the German commander and chief of staff in charge of the 100th tank battalion were captured special purpose enemy. In the future, a similar technique was used by many T-70 crews. This Soviet tank successfully rammed not only cars, armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers, but also Wehrmacht tanks.

During the successful Lgovskaya operation in 1943, carried out using the T-70, 4 enemy armored vehicles were destroyed, 32 people were taken prisoner. No T-70 losses were recorded.

For all combat activity, the T-70 tanks suffered the largest losses during the Battle of Kursk in 1943. 122 armored vehicles took part in the battle. Of the 70 T-70 vehicles, 35 units were put out of action by the enemy. 28 of them were completely destroyed.

The armies of what countries used?

The T-70 was used not only by units of the Red Army. 10 of these combat vehicles were transferred to the Czechoslovak Corps. 53 units were used by the Polish Army. The captured T-70 and T-70M were used by the Wehrmacht. Captured Soviet tanks were renamed T-70(r). They were applied infantry divisions and police departments. Wehrmacht anti-tank units used this tank as a towing 75-mm guns.

Strengths and weaknesses of the equipment

• Due to its high mobility, this tank was an ideal combat vehicle for pursuing the enemy.
• The operation of the T-70 engine, unlike other small tanks, was completely silent (reminiscent of the sound of a car). This quality of the tank and its small size allowed him to imperceptibly approach close to the enemy.
• A high crew survivability was ensured when enemy shells hit the T-70 tank. Combat use has shown that when German artillery shells hit this light tank, the risk of fire was reduced. This is due to the fact that the location of the fuel tanks in the T-70 was a special compartment, closed by armored bulkheads.
• Since the T-70 is characterized by a simple design, its development was not difficult. It could also be repaired field conditions. Even poorly trained drivers could drive this tank.

The disadvantages of the T-70 include:

• Increased vulnerability of its front (driving) wheels.
• The tank had a low aimed rate of fire. This is due to the fact that in the crew one person during the battle had to be both a gunner and a loader. As a result, in 1943, the production of the T-70 was stopped. Its place was taken by the T-80 - a more improved model: the tower of this combat vehicle was designed for two people. The transmission, control units and other indicators of the T-80 were similar to the T-70.

During the Great Patriotic War, light tanks T-70 proved their high efficiency. Today, these combat vehicles can be seen in memorials and military museums in Russia and the CIS countries.