Education, History
T-70 (tank): history. Technical characteristics, description, photo of the tank
Lovers of military history are familiar with the Soviet T-70 tank designed by Nikolai Aleksandrovich Astrov.
The creation of a new military tank was prompted by a depressing fact: the combat tests of 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 a reinforced version of the previous representative of the T-60 light tank line, and in March its serial production began.
Short TTX of light tank T-70
Let's consider the main characteristics of Astrov's offspring:
- thickness of the frontal armor: from below - 45 mm; From the top - 35 mm;
- thickness of the side armor - 15 mm;
- main armament: a 20-K cannon with a caliber of 45 mm (previously used in the T-50 tank);
- ammunition - 90 shells;
- machine gun 7.62 mm, 15 disks with 945 rounds;
- two four-stroke six-cylinder gasoline engine capacity of 70 liters. from.;
- Speed over rough terrain - up to 25 km / h, along the route - 42 km / h;
- power reserve for rough terrain - 360 km, on the route - 450 km;
- on the commander's car - radio transmitter 12T or 9P.
The design of the T-70 was originally critical
T-70 - a tank of the Great Patriotic War, the reviews of which are quite contradictory. And this - 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 view of its advantages and disadvantages reveals the main reason for this historical and technical incident. It is banal: often a project that is not initiated and promoted by the end users (in this case the military) and the higher party leadership is a failure.
The initial prewar thesis of the development of the armored troops - "The Army needs a good light tank!" - proved to be erroneous. The strategists did not take into account the prospect of arming the Wehrmacht (and this happened in 1942) with artillery caliber of 50 and 75 mm. The reinforced enemy cannon effectively attacked the T-70 from any angle. The tank was inferior to the German "tigers" and "panthers" with guns of the 75th caliber both for firepower and for armor protection. Commander of the fifth tank army, Katukov M. Ye., Wrote about them to GK Zhukov unflatteringly, pointing out the impossibility of using the T-70 in the oncoming tank battle in view of the previously guaranteed losses.
Mistakenly chosen direction of construction?
Indeed, the Russian tanks of the Second World War were initially created by the banal way of improving the previous model, without predicting the battlefield created by the enemies of the weapons based on intelligence. Proceeding from the foregoing, unflattering comments on the imperfection of the T-70 seem logical. Just to improve the T-60 tank - that was not enough. Now, more than 70 years after the implementation of the project of this weapon, we can already justify the impasse of such motivation.
Light tanks (photo of them - that's proof) would be ideal on the fronts of the First World War. It was for the tools of that time practically impenetrable armored tank designer Astrov. The second important trump card was the speed, maneuverability of the T-70.
In other words, the need to produce light tanks for the army in the middle of the twentieth century was a fantasy of Soviet strategists of the time, neither grown tactically nor strategically since the Civil War. Arms customers need to think adequately of contemporary military thinking!
Identified deficiencies in the design of the T-70 - an indicator of its insolvency?
Similar shortcomings were typical for almost all light tanks of that time, therefore, running ahead, we ascertain the fact: none of them became really effective on the battlefield.
All light Russian tanks of the Great Patriotic War were designed to order by the leading designer Astrov Nikolai Alexandrovich, as well as the T-70. Tests of new weapons, conducted in 1941, revealed the direction of improving the tank:
- Strengthening of armor;
- replacement of a single cast tower with a double hexagonal one;
- reinforcement of transmission, tracks, torsion suspension, tires of support rollers;
- the replacement of the main gun with a more modern one (the latter was never realized).
What can I say? Not too many flaws were inherent in the basic model? Was it really that such a basic model 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 of the battlefield. Instead, they have developed other light armored vehicles, mainly acting as collateral, which are no longer the main armored fighting force of the battlefield. However, on the other hand, the process of creating and modifying the T-70 turned out to be very creative.
Serial types
Industrial production of light tanks T-70 was made in the version corresponding to the original design of the designer Astrov, as well as a modified version of the T-70M.
The first variety had unresponsive armor, a smaller weight - 9.2 tons and a larger ammunition - 90 shells; The second - a greater weight (9.8 tons), achieved due to additional booking, strengthening of units and parts. The ammunition of the modernized tank was reduced to 70 shells.
In fact, it was constructively different combat vehicles that have different, non-interchangeable parts.
Kursk Duga - a fiasco for the light tank T-70
In fact, the army needed medium and heavy tanks capable of effectively hitting enemy armored vehicles.
Did not hear the party bonuses dishonestly repressed and shot in the basement of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Soviet of Marshal of the Soviet Union Mikhail Nikolayevich 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 could not withstand the severe test - an uncompromising counter tank battle near the village of Prokhorovka (Battle of Kursk Bulge).
The armor did not save: the 75th and 50th caliber of enemy artillery easily penetrated even its frontal part. Moreover, the tank was vulnerable even to the obsolete German regimental artillery of the caliber of 37 mm. The counter tank engagement was defeated and, accordingly, the mass production of the T-70 was stopped after the Kursk Bulge.
However, strangely enough, it was in the second stage of the Great Patriotic War, when the Red Army was uncontrollably advancing, that a number of qualified military commanders regretted premature farewell to the T-70. The tank still, in spite of obvious shortcomings, was useful!
On the positive combat qualities of T-70
It was not given to reveal its positive for new tankers. At the same time, the aces of tank combat in the conditions of rough and wooded terrain even preferred this light machine to a more armored medium T-34. How did they motivate such a choice? Firstly, German heavy guns and heavy tanks almost equally hit the T-34 and T-70. In addition, because of the smaller size of the light tank, it is possible to aim it at a distance of half a kilometer, whereas along the T-34 it is possible from a kilometer distance.
Also, using the T-70, you could use the surprise factor when attacking an enemy. At the same time, both the heavy IC tank and the medium T-34 were deprived of this possibility due to more noisy diesel engines.
Almost closely, unnoticed, a light tank T-70 approached the camp of the enemy along the rugged terrain. After all, the noise of a twin petrol engine running at 140 liters. from. The sound level resembled only a car. Lieutenant-General Bogdanov reported to the main auto-armored administration that the T-70, due to its low noise, ideally performed the function of harassing the retreating enemy.
The location of fuel tanks in the rear of the hull contributed to the extremely rare detonation of fuel when entering the tank.
In 1944, when about 1,500 tanks of the T-70 remained in the tank divisions of the Red Army, OGK of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry stated its effectiveness in city battles. "Seventy" was an intractable "faustpatronami" and grenades due to its small size and high maneuverability.
Manufacturability
It should be recognized that the Soviet T-70 tank was one of the most technologically effective in its design. For its production, a thoroughly balanced production base of the GAZ plant was used. Effective cooperation was established with factories supplying components and components.
Effective repair was organized for weapons based on the T-70, damaged at the fronts.
Initially, the designer Astrov established 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 the plant No. 38 (Kirov). Here, 1378 such tanks were manufactured.
The Sverdlovsk plant No. 37 was also planned to produce the tank. However, it was not prepared here, and technological costs proved to be critically high. Twice as many engines were required as for the T-60, making more powerful rolled armor was more labor-intensive. As a result - a modest result: 10 tanks and production cease.
Objective view on the design flaws of the tank
The fact is obvious: the idea of an effective light tank on the fronts of the Second World War turned out to be a complete utopia. Therefore, the work on the project for the creation of the T-70 (despite a lot of original engineering findings, which we will write about) was certainly like Sisyphean labor, that is, it was doomed to failure.
Let's start with the fact that the Soviet tanks of the Second World War (and the subject of our description as well) had, without obvious obvious drawbacks, a layout design, which presupposes 5 branches:
- management;
- motor (on the right - in the middle of the body);
- Combat (the tower and the left - in the middle of the hull);
- fodder (where the petrol tanks and radiator were located).
The tank with similar compartments was front-wheel drive, so the chassis part of it was characterized by increased vulnerability.
T-70 - an exhibit of the armored museum in Kubinka (Moscow region)
It's no secret that light tanks (photos of the Japanese "Ha-Go" and German PzKpfw-II, modern with the T-70, presented below) should be designed taking into account the technical and combat criteria mutually exclusive to each other:
- effective distribution of duties among crew members (functional overload of the tank commander in a crew of two persons, which also included driver mechanics);
- The firepower of the gun proved to be inadequate (the design of the light tank assumed as the main armament a 45 mm rifled 20-K automatic cannon of the 1932 model).
Those wishing to see the standard T-70 armament - the main weapon and the DT-29 machine gun coupled with it - with a caliber of 7.62 mm - we recommend visiting the specialized military armored museum (Kubinka). Guests of the museum can see both the equipment and equipping the crew members.
The tank commander was in the tower compartment, which is shifted to the left with respect to the longitudinal axis, and also captures the left middle part of the hull. According to his duties, he supervised the actions of the driver-mechanic by means of internal communication, monitored the situation, charged and stole from weapons and a machine gun coupled with it.
The driver-mechanic was in front of the copse, in the middle.
Since the exhibits of the museum are carefully restored and, as they say, are on the move, tourists can view the operating units and T-70 units, making a visual impression. What do we mean when we mention the functional overload of a tank commander? Too many mechanical, routine processes in it were not automated. This disadvantage can be noticed by those who visited the museum (Kubinka). It is only necessary to carefully inspect the mechanisms of the restored combat vehicle. Judge for yourself:
- manual drive of the turret turning device;
- manual drive of the lift for the gun;
- when firing fragmentation-type shells, the semi-automatic did not work, and the commander had to manually open the bolt and pull out the hot shot sleeve.
Because of these factors, objectively interfering with the fight, the project rate of fire - up to 12 rounds per minute - was unattainable. In reality, the T-70 produced up to five rounds.
By the way, in the same museum, namely in pavilion 6, visitors can see the tanks of fascist Germany: "tigers" and "panthers", who were opposing the Soviet tank we are considering.
Rapidly evolving, but still far from perfect Soviet tanks of the Second World War, invariably enjoy the attention of visitors.
In demand chassis T-70
Specially for the T-70 was developed a twin engine GAZ-203. Ahead is the GAZ-70-6004 engine, and GAZ-70-6005 behind. Six-cylinder four-stroke engines - both were de-rooted to improve reliability and resource.
The inherited from the previous model transmission T-70 reviews caused a generally positive. It consisted of:
- a double-disk clutch;
- 4-speed gearbox;
- a cardan shaft of step type;
- the conical final drive;
- airborne friction clutch multi-disc;
- single-row side reduction gears.
Caterpillar T-70 consisted of 91 trains with a width of 26 cm.
Instead of confinement: military equipment based on the T-70
However, the T-70 tank was not a dead-end model. Self-propelled artillery mount SU-76 was developed by the design bureau of plant No. 38 (Kirov) on the basis of its extended running gear. The main weapon of this automatic fire control system was a 76-millimeter ZIS-3 gun. The very body of the T-70 tank turned out to be technologically and perspective.
The design of new weapons was dramatic. The first designer Semen Alexandrovich Ginzburg was accused of non-existent "sins" after the depressing consequences of the Cusco Arc, deprived of the right to design, sent to the front where he died. This was the hand of the commissioner of tank construction, Saltzman, who was in conflict with him. However, this ambitious official was soon dismissed from his post in a motivated manner.
Appointed to his post Vyacheslav Alexandrovich Malyshev appointed a competition for the modification of SU-76, where representatives of GAZ and plant No. 38 were brought.
As a result, the automatic control system was re-arranged and launched into mass production. 75-mm gun allowed to successfully destroy enemy ACS, light and medium tanks. It was also relatively effective in dealing with a heavy "panther", punching a gun mask and side armor. In the fight against the newer and more armored "tiger", the SU-76 proved to be ineffective before the introduction of the cumulative and sub-caliber projectile.
In the second half of 1944, the self-propelled ZSU-37 anti-aircraft gun mounted on the chassis of the T-70 tank was put into service by the Red Army.
Today, amateur collectors have the opportunity to purchase any model of the T-70 tank. The price of the basic model (in-kind value) is 5 million rubles. We will stipulate that it is equipped with an original running gear, but, of course, it is not intended for combat. At the same time, the latest improvements are offered: from the leather salon to the echo sounder.
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