7TP
| 7TP | |
|---|---|
7TPjw |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 3 (commander, driver, gunner and loader) |
| length | 4.60 m (including pipe) |
| width | 2.16 m |
| height | 2.02 m (tower top) |
| Dimensions | 9.55 tons |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 5-17 mm; later models up to 40 mm |
| Main armament | 37 mm Bofors L / 45 cannon |
| Secondary armament | one or two watermarked 30-7.92 mm machine guns |
| agility | |
| drive |
Armstrong-Siddeley 4-cylinder gasoline engine / Saurer 6-cylinder diesel engine 110 PS (81 kW) |
| suspension | Leaf springs |
| Top speed | 32 km / h |
| Power / weight | 11.51 hp / t |
| Range | 160 km (road) / 130 km (terrain) |
The 7TP was a Polish interwar light tank weighing 9.9 t and a specific ground pressure of 0.6 kg / cm². It was based on the British Vickers-Armstrong Mk. E , which had been sold as a non-state development to Poland and the Soviet Union ( T-26 ), among others . The Polish further development of the tank was directed by Rudolf Gundlach .
The vehicle was available in two basic versions: the 7TPdw version, equipped with two machine gun turrets, and the 7TPjw version with a 37 mm cannon in a larger turret and an axially parallel machine gun. The commander of the 7TP had the MK.IV corner mirror, which was new at the time and rotated through 360 °, for battlefield observation under armor protection.
7TPdw
This first version was based on the British model and had two parallel small turrets each with a machine gun. 30 armed, the combat set consisted of 6000 rounds. It was only intended as a temporary solution; in 1939 it was only used for training purposes. In addition, some of the early models were gradually converted to the 7TPjw variant , so that at the beginning of the war there were only a maximum of 24 of the first version in service.
7TPjw
Equipped with a 110 PS (81 kW) strong VBLDb diesel engine manufactured under license in Poland from the Swiss company Saurer , the newer 7TPjw variant reached a top speed of 37 km / h. It went into series production at the end of 1937. The maximum armor was 17 mm, which was slightly above that of the German Panzerkampfwagen II , but significantly below that of the more modern German tanks. The Swedish 37mm Bofors cannon of the 7TP was able to penetrate the armor of all German tanks, including that of the modern Panzerkampfwagen IV ; however, the armor of the 7TP was significantly weaker than the latter. The combat set included 80 rounds of 37 mm ammunition and 3960 rounds of machine-gun ammunition. Starting in 1938, the variant was fitted with a radio -type 2N / C manufactured.
Unrealized further developments
The Polish developers designed a version with thicker armor (40 mm), which was never ready for series production. This also applies to further developments based on the idea of equipping the type with other (partly stronger) cannons (20 mm, 40 mm, 47 mm and 57 mm). A completely new type, the 9TP , was to be based on the 7TP and equipped with a Saurer CT1D diesel engine.
Interest of other countries
- In January 1937, Sweden expressed an interest in acquiring 20 to 60 unarmed 7TPjws and wanted to borrow a test copy. The transaction failed on the Polish side.
- Estonia wanted to purchase four 7TPjw models , but Poland was only interested in selling the 7TPdw , so this delivery did not materialize either.
- In November 1937 the Netherlands also showed interest. But no trade was made here either.
- Instead, construction plans were sent to Turkey for advertising purposes in the same year .
- 36 copies of the type 7TPjw were to be delivered to Yugoslavia , but this was prevented by the outbreak of the Second World War .
- Furthermore, showed Bulgaria and Greece very interested in this model. But no deliveries were made here either.
commitment
The Polish Army formed the Army's only two tank battalions from the 132 7TPjw tanks that had been delivered , and two more tank companies were later set up. All units were used in a variety of ways in the 1939 Defense War, including the Battle of the Bzura and the Siege of Warsaw . Many 7TPs were lost, partly due to enemy action, partly due to technical defects. The 7TPdw variant was assigned to a training unit, but tanks of this version took part in the defense of Warsaw in 1939.
The Wehrmacht captured some 7TPs and formed the 203rd tank battalion , which was used in 1940 in Norway and France (1 company ). She also used the 7TP for police purposes in occupied Poland . The German designation of the tanks was PzKpfw 7TP 731 (p) .
See also
literature
- Robert Jackson: tanks. Models from around the world from 1915 to today. Parragon Books Ltd, 2009, ISBN 978-1-4075-7742-5 .
