T-70

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T-70
light tank T-70 in the Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia

light tank T-70 in the Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia
General properties
crew 2
length 4.29 m
width 2.32 m
height 2.04 m
Dimensions 9.2 tons
Armor and armament
Armor 45 mm
Main armament 1 × 45 mm M 38 cannon
Secondary armament 1 coaxial DT machine gun 7.62 × 54mm R
agility
drive 2 × GAS 202 or 203 truck engines
2 × 70 HP (51 kW)
suspension Torsion bar
Top speed 45 km / h
Power / weight 11.2 kW / t (15.2 PS / t)
Range 360 km

The T-70 was a Soviet light tank from World War II .

development

The T-70 was developed as the successor to the T-60 .

The main criterion was to match the mobility of the T-34's capabilities . Although the speed, armor and firepower were improved compared to the T-60, specific weaknesses were not remedied: the two-man crew made operations in larger units difficult to coordinate. In addition, the individual "tank operator" in the tower had to take on the tasks of three people (loader, commander and gunner).

The planned successor T-80 was supposed to eliminate this deficit with its modified tower construction (three-man crew - one driver and two men in the tower), but only about 80 copies were made. Production was discontinued in favor of the SU-76 self-propelled gun, which was based on the same components but provided more firepower. Vehicles from the Lend Lease Act were used for the tasks of the light tanks .

After a small pilot series, series production of the T-70 began in March 1942 and ended in October 1943. 8226 units were manufactured.

The T-70 was a good light tank, similar to the German Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. H - except for the tactical shortcomings of the two-man crew - was equal. He was armed with a modified 45mm cannon and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. The armor was between 35 mm (front at an angle of 60 °) and 10 mm thick. The tank, with a total weight of around nine tons, was powered by two 70 hp engines that accelerated it to a maximum of 40 km / h (road).

Because of the volume of the two engines, it was rather unpopular with the Red Army crews.

The German Wehrmacht and the Ordnungspolizei used captured T-70s under the designation "T-70 (r)". Most of the captured T-70s were used by security units of the Wehrmacht and the Ordnungspolizei to fight partisans . Individual T-70s were also used on the front lines immediately after the capture of infantry divisions and tank units. In order to prevent the T-70s now deployed on the German side from being attacked by their own or allied troops, they were marked with oversized crosses .

Technical specifications

  • Classification: light battle tank
  • Chief designer: Nikolai Alexandrovich Astrov
  • Prototype designation: GAS-70
  • Manufacturer: Gorkowski Avtomobilny Zavod (6838 and 5 prototypes), Plant No. 37 (Zavod No. 37) in Sverdlovsk (10), Plant No. 38 (Zavod No. 38) in Kirow (1378)
  • Armament: 1 × 45 mm L46 20-K cannon, 1 × 7.62 mm MG Degtjarjow DT , 1 × 7.62 mm MP Shpagin PPSch-41
  • Ammunition : 90 grenades (T-70M: 70 grenades), 945 rounds of machine-gun ammunition, 213 rounds of MP ammunition, 10 hand grenades F-1
  • Armor:
    • Tub
      • 45 mm bow up / inclination 60 °
      • 15 mm bow below / 9 °
      • 35 mm driver front / 30 °
      • 15 mm tub side / 90 °
      • 15 mm stern up / 22 °
      • 25 mm stern below / 46 °
      • 10 mm ceiling / 0 °
      • 10 mm floor in front / 0 °
      • 6 mm floor at the back / 0 °
    • tower
      • 50 mm tower cover / arched
      • 15 mm tower front below / arched
      • 15 mm tower front above / 10 °
      • 35 mm tower side / 67 °
      • 35 mm stern / 64 °
      • 10 mm ceiling / 0 °
  • Weight: 9.2 t (T-70M: 9.8 t)
  • Engine: two 6-cylinder gasoline engines GAS-202 or GAS-203 with 70 hp each
  • Fuel consumption over 100 km (road): 122 l (T-70M: 176 l)
  • Fuel supply: 440 l
  • Power-to-weight ratio : 15.2 HP / t (T-70M: 14.2 HP / t)
  • Drive position: front
  • Driving range (road): 360 km (T-70M: 250 km)
  • Top speed: (road / terrain) 42 km / h / 20-25 km / h
  • Suspension: torsion bar
  • Chain width: 260 mm (T-70M: 300 mm)
  • Ground pressure : 0.7 kg / cm²
  • Ground clearance: 30 cm
  • Overall length: 4285 mm
  • Overall width: 2348 mm (T-70M: 2420 mm)
  • Height: 2035 mm
  • Crew: 2 men
  • Years of construction: 1942–1943
  • Quantity: 8226 + 5 prototypes

literature

  • Свирин М. Н .: Броневой щит Сталина. История советского танка 1937–1943 .
    (Swirin MN The Armored Shield of Stalin. The History of the Soviet Tank 1937–1943 ). Eksmo, Moscow 2007, ISBN 5-699-16243-7 .
  • Солянкин А. Г. и др .: Советские малые и лёгкие танки 1941–1945
    (Soljankin AG et al .: The Soviet small and light tanks 1941–1945 ). Armory , Moscow 2005,     ISBN 5-94038-113-8 .)
  • Alexander Lüdeke: captured tanks of the Wehrmacht - Great Britain, Italy, Soviet Union and USA 1939-45. Motorbuch, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-613-03359-7 .

See also

Web links

Commons : T-70  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lüdeke: Beutepanzer der Wehrmacht , 2011, p. 53.