All about the tank t 70. The most massive of the light ones. tank memory

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 launch the tank in 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 a more powerful 45 mm VT-42 gun. 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. These tanks received their baptism of fire 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 provided the crew's knowledge of the features of the tank - in fact skillful hands he became a formidable force. For example, in July 1943, during the battles 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 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.

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

The light tank T-70 was assembled by the masters of the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ). 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 a combat vehicle could adversely affect the operation of its engine and gearbox, which would have to function in an 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 highly accurate. 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 these enterprises did not start producing cast towers. They were made in other factories. According to the April T-70 production plan, GAZ workers assembled 50 tanks. At the Kirov plant No. 38, only 7 were assembled. In Sverdlovsk, at the enterprise No. 37 lung assembly the tank was never set up. 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 intended 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. By using 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. The rate of fire was 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 low initial rate of fire of a fragmentation projectile, the barrel recoil 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 cruising range of the combat vehicle on a 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 reinforced 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 with 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 of motorcycle units. Thus, the activity of the T-70 was not stopped in 1944. This fighting machine 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 enemy's 100th Special Purpose Tank Battalion were captured. 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. The anti-tank units of the Wehrmacht used this tank as a towing vehicle for 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 showed 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, production of the T-70 was discontinued in 1943. 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.

In the fall of 1942, specialists from the Gorky Automobile Plant developed a deeply modernized version light tank, which received a new designation T-70M, and began preparations for its production.

Fact: "Initially, when designing, the tank received the designation T-70B."

The modernized tank was distinguished by a thoroughly modified chassis, increased width (from 260 to 300 mm) and step of the tracks, the width of the road wheels, an increased diameter of the suspension torsion bars and gear rims of the drive wheels, as well as a modified final drive. In addition, the support rollers, stop rollers and final drives were reinforced, the number of tracks in the caterpillar was reduced from 91 to 80, and the gun ammunition load was reduced to 70 rounds.

The place of the driver-mechanic was located in the bow of the hull at the left side, and the place of the tank commander was in a rotating turret shifted to the left side. 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. The transmission and drive wheels were in front.

The body of the T-70M tank was welded from rolled armor plates, which had a thickness of 6, 10, 15, 25, 35 and 45 mm. In especially critical places, the welds were reinforced with riveting. The frontal and stern sheets of the armored hull had rational angles of inclination. A welded faceted turret made of armor plates 35 mm thick was mounted on a ball bearing in the middle part of the hull. 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 the installation of a gun, a machine gun and a telescopic sight. An entrance hatch for the tank commander was made in the roof of the turret. A periscope mirror observation device was installed in the armored hatch cover, which provided the commander with an all-round view. Also in the lid there was a hatch for a flag alarm.

As armament, a 45-mm tank gun of the 1938 model was installed and to the left of it a coaxial DT machine gun. The gun was shifted to the right of the longitudinal axis of the turret, which provided greater convenience for the commander. The gear turret traverse mechanism was mounted to the left of the commander, and the twin-mount screw hoist to the right. The gun had a trigger foot mechanism, which was carried out by pressing the right pedal, and the machine gun - on the left. The ammunition load consisted of 90 shots with armor-piercing and fragmentation shells for the cannon and 945 rounds for the DT machine gun.

The GAZ-203 engine was chosen as the power plant of the T-70M tank, which consisted of two four-stroke six-cylinder GAZ-202 carburetor engines with a total power of 140 hp. The crankshafts of the engines were connected by means of a coupling with elastic bushings. flywheel housing front engine was connected by a rod to the starboard side, which prevented lateral vibrations. For each engine, the battery ignition system, lubrication system and fuel system were independent. The tank was equipped with two fuel tanks with a total capacity of 440 liters, which 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 dry-friction main clutch, a four-speed automotive-type gearbox, a bevel gear final drive, 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 propeller on each side included: drive wheels with a removable lantern gear ring, five single-sided rubber-coated road wheels and three all-metal support rollers, a guide wheel with a crank track tensioning mechanism and a small-link caterpillar of 91 tracks with a pitch of 98 mm. The design of the guide wheel and track roller were unified. The width of the cast track track was 260 mm. Suspension - individual torsion bar.

From 1942 to 1943, 8231 T-70M tanks were manufactured, of which 6847 were assembled by the Gorky Automobile Plant.

Design and production

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. His armor was easily penetrated by all Wehrmacht anti-tank weapons, and his own weapons were too weak to deal with enemy tanks. Strengthen both without fundamental change construction was not possible. The engine and gearbox were already overworked. 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 a ZIS-16 engine with a power of 86 hp did not save the situation. With its development, not everything went smoothly, and time did not wait.

In parallel with plant No. 37, work on the creation of a new light tank was launched at the Gorky Automobile Plant. There was nothing unusual in this development of events - this enterprise already had experience in the production armored vehicles, engaged in the serial production of 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. In September 1941, the plant received a task to organize the mass production of the T-60 light tank, for which a separate structural subdivision tank production and the corresponding design bureau. In early September, the chief designer of plant No. 37 N.A. Astrov drove under his own power from Moscow to Gorky a prototype of the T-60 tank, which was to be used at GAZ as a standard. Sam N.A. Astrov 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 sparks, 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 managed to bring the resource of the twin power unit 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 a prototype and even the entire first series of machines.

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 was only slightly superior to 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 to eliminate the shortcomings as soon as possible.

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. As a result, by a GKO decree of March 6, 1942, the new combat vehicle was adopted by the Red Army under the symbol T-70. Two days later, the GKO decree on the production of the 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, the new tank required twice as many engines as the T-60. It was not possible to establish the production of a cast tower, and GAZ had to hastily provide other plants with documentation for a welded tower. 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, and plant No. 37 failed to assemble them either by April or later.

Layout and device

The layout of the new machine did not fundamentally differ from that of the T-60 tank. The driver was located in the bow of the hull at the left side. The rotating turret, also shifted to the port side, housed the tank commander. In the middle part of the hull along the starboard side on a common frame, two engines were installed in series, which made up 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 lid 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. The frontal part had a cast mask with loopholes for the installation of a gun, machine gun and sight. An entrance hatch for the tank commander was made in the roof of the tower. A periscopic mirror observation device was installed in the armored hatch cover, which provided the commander with a circular view. In addition, the lid had a hatch for flag signaling.

On the T-70 tank, a 45-mm tank gun mod. 1938 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°. Sights were used for shooting: telescopic TMFP (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 no more than 1000 m was possible. The rate of fire of the gun was 12 rounds per minute. The gear mechanism for turning the turret was mounted to the left of the commander, and the screw lifting mechanism of the twin installation was mounted to the 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, a fragmentation projectile weighing 2.13 kg was 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 dry friction main clutch (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 truck ZIS-5.

The composition of the tank propulsion unit for one side included a drive wheel with a removable lantern gear ring, five single-sided rubber-coated track rollers and three all-metal support rollers, a steering wheel with a crank track tensioning mechanism and a small-link caterpillar of 91 tracks. The design of the guide wheel and track roller were unified. The width of the cast track track was 260 mm. Suspension - individual torsion bar.

The commander's tanks were equipped with a 9R or 12RT radio station located in the turret and an internal TPU-2F intercom. On linear tanks a light signaling device was installed 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 track rollers, 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 pcs. 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 shots.

From the end of December 1942, Plant No. 38 stopped producing tanks and switched to the production of self-propelled units SU-76. 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 release was accompanied by great difficulties. From 5 to 14 June, the plant was attacked by German aircraft. 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 somewhat decreased - only in August it was possible to block the May production volume. But the age of the light tank was already 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 SU-76M self-propelled guns. In total, in 1942-1943, 8226 tanks of the T-70 and T-70M modifications were produced.

Light tank T-70 in battles

The light tank T-70 and its improved version T-70M were in service with 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 tank and mechanized corps or be separate. A tank regiment was armed 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, the 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 of the SU-76 as command vehicles. Often they were equipped with tank units in motorcycle units. Tanks T-70 and T-70M took part in the fighting until the end of the Great Patriotic War

The T-70 tanks received their baptism of fire during the fighting in the South-Western direction in June-July 1942 and suffered serious losses. Already the first battles revealed low fighting qualities new light tanks, whose armament did not allow them to fight German medium tanks (the share of light combat vehicles in the Wehrmacht was rapidly declining), and armor protection was insufficient when used as tanks for direct 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 come out 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". According to some tank commanders, the T-70 was the best suited for pursuing a 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 T-70 crews 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 Panther!

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 point-blank 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.

Tanks T-70 in the battles of the Great Patriotic War
Tank T-70M in the military museum of Verkhnyaya Pyshma

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 a 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 1930s, 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 the lower initial velocity of the projectile, the automatic 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 a more powerful gun 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 repulsed. 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 up to today about two dozen survived.

conclusions

light tank The T-70 inherited from the T-60 simplicity and manufacturability in production and operation. But all the negative aspects of the design also came from there. 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.

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