T 26 model 1938 Add to favorites

The T-26 tanks of the 1933 model had one cylindrical turret, and the armament was the same as on the BT-5 tank - a 45-mm cannon and two DT machine guns. The combat weight of such tanks was 9.4 tons, the height of the T-26 increased by 110 mm. The gun ammunition consisted of 130 shells. Such tanks were produced in 2127 units.
In addition, the so-called "radio" T-26RT tanks with a cylindrical turret were produced, characteristic feature which was the presence of a handrail antenna and a radio station installed in the niche of the tower. The ammunition load of the guns of these tanks was less than that of other T-26 tanks - only 96 shells. Such tanks were made 3938 pieces.

During the fighting in Spain and near Lake Hassan, it turned out that handrail antennas serve as a guide for enemy fire, so in the future they abandoned such antennas, replacing them with whip antennas.
An interesting feature T-26 model 1933 was the presence of two searchlights located above the gun. Thanks to their illumination, the tank could fire at enemy positions at night.
Starting from 1935, the armor plates from which the body of the T-26 tanks was made began to be connected by welding (previously they were connected with riveting). The ammunition load was somewhat reduced - up to 122 rounds for the T-26 and up to 82 for the T-26RT. But the capacity of the fuel tanks was increased. As a result of modifications, the mass of the tank increased to 9.6 tons.
In 1937, the T-26 appeared, there was an anti-aircraft machine gun on the roof of the tank turret. Also, these tanks were equipped with an internal intercom. The power of the engine used on the T-26 was increased, and the mass of the T-26 began to be 9.75 tons.

Tanks of the 1937 model had welded turrets that had a conical shape, which increased their bulletproof protection. The capacity of the fuel tanks was again increased and the ammunition load was reduced (to 107 shells on the T-26). Accordingly, the mass of the tank continued to grow - now it was 10.75 tons. Since 1938, the T-26 was equipped with a stabilizer for the aiming line of the gun in the vertical plane.
The armor plates of the turret boxes of the T-26 tanks of the 1939 model were located obliquely. In 1939, they stopped installing the rear turret machine gun. The ammunition load of the tank has increased significantly: T-26 - 205 rounds, T-26RT - 165 rounds. The engine power has also been increased.

During Soviet-Finnish war about 100 T-26s were equipped with hinged armored screens, as a result of which the thickness of the frontal armor reached 60 mm. In 1941, the release of the T-26 was discontinued.
It should be noted that, in addition to the conventional T-26, chemical, or flamethrower, tanks were also produced in significant numbers. In addition to the flamethrower, these tanks also had the usual machine-gun and cannon armament.
The OT-130 was created in 1936 on the basis of the single-turret T-26. Instead of a cannon, a flamethrower was installed on the tank, the flame throwing range of which reached 50 m. The stock of fire mixture was 400 liters. The crew of the OT-130 consisted of 2 people, the weight of the car reached 10 tons.

	A - engine compartment; B - fighting compartment; B - department of management; 1 - armored body; 2 - tower; 3 - engine; 4 - gearbox; 5 - side clutch; 6 - brakes; 7- final drive(behind the armor plate); eight - chassis; 9 - partition separating the fighting compartment from the engine compartment; 10- armored shutters above the oil cooler; 11 - air cap; 12-45 mm gun 20K; 13 - battery; 14 - folding frontal shield of the driver; 15- track rollers; 16 - suspension trolley; 17- muffler.

Similar varieties of combat vehicles equipped with flamethrowers and large stocks of fire mixture were OT-131, OT-132 and OT-133, which also had machine guns. On the OT-133, in addition to the flamethrower, there were two machine guns, on the previous versions - a flamethrower and one machine gun. In 1940, the OT-134 was created on the basis of the T-26. The conical turret of this tank was equipped with a 45 mm caliber gun and a machine gun, and a flamethrower, whose flame throwing range reached 50 m, was located in the front top sheet corps. The combat weight of the OT-134 was 10.8 tons, the crew consisted of 2 people.
In 1933, a bridge tank with a carrying capacity of 14 tons was designed on the basis of the T-26. transportation of infantry soldiers, and TR-4-1, which was intended for the transport of ammunition to tank units. In 1935-1936. on the basis of the T-26, two T-26Ts tankers were made for transporting fuel.

The Soviet Purchasing Commission, headed by I.A. Khalepsky, head of the newly created Directorate of Mechanization and Motorization of the Red Army, on May 28, 1930, signed a contract with the British company Vickers for the production of 15 Vickers double-turret tanks for the USSR 6-ton. The first tank was shipped to the customer on October 22, 1930, and the last on July 4, 1931. Soviet specialists also took part in the assembly of these tanks. In particular, in July 1930, engineer N. Shitikov worked at the Vickers plant. Each combat vehicle made in England cost the Soviet Union 42,000 rubles. (in 1931 prices). For comparison, let's say that the "main escort tank" T-19, made in August of the same year, cost over 96 thousand rubles. In addition, the B-26 tank (this designation was given to British vehicles in the USSR) was easier to manufacture and operate, and also had better mobility. All these circumstances predetermined the choice of the UMM RKKA. Work on the T-19 was curtailed, and all forces were thrown into mastering the mass production of the B-26.

Appendix to the magazine "MODEL CONSTRUCTION"

In March 1932, the 45-mm anti-tank gun 19K, developed at the plant number 8, was adopted by the Red Army. and factory index 20K. Compared to the PS-2, the 20K tank gun had a number of advantages. The armor penetration of armor-piercing shells increased slightly, the mass of a fragmentation projectile increased sharply (from 0.645 kg to 2.15 kg), and the mass of explosive in the projectile - from 22 g to 118 g. Finally, the rate of fire was increased due to the introduction of a vertical wedge semi-automatic shutter. True, the debugging of semi-automatic took about four years, and the first series of 20K guns were produced with 1/4 automatics, then with semi-automatics for armor-piercing and 1/4 automatics for high-explosive fragmentation shells, and only in 1935 guns with debugged semi-automatics for all types of ammunition.

In December 1932, the Defense Committee ordered the NKTP to produce T-26 tanks (starting with a vehicle with serial number 1601) with a 45-mm gun. Under this cannon, paired with a DT machine gun, a new turret was designed for the T-26 and BT-2 tanks. Shooting tests showed its complete reliability. The production of turrets for the 45-mm gun began at the end of 1932 at two factories - Izhora and Mariupol. The first produced towers of an improved type (welded with a large niche), and Mariupol made the first 230 towers according to the first version (riveted with a small niche). Most of the riveted turrets were installed on the BT-5 tanks and only a very small number on the T-26.

1 - barrel: 2 - recoil brake cylinder: 3 - lifting mechanism rods: 4 - telescopic sight: 5 - cushion: 6 - sleeve catcher shield; 7 - tarpaulin bag of the gill-lailer: 8 - sector of the lifting mechanism: 9 - bracket of the lifting mechanism: 10 - trigger pedal: 11 - footboard: 12 - bolt wedge: 13 - telescopic sight bracket: 14 - ball mount of the coaxial machine gun: 15 - lifting flywheel mechanism

Frame welded tower had the shape of a cylinder with an outer diameter of 1320 mm with a developed aft niche. The niche had an oval shape and served as a counterweight to the gun and at the same time a place for laying ammunition or placing a radio station. In the aft sheet of the niche there was a hatch with a door for dismantling the gun. In the niches of the riveted towers, the back wall was blank, without a door. In the roof of the tower there was a rectangular hatch for the landing of the crew, which was closed with two covers.

The armament of a single-turret tank consisted of a 45-mm tank gun of the 1932 model and a DT machine gun coaxial with it. The vertical guidance angles were in the range from - 8 ° to + 25 °.

The gun had a semi-automatic shutter of a mechanical type with electromagnetic and manual descents, a trough-shaped cradle, a hydraulic recoil brake, a spring knurler and a sector lifting mechanism. Shooting from a cannon and a machine gun was carried out by foot descents, the pedals of which were located on the footboard under the gunner's right foot.

Sights paired installation consisted of two optical sights, tank telescopic sight TOP arr. 1930 and tank periscopic panoramic sight PT-1 arr. 1932

In addition, the machine gun had its own open sight and could fire independently of the gun. With independent firing from a machine gun, the vertical firing sector was ± 4.5 °.

Ammunition consisted of 136 cannon shots(for tanks with a radio station - 96 shots) and 2898 rounds (46 magazines).

The shots were packed in special boxes located on the floor, on the left side of the fighting compartment. In these boxes, 54 shots were arranged vertically in six rows of 9 shots in individual nests. The top of the boxes were closed with hinged lids. which at the same time were the flooring of the fighting compartment.

Another 30 shots were laid horizontally in the niche of the fighting compartment.

Twelve shots were placed in the tower. The shells were held by special grippers, six pieces to the right and left of the twin installation.

An additional 40 shots for tanks without a radio station were placed in the turret niche.

Machine-gun magazines (disks) were placed in special iron boxes on the floor of the tank hull. From above, the boxes were closed with hinged lids, which, together with the lids of the shell boxes, were the common flooring of the fighting compartment floor. 40 disks were placed in the boxes, 6 more disks were located in a special rack on the wall of the tower on the right side.

In addition to the main machine gun, a spare machine gun was carried in the tank. It was placed on special brackets under the flooring of the fighting compartment near the left side of the tank.

The design of the hull of single-turret tanks of early production remained practically unchanged compared to double-turret ones. The only exception was the turret sheet, on which a turret was installed closer to the port side, and in the rear part on the right there was a vent closed by a lid.

This machine has the features of both early models: a transmission hatch that leans to the right, a headlight without an armor casing, and later ones - a stamped frontal shield of the tower and removable bandages of road wheels. NIBTPolygon, 1940

1 - engine; 2 - main clutch; 3 - cardan shaft; 4 - gearbox; 5 - side clutch; 6 - control lever; 7 - gear lever; 8- driving wheel; 9 - guide wheel; 10-wheel roller; 11 caterpillar; 12 - 45 mm gun; /3 - flywheel of the lifting mechanism of the gun; 14 - gunner's seat; 15 - periscope sight; 16 - ventilation cap; 17 - radio station; 18 - antenna; 19- VKU; 20 - hole with shutters for the inlet of cooling air; 21 - oil cooler: 22 - air outlet; 23 - silencer; 24 front cross tube; 25 - rear transverse pipe; 26 - driver's seat; 27 - telescopic sight

In the autumn of 1933, a transmission access hatch appeared in the upper inclined frontal hull plate. Initially, its lid opened towards the port side, and later - upwards against the course of the tank. At the same time, the dimensions of the hatch increased.

Already in 1933, radio stations 71-TK-1, which had handrail antennas, began to be installed on part of the tanks. And if in the first year of production of single-turret T-26s, the percentage of radio tanks was small (apparently due to the lack of the required number of radio stations). then later it amounted to half, and then exceeded the number of tanks without radios.

In 1934, the suspension was strengthened: the thickness of the spring was increased from 5.5 mm to 6 mm.

The headlight, which was fixedly attached to the vertical frontal sheet of the turret box, was transferred to the upper inclined sheet, made folding and in the stowed position closed with an armor cap. The signal was transferred from the left side of the turret box to its front plate.

Since 1935, the tanks were equipped with a 45-mm cannon mod. 1934. On this gun, the semi-automatic mechanical type was replaced by semi-automatic inertial type. The latter worked fully only when firing armor-piercing shells; when firing fragmentation - like a quarter of automation. those. the shutter was opened and the cartridge cases were extracted manually, and when the next cartridge was inserted into the chamber, the shutter closed automatically. This is due to the different initial speeds of armor-piercing and fragmentation shells.

In addition, the gun mod. 1934 differed from the previous design of the recoil device and lifting mechanism, the wedge of the shutter was reinforced. the wire of the foot descent was replaced with a cable, the attachment of the cradle with the mask was strengthened, and a number of small improvements were made.

1 - armor cap: 2 - bracket: 3 - fastening bolt in the stowed position: 4 - fastening bolt in the combat position: 5 - slotted bar: 6 - rubber gasket

Since 1935, tank hulls and turrets have been manufactured using electric welding. The ammunition load of the gun was reduced to 122 shots (for vehicles with a radio station - 82). the capacity of the fuel tank has been increased. The mass of the tank increased to 9.6 tons.

In 1936, a removable rubber bandage was introduced on the road wheels, the tensioning mechanism was changed, and a second DT machine gun was installed in the turret niche. At the same time, the ammunition load of the gun was reduced from 136 to 102 shots (on tanks without a radio station), and the mass of the tank increased to 9.65 tons. 56-U322B. Two searchlights of the so-called "combat light" were placed on the cannon, a new VKU-3 and a TPU-3 intercom were introduced. The engine was boosted, and its maximum power increased from 90 to 95 hp. In 1937, only radio tanks were produced, and with radio stations 71-TK-Z.

The ammunition load of tanks with a radio station reached 147 shots (107 for tanks without a walkie-talkie) and 3087 rounds.

The mass of the tank was 9.75 tons.

With the start of production of the T-26 tank, Soviet tank forces went to new level efficiency. The technique of this model was assigned to support the infantry during the offensive as part of the concept of deep combat. When conducting offensive operations these tanks became the main force. Today we will learn how the T-26 tank was created and modernized. Photos of models different years help to analyze how it developed.

Prerequisites for creation

In May 1930, the procurement commission of the Soviet Union, headed by I.V. Khalepsky signed a contract with the British company Vickers for the purchase of 15 tanks. At the end of October of the same year, the first tank arrived in the USSR, and by the middle of next year, the last one. Both British and Soviet specialists participated in the assembly of the purchased equipment. Each tank cost the USSR 42,000 rubles. The Soviet T-19 tank, for example, cost more than 96 thousand rubles. At the same time, the English machine, which was already then called the T-26, was much easier to assemble and operate, and also had greater maneuverability. Due to these circumstances, it was decided to abandon the production of the T-19 tank and throw all efforts into organizing the mass production of the T-26 model in the vastness of the USSR.

Manufacturer's choice

In February 1931, the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR accepted the T-26 tank into service. The production of the machine was supposed to be deployed at the Chelyabinsk TZ. Then preference was given to the Stalingrad plant, which was still under construction. At the same time, it was planned to allocate a separate workshop at the last enterprise for the production of 10 thousand tanks per year in war time. But in the end, they decided to start production at the Bolshevik plant in Leningrad, since this enterprise already had experience in tank building. Management design work and further modernization of the equipment was instructed by S.A. Ginzburg.

At the end of the summer of 1931, the USSR Defense Committee adopted a resolution regarding the program for creating tanks in wartime conditions. According to this document, in the first year of hostilities, factories will have to produce almost 14,000 combat vehicles. As it turned out later, this figure turned out to be more than overstated, as was the production plan for the year. It was originally planned that in 1931 the enterprise would produce 500 units of equipment. Already in February, the plan was reduced to three hundred tanks with the condition that the first vehicle would be ready by May. But these tasks proved to be impossible.

Production

In the spring of 1931, preparations were in full swing for the serial production of the T-26 tank using a temporary (bypass) technology. The company assembled two reference machines in parallel. By May 1, working drawings were completed, and on June 16 the technical process was approved. Only after that the plant began to produce tools and equipment for further production. As a result, in the summer of 1931, an initial batch of tanks was created, consisting of ten vehicles. In autumn, mass production began to gain normal momentum.

In February of the following year, a new enterprise was opened on the basis of the Bolshevik plant - plant No. 174. S.A. became its chief designer. Ginzburg. Despite the expansion of capacities, the 1932 plan also failed to be fulfilled. In April, K.K. Sirken (director of plant No. 174) in his report stated that the enterprise is behind schedule due to subcontractors, who not only delay the delivery of components and assemblies, but also produce low-quality products. The share of marriage in power plants reached 88%, and in hulls - up to 41%.

Nevertheless, in 1932, the plant produced 1410 pieces of equipment, 960 of which ended up in the troops. A similar picture could be observed in the future. By the middle of 1941, 11,218 T-26 tanks rolled off the assembly line at factory #174. The tank of this model became the most massive combat vehicle of the army in the pre-war period.

Differences from the prototype

Produced since 1931, the twin-turret model differed slightly from the British prototype. The hull of the tank was riveted with a box section. On the turret box there were two cylindrical towers. In each of them there was a place for one soldier. In front of the hull on the right side was the driver. The most significant difference between the first series of the T-26 tank and English equivalent there was the fact that the towers were adapted for the installation of a DT machine gun, and on Vickers machines, instead of rectangular embrasures, they were round.

Since the autumn of 1931, the so-called second series of machines began to be equipped with towers of greater height, equipped with a viewing window. The driver's hatch cover received a viewing slot, but so far without a glass block. In March 1931, a casing appeared above the air outlet box to protect against precipitation. A little later, the casing began to be made integral with the air outlet box.

Equipment

Now we will find out what equipment the T-26 tank differed from its English counterpart. The engine was a copy of the English motor Armstrong Siddeley and developed a power of 90 horsepower. It included 4 cylinders and had an air cooling system. The mechanical transmission that the tank was equipped with included a single-disk dry friction clutch, a cardan shaft, a 5-speed gearbox, side clutches, final drives and band brakes. The undercarriage of one side included 8 supporting 300 mm rubberized rollers, 4 supporting 254 mm rubberized rollers, guiding the wheel with a crank-type tensioning mechanism and driving the front wheel, equipped with removable gear rims. The tracks had a width of 250 mm and were made of manganese or nickel-chromium steel.

There were no means of external communication on the T-26 linear machines. The tank was equipped with a "sound tube" for contact between the driver and the commander. Later it was replaced with a lighting device.

Armament

At the beginning of 1932, work began on the issue of strengthening the armament of the T-26 model. A tank equipped with a machine gun could not work on enemy firing points from long distances and defend itself from the enemy with due efficiency. In March 1932, the T-26 tank was tested, the right turret of which was replaced with a similar element of the T-35-1 tank, armed with a 37 mm PS-2 gun. Soon, a similar refinement touched two more prototypes of the T-26.

The PS-2 gun had very impressive characteristics for its time, but it was never put into service. The GAU gave its preference to the German Rheinmetall cannon with the same caliber. In the image of the latter, the B-3 (5K) gun was created and put into service. Compared to the PS-2, the B-3 had a smaller recoil and breech size. This opened up the prospect of its installation in a standard T-26 turret with minimal modifications.

The plant named after Kalinin failed to establish the production of B-3 guns in sufficient volumes. And from the summer of 1932, all B-3 guns began to be transferred to the armament of tanks of the BT-2 model. In this regard, in the right tower of the T-26, they began to install a 37-mm PS-1 cannon, which at that time was already well mastered by the industry. Nevertheless, the production of such guns faded, and stockpiles turned out to be very scarce. Therefore, they had to use dismantled guns from obsolete Renault or T-18 tanks.

According to the re-equipment plan, 20% of the tanks were to be equipped with guns, but in reality the guns were installed on a slightly larger number of combat vehicles. Of the 1627 copies produced in 1931-1932, 450 T-26 tanks were armed with PS-1 guns. In March 1932, the Red Army adopted the 19K anti-tank gun with a caliber of 45 mm. Following it, a corresponding installation was created with a factory index of 20-K. Compared to the old anti-tank gun GTS-2, 19K had a number of improved indicators: armor penetration, fragmentation projectile mass and explosive mass. In addition, thanks to the introduction of a vertical wedge gate, the designers managed to increase the rate of fire of the gun. The problem is that it took about four years to debug 19K. Only in 1935 did the deliveries of guns with debugged semi-automatics begin.

At the end of 1932, a decision was made to produce T-26 tanks equipped with a 45-millimeter cannon paired with a DT machine gun. Under this tandem, a new tower was designed, which already showed itself perfectly in the first tests. Since 1935, the Soviet T-26 tank began to be equipped with an anti-tank gun of the 1934 model. By this time, it had replaced the semi-automatic mechanical type with a semi-automatic inertial type. The latter could work fully only when firing armor-piercing shells.

When firing fragmentation shells, the automation worked only a quarter. This means that the shooter had to manually open the bolt and remove the sleeve, and when a new cartridge was inserted into the chamber, the bolt closed automatically. The reason for this was the difference in initial speed flight of armor-piercing and fragmentation shells.

Innovations for the coming years

In 1935, electric welding began to be used in the manufacture of the hull and turret. The ammunition load of the gun was 122 shots, and for models with a radio station - even 82. The capacity of the fuel tank has increased. Light tank T-26 model 1935 weighed 9.6 tons.

In 1936, the tensioning mechanism was changed, a replaceable rubber bandage with road wheels was introduced. But the most important innovation of this year is the installation of a second DT machine gun in the turret niche. Because of this, the gun ammunition was reduced to 102 rounds. The mass of the tank increased slightly and amounted to 9.65 tons.

In 1937, anti-aircraft machine guns on turrets began to be installed on some copies of the tank. At the same time, two searchlights appeared on the gun, performing the function of the so-called combat light. Intercom model TPU-3 was also introduced. This year power plant boosted to a power of 95 horsepower. The ammunition load of tanks without a radio station reached 147 shells and 3087 rounds of ammunition. The weight of the machine has increased to 9.75 tons.

In 1938, the cylindrical turret was replaced with a conical turret with a 45 mm gun. The guns produced in 1937 and 1938 had an electric breech, which allowed firing both by shock and by electric current. Guns with an electric shutter had a TOP-1 telescopic sight, which since 1938 began to be called TOS. Unlike tanks. early years release with one 182-liter tank, the car began to be equipped with two tanks for 110 and 180 liters. Thanks to this, the power reserve has increased significantly. At the same time, the mass of the combat vehicle increased to 10.28 tons.

Models with conical tower and a turret box of a direct configuration could differ from each other in the presence of a radio station, a stern DT machine gun, searchlights for combat light and an anti-aircraft gun. In addition, conical towers could be of two types: with a welded or stamped frontal shield. A commander's panorama was installed on part of the tanks.

In 1939 the Soviet light tank The T-26 was once again upgraded. A turret box with armor plates installed at an angle was introduced. On some vehicles, the stern machine gun was replaced with an additional 32-round ammo rack. As a result, the ammunition load of tanks without radios grew to 205 rounds and 3,654 rounds of ammunition. The tanks with the radio had 165 shells and 3213 rounds of ammunition. A new intercom was installed on cars manufactured in 1939. The changes also affected the power plant, which was equipped with the T-26 tank. A 5-speed transmission with a modified 97-horsepower engine allowed the tank to move much more dynamically. The suspension was also reinforced.

In 1940, the T-26 was upgraded to last time. Instead of cemented 15mm armor, use homogeneous 20mm armor. Also this year, a unified viewing device, an updated turret ring and a bakelite fuel tank were introduced. The mass of such a tank was more than 12 tons.

Special purpose fighting vehicles

The T-26 tank model became the basis for a large number special combat vehicles. Based on it, they released:

1. Flamethrower tanks XT 26/130/133.
2. Telemechanical machines TT-26 and TU-26.
3. Bridgelayer ST-26.
4. Self-propelled mounts for artillery SU-5-2.
5. Armored personnel carriers.
6. Artillery tractors.

Tank T-26: combat use

The baptism of fire tank passed in Spain during civil war. The first batch of 15 vehicles arrived in Cartagena in the early autumn of 1936. In total, before the end of the war, the USSR delivered 297 T-26 vehicles to Spain. The tank delivered to Spain had a single turret (released in 1933). He participated in almost all the operations of the Republicans and proved himself very well. After the Spanish battles, it became obvious that the Soviet tank was in many ways superior to the German and Italian vehicles, but had an insufficient degree of armor protection.

The tank first took part in the operations of the Red Army in 1938 during the Soviet-Japanese conflict. The tank group then included 257 copies of the T-26, 107 of which were special equipment. During the Great Patriotic War, T-26 tanks were actively used until 1943.

Conclusion

Today we learned what the T-26 tank was. The photo of this powerful machine does not look very impressive, compared to modern tanks. But there were times when the T-26 was considered almost the pinnacle of military art. The hero of our story can be found more than once in literature. For example, the book “T-26. The hard fate of a light tank, written by military expert Maxim Kolomiets, is entirely dedicated to the combat vehicle of this model. She is also often remembered in the general context of Soviet tank building. Mikhail Baryatinsky's book Soviet tanks in battle. From T-26 to IS-2" describes the military achievements of tanks of different years produced in the USSR.

combat vehicles of this model were the basis of the tank equipment of the Red Army in the period on the eve of the Great Patriotic War. When developing this tank, the design was taken as the basis English tank"Vickers 6-ton".
Initially, the tank, which was a modernized version of the English Vickers, was named TMM-1. This tank, in contrast to the English prototype, had a slightly modified hull design, since a 95-hp Hercules liquid-cooled engine was installed on the machine. With. The armament of the tank consisted of two Vickers machine guns mounted in the towers, and one Soviet machine gun DT, which was located on the right in the case. The combat weight of the TMM-1 was about 8 tons, the thickness of the armor reached 13 mm (similar to the English model). The tank could reach speeds of up to 30 km / h, the crew size was 4 people. About a dozen of these combat vehicles were made.

	Double-turreted T-26 tank with machine-gun armament produced in the second half of 1933.

In 1932, a TMM-2 sample was made with one turret designed for a 37 mm caliber gun. The crew of this tank consisted of 3 people, the indicators of speed, armor thickness, combat weight of the vehicle remained the same as those of the TMM-1. However, these variants of the light tank were never put into serial production.
Serial production of the T-26 light tank from 1931 until the start of World War II was carried out at the Bolshevik plant in Leningrad. Also, the Krasny Putilovets plant took part in the work on the T-26. Work on the modernization of the tank was entrusted to a team of engineers headed by S. A. Ginzburg. Light tanks T-26 were intended to support infantry, as well as to carry out independent tactical and operational combat missions.

The first 15 T-26s took part in the autumn military parade of 1931. The armor of the T-26 was somewhat stronger than that of the Vickers, which served as the basis for the development of the Soviet light tank, and, accordingly, the weight of the vehicle increased from 8 to 8.2 tons. An engine with an air cooling system was mounted on the T-26, while maximum speed remained the same - 30 km / h. The T-26 tanks of the 1931 model were not equipped with radios.

Outwardly, the T-26 of the 1931 model did not differ much from the Vickers, with the exception of the front of the hull and the armament of the combat vehicle. On the T-26 of this period, two DT machine guns were installed. The turrets could turn 240° and fire in one direction, but placing a gun in such turrets proved difficult, as well as firing at a single target. A significant drawback of the towers was that they often jammed, in addition, the towers significantly interfered with each other. Nevertheless, the serial production of the T-26 model 1931 continued until the middle of 1933. During this period, 1626 twin-turret T-26s were manufactured.

This variant became the main tank of combined arms formations and tank units designed to support the infantry. It was produced from 1933 to 1941 in the following modifications:
- T-26 - a linear tank with a cylindrical turret. Armament: 45 mm cannon model 1932 and 7.62 mm DT machine gun;
- T-26RT - command tank with a radio station and a cylindrical tower;
- T-26A - an artillery tank with a 76.2 mm KT-26 cannon and 2 DT machine guns;
- ST-26 - sapper tank (bridge layer);
- OT-130, 131, 132, 133, 134 - flamethrower tanks with a flamethrower and 1 - 2 DT machine guns;
- T-26-1 - line tank with a conical turret. Armament: 45-mm cannon model 1932-1938, 2 DT machine guns. Some machines were produced with 7.62 mm anti-aircraft installation P-40.

In total, 53 types of combat vehicles for various purposes were developed on the basis of the T-26 tank, of which 23 types were in serial production. Beginning in 1938, tanks were equipped with a TOS telescopic sight with stabilization of the line of sight in the vertical plane. In total, during the production period, 11218 T-26 tanks were produced by the industry.
More detailed information for modifications of the T-26, see the second part of the article about the version of the T-26 tank with one turret.

The production of single-turret T-26 tanks armed with a 45-mm 20K gun began in the summer of 1933. Already in the fall, the tank received a 71-TK-1 radio station with a handrail antenna on the turret. Such machines had the name T-26RT, which is often referred to as commander's. Since the operation of the 20K gun caused a lot of complaints, mainly related to the failures of automation that had not been eliminated, by the end of 1933, a partial modernization of the gun was carried out. Since December, the improved 20K gun under the name 45 mm tank gun model 1934 (you can often see the designation "45 mm tank gun model 1932/34") was put into mass production. To destroy the space behind the tank, from the beginning of 1936, a ball mount with a DT machine gun was installed in the rear of the turret. Every fifth tank was equipped with combat light headlights for night shooting, mounted on the gun mantlet.

For defense against enemy aircraft, some of the vehicles carried DT anti-aircraft machine guns. Initially, they were installed on a swivel installation. However, due to the inconvenience of using a machine gun, starting from 1937, a rotating turret P-40 was mounted.

In 1936, the tank took part in the fighting in Spain. The Soviet Union delivered 297 T-26 tanks. On the one hand, Soviet tanks demonstrated complete superiority over the German and Italian armored vehicles that were in service with Franco's supporters, and on the other hand, the weakness of lightly armored tanks in front of the rapid-fire small-caliber tank that appeared on the battlefield. anti-tank artillery.
By this time, 8 a number of countries had developed and put into serial production tanks of the same weight category as the T-26, but with more or less similar weapons, they had better armor, speed and maneuverability. The designers developed a number of projects for machines designed to replace the T-26, but they remained at the sketch stage.
And the tank underwent a new modernization, during which it was planned to increase engine power, strengthen the suspension and armor of the tank. For a number of reasons, both industrial and (not least) political, in nature, it was not possible to fully implement the planned plans. In particular, a new hull with an inclined arrangement of thickened sheets of the turret box was not ready. The modification of the tank, which appeared in 1938, had an old armored hull, but a new conical turret, which should have somewhat increased the security of the vehicle.

In 1938, the 45-mm tank gun 20K model 1938 was put into service, which began to be installed on the T-26. The gun had an electric trigger and a TOP-1 stabilized sight, which significantly increased the possibility of hitting a target when firing on the move. It was possible to raise the engine power from 90 to 95 hp, and by installing an additional fuel tank to increase the cruising range. Nevertheless, despite the strengthening of the suspension bogies, the undercarriage was overloaded. From modification to modification, the patency and maneuverability of the tank invariably worsened.

In 1939, the vehicle underwent the last modernization. The tank received a turret box with inclined sheets, the thickness of which was increased from 15 mm to 20 mm, the ammunition rack increased, which was facilitated by the removal of the rear machine gun on most of the T-26 of this issue. The frontal part of the tower was made both welded and stamped. A special feature of the tank was a special protective cover over the radiator shutters. The tank received a 71-TK-Z radio station, the handrail antenna, which sharply distinguished radium tanks (in most cases, they were tanks of unit commanders), was replaced with a whip antenna.

All these changes led to the fact that the mass of the T-26 exceeded 10 tons. Despite the strengthening of the structure, the undercarriage worked to the limit. Often, especially when turning, the tank began to lose tracks. According to the test results, it was noted that the armor of the tank does not meet modern requirements, and there is no reserve for a possible reinforcement of weapons. The conclusion was made: "The T-26 is an obsolete tank. It is urgent to develop a replacement for this combat vehicle." And such a replacement appeared, developed in the design bureau of plant No. 174 new tank infantry escort T-50. The T-26 tank remained in production until the end of 1940.

By this time, the tank managed to take part in the Soviet-Japanese armed conflict near Lake Haoan in July 1938 and in the fighting near the Khalkhin Gol River in 1939. Moreover, in all cases we are talking about single-turret tanks, since the fate of double-turret T -26 became the role of a training vehicle in rifle and mechanized units. On the eve of World War II, the T-26s were mainly in service with separate light tank brigades (each of which numbered from 250 to 270 vehicles) and separate tank battalions. rifle divisions(50-60 tanks). In September 1939, T-26 tanks took part in the "liberation campaign" in Western Ukraine and Western Belarus. Over half a mountain of thousands of T-26s crossed the entire border of Poland, of which 15 were lost in battles. True, the operational losses during the same time turned out to be twenty times greater.

1 - armored body; 2 - tower; 3 - engine; 4 - gearbox; 5 side clutch; 6 - brakes; 7 - final drive (behind the armor plate); 8 - running gear; 9 - partition separating the fighting compartment from the engine compartment; 10 - armored shutters above the oil cooler; 11 - air cap; 12 - 45-mm gun 20K; 13 - battery; 14 - folding frontal shield of the driver; 15 - track rollers; 16 - suspension trolley; 17 - silencer.

By the beginning of hostilities against Finland, that is, by November 30, 1939, there were 848 T-26 tanks in the armored forces of the Leningrad Front, and this model was represented by almost all modifications: straight from the factories. Tanks were used for their intended purpose - to support the actions of the infantry. The very first battles once again reminded of the main problem of the T-26 - the weakness of armor protection. Finnish anti-tank guns easily hit light tanks, which also experienced considerable difficulties when moving through deep snow. It was urgently necessary to resolve the issue of a significant increase in the armor of the tank. the only accessible way it turned out that shielding with additional armor plates with a thickness of 30 mm-40 mm (the thickness of the T-26's own armor latest modifications did not exceed 20 mm). As field shooting showed, the tank withstood a 45-mm armor-piercing projectile from a distance of 500 m. But the mass of the shielded tank exceeded 12 tons, which forced the engine and suspension to work with a large overload. The troops, re-equipped in this way, received tanks in mid-February 1940 and took part in the final phase of the Soviet-Finnish war. The nature of the hostilities also determined the level of losses: about 1000 T-26 tanks were lost for reasons of both combat and non-combat nature.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the armored forces underwent a number of reorganization measures. Armored vehicles were reduced to mechanized corps, which are in various stages of formation. For the most part the equipment included in their composition was represented by the most numerous T-26 and BT tanks of various modifications by that time. In total, as of June 1, 1941, the Red Army had 10,268 T-26 tanks, including special vehicles based on it, of which there were 4,875 vehicles in the border military districts. According to various estimates, the number of combat-ready vehicles ranges from 3,000 to 3,500 pieces. The situation was aggravated by the fact that up to a third of this number of tanks were vehicles of the first years of production, which were distinguished by lower reliability, which could not but affect the conditions of real hostilities.

With the outbreak of war, all this equipment, even the double-turreted tanks that were considered hopelessly outdated, was thrown into battle. Losses in tanks in the first weeks of the war turned out to be catastrophic. To replace the lost vehicles, T-26s were urgently transferred from the inner districts and from Far East. Using the existing backlog of hulls, turrets and other units, plant No. 174 resumed production of the T-26 in July 1941. Prior to its evacuation in September of the same year, the plant produced about 120 tanks.

Despite the apparent uselessness of the vehicle, in skillful hands, with proper use, the tank inflicted sensitive damage on the enemy. Even the twin-turret T-26s, which, judging by the available documents, were used before the Battle of Stalingrad (on the Leningrad Front until the blockade was lifted in early 1944). Having made a feasible contribution to the defeat of the enemy near Moscow. T-26 in 1942 took part in almost all military operations, the tank defended Sevastopol, participated in the attack on Kharkov, in Battle of Stalingrad and defense of the Caucasus. In almost all cases, the T-26s lost in battles were not restored, but were replaced by more modern T-60s and T-70s.

Tactical and technical characteristics of T-26 tanks