T 70 tank drawing dimensions. The most massive of the lungs

Soviet heavy tank KV In February 1939, a group of designers of the tank design bureau of the Kirov Plant in Leningrad, headed by N.L. Dukhov, began to develop a single-turret heavy tank KV ("Klim Voroshilov") with a Kharkov diesel engine. In September, its prototype

Soviet light tank T-40 In the 1930s, Soviet industry created a number of good light and small tanks. The most successful was the floating T-38. When the war began in Europe, the Red Army received a new floating T-40. Like the T-38, it was created by a design team during

Soviet light tank T-50 At the beginning of 1940, it was decided to replace the already obsolete T-26 with a similar T-126 SP (SP - infantry escort). The development of the tank (later renamed the T-50) was led by the talented designers of plant No. 174 - Lev Sergeevich Troyanov (1903 - 1984), and on the Kirov

Soviet light tank T-70 At the beginning of 1942, the team of N.A. Astrov developed a light tank, which was the development of the T-60. It was better armored, armed with a 45 mm cannon. Hull and turret - with rational angles of inclination of armor plates, connected by welding or riveting. Later became

Soviet medium tank T-44 In October 1944, the first T-44 tanks (until the end of the year - 25 vehicles) left the shops of the Kharkov plant No. in 1947 their production (more than 1800 vehicles in total) was stopped. T-44

Soviet heavy tank IS-2 The need for a more powerful tank than the KV was caused by the increased effectiveness of the German anti-tank defense and the expected appearance of the "Tiger" and "Panther". Works on new model from the spring of 1942, a special group of designers led

Soviet heavy tank IS-3 Despite the production of the IS-2 tank, they worked on a more powerful heavy tank, paying special attention to strengthening armor protection. At the end of 1944, specialists led by N.L. Dukhov and M.F. The Balges designed the IS-3 with a completely new hull

Soviet medium tank T-54 prototype new tank (object 137), which differs from the T-44 mainly in more powerful weapons (100-mm gun D-10T). It used the T-44 propulsion unit with ridge engagement. Then the refinement of the machine began: they changed

Soviet medium tank T-55 Since 1958, the troops began to enter new tank T-55, created in 1955 on the basis of the T-54B. The combat weight, armament and booking did not change, but by introducing tanks-racks, they increased the ammunition load of the gun and the fuel supply. There was no anti-aircraft gun.

Soviet heavy tank IS-4 Simultaneously with the development of the IS-3, the Chelyabinsk and Kirov plants designed the heavy tank IS-4. The assignment for a machine that was significantly superior to the IS-2 was given back in 1943. For this tank, weighing about 60 tons, a powerful V-12 diesel engine was created.

Soviet heavy tank T-10 The mass of the IS-4 was exceeded, so they decided to create a new heavy tank weighing no more than 50 tons. Its development as a development of the IS-3, IS-4 and IS-7 was carried out in 1949-1950 In 1953, under the brand name T-10 (formerly IS-8), it went into production. Like the IS-3, it

Soviet amphibious tank PT-76 In the late 40s, several design bureaus worked on the creation of a lung reconnaissance tank capable of overcoming water barriers. As a mover on the water, they offered permanent and folding propellers.

Soviet medium tank T-62 In 1960, the arsenal of armored vehicles Soviet army replenished T-62. And although the units of the T-55 tank were used in its creation, in a certain respect it was a revolutionary machine, because for the first time in the history of world tank building on it

Soviet main battle tank T-64 This machine, created at the Kharkov plant of transport engineering named after V.A. Malyshev under the direction general designer A.A. Morozov, adopted in December 1966, she became the first tank of the second generation,

Soviet main battle tank T-72 chief designer V.N. Venediktov) and adopted by the Soviet Army in 1973. Serial production of the T-72 began the following year and continues.

Hello to all fans of fighting in the sandbox, the site is with you! Tankers and tankers, now we will talk about a really worthwhile little machine, a Soviet light tank third level, in front of you T-70 guide.

Without exaggeration, I hasten to inform you that among the huge variety of light equipment at the third level, this device can really please its owner. T-70 WoT has an impressive number of advantages that will allow the player to "bend over" in the sandbox and have a lot of fun, but for this, you must know your tank well.

TTX T-70

According to the already established tradition, we will start with the fact that our light tank has a standard view by the standards of classmates, as well as the Soviet weak viewing range of 310 meters.

It is noteworthy that, unlike most classmates, our survival rate is quite good, but with nuances. First of all, at T-70 characteristics frontal armor is impressive.

If we talk about the frontal projection of the hull, then due to the excellent slope of the armor plates, the upper frontal part T-70 World of Tanks it has 72 millimeters of armor over the entire area, and a small red square on the model's collage is also reinforced, here the thickness of the metal reaches 113 millimeters. At the same time, it is better to hide the NLD, because this is only a 51-mm section that can ricochet, but on the whole it breaks through easily.

The turret is protected from the front by a large 50 mm gun mantlet, behind which light tank T-70 it has about 86 millimeters of reduced armor, and a small “shelf” above the mask boasts 98 millimeters of reduced armor, but the cheeks break through easily, but fortunately they are quite small.

A completely different picture opens up when examining the side projection, since the sides of T-70 World of Tanks even thinner than the stern, because there is a miserable 15 millimeters of armor without slopes, which breaks through not only land mines, but also small-caliber machine guns. However, this does not mean that the stern can be substituted, both of these projections are vulnerable and need to be hidden.

In terms of mobility, everything is relative, because the maximum speed T-70 tank develops a decent, and also has excellent maneuverability. But in terms of dynamics, we are inferior to many classmates, although we cannot call the car slow or tight, in this regard we are more like a dynamic medium tank.

gun

It's no secret that armament is the main component of any tank, and in our case the gun is really good, it deserves not only attention, but also respect.

First of all, you must know that T-70 gun alphastrike has an average level, but also has a high rate of fire, thanks to which we have the opportunity to deal decent damage per minute, which is approximately 1320 units.

In terms of penetration, our gun is really good, even with an armor-piercing projectile T-70 WoT able to confidently deal damage to classmates and most of the fourth levels. Fives can also be dealt with, but for skirmishes with heavy tanks, you should have about 15 gold sub-calibers with you.

Accuracy did not let us down either, although not everything here is as smooth as we would like. Soviet light tank T-70 has at its disposal a good spread at 100 meters, but the stabilization of our gun is poor and it takes quite a long time to reduce, that is, something needs to be done about it.

In general, all indicators of weapons T-70 tank received good ones, but there is one serious flaw - vertical aiming angles. Downward, our barrel drops only 4 degrees, which is very sad and it will be really difficult to play from the terrain.

Advantages and disadvantages

As you all perfectly understand, from the knowledge of the strong and weaknesses The vehicle you use to go into battle depends on a lot. First of all, you will better understand which modules and skills you should bet on, but also in building tactics this question can help a lot, so now we will highlight the main pros and cons T-70 World of Tanks.
Pros:
Good frontal armor;
Decent mobility (maximum speed and maneuverability);
Impressive damage per minute;
High penetration rates;
Nice spread at 100 meters.
Minuses:
Small base viewing range;
Poor booking of sides and stern;
Low one-time damage;
Mediocre mixing and stabilization;
Poor elevation angles.

Equipment for T-70

Despite the fact that at the third level the choice additional modules is very limited, it is possible and necessary to strengthen the tank, especially since everything necessary for this device, in principle, is available. For maximum results on tank T-70 equipment it is better to put the following:
1. - as you can see from the list of shortcomings, this device needs to improve the speed of information, which we will deal with first of all.
2. is a good and thoughtful choice that will give a 5% boost to the most important stats, improving damage, accuracy and slightly increasing vision.
3. - there is no point in inventing something, because you can radically increase the viewing range and gain an advantage over the enemy only by choosing this module.

Crew training

A properly trained crew with enough skills at level three is a colossal advantage that you should strive for if you really want to conquer the sandbox. The problem is that our crew consists of only two people, but even in such circumstances for the T-70 it is better to learn the perks in the following sequence:
Commander (gunner, radio operator, loader) - , , , .
Driver mechanic - , , , .

Equipment for the T-70

As always, the process of purchasing consumables remains standard, and therefore simple and understandable. If you don't have enough silver in your supply or you are saving up for a tank, take , , . However, in combat, you will feel much more confident if you buy for T-70 equipment in the form of,, especially understanding the problems with the shell shock of such a multifunctional commander. By the way, a Soviet tank burns infrequently, so you can also replace a fire extinguisher with one.

T-70 game tactics

From the foregoing, you could form an opinion about this device, and I must say that the machine in our hands is really worthwhile, capable of crushing enemies in the sandbox, but for this you need to act correctly.

I want to say right away that our most comfortable Soviet light tank T-70 feels at the top of the list, because here our armor shows itself with the best side. In order to confidently deal with the enemy, you should always turn your forehead to him and the body can be turned quite a bit so as not to substitute a vulnerable side, but to increase the reduced armor of the VLD.

Of course, fighting at the top of the list for T-70 tactics combat is to take a position on the front line, where, hiding your NLD and hiding from enemy artillery, you can confidently tank, holding back or pushing the direction along with the allies.

However, when it comes to battles against the fourth and even more so the fifth levels, on your armor T-70 World of Tanks can no longer rely so blindly. In such cases, we become good tank support, which is able to deal excellent damage from behind the backs of stronger teammates.

No less confident T-70 tank feels like standing on the second line, because this tactic is much safer and allows you to deal damage with impunity. Fortunately, for remote firing, we have pleasant accuracy and good penetration, all that remains is to glow less and target vulnerable areas in the enemy’s armor.

As a conclusion, I would like to say that T-70 WoT- This is one of the few cars at the third level, which is comfortable and pleasant to play. Otherwise, try to keep an eye on the mini-map, beware of artillery and formidable Tier 5 vehicles, and don't expose the sides and stern to the enemies.

. According to the combination of characteristics, it is the Soviet T-70 tank that is the best of the light category. Sometimes the T-50 is given the palm, but taking into account that their release was limited to only 7 dozen (design complexity), compare with the T-70, more than 8000 pieces, the second most massive result is second only to. Who cares here =>> , back to the end of 41 years.
Already at the end of October 1941, N.A. Astrov in the Design and Experimental Department (KEO) of GAZ began to develop a new light tank armed with a 45-mm cannon. In its design, it was supposed to use the T-60 components and assemblies to the maximum extent, read assembling as much as possible using automotive components and components. It was quite obvious that without a significant increase in the power of the engine installation further development light tanks is almost impossible. But in 1941, increasing the power of a mass-produced engine by forcing it seemed a difficult task, except for the long term.

Alabino T-70 opening tank biathlon photo 2013

It was supposed to solve the problem more realistically by creating two autonomous drives from two engines with a gearbox, each for its own track. For confident rectilinear movement, it was only necessary to connect the engines to each other through friction clutches. But then there were no comprehensive tests, and the hidden flaw of such a scheme was revealed later.
After four unsuccessful attempts to install two N.A. Astrov proposed a series direct connection of the engines in single file, transmitting the power developed by the rear engine through the coupling to the crankshaft shank of the front working engine. And such a “spark”, consisting of two GAZ-M1 engines, was created at plant No. 37 on the eve of the war.

Tank T-70 power unit GAZ-203 consisted of two GAZ-202 engines (GAZ-70-6004 front and GAZ-70-6005 rear)

Now, in November, the first version of the paired unit of two GAZ-11 engines was made in metal and put on the stand. It soon became clear that the rigidity of the rubber "barrels" in the elastic coupling that connected the engines played an important role. Not trusting the instruments, the selection of stiffness (elasticity) was carried out by the chief designer himself - Lipgart, assessing the stiffness of rubber by pressing his fingernails into it. Rubber bands that were too soft allowed hard impacts in the inter-engine connection, and rubber bands that were too hard led to an overload of the main bearings of the engines. We were looking for the middle. Found that the relative position of the crankshafts does not play any role.

Short description lung structures tank T-70

The reliability of the 4-speed gearbox turned out to be insufficient, it was necessary to replace it with the ZIS-5 gearbox, making a new output shaft and changing the gear lever. This box had four gears forward and one reverse. Both the cooling system fan and its drive have been improved - a gear drive has been introduced instead of a V-belt.
At the same time, a frame was developed on which the complete power unit was mounted, which was installed in the tank hull on rubber cushions. The GAZ-203 power unit consisted of two GAZ-202 engines (GAZ-70-6004 front and GAZ-70-6005 rear) with a total power of 140 hp. The main friction clutch is a two-disk, semi-centrifugal type.

The beaten seventy, street fighting for Stalingrad 1942

From the power unit, the search for new design solutions spread to the entire transmission, and then to the chassis. The number of track rollers of the undercarriage of the tank was increased to five per side.
The hull configuration has changed significantly. The upper frontal sheet with a thickness of 35 mm was set at an angle of 60 degrees. The lower frontal sheet was 45 mm thick. AT top sheet there was a driver's hatch with an armored (folding up) cover equipped with a viewing device (with a slot closed by a triplex on the machines of the first release). In the lower part on the right, as on the T-60, a hatch was made for access to the main gear of the transmission.

A column of T-70 light tanks on the outskirts of Krasnoye Selo

In a single faceted turret with an armor thickness of 35 mm (for comparison, the T-34 is 10 mm thicker) a 45-mm tank gun mod. 1932-1938 with vertical wedge gate. A 7.62 mm DT machine gun was paired with the cannon. Vertical aiming angles - from -6° to +20". Direct fire range was 3600 m, maximum - 4800 m. it was located on the left, and the lifting mechanism - on the right of the commander.Sights - telescopic or periscopic (partially), as well as mechanical.In the roof of the tower there was an entrance hatch for the commander.In the armored cap was mounted a periscopic observation device for all-round viewing.
The large length and mass of the power unit, reinforced components and assemblies of other systems, as well as more powerful armor protection led to an increase in the combat weight (compared to the T-60) of tanks of the first releases to 9.2 tons (later - up to 9.8 tons) .

Unitary 45-mm rounds for the 20-K tank gun
From left to right, 1. UBR-243P with a BR-240P sub-caliber armor-piercing projectile
2. UBR-243SP with a solid armor-piercing projectile BR-240SP
3. UBZR-243 with armor-piercing incendiary projectile BZR-240
4. UO-243 s fragmentation grenade O-243
5. USCH-243 with buckshot Sch-240

Thus, the substantially modernized T-70, conceived in October 1941, came close in terms of parameters to the T-50 tank. In January 1942, the first prototype was ready. The leading engineer of the machine was V.A. Dedkov. After correcting the identified deficiencies new pattern was put into production at the GAZ and No. 38 plants (Kirov).
Since September 1942, the production of an improved T-70M with a reinforced undercarriage (the width of the rollers and tracks, etc.) began, as well as with an increased thickness of the frontal armor (up to 45 mm, that is, the frontal armor became like that of a thirty-four). The combat weight was 10 tons. With a power plant power of 140 hp. his maximum speed reached 45 km / h. Replaced with 12 volt onboard system, originally used 6 volts.

The best light tanks of the second world war T-70 photo and T-70M were assembled until the middle of 1943. The entire workshop was left 8.3 thousand such machines.
For the development of the design of the T-70 and its subsequent improvement in 1943, N.A. Astrov, A.A. Lipgart, V.A. Dedkov and other designers of GAZ were awarded the Stalin Prize II degree.

T-70 with landing on the armor on the Stalingrad front

The T-90 tank, which was created under the leadership of N.A. Astrov from September-October 1942, could be considered as a mobile means of conducting aimed machine-gun fire on ground and air (anti-aircraft) targets, operating in close cooperation with other light tanks.

light tank t 90 photo

On the tank, made on the basis of the T-70M, they installed a turret open from above and shifted to the port side, armed with coaxial 12.7-mm DShKT machine guns. The absence of an armored roof in the octagonal turret, made of 35 mm rolled armor, ensured free observation of air targets and firing at them. From above, it could be closed with a tarpaulin awning.
Machine gun aiming angles ranged from -6° to +85°. used red dot sight for anti-aircraft fire and telescopic - for ground targets. Sighting range was 3500 m, the maximum - up to 7000 m.
The most advanced light tank T-80 of the family .
In the second half of 1942 - the first half of 1943, work to improve the T-70M was carried out in several directions. So, there were designs of a cast, and then a double welded tower, which made it possible to free the tank commander from the functions of a gunner. The number of crew increased to 3 people. The increase in the volume of the tower required the introduction of additional viewing devices. To the left of the gun was the gunner, to the right - the commander-loader. On the roof of the tower above the commander's seat there was a fixed commander's turret with an entrance hatch, closed by a lid, equipped with an all-round periscope viewing device. A hatch was made above the gunner's place, which was also closed with a hinged lid. In front of him were a periscope viewing device and a collimator sight with folding armor. The gunner's sights remained the same as on the T-70.
In addition, the collimator sight was used to fire at air targets or at the upper floors of buildings.
The welded tower was made multifaceted, with increased angles of inclination of the front sheets with a thickness of 45 mm. Handrails were welded to the sides of the tower.
Elevation angles of the 45 mm gun mod. 1938 ranged from -8e to +65°. A DT machine gun was paired with a cannon. The direct fire range reached 3600 m, the maximum - 6000 m. The gun ammunition consisted of 94 rounds.
The tank used a power unit of increased power. Forced 6-cylinder GAZ-80 engines developed a power of 85 hp. each. The start was carried out either with the help of two electric starters, or a manual crank. The armor protection of the hull was strengthened by replacing the armor plates of the sides with a thickness of 15 mm with 25 mm sheets. As a result, the combat weight increased to 11.6 tons.
The tank was accepted for production as the T-80 at Mytishchi Factory #40. After the release of 81 cars, their production was discontinued.

Bridgehead at Peskovatka. Tank T-70 and Sd.Kfz.250. 3rd Motorized Division photo August 1942

The best light tank of the second world war T-70 photo on the battlefields .

Combat use light tanks of the T-70 family. The bulk of the vehicles were southwest direction where she suffered heavy losses. And what tank formations did not carry them that year. Estimates of combat activities vary to the exact opposite. Someone complains about weak armor, someone about weak weapons. Although the 45-mm tank gun 20K arr. 1932 of the year was quite enough for 1942, she could successfully fight all types of Wehrmacht tanks at a distance of up to 500 m. More advanced ones and the Panther began to be produced in 43, when meeting with which the chances of the seventies were equal to zero. But these heavyweights were not enough even in the 43rd. The tank regiment of the Red Army of that time consisted of 23 T-34 and 16 T-70 or 70M.

Tank T-70 with troops on board, in the background and destroyed Pz.KpfwIV

For some reason, German tanks are always compared latest modifications, and certainly head-on, a kind tank battle. In fact, knocking out tanks was almost always assigned to anti-tank artillery. And for a direct comparison, not everything is so sad for the T-70, about the PzKpfw I with machine-gun armament and a weight of 5 tons with a penny, we will modestly keep silent (bulletproof armor, and even then it did not always fulfill its functions). Next comes our classmate, a 9-ton PzKpfw II with an automatic 20 mm cannon, almost the same as on our T-60 (in the 42nd, production was curtailed just because of weak weapons). Then comes the more serious middle PzKpfw III, almost 20 tons on which a decent gun appeared far from immediately. Pz.Kpfw. IV it's already serious car, only really mass production was launched just in 43, and before that the cat had cried them. And for some reason, the tank sorakopyaty is treated as disdainfully as the anti-tank forty-five, forgetting that the Germans have the main anti-tank gun World War II was the Pak 35/36 in 37mm.

Tank T-70M of the guards crew of the summer I. Astapushenko takes a position December 1942

It's all about skill, examples: a tank under the command of Lieutenant B. Pavlovich, knocked out three German medium tanks and ... Panther, somehow they did it. Another out of the ordinary case. Ours are advancing, they are squeezing the Fritz. they gather forces, organize a counter-attack. Ours fight back, and the Germans begin to retreat. A. Dmitrienko saw a retreating German tank, lined up behind him in the dead zone, he wanted to shoot out of the cannon. But he saw an open tower hatch (which is typical, the Germans often left the hatch in the tower open), he jumps on a German tank and throws a grenade into the hatch. The crew was destroyed, the tank, after minor repairs, is used as a trophy in battles. The crew, consisting of a driver, Art. sergeant Rostovtsev and tank commander Lt. A. Dorokhin, destroyed two PzKpfw III. And there are a lot of such examples, there are also cases of ramming, “The crew of senior sergeant Krivko and art. Lieutenant Zakharchenko, when repulsing the attack of the 100th flamethrower tank battalion for special purposes, rammed 2 German Pz.IIs and captured the chief of staff and the battalion commander.

Southwestern Front December '42 light tank T-70M

And here is the course of the battle on July 9, 1943 for the village of Izotovo. Two T-70 tanks meet up with three Tigers advancing. the lead German vehicle knocks out one T-70. The second, under the command of Trubin, actively maneuvering, enters the rear of the Tiger and, at close range, puts an armor-piercing projectile into its side, lights up, continuing the maneuver, the T-70 has already begun to get close to the next Tiger. Wanting to avoid the fate of the lead vehicle, the remaining two began to retreat. As proof, the wrecked "Tiger" was delivered to Moscow and was exhibited in Gorky Park at an exhibition of captured weapons.

Interesting facts, if the T-34 tank was damaged, about 60 percent could not be restored (detonation of ammunition), for the light T-70 tank, this figure is lower, 40 percent. Due to its low noise and mobility, it was used in reconnaissance, although the lack of a radio station in the tank reduced its effectiveness. In the 43rd year, it was decided to stop production, from the middle of the year the car ceases to be produced. The plant switches to the production of SU-76 and SU-76M, built on the basis of the T-70 chassis. Interestingly, the number of manufactured self-propelled guns of all types (light, medium and heavy) during the war years amounted to 22.5 thousand units, 12.6 thousand of them SU-76 and SU-76M.

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 boiler was available preheater.

The T-70 four-speed gearbox was manufactured on the basis of components from the gearbox of the ZiS-5 truck. The chassis has 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 30s, 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 the best 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 less initial speed projectile automation of the 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 received by the 4th tank corps, were completely lost when repulsing the German offensive. 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-70s suffered heavy losses, but the high manufacturability of the design contributed to a smaller percentage compared even to the T-34. irretrievable losses. 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

The light tank T-70 inherited from the T-60 simplicity and manufacturability in production and operation. But from there they all came negative sides designs. 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 diesel engine- 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. A side effect of this approach was 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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