Tanks of the 26th Panzer Division. Add to favorites

Description

Soviet light combat the machine used in many conflicts of the 1930s and in the Second World War had the T-26 index. This tank was produced in greater numbers (more than 11,000 pieces) than any other of that period. In 1930, 53 variants of the T-26 were developed in the USSR, including a flamethrower tank, a combat engineering vehicle, a remote-controlled tank, a self-propelled gun, an artillery tractor and an armored personnel carrier. Twenty-three of them were mass-produced, the rest were experimental models.

British original

The T-26 had a prototype - the English Mk-E tank, which was developed by the Vickers-Armstrong company in 1928-1929. Simple and easy to maintain, it was intended to be exported to less technologically the developed countries: USSR, Poland, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Thailand, China and many others. Vickers advertised their tank in military publications, and the Soviet Union expressed interest in this development. According to a contract signed on May 28, 1930, the company delivered to the USSR 15 double-turreted vehicles (type A, armed with two water-cooled Vickers machine guns 7.71 mm) along with a full technical documentation for their mass production. Having two turrets capable of turning independently allowed firing both to the left and right at the same time, which at the time was considered an advantageous advantage for breakthroughs. field fortifications. Several Soviet engineers were involved in the assembly of tanks at the Vickers plant in 1930. By the end of this year, the USSR received the first four Mk-E type A.

Start of mass production

At that time, a special commission was working in the USSR, whose task was to select a foreign tank for replication. English tank The Mk-E received the temporary designation B-26 in her documentation. In the winter of 1930-1931, two such machines were tested at the training ground in the Poklonnaya Gora area, which they successfully withstood. As a result, already in February, it was decided to start their production in the USSR under the T-26 index.

The tank from the first experimental batch, equipped with Soviet-made turrets, was tested for resistance to rifle and machine gun fire at the end of the summer of 1931. It was fired from a rifle and a Maxim machine gun using conventional and armor-piercing cartridges from a distance of 50 m. It was found that the tank withstood the fire with minimal damage (only some of the rivets were damaged). Chemical analysis showed that the front armor plates were made of high quality armor, while the roof and bottom plates of the turrets were made of ordinary steel. At that time, the armor produced by the Izhora plant, used for the first T-26 models, was inferior in quality to the English one due to the lack of modern metallurgical equipment in the USSR.

Development of the first modifications in 1931

Soviet engineers did not just repeat the 6-ton Vickers. What new did they bring to the T-26? The tank in 1931, like its British prototype, had a twin-turret configuration with two machine guns, one on each turret. The main difference between them was that on the T-26 the towers were higher, with viewing slots. The Soviet turrets had a circular embrasure for the Degtyarev tank machine gun, as opposed to the rectangular one used in the original British design for the Vickers machine gun. The front of the hull has also been slightly modified.

The T-26-x hulls with two turrets were assembled using 13-15 mm armor plates riveted to the frame from metal corners. This was enough to withstand machine gun fire. Light tanks of the USSR, produced at the end of 1932-1933, had both riveted and welded hulls. What can not be said about the novelty. The Soviet T-26 tank developed in 1931 had two cylindrical turrets mounted on ball bearings; each of the towers rotated independently by 240°. Both towers could provide shelling in the front and rear firing arcs (100 ° each). What was the main drawback of such a T-26 tank? The double-tower version had too complex structure which reduced its reliability. In addition, all firepower such a tank could not be used on one side. Therefore, in the early 30s, this configuration of combat vehicles was abandoned all over the world.

Single-turret light tank T-26

Its performance has been significantly improved compared to the twin-turret configuration. Produced with it, it initially had a cylindrical turret with one 45 mm model 20K cannon and one 7.62 mm Degtyarev machine gun. This gun was an improved copy of the anti-tank gun model 19K (1932), which was one of the most powerful of its time. Very few tanks of other countries had similar weapons, if any. What other weapons was the new T-26 capable of carrying? A 1933 tank could have up to three additional 7.62 mm machine guns. This increase in firepower was intended to aid crews in defeating special anti-tank teams, as the original machine gun armament was deemed insufficient. The photo below shows one of the T-26 models, which is in the Kubinka Museum of Tanks, which is the world's largest collection of military vehicles.

What engine did the T-26 tank have

Its characteristics, unfortunately, were determined by the level of engine building in the 20s of the 20th century. The tank was equipped with a 4-cylinder gasoline engine with a capacity of 90 liters. With. (67 kW) air-cooled, which was a complete copy of the Armstrong-Sidley engine used in the 6-ton Vickers. It was located at the back of the tank. Early Soviet-made tank engines were of poor quality, but improved from 1934 onwards. The engine of the T-26 tank did not have a speed limiter, which often led to overheating and breakage of its valves, especially in the summer. A 182 liter fuel tank and a 27 liter oil tank were placed next to the engine. He used high-octane, so-called Grozny gasoline; refueling with second-rate fuel could damage the valves due to detonation. Subsequently, a more capacious fuel tank was introduced (290 liters instead of 182 liters). The engine cooling fan was installed above it in a special casing.

The T-26's transmission consisted of a single-disk main dry clutch, a five-speed box at the front of the tank, steering clutches, final drives, and a group of brakes. The gearbox was connected to the engine through a drive shaft running along the tank. The shift lever was mounted directly on the box.

Modernization 1938-1939

This year, the Soviet T-26 tank received a new conical turret with better resistance against bullets, but it retained the same welded hull as the 1933 model. This was not enough, as the conflict with the Japanese militarists in 1938 showed, so the tank was upgraded again in February 1939. Now he received a turret compartment with inclined (23 °) 20-mm side armor plates. The thickness of the walls of the tower increased to 20 mm at an inclination of 18 degrees. This tank was designated T-26-1 (known as T-26 Model 1939 in contemporary sources). Subsequent attempts to strengthen the front panel fell through as production of the T-26 soon ended in favor of other designs such as the T-34.

By the way, the combat weight of T-26 tanks in the period from 1931 to 1939 increased from 8 to 10.25 tons. The photo below shows the T-26 model 1939. By the way, it is also from the collection of the world's largest Tank Museum in Kubinka.

How the combat history of the T-26 began

The light tank T-26 first saw action during the Spanish Civil War. Then the Soviet Union, starting in October 1936, supplied it to the republican government with a total of 281 tanks of the 1933 model.

The first batch of tanks to Republican Spain was delivered on October 13, 1936 to the port city of Cartagena; fifty T-26s with spare parts, ammunition, fuel and about 80 volunteers under the command of the commander of the 8th separate mechanized brigade, Colonel S. Krivoshein.

This war showed that the T-26 tank was already outdated and the reserves of its design were completely exhausted. Finnish anti-tank guns with a caliber of 37 mm and even 20 mm, anti-tank rifles easily penetrated the thin anti-bullet armor of the T-26, and units equipped with them suffered significant losses during the breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line, in which flamethrower vehicles based on the T-26 chassis played significant role.

WWII - the last battle of the T-26s

T-26s formed the basis of the armor tank troops Red Army during the first months of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. As of June 1 this year, the spacecraft had 10,268 T-26 light tanks of all models, including armored fighting vehicles on their chassis. Most of the combat vehicles in the Soviet mechanized corps in the border military districts consisted of them. For example, the Western Special Military District had 1136 such vehicles on June 22, 1941 (52% of all tanks in the district). In total there were 4875 of these tanks in June 1, 1941. However, some of them were not ready for combat due to the lack of parts, such as batteries, tracks and track wheels. Such shortcomings led to the abandonment of about 30% of the available T-26s inactive. In addition, about 30% of the available tanks were produced in 1931-1934 and have already worked out their service life. Thus, in the five Soviet western military districts there were about 3100-3200 T-26 tanks of all models in good condition (approximately 40% of all equipment), which was only slightly less than the number German tanks intended for the invasion of the USSR.

The T-26 (model 1938/1939 especially) could withstand most German tanks in 1941, but was inferior to the Panzer III and Panzer IV models that participated in Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. And all the tank units of the Red Army suffered heavy losses due to the complete air supremacy of the German Luftwaffe. Most of the T-26s were lost in the first months of the war, mainly during enemy artillery shelling and air strikes. Many broke for technical reasons and due to lack of spare parts.

However, in the first months of the war, many heroic episodes of the resistance of Soviet tankers on T-26s to the fascist invaders are also known. For example, the combined battalion of the 55th Panzer Division, consisting of eighteen single-turret T-26s and eighteen double-turrets, while covering the retreat of the 117th Infantry Division in the Zhlobin area, destroyed seventeen German vehicles.

Despite the losses, the T-26 still made up a significant part of the armored forces of the Red Army in the fall of 1941 (a lot of equipment arrived from the internal military districts - Central Asia, Urals, Siberia, partly with Far East). As the war progressed, the T-26s were replaced by the vastly superior T-34s. They also took part in the battles with the Germans and their allies during the Battle of Moscow in 1941-1942, in Battle of Stalingrad and the battle in the Caucasus in 1942-1943. Some tank units of the Leningrad Front used their T-26 tanks until 1944.

The defeat of the Japanese in Manchuria in August 1945 was the last military operation in which they were used. In general, it should be noted that the history of tanks is a curious thing.

With the start of production of the T-26 tank, Soviet tank troops reached 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 the initial flight speed 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 the tanks of the early years of production with one 182-liter tank, the vehicle began to be equipped with two tanks of 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 a conical turret and a turret box of a direct configuration could differ from each other in the presence of a radio station, aft DT machine gun, searchlights for combat light and anti-aircraft installation. Besides, 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 T-26 light tank 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 model of the T-26 tank became the basis for a large number of special combat vehicles. Based on it, they produced:

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 tank's baptism of fire took place in Spain during the 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. Hard luck light tank”, which was written by military expert Maxim Kolomiets, is completely 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.

We continue the series of materials from the museum military history in Padikovo. Today our hero will be Soviet light tank T-26. The car is original and controversial, but nevertheless, the tank went through more than one war and is worthy of the most detailed disassembly, both outside and inside.

The combat path of the T-26 was very long and difficult. Civil War in Spain, Khasan, Khalkhin Gol, the war with Finland, the Great Patriotic War. The last place where the T-26 was used was the defeat field of the Japanese Kwantung Army in the Far East.

The predecessor of the T-26 was the T-18 tank, which was a copy of the French Renault FT-17. By 1929, there was an understanding of the need to create a more modern machine and the general backlog of Soviet tank building.

In 1930, a procurement commission was created under the leadership of I. Khalepsky and the head of the engineering design bureau for tanks S. Ginzburg, whose task was to select and purchase samples of tanks, tractors and vehicles suitable for adoption by the Red Army.

In the spring of 1930, the commission visited Great Britain, which in those years was considered the world leader in the production of armored vehicles. The commission's attention was attracted by the light tank Mk.E, created by Vickers-Armstrong in 1928-1929 and offered for export.

Vickers-Armstrong offered several versions of the tank, in particular the "Model A" with two single turrets with 7.7 mm Vickers machine guns and the "Model B" with a two-man turret with a 37 mm short-barreled gun and a 7.7 mm machine gun. Only a double-turreted tank was purchased, which received the designation B-26.

For the production of the T-26, due to the lack of alternatives, the Leningrad plant "Bolshevik" was chosen, which had previously been engaged in the production of the T-18. In the spring of 1931, the factory department, which consisted of only 5 people, prepared for production and produced two reference copies of the tank. By May 1, working drawings were completed, and on June 16, the technological process was approved and manufacturing of equipment for mass production began.

The design of the tank was constantly improved during production. In addition to the introduction of new towers, in 1931 the engine was moved aft to provide it with Better conditions work, and from the beginning of 1932, new fuel and oil tanks were introduced, and from March 1 of the same year, a box was installed on the T-26 above the air outlet grille, which protected the engine from precipitation.

In parallel, two variants of tanks were produced - with machine gun armament and with machine gun and cannon armament, which consisted of a DT-29 machine gun in the left turret and a 37 mm cannon in the right. At the end of 1932, machine-gun tanks began to be produced with ball mounts for the new DTU machine guns, but since the latter were soon taken out of production, the tanks of these series turned out to be unarmed and later had to be replaced with turret front plates suitable for installing old DT-29.

Cannon tanks were equipped with a 37-mm Hotchkiss cannon or its modified Soviet version "Hotchkiss-PS".

In reality, work on the single-turret T-26 began only in 1932. Mastering the assembly of a conical turret from curvilinear armor plates was difficult for the Soviet industry, so the first turret of this type, created by the Izhora plant by the spring of 1932 and intended for the BT-2 tank, had a cylindrical shape. During tests of the riveted and welded versions of the turret, preference was given to the first one, which was recommended for adoption after the identified deficiencies were corrected and a niche was added to the rear for the installation of a radio station.

While work was underway on the turret, the issue of arming the tank was also being decided. In May 1932, a 45-mm cannon mod. 1932, which also became a candidate for armament of tanks. Compared to the 37 mm gun, the 45 mm gun had about the same armor penetration, but the fragmentation projectile was more effective, as it was equipped with a large explosive charge.

At the beginning of 1933, the design bureau of plant No. 174 developed a twin installation of a 45-mm cannon and a machine gun, which successfully passed factory tests in March 1933. At the same time, it was decided to adopt a single-turret T-26 with a 45-mm gun.

It is this tank that we are considering today.

The main armament of the single-turret modifications was a 45-mm rifled semi-automatic gun mod. 1932 (20-K), and since 1934 - its modified version of the 1932/34 model. Semi-automatic gun model 1932/34 it worked only when firing armor-piercing shells, while when firing fragmentation, due to the shorter recoil length, it worked, providing only automatic closing of the shutter when a cartridge was inserted into it, while the shutter was opened and the cartridge case was extracted manually. The practical rate of fire of the gun was 7-12 rounds per minute.

The gun was placed in a coaxial installation with a machine gun, on trunnions in the frontal part of the turret. Guidance in the horizontal plane was carried out by turning the tower using a screw rotary mechanism. The mechanism had two gears, the speed of rotation of the tower in which for one revolution of the gunner's flywheel was 2 or 4 °. Guidance in the vertical plane, with maximum angles from -6 to +22 °, was carried out using a sector mechanism.

Guidance of the twin installation was carried out using a panoramic periscope optical sight PT-1 arr. 1932 and telescopic TOP arr. 1930 PT-1 had a magnification of x2.5 and a field of view of 26 °, and its aiming grid was designed for firing at a distance of up to 3.6 km with armor-piercing shells, 2.7 km with fragmentation and up to 1.6 km with coaxial machine gun.

For shooting at night and in low light conditions, the sight was equipped with illuminated scales and crosshairs of the sight. The TOP had an increase of x2.5, a field of view of 15 °, and an aiming grid designed for firing at a distance of up to 6, 4, 3 and 1 km, respectively. Since 1938, a TOP-1 (TOS-1) telescopic sight, stabilized in a vertical plane, with similar optical characteristics to the TOP, was installed on part of the tanks. The sight was equipped with a collimator device, which, when the gun oscillated in a vertical plane, automatically fired a shot when the position of the gun coincided with the aiming line. Cannon arr. 1934, adapted for use with a stabilized sight, was designated as mod. 1938 Due to the difficulty of using and training gunners, by the beginning of World War II, the stabilized sight was removed from service.

Tower T-26 from the inside:

Flag signaling served as the basic means of external communication on the T-26, and all double-turret tanks had only it. On the part of the produced single-turret tanks, which received the designation T-26RT, a radio station of the model 71-TK-1 was installed from the autumn of 1933. The share of the RT-26 was determined only by the volume of deliveries of radio stations, which were primarily equipped with the vehicles of unit commanders, as well as part of the line tanks. The maximum communication range in the telephone mode was 15-18 km on the move and 25-30 km from a stop, in the telegraph - up to 40 km; in the presence of interference from the simultaneous operation of many radio stations, the communication range could be halved.

For internal communication between the tank commander and the driver on tanks of early releases, a speaking tube was used, later replaced by a light signaling device. Since 1937, on tanks equipped with a radio station, a TPU-3 tank intercom was installed for all crew members.

On the basis of the T-26, a large number of vehicles for various purposes and self-propelled guns were developed.

76.2 mm escort cannon, intended for artillery preparation and support of tanks and as an anti-tank weapon.

76 mm (pictured) and 37 mm anti-aircraft automatic gun to provide air defense mechanized units on the march.

TR-4 - armored personnel carriers TR-4 and TR-26, ammunition transporters TR-4-1 and TR-26, fuel transporter ТЦ-26.

T-26-T - armored artillery tractor based on the T-26 chassis. The early version had an unprotected turret, the late T-26-T2 was fully armored. A small number of tanks were produced in 1933 for the motorized artillery battery, for towing divisional 76.2 mm guns. Some of them remained until 1945.

ST-26 - sapper tank (bridge layer). Produced from 1933 to 1935. A total of 65 cars were assembled.

Along with the BT, the T-26 tanks formed the basis of the Soviet tank fleet before and during the Great Patriotic War. initial period.

It should be noted that tanks of the T-26 type were popular at one time, but the lack of coordination in tank units (lack of a walkie-talkie) and the low-speed nature of the T-26 made it easy prey for enemy tanks. But a light tank does not fight tanks according to military doctrine that time.

Complete set according to the principle "I carry everything with me."

A light tank supports infantry, destroys enemy guns and machine guns, these are its main objectives. Although the armor of the main German tanks T-1 and T-2 and the Czech T-38 was not a problem for the 45-mm T-26 gun.

Yes, the armor of the tank was bulletproof. Despite the weak armor protection, the tank was tenacious due to the fact that the engine and tanks were located in the aft compartment behind the partition.

The armor protection of the T-26 was designed for maximum resistance to rifle bullets and shell fragments. At the same time, the armor of the T-26 was easily penetrated by armor-piercing rifle bullets from a distance of 50-100 m.

On June 22, 1941, there were about 10 thousand T-26s in the Red Army. But bulletproof armor and the low mobility of the tank were among the factors that led to the low efficiency of the use of these tanks in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. The armor of most German tanks and self-propelled guns of that time was not invulnerable to the 45 mm T-26 guns. Most of the T-26 tanks were lost by the Soviet side in the first six months of the war, far from clashes with German tanks.

Today it is known that a significant part of the losses of the tank troops of the Red Army in the summer of 1941 was of a non-combat nature. Maintenance engineering personnel, due to the suddenness of the outbreak of war, were not called up in terms of material support tank units. Also, tractors for the evacuation of equipment and tankers were not transferred to the Red Army. Tanks during forced marches broke down and rushed, left due to lack of fuel.

The main reason for the losses for the T-26 was the lack of proper leadership and supply. Where there were no supply issues, the T-26 proved to be quite a worthy opponent to the German light tanks. The T-1 and T-2 were not much superior to the T-26 in terms of armor and speed, and in terms of armament, the T-26 was clearly superior to them.

Alas, the human factor became the reason for the large losses of this tank.

Having told in the first part about the T-26 tank of the 1933 model, we smoothly move on to the second instance, which we managed to feel and see in action.

Just like the first T-26, this tank is on display at the National Military Museum in the village of Padikovo, Moscow Region.

It is noticeable that in 6 years (from 1933 to 1939) the tank went through a certain path of development.

In the first article, we focused on the fact that the single-turret T-26 went into serial production in 1933. But by 1939 it was already a slightly different car. We will focus on the most significant moments from our point of view.

At that time, commanders' tanks were equipped with radio stations. This was spectacular. Radio stations were equipped with handrail antennas. It was a minus, and a huge one.

Not only that, due to the placement of the radio in the rear of the turret, the ammunition load had to be reduced from 136 to 96 rounds. The experience of fighting in Spain and near Lake Hassan showed that the enemy usually focuses his fire on tanks, with a characteristic rim around the tower. The handrail antenna was replaced with a less noticeable whip antenna. By experience combat use tanks got headlights: above the cannon for firing at night and for the driver.

Since 1935, the armor plates of the hull and turret began to be connected using electric welding instead of rivets, the ammunition load of the gun was reduced to 122 rounds (82 for a tank with a radio station), but the capacity of the gas tanks was increased.

Since 1937, an internal intercom of the TPU-3 type appeared on the T-26, the engine was boosted to 95 hp.

Conical turrets welded from 15-mm armor plates appeared on the tanks. Such towers were better able to withstand conventional, non-armor-piercing bullets.

1938 was a landmark year in terms of innovations for the T-26. On tanks, they began to install a stabilizer for the aiming line of the gun in a vertical plane. An emergency hatch appeared at the bottom. In the guns produced in 1937 and 1938, an electric shutter appeared, which ensured the production of a shot both by shock and by electric current. Guns with an electric lock were equipped with a TOP-1 telescopic sight (since 1938 - TOS).

If it's good to think about it - for a "completely outdated" tank - it's very, very good.

Tanks produced from February 1939 had a turret box with inclined armor plates, rear turret machine gun removed and the gun ammunition was increased to 205 shells (on vehicles with a radio station up to 165).

Periscopes for commander and shooter

Once again they tried to increase the engine power and brought it to 97 hp. With.

Since 1940, the turret box began to be made of 20-mm homogeneous steel instead of case-hardened.

The release of the T-26 was stopped in the first half of 1941, but in July-August 1941, about a hundred vehicles were completed in Leningrad from an unused backlog of buildings. In total, the Red Army received more than 11,000 T-26 light tanks of twenty-three modifications, including flamethrower (then called "chemical") and sapper (bridge).

Such a tank met the war in the bulk of Soviet armored vehicles.

According to personal feelings. A small but comfortable car for all crew members. Quite a lot of space, you can move around in a tank quite well. Compared to the T-34, which itself will be larger, but more cramped. Comfortable car, that's nothing more to say. You can feel the English roots.

Curb weight: 10,250 kg
Crew: 3 people

Booking:
Hull forehead/tilt angle: 15mm/28-80°
Turret/tilt angle: 15-10mm/72°
Bead/tilt angle: 15 mm/90°
Stern/tilt angle: 15 mm/81°

Armament:

45 mm cannon model 1934-1938, two 7.62 mm DT machine guns

Ammunition:

205 shots, 3654 rounds (for a tank with a radio 165 and 3087 respectively)

Engine:

T-26, 4-cylinder, carbureted, air-cooled
Engine power: 97 HP With. at 2200 rpm
Number of gears: 5 forward, 1 reverse
Fuel tank capacity: 292 l.
Highway speed: 30 km/h.
Highway range: 240 km

Overcome obstacles:

Climb: 35 deg.
Moat width: 1.8 m
Wall height: 0.55 m
Wading depth: 0.8 m

How good the T-26 was in combat, how outdated it actually was, we will talk in the next part.