Other wheeled-tracked tanks. An excerpt characterizing the BT series tanks

“The armor is strong and our tanks are fast,” as was sung in a popular Soviet song of the 30s. And this was the honest truth: both in terms of armor protection and speed characteristics, Soviet tanks of the pre-war period were superior to the best foreign analogues. The star of numerous parades and real symbols of the armored power of the Land of the Soviets were the BT series tanks, the production of which began in the first half of the 30s. Even today, watching newsreels featuring these machines, one cannot help but admire their speed and maneuverability.

The creation of the BT light tank is the result of the development of the concept of wheeled-tracked tanks - one of the areas of tank construction in the interwar period. The design of a fundamentally new wheeled-tracked tank was developed by the genius American inventor Walter Christie, but his ideas were not understood at home. But his car was almost ideally suited to the strategic plans that Soviet commanders drew up in those years.

The Soviet Union bought the patent from the American, and based on his ideas, a whole series of light and high-speed vehicles, perfect for maneuver warfare, was created. The Soviet BT tank participated in all pre-war conflicts: with the Japanese in the Far East, in the Spanish Civil War, in the Winter War, in the Polish campaign. The BT light tank formed the backbone of the Soviet armored forces at the initial stage of the war. Almost all BT tanks located in the western districts were knocked out in the first months of the war, but they remained in significant quantities in the Far East and took part in the Soviet-Japanese War of 1945.

The development and production of various modifications of the BT tank allowed the domestic tank industry to get on its feet, gain experience and, ultimately, move on to the production of more powerful combat vehicles with projectile-proof armor. Few people know that the famous “thirty-four” was created on the basis of one of the cars of the “high-speed series”.

In general, wheeled-tracked tanks have become a dead-end branch of tank development. This became clear already at the end of the 30s, so work in this direction was gradually frozen.

The history of the creation of the BT-2 tank and its modifications

The first tanks that appeared during the Great War can hardly be called perfect mechanisms. They were bulky, clumsy, had insufficient firepower and often broke down. Another serious problem with the first tracked combat vehicles was their slowness. A speed of 10 km/h was quite sufficient for moving across the battlefield, covering infantry or breaking through an enemy line of defense, but it was clearly not enough for transferring tank units from one sector of the front to another. In addition, the tracks of tanks of that time had a very limited resource and, in general, were the “weak link” of these combat vehicles. Their resource rarely exceeded 100 km; it should be noted that this problem could not be significantly solved until the mid-thirties.

It was the low speed of tanks that led to the widespread use of armored vehicles, although in terms of cross-country ability they, of course, could not compete with tracked vehicles.

They tried to transport tanks to the battlefield on heavy trucks, but this was extremely inconvenient and required additional costs.

Back in 1911, the first design of a wheeled-tracked tank was developed; in subsequent years, dozens of similar vehicles were created in different countries. Such hybrid tanks moved along the road using a wheeled propulsion system, and on rough terrain they used a tracked one. Most of these projects remained on paper or in the form of single prototypes. Such vehicles were complex and expensive, and over time, conventional tracked tanks gained speed, and the service life of their chassis was noticeably increased.

The only way to create a truly successful wheeled and tracked vehicle is from the American designer Walter Christie, who found a simple and original solution. He proposed increasing the tank's road wheels to almost the size of a regular car wheel, making the rear rollers driving wheels, and the two pairs of front ones - steering wheels. Thus, to transform the tank into an armored car, the crew only needed to remove the tracks from it. There was no need for complex and heavy mechanisms for lowering one or another mover; changing wheels to tracks required a minimum of time.

However, the American military was not interested in Christie’s invention, but very soon the talented designer found another customer - the USSR.

At the end of the 20s, the Soviet Union began creating its own tank industry, but at first it did not work out very well. Soviet sales representatives traveled all over the world buying samples military equipment and trying to attract foreign specialists to cooperation.

Christie’s project aroused great interest among the Soviet military; it fit perfectly into the concept of the Deep Operation, developed in the late 20s by the prominent military theorist Triandafillov. The invention of the American designer significantly increased the operational mobility of tank formations, aircraft engine, installed on Christie’s tank, allowed him to reach an unprecedented speed on the highway - more than a hundred kilometers per hour.

On April 28, 1930, the USSR bought two built tanks from Christie for 60 thousand dollars and all rights to manufacture these vehicles for 100 thousand dollars. The designer himself refused to come to the USSR.

In the spring, experimental vehicles that arrived from overseas were shown to the top leadership of the Red Army. The military liked the new tanks, and it was decided to begin mass production at the Kharkov Locomotive Plant (the future Malyshev plant).

In the same year, the Christie tank with a new turret design was put into service and received the name BT-2. On November 7, 1931, BT-2 tanks took part in the parade on Red Square. However, during preparation for the event, one of the cars caught fire and was sent for repairs.

Large-scale production of the BT-2 tank was launched in Kharkov only at the beginning of 1932. At first, Soviet tank builders faced a huge number of difficulties: there was a lack of high-quality materials, equipment, and trained personnel. A particularly acute problem was the shortage of engines (the BT-2 tank was equipped with an M-5 aircraft engine); due to the poor quality of rubber, the road wheels were constantly destroyed. There were no less difficulties with the armament of the combat vehicle. Initially, they planned to install a 37-mm PS-2 cannon on the BT-2 tank, but they were never able to organize its large-scale production. Later, it was proposed to use the B-3 gun to arm the vehicle, but the Soviet industry produced it in insufficient quantities. As a result, part of the BT-2 (350 units) remained armed only with machine guns.

Gradually, most of the production and technological problems were solved, and production of the BT-2 continued until 1933. Then it was replaced by a more advanced modification - the BT-5 tank.

This vehicle had an elliptical-shaped and larger turret mounted on an extended shoulder strap. The BT-5 tank had a 45 mm cannon and a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. The body of the “five” was practically no different from the BT-2.

Production of the BT-5 began in March 1933 and continued until the end of 1934. During this period, about two thousand cars were produced. In addition to the BT-5, there was also a modification of the BT-4, but it was never put into production.

In the thirties, many of the most fantastic designs of tanks with multiple propulsors were developed. In addition to serial wheeled-tracked tanks, the plans were to create vehicles with three (floating tank) and even four propulsion engines (floating and riding on rails). Naturally, such projects were not implemented.

Experiments were also conducted with changing the wheel formula.

The main problem of all BT series tanks was their weak (bulletproof) armor. For the time being, this situation was tolerated: the fact is that all combat vehicles of the 30s did not have projectile protection, and this was considered the norm, and BT tanks were significantly superior to their foreign counterparts in maneuverability and speed characteristics.

By the end of the 30s, there was an urgent need to create a new, heavier tank, the armor of which could withstand artillery and tank shells. However, the concept of a wheeled-tracked tank did not allow a significant increase in the weight of the vehicle - the wheeled propulsion did not allow it.

The most advanced modification of the entire family of high-speed tanks was the BT-7, whose production began in 1935. Unlike the BT-5 tank, the “seven” had a welded hull, a more reliable M-17 engine, and diesel engines were installed on later modifications of this vehicle. Production of the BT-7 continued until 1940. A review of the BT-7 tank would be incomplete without mentioning the artillery modification of the vehicle, armed with a 76-mm cannon.

In total, more than five thousand “sevens” were produced.

Already in 1935, work began on a more protected BT-20 (A-20) tank. The management of the Kharkov plant, on its own initiative, began developing a second, purely tracked modification of this vehicle - the A-32 tank. In 1938, the A-20 and A-32 were presented to the leadership of the People's Commissariat of Defense. The military wanted to launch a wheeled-tracked version of the tank into production, but Stalin personally insisted on testing both vehicles. The fully tracked tank showed brilliant results at the test site and, after some modifications, was put into mass production under the designation that the whole world knows today - T-34.

On the basis of BT tanks, a huge number of different experimental modifications were created (flame-thrower, radio-controlled, missile-carrying tanks), as well as many different armored vehicles: engineering, bridge-laying vehicles, repair and recovery vehicles.

Description of the design of BT series tanks

The BT-5 tank was created to replace the not very successful first modification of the vehicle - BT-2. According to its layout scheme, it almost completely copied its predecessor. Later, this design would become classic for many generations of Soviet tanks. In the front of the vehicle there was a control compartment with a driver's seat, followed by a fighting compartment, and in the rear of the tank there was an engine and transmission compartment. The crew of the BT-5 tank included three people.

In the fighting compartment of the vehicle there was a turret with a cannon and a machine gun, as well as seats for the vehicle commander and machine gunner-loader.

The tank's hull was made of rolled armor plates, which were connected using rivets. The car did not have rational angles of inclination, the only exception being the front part, which resembled a truncated pyramid. This shape was necessary to ensure the rotation of the drive wheels. Compared to the BT-2, the armor of the “five” has remained virtually unchanged. The armor protection of the driver's hatch cover was slightly strengthened. In general, the armor of the hull and turret protected the crew from shrapnel and small arms bullets.

Towing hooks were located in the bow and stern of the hull.

In the fighting compartment, on a wide shoulder strap, an elliptical turret with a 45-mm 20K cannon and a DT machine gun coaxial was installed. On some tanks, a DT anti-aircraft machine gun was also installed on the turret. The place of the tank commander, who also served as a gunner, was located to the left of the gun, and to the right of it was the loader. There were two hatches in the roof of the tower for disembarking and embarking crew members.

A radio station was installed in the turret niches of some BT-5 tanks.

The 20K gun had good characteristics for its time. The armor-piercing projectile had an initial speed of 760 m/s and could penetrate 37 mm armor at a range of one kilometer. To destroy enemy personnel and open fire weapons, the tank's ammunition included fragmentation shells. Sights consisted of PT-1 and TSMF sights.

The turret provided the possibility of all-round firing from a cannon and machine gun with vertical guidance angles from −6 to +25º.

The ammunition load of a regular tank was 115 rounds, and that of a command tank was 72 rounds.

Typically, signal flags were used for communication, and command vehicles were equipped with 71-TK-1 radios with a characteristic handrail antenna located around the turret.

The BT-5 tank was equipped with an M-5 aviation gasoline engine with twelve cylinders. Its power was 400 hp. s., which allowed the combat vehicle to accelerate on the highway to a speed of 72 km/h and 50 km/h on rough terrain. The tank's fuel tank capacity was 360 liters; in later versions of the BT-5 it was increased to 530 liters. It should be noted that high gasoline consumption was one of the main disadvantages of all BT series tanks. BT-5 was no exception. A powerful aircraft engine provided the combat vehicle with excellent speed and maneuverability, but at the same time it was exceptionally “gluttonous.”

The caterpillar propulsion unit consisted (on each side) of a ridge gear caterpillar with an open hinge, a guide wheel, support rollers (four pieces), and a rear drive wheel with drive rollers. The road wheels were equipped with rubber tires. On caterpillar tracks, control was carried out using levers that were connected by rods to friction clutches.

When switching from tracked to wheeled propulsion, the tracks were removed and secured on shelves. The vehicle was controlled by a steering wheel connected by rods to the front steerable rollers. According to the standards of that time, the transfer of the car to wheel drive was carried out in thirty minutes.

The tank's transmission was similar to that installed on the BT-2; it consisted of a multi-disc dry friction main clutch, two side clutches and a four-speed gearbox.

The BT-5 was equipped with a stationary fire extinguishing system, which consisted of a tetrachlorine fire extinguisher and several sprayers located in the engine compartment of the tank.

Performance characteristics of BT-5 tanks

Below are the main characteristics of the light Soviet tank BT-5:

• crew, people – 3;

The Soviet Union was perhaps the only country in the world in which the greatest attention was paid to the construction of tanks. Since the mid-20s of the 20th century, the USSR has become the world's forge of steel monsters. The country produced a huge number of armored vehicles of various modifications in quantities exceeding the production volumes of this type of weapon in all other countries combined. Despite the fact that technically Soviet tanks were not always examples of engineering, the Soviet BT tank can rightfully be called one of the most successful developments in the world tank building. This vehicle had the most modifications and was produced in huge quantities, second only to the legendary and world-famous T-34 in the number of models that came off the production line.

The light, high-speed BT tank, together with another vehicle, the T-26 tank, formed the basis of the Red Army tank fleet in the pre-war years. Soviet volunteers fought in Spain as part of the international brigades on this vehicle. These vehicles took part in the Finnish campaign of 1939-40, and were also actively used during battles with Japanese troops on the Khalkin Gol River in the summer and autumn of 1939. To the beginning of the Great Patriotic War as part of tank brigades located in military districts on western border USSR, tanks of the BT and T-26 series accounted for 70% of the tank fleet. It was these machines that had to take the first blow German troops, invaded on June 22, 1941. Despite the fact that the Soviet tank units outnumbered the enemy's armored group several times, defeat could not be avoided. The tactical and strategic superiority of the Germans had an impact, even taking into account the fact that the obsolete BT-5 and BT-7 tanks were head and shoulders superior to the German armored vehicles Pz-I and Pz-II, and could fight on equal terms with the main German tank Pz-III. The second half of 1941 became the final swan song of Soviet light tanks of pre-war construction.

And how it all began

The term “fast tank” appeared precisely in the Soviet Union, in a country where the military doctrine of conducting military operations only on the territory of probable enemy, quickly and swiftly. This doctrine assigned the leading role to armored formations in subsequent military conflicts. The tank was now supposed to become not only a weapon to support infantry on the battlefield, but also turn into an independent offensive tool. Accordingly, new requirements were set for armored vehicles that would meet the assigned tactical tasks.

The Soviet Union was one of the first to make changes to the concept of development of armored tracked vehicles, creating wheeled-tracked tanks. According to the plan of the Supreme Military Leadership in the USSR, the army needed light, high-speed tanks, capable, unlike traditional self-propelled armored vehicles, of quickly covering long distances. For this it was planned to use a combined type of propulsion - wheeled-tracked, i.e. the vehicle moved over rough terrain on caterpillar tracks, but for driving on roads or in urban environments, the tank could use a wheeled propulsion type. The BT light tank, created by Soviet designers in the early 30s, was supposed to be just such a vehicle.

The very idea of ​​a wheeled-tracked tank was taken by Soviet designers from outside. Back in the 20s, American designer John Walter Christie managed to create an armored vehicle capable of simultaneously moving on tracks and on wheels. For this purpose, the vehicle's road wheels were made of the same diameter as car wheels. Accordingly, the rear rollers became driving wheels, and the front wheels could provide the necessary maneuver. Tracked, Christie's tank was a conventional armored vehicle capable of moving over rough terrain. With the tracks removed, the armored vehicle became a wheeled vehicle with two rear driving wheels. The most interesting thing is that when changing the method of movement, the tank did not have to be lowered or raised. To start moving at high speed, it was enough to remove the tracks and place them on special shelves.

The American tank was equipped with an aircraft engine, which allowed the vehicle to reach speeds of over 100 km/h when driving on wheels on a paved road. Despite the innovative technical and engineering solution, the US Army rejected the development of John Christie.

In the USSR, on the contrary, the development of the American was taken very seriously. During the trip of a representative group of Soviet designers and military personnel to the United States, two ready-made running platforms were purchased from John Christie, called “Original 1” and “Original -2”. In this form, the American development appeared at a tank training ground in the Soviet Union, where it was decided to conduct the first sea trials. The first results pleasantly surprised representatives of the military department. Wheeled-tracked vehicles showed good speed data, both when driving over rough terrain on tracks, and while running on the highway.

Why did a tank with this type of propulsion system become of interest to the Soviet military? The answer lies in the fact that the MS-1 tracked tanks existing at that time were not distinguished by their high speed of movement. The newer T-26 also had a limited range. For tank formations of that time, the main soreness was:

• insufficient motor resources;
• weak track base;
• small power reserve.

The weak material base and insufficiently reliable design did not allow tank formations to transfer under their own power from one deployment area to another. A wheeled-tracked tank could immediately solve these problems, making armored units highly mobile military formations. The result of testing prototypes was the conclusion of the Testing Department of the Automotive Tank Directorate of the Red Army on the prospects for further development of the high-speed BT-Christie tank in order to improve individual components and assemblies of the vehicles.

The Kharkov Locomotive Plant became the base enterprise for the subsequent organization of production of a new tank for the needs of the Red Army. A year later, in May 1931, it was decided to begin construction to equip the Red Army with high-speed BT tanks of the Christie system. A new tank with the index BT-2 with a turret installed by Kharkov tank builders was put into production.

Thus, in the case of the Bateshki, the path from a prototype to a production vehicle was completed in just one year. The pace of establishing mass production in the Soviet Union was rapid. This applies not only to the BT tank, but also to its brother, the T-26 tracked tank, also purchased abroad from the English company Vickers.

The first models of light tanks BT-2, which rolled off the factory assembly line, were demonstrated to the country's top leadership and people during the military parade on November 7, 1931, already in the fall of 1931. The tank had good speed characteristics and could travel quite quickly on a flat road. Everything else, power supply, armor, firepower and controls needed to be improved. This was due to the insufficient qualifications of Soviet engineers in the field of modern tank building.

The weakest point of the new Soviet vehicle was its armor. From the moment the very first BT-2 tank appeared and until the most recent modifications, Soviet designers were never able to get rid of this childhood disease. There were attempts to strengthen the vehicle's armor, but the usual thickening of the armor plates did not give the desired result. The existing limitation on the weight of an armored vehicle and a weak engine did not allow increasing the thickness of the armor. One of the main reasons for the weakness of the armor of high-speed Soviet BT tanks was the design and configuration of the vehicle's hull. Bulletproof armor, which was the basic armor for all armored vehicles at that time, fully satisfied combat missions. Not a single country in the world had effective anti-tank weapons; accordingly, there was no need to install ballistic armor on combat vehicles. On the new Soviet high-speed tanks of the BT series, the armor was only 10-13 mm. At the same time, the angle of inclination of the armor plates was practically equal to zero.

The BT-2 tank became the first, trial link in the subsequent line of Soviet high-speed tanks. The car was produced for only two years, from 1931 to 1933. More than 600 copies were produced. The tank was equipped with a 37 mm cannon and one 7.62 mm machine gun. The tank, like its American prototype, was equipped with a 400 hp aircraft engine.

Note: Despite the fact that serial production of BT-2 tanks was discontinued in 1933, some vehicles continued to be in service first with the Red Army and then with the Soviet Army until 1944. The bulk of the first Soviet "bateshki" were lost during the Soviet-Finnish War and in the first battles on the Soviet-German front. The remaining vehicles in small quantities continued to be equipped with tank brigades of the Trans-Baikal, 1st and 2nd Far Eastern Fronts until 1944.

This was followed by stages of modernization of the vehicle, which resulted in the appearance of a newer model of the tank with the BT-5 index. It is impossible to say that the car has been seriously modernized. The only significant change was the installation of a more economical and durable tank engine. In comparison with its predecessor, the BT-2 tank, the new vehicle also received new weapons. The main caliber was a 45 mm cannon. In terms of its fire characteristics, the Soviet tank was clearly superior to all foreign analogues existing at that time. Neither the Germans, nor the British, nor the French had a vehicle with such weapons. The new modification was also produced only briefly - from 1933 to 1934. A total of 1884 cars were produced. However, these vehicles had to be tested in real combat for the first time. It was in Spain that the Soviet BT-5 high-speed tanks underwent their baptism of fire.

Soviet tanks, armed with a 45 mm cannon and capable of quickly moving from city to city, allowed Republican troops quickly and effectively strike at rebel troops. Strengthened armor, which was tested on this fifth modification, only temporarily solved the problem. Using this model, Soviet designers and military personnel tested all possible options for technical improvement of the vehicle, starting with controls and ending with options for protective and fire enhancement.

The participation of BT-5 tanks in military operations showed the insufficient armor protection of Soviet high-speed tanks. The enemy managed to disable the Republican tanks with conventional artillery fire and hand grenades. Having superior speed, Soviet “bateshki” often broke away from their own infantry, losing the element of cover. Bulletproof armor did not save Soviet tankers from air attacks. Many Soviet tanks were burned by German pilots who stormed Republican positions in their Ju-87s.

The next modification of the BT-7 high-speed tank that appeared was an attempt by Soviet designers to make a more modern combat vehicle that would have not only high speed characteristics and firepower, but also better protection.

The armor was increased in the frontal part to 22 mm. The main parts of the hull and turret now had 15 mm armor. Engine power has increased. All this led to the fact that, unlike its predecessor, the new tank weighed almost 15 tons. Reviewing the BT-7 tank, we can say that this modification was the final stage on the path to improving armored vehicles with wheel-tracked propulsion. Combat exploitation showed the theory to be wrong. Tanks on wheels had to move very rarely, and speed for an armored vehicle is not superior to the enemy in modern combat conditions.

The Red Army entered the Great Patriotic War with BT-7 tanks. The result of the first battles was disappointing. In the first battles, almost the entire tank fleet of the Soviet fronts was lost. Further, only in some sections of the Soviet-German front, where there was no dense enemy anti-tank system, BTs were used. Many Soviet high-speed tanks of the latest modifications survived until the last days of World War II, participating in the defeat of the Kwantung group of Japanese troops in August 1945.

Developer: KB KhPZ
Year of commencement of work: December 1932
Year of production of the first prototype: January 1934
Serially produced from 1935 to 1940 inclusive. Remained in service until September 1945.

In 1935, a new modification of the BT tanks, designated BT-7, was put into service and put into mass production. The tank was produced until 1940 and was replaced in production by the T-34 tank. Compared to the BT-5 tank, its hull configuration has been changed, armor protection has been improved, and a more reliable engine has been installed. Some of the connections of the hull armor plates were already made by welding.
The following versions of the tank were produced:
– BT-7 – linear tank without a radio station; since 1937 it was produced with a conical turret;
– BT-7RT – command tank with radio station 71-TK-1 or 71-TK-Z; since 1938 it was produced with a conical turret;
– BT-7A – artillery tank; armament: 76.2 mm KT-28 tank gun and 3 DT machine guns;
– BT-7M – tank with a V-2 diesel engine.

In total, more than 5,700 BT-7 tanks were produced. They were used during the liberation campaign in Western Ukraine and Belarus, during the war with Finland and in the Great Patriotic War.

Tank BT-7.
Creation and modernization

In 1935, KhPZ began production of the next modification of the tank - BT-7. This modification had improved cross-country ability, increased reliability and easier operating conditions. In addition, the BT-7 featured thicker armor.

The BT-7 tanks had a redesigned hull, with a larger internal volume, and thicker armor. Welding was widely used to connect armor plates. The tank was equipped with an M-17 engine of limited power and a modified ignition system. The capacity of the fuel tanks has been increased. BT-7 had a new main clutch and gearbox designed by A. Morozov. The onboard clutches used variable floating brakes designed by Professor V. Zaslavsky. For KhPZ's services in the field of tank building in 1935, the plant was awarded the Order of Lenin.

On the BT-7 of the first releases, as on the BT-5, cylindrical turrets were installed. But already in 1937, cylindrical towers gave way to conical all-welded ones, characterized by a greater effective armor thickness. In 1938, tanks received new telescopic sights with a stabilized line of sight. In addition, tanks began to use split-link tracks with a reduced pitch, which performed better during fast driving. The use of new tracks required changing the design of the drive wheels.

Some radio-equipped BT-7s (with a cylindrical turret) were equipped with a handrail antenna, but the BT-7s with a conical turret received a new whip antenna.
In 1938, some line tanks (without radio stations) received an additional DT machine gun located in the turret niche. At the same time, we had to slightly reduce the ammunition supply. Some tanks were equipped with a P-40 anti-aircraft machine gun, as well as a pair of powerful searchlights (like the BT-5), located above the gun and used to illuminate the target. However, in practice, such spotlights were not used, since it turned out that they were not easy to maintain and operate. Tankers called the BT-7 “Betka” or “Betushka”

The last production model of the BT tank was the BT-7M.
The experience of battles in Spain (in which BT-5 tanks participated) showed the need to have a more advanced tank in service, and in the spring of 1938 ABTU began developing a successor to the BT - a high-speed wheeled-tracked tank that had similar weapons, but was better protected and more fireproof. The result was the A-20 prototype, and then the A-30 (despite the fact that the military was against this vehicle). However, these vehicles were more likely not a continuation of the BT line, but the beginning of the T-34 line.

In parallel with the production and modernization of BT tanks, KhPZ began to create a powerful tank diesel engine, which in the future was supposed to replace the unreliable, capricious and fire-hazardous M-5 (M-17) carburetor engine. Back in 1931-1932, the NAMI/NATI design bureau in Moscow, headed by Professor A.K. Dyachkov, developed a design for the D-300 diesel engine (12-cylinder, V-shaped, 300 hp), specially designed for installation on tanks . However, it was only in 1935 that the first prototype of this diesel engine was built at the Kirov Plant in Leningrad. It was installed on the BT-5 and tested. The results were disappointing, since the diesel power was clearly insufficient.

At KhPZ, the 400th department, headed by K. Cheplan, was engaged in the design of tank diesel engines. The 400th department collaborated with the engine department of VAMM and CIAM (Central Institute of Aircraft Engines). In 1933, the BD-2 diesel engine appeared (12-cylinder, V-shaped, developing 400 hp at 1700 rpm, fuel consumption 180-190 g/hp/h). In November 1935, a diesel engine was installed on the BT-5 and tested.

In March 1936, a diesel tank was demonstrated to senior party, government and military officials. BD-2 required further development. Despite this, it was already put into service in 1937 under the name B-2. At this time, the reorganization of the 400th department was underway, which ended with the emergence in January 1939 of the Kharkov Diesel Plant (KhDZ), also known as Plant No. 75. It was HDZ that became the main manufacturer of V-2 diesel engines.

From 1935 to 1940, 5,328 BT-7 tanks of all modifications (not counting the BT-7A) were produced. They were in service with the armored and mechanized forces of the Red Army for almost the entire war.

Tank BT-7. Device

The tank's hull was assembled from armor and steel sheets and was a rigid box-shaped structure with double side walls, an elongated, tapered, rounded bow and a trapezoidal stern. All permanent connections of the body were made primarily welded and, to a lesser extent, riveted. The hull consisted of a bottom, bow, sides, stern, roof and internal partitions.

Tower. On BT-7 tanks produced in 1935 and 1936. a welded cylindrical turret was installed, identical in design to the welded turret of the BT-5 tank. There were two types of towers - a linear one, which had projectiles stowed in a niche, and a radio tower, which had a radio station in a niche. In addition, on tanks produced in 1937, a DT machine gun was located in a niche. Some of the towers were also equipped with installations for firing at air targets from a DT machine gun.

Armament. On tanks produced 1934-1937. a 45-mm tank gun 20K model 1932/34 was installed.
The gun was equipped with a vertical wedge breech with semi-automatic inertial-mechanical type, foot and manual releases, a trough-shaped cradle, a hydraulic recoil brake, a spring knurler and a sector lifting mechanism. A 7.62 mm DT machine gun was paired with the cannon. They were placed in a common mask, with elevation angles from -8° to +25°.

On tanks manufactured in 1937 (with a conical turret), another DT machine gun in a ball mount was located in the turret niche.

In addition, on parts of tanks produced in 1937-1939. The DT machine gun was mounted on the P-40 anti-aircraft tank turret. It allowed the machine gun to smoothly track the target in both horizontal and vertical planes with aiming speeds of more than 50° per second. Vertical guidance angle from -5° to +90°, horizontal – 360°. The machine gun was fired by a shooter from the floor or from a special stand using an anti-aircraft sight. The twin installation was equipped with two common sights: a tank periscope panoramic sight mod. 1932 PT-1 and telescopic sight TOP or TOP-1 mod. 1930

The tank's ammunition rack was located on the floor fighting compartment, on the side walls of the hull, in the turret niche, on the turret walls. The stowage of 45-mm shells on the floor of the fighting compartment was located between the front bulkhead and the front balance tube and consisted of two symmetrically located boxes in which special clips filled with shells were installed. The clips looked like suitcases with three partitions that supported the cartridges, and a lid with a folding clasp and a canvas handle. Each clip contained three shells. Each box contained 14 clips, so there were 84 rounds in two boxes.

The spent cartridges were put back into the clips, and the clips into boxes so as not to clutter up the fighting compartment with them. On tanks produced since 1937, it was possible to throw spent cartridges through a special window in the right side panel of the fighting compartment, for which its flap opened towards the hinged side.

34 shells were attached to the walls of the fighting compartment using special strips with rubber gaskets and clips: on the left wall - 15, on the right - 19. The shells were arranged vertically in two rows. On the walls of the tower, on both sides of the niche, seven shells were placed vertically, mounted in the same way as on the walls of the hull. On tanks with a conical turret there was no stowage of shells on its walls.
The stowage of shells in the niche of the cylindrical tower consisted of two steel boxes of 20 shells each (5 rows of 4 pieces). In the niche of the conical tower, the shells were stacked in three shelving boxes, 12 pieces each. On tanks manufactured in 1937, which had a rear machine gun, there was no central rack. Thus, the tank's ammunition load without a radio station consisted of 172 shells. Tanks with radios have 132 rounds, respectively. The ammunition load of machine gun cartridges included 38 magazines - 2394 rounds.

Engine and transmission. The BT-7 tank was equipped with a 12-cylinder carburetor four-stroke engine M-17T (produced under license from BMW). Its power is at 1550-1650 rpm. – 400 hp Dry engine weight – 550 kg. Fuel – B-70 aviation gasoline. Gas tank capacity – 790 l (side tanks – 250 l, stern – 400 l, additional 4 on the wings – 140 l).

The cooling system is water, forced, using a centrifugal pump M17. Radiator capacity is about 100 liters.
The tank control drives are mechanical. To turn the caterpillar track, two levers were used that acted on the side clutches and brakes; for turning on wheels - a steering wheel. When moving on caterpillar tracks, the steering wheel was removed and placed in the control compartment on the left side of the tank.

The design of the chassis of the BT-7 tank was initially almost identical to the chassis of the BT-5 tank, but over time it was revised.
The suspension layout remained unchanged, but some improvements were made to its design to increase reliability. For example, the suspension springs of the drive wheels, which accounted for about 30% of the tank's mass, were strengthened.

Electrical equipment. Sources of electrical energy are two parallel-connected batteries, operating in parallel with DC generators with a power of 336 W (on series 1 tanks, a generator with a power of 270 W).

Means of communication. On tanks with a cylindrical turret, a 71-TK-1 radio station with a handrail antenna was installed, and on tanks with a conical turret - with a whip antenna. For internal communication there was an intercom TPU-3, TSPU-3 or TPU-2. The intercom devices were connected using adapter blocks (with a wire the length of which allowed the tower to be rotated twice) or a rotating electrical contact device VKU-1 or VKU-ZA.

Tank BT-7. Combat use

As of June 1941, the BT-7 (especially the 1937 and later models) were good tanks. Of the three main evaluation parameters - armament, maneuverability, armor protection - it was inferior only in the last (and even then not in everything). Data combat use The BT-7 gives reason to assert that with competent tactics and good crew training, it could successfully resist German tanks of all types at the beginning of the war.

Soviet light tank BT-7M from the 1st platoon of the 1st company of the 1st battalion of the 53rd tank regiment of the 81st motorized division of the 4th mechanized corps of the Southwestern Front, abandoned in the village due to a malfunction during the march on the Yavorov road – Nemirov in the Lviv region. On the tank's turret there is a tactical sign in the form of a white diamond with the alphanumeric code "A-1".

They were used in combat against the Nazi Wehrmacht until 1944. In 1945, “Betashki” took part in battles with Japanese troops in Manchuria. The BT-7 received its baptism of fire at Khalkhin Gol as part of the 6th and 11th Tank Brigades. Moreover, the latter made a 500 km march to the site of hostilities on wheels. In general, the tanks received good reviews, but they noted the difficulty of control, which required a high level of training of driver mechanics, insufficient armor protection and unsatisfactory equipment with communications equipment. All these shortcomings were confirmed in Polish campaign in September 1939 and the war with Finland. On the other hand, the tank had no equal in maneuverability. The tank became the pride and deserved symbol of the armored forces of the Red Army in the pre-war years, since it most closely corresponded to the idea of ​​​​tanks as the main striking force of the ground forces.

German soldiers examine the Soviet light tank BT-7 from the 5th Tank Division of the 3rd Mechanized Corps, abandoned in a place between Alytus and Vilnius. The vehicle has an air identification mark in the form of a white cross on the roof of the turret.

The combat situation of the Great Patriotic War dictated the appropriate tactics of action for the lightly armored BT-7 - conducting fire combat from ambushes, using natural and artificial shelters, which increased the “survivability” of the tank and made it possible to bring the enemy tank to a distance when it could not save you from a 45-mm projectile would already have 30 mm armor. The high losses of tanks were facilitated by the regulations of tank units, according to which shooting from a standing position was extremely rarely allowed both in the offensive and in defense (therefore, they switched to tank ambush tactics only in the fall of 1941, when about 85% of the tanks were lost).

Another factor was insufficient training of the crews. This was aggravated by the fact that changes were made to the design of the tank, simplifying production, but worsening operation. For example, they introduced a 3-speed gearbox instead of a 4-speed one, as a result of which the tank lost its maneuverability, and due to an unsuccessful design, only an experienced driver could change gears; in most cases, the tank had to be stopped. The fleet of BT-7s alone in June 1941 was quantitatively superior to the entire tank fleet of the Wehrmacht. The USSR increased the production of vehicles when Germany increased the level of crew training.

BT-7 tanks took part in the battle for Moscow, Stalingrad, and fought in the North Caucasus. In 1943, they were used on the Leningrad Front and took part in lifting the blockade in 1944. They served in the rear in training units throughout the war. Last time BT-7 took part in the battle during the defeat of the Kvantunta Army in August 1945. For example, as part of the 6th Guards Tank Army, which made a push across the Greater Khingan (there were about 211 BT-7s). The final chord of 10 years of military service was the victory parade in Harbin.

Finnish soldiers are inspecting captured Soviet equipment and collecting weapons. In the foreground is a BT-7 tank with 7.62 mm Mosin rifles stored in it.

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL DATA OF LIGHT TANKS
BT-7 and BT-7M

	BT-7 (1935)	BT-7M (1938)
COMBAT WEIGHT	13000 kg	14650 kg
CREW, people	2
DIMENSIONS
Length, mm	5660	5880
Width, mm	2230	2290
Height, mm	2417	2447
Ground clearance, mm	390-410	390
WEAPONS	one 45 mm 20K cannon and a 7.62 mm DT machine gun (coaxial)	one 45-mm 20K cannon and three 7.62-mm DT machine guns (coaxial, exchanger, anti-aircraft)
AMMUNITION	146\188 shots and 2349 rounds	146\188 shots and 1827\2331 cartridges
AIMING DEVICES	telescopic sight TMFD and panoramic sight TP-1	telescopic sight TOP and panoramic sight TP-1
RESERVATION	body forehead – 15-20 mm hull side – 13 mm body roof – 10 mm hull rear – 13 mm bottom – 6 mm turret forehead – 15 mm turret side – 15 mm turret feed – 13 mm tower roof – 10 mm	body forehead – 15-22 mm hull side – 13 mm body roof – 10 mm hull rear – 13 mm bottom – 6 mm turret forehead – 15 mm turret side – 15 mm turret feed – 13 mm tower roof – 10 mm
ENGINE	M-17T, carburetor, 12-cylinder, 400 hp.	V-2, diesel, 12-cylinder, 400 hp.
TRANSMISSION	mechanical type: four-speed gearbox, main clutch, two final clutches and two single-row final drives	mechanical type: three-speed gearbox, main clutch, two final clutches and two single-row final drives
CHASSIS	(on one side) 4 road wheels with rear drive and two rotary rollers, front guide and rear drive wheel, large-link caterpillar with steel tracks	(on one side) 4 road wheels with rear drive and two rotary rollers, front guide and rear drive wheel, fine track with steel tracks
SPEED	51.6 km/h on tracks 72 km/h on wheels	62 km/h on tracks 86 km/h on wheels
HIGHWAY RANGE	220 km on tracks 450 km on wheels	630 km on tracks 1250 km on wheels
OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME
Rise, deg.	42°	36°
Descent, deg.	37°	36°
Wall height, m	0,55	0,75
Ford depth, m	1,20	1,20
Ditch width, m	2,40	2,50
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION	radio station 71TK-1 with a handrail antenna (only on command tanks)

Main modifications of the BT tank

The BT series tanks served as the basis for the development of a large range of experimental vehicles for testing the installation of various types of weapons, including cannon, missile and chemical weapons, and armored personnel carriers; command vehicles and many others. During the production of light wheeled-tracked BT tanks, more than 50 types of vehicles were produced for various purposes, of which 12 modifications were in serial production, which began with the release of the BT-2 tank. During further modernization, significant changes and improvements were made to the design of the tank, increasing its tactical and technical characteristics.

"BT" (Fast tank) - the name of a series of Soviet light wheeled-tracked tanks of the 1930s.

In the Red Army they were nicknamed “beteshka” or “betushka”. BT-7 tanks with conical turrets received German army nickname “Mickey Mouse” - for the characteristic shape of the tank’s round hatches, which when open resembled the ears of a cartoon mouse.

History of creation

Predecessors

BTs owe their appearance to the American designer J. W. Christie, who proposed the original concept of high-speed tanks.

The topic of wheeled-tracked combat vehicles was very relevant in the late 1920s and early 1930s, since tanks of that era were slow. The speed of the first tanks did not exceed 10 km/h, such a speed was considered sufficient to accompany infantry and break through the enemy’s defensive line, but the transfer of tanks to other sectors of the front was very problematic: in addition to low speed, the tanks were distinguished by extremely unreliable tracks, their service life often did not exceed 100 km.

The low speed and unreliability of tracks was responsible for the widespread use of armored vehicles in the interwar period. The military needed it badly fighting machine, with high speed. Despite the presence of numerous shortcomings in armored vehicles, only they could occupy the niche of high-speed combat vehicles.

To increase the mobility of tanks, heavy trucks were used to transport tanks to the battlefield, but this method required additional costs.

The Austro-Hungarian officer Lieutenant Günter Bursztyn was one of the first. who came up with the idea of ​​equipping an armored vehicle with both wheeled and tracked propulsion, he put forward this project in 1911. Such a hybrid tank could move on a good road on wheels, like a car (at the appropriate speed), and when driving off-road, the wheels rose and the tank walked on tracks. Burshtyn's idea remained unrealized, but was not forgotten.

Thus, in the 1920s, a series of light tanks “Chenilette St-Chamond M1921\M1928” with a wheel-tracked propulsion unit was produced in France. The car showed outstanding results: on the Saint-Chamons tracks they could reach a speed of 8 km/h, and on wheels - 30 km/h. Czechoslovak designers also took part in the creation of wheeled-tracked tanks, creating the KH-50 tank in 1924. In 1926, a new solution was proposed in Great Britain: the Vickers tank was driven not by a wheel propulsion device, but by a tracked one. The following year, a tank was created in which one propulsion was simultaneously raised and the other lowered. The experimental WB10 was created in Poland in 1927. In 1931, the L-30 tank was released in Sweden, in which the propulsion system changed in just 20 seconds, and the operation could be carried out on the move.

Wheeled-tracked tank T2.

Designers in many countries tried to find the most successful solution to the “wheel-tracked problem”, but the created vehicles basically remained only bold experiments: the development of technology did not stand still and purely tracked tanks gradually got rid of “childhood diseases”. The highway speed of light tanks reached 40-50 km/h, the service life of the tracks increased, and wheel-tracked hybrids were complex and unreliable.

Birth of BT

A revolutionary solution was found by the American designer Walter Christie: he proposed increasing the diameter of the road wheels to the size of car wheels, installing a drive on the rear rollers, and making the two front rollers steerable. A tank with the tracks removed turned into a normal wheeled vehicle with a 2x8 wheel arrangement; such a design did not require mechanisms for raising and lowering the propulsors: the crew simply removed the tracks and secured them to the fenders. To increase the power supply, an aircraft engine was installed on the tank - with a mass of 9 tons, the 1931 model could accelerate to 110 km/h and higher. Such indicators attracted attention to the new product, but the US Army rejected Christie’s tanks, considering them unreliable.

In the USSR, Christie's projects were met with attention; at this time, in the early 1930s, the USSR was in a feverish search for a successful tank concept. Attempts to create a tank on their own were not successful - Soviet tank builders did not have sufficient experience in creating combat vehicles: the creation of the T-24 tank was a failure, and the MS-1 tank was more of a prototype. As a result, the Soviet government made attempts to purchase equipment and technology abroad.

However, it was Christie's project that aroused the greatest interest among the Soviet military. His high-speed M.1940 tank was suitable for the vast expanses of the USSR; the ability to quickly transfer tank units over long distances seemed tempting to the Red Army.

On April 28, 1930, an agreement on the purchase of M.1940 tanks was signed between U.S. Wheel Track Layer Corporation" and "Amtorg Trading Corporation", representing the interests of the USSR in the USA. The USSR paid $60,000 for “two military tanks,” $4,000 for “spare parts for purchased tanks,” and $100,000 to designer Christie personally for the sale of production rights, transfer of patents and technical assistance services.

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Medium tank T3 (Christie) - image and name from the 1933 Soviet Technical Encyclopedia.

Returning from the USA, in June 1930, I. A. Khalepsky presented his report to the Revolutionary Military Council, which in particular states:

Taking into account that the Christie tank surpasses all tanks in the world in its speed, that the Poles are going to build it, we can find ourselves in a very disadvantageous position from the point of view of the tactical use of tank units. In this regard, I strongly propose to speed up the organization of production of the Christie tank by maintaining the production of the Liberty engine at aircraft factories and preparing the production of other units at the Yaroslavl Automobile Plant.

According to the contract, Christie was obliged to deliver both vehicles by September 1930, but assembly and testing dragged on until December 24. The tanks arrived in the USSR without turrets and weapons, and the set of documentation turned out to be incomplete, for which Christie was withheld $25,000. This was the reason for his refusal to come to the USSR. In the spring of 1931, numerous delegations of the leadership of the Red Army at the training ground near Voronezh got acquainted with copies of “Original-1” and “Original-2”. The military really liked the dynamic characteristics of the tank: the tank was distinguished by a very high speed for that time and a large power reserve; the tank stood out compared to the low-speed MS-1 and T-26.

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Tank Christie during testing at the NIBT test site in Kubinka. 1931

Based on the results of the demonstration to the senior and highest commanders of the Red Army on March 14 - May 16, 1931, the Test Department of the Mechanization and Motorization Directorate of the Red Army concluded that the BT tank ("Christie") "is of exceptional interest as a vehicle with a universal propulsion unit, and as a combat vehicle requires greater development and introduction of a number of constructive improvements and changes."

On May 17, 1931, the USSR drew up a plan for implementing government decisions to organize the production of the BT tank ("Christie") at the Kharkov Locomotive Plant named after. Comintern.

The final decision on the production of the BT-Christie tank at KhPZ was made in the protocol of the CO “On Tank Building” dated May 23, 1931, which specifically stipulated: “Allow the RVS of the SSR to introduce the Christie tank into the system of auto-armored-tank-tractor weapons Red Army as a high-speed fighter (B-T)."

…first impression of “ American tank": some kind of cart. No gun, no turret.

“Platypus,” said Julia Locust, I think. Everyone laughed.
“You’re a bastard,” added Volodya Doroshenko.

Someone behind me objected:

Maybe it's good. We'll have something to puzzle over.

Development of the BT series

The BT series was continued - the armor and armament were strengthened, a walkie-talkie was installed (at first - only on command vehicles), and the latest series of BTs had a diesel engine.

The wheeled-tracked propulsion system was actively used in the development of new Soviet tanks. There were options for its use on the T-26 and the T-28 medium tank, with an experimental series of the latter being produced.

The idea arose to create a tank with three propulsors - a floating one. Some of the first Soviet amphibious tanks were created precisely on the basis of the BT (PT-1A). There was also a project for a tank with four propulsion engines - wheeled-tracked, floating, capable of moving on rails.

Numerous works were carried out to improve the movement of the tank on wheels. Thus, a drive for all wheels (except for steerable ones) was developed - the tank was transformed into a wheeled vehicle with a 6x8 wheel arrangement (the idea was implemented during the creation of the A-20). Experimental BTs were created that were capable of moving when one of the tracks was lost - on one side the drive was to the wheels, and on the other - to the drive wheel of the caterpillar track. At the same time, the movement of the caterpillar was synchronized with the rotation of the wheels of the other side.

The problem with all BT series tanks was weak armor. Some sources say that the Soviet leadership of that time was carried away by the theory that the speed of the tank compensated for its weak armor. Thin bulletproof armor was considered the norm in tank construction in the 1930s. Such armor protected all tanks of that time without exception, including medium and even heavy ones, since until the mid-thirties no country in the world had successful anti-tank systems, and therefore there was no need for anti-ballistic armor. Even when serious anti-tank weapons appeared, the military did not worry - there were no serious wars using tanks and no combat experience in their use had accumulated. Moreover, strengthening the armor meant increasing the mass of the tank, and the engines of that time could not afford such a luxury.

The exception was BTs, which were powered by the most powerful tank engines of their time. However, the BT also had a limitation - the wheel propulsion did not allow increasing the mass of the vehicle. Even standard BTs could not move on soft ground on wheels, but they walked normally on wheels on any hard road, as evidenced by numerous photographs from maneuvers in the 1930s.

The end of the BT era

Soviet designers understood the weakness of the BT's armor - this became especially obvious during the war in Spain. It was to improve the tank’s protection that they, starting with the late series BT-7, began to install armor with rational angles of inclination. The desire to protect the tank as much as possible while maintaining an acceptable weight is reflected in the wheeled-tracked tank BT-20 (another name is A-20). However, it was impossible to squeeze reliable armor within the given weight limits (18 tons).

The initiator of strengthening the armor and armament of the new tank was the leadership of the ABTU, headed by D. G. Pavlov, a participant in the Spanish War. The design bureau of the Kharkov plant, which was working on the new vehicle, developed an alternative tank with a purely tracked propulsion system - the A-32. The head of the design bureau was M.I. Koshkin, since the previous head of the design bureau (A.O. Firsov) was arrested in January.

In August 1938, the A-20 and A-32 projects were presented at a meeting of the Main Military Council of the Red Army under the People's Commissariat of Defense. The military approved the wheeled-tracked tank, but J.V. Stalin ordered comparative tests of both versions of the tank.

In May 1939, the A-20 and A-32 were manufactured, and in July they underwent state tests. And even after the end of the tests, the military continued to hesitate - they did not dare to abandon the wheeled-tracked propulsion system. The situation was resolved by the next test, which took place in September at a test site near Moscow. For testing, M.I. Koshkin presented a reinforced version of the tracked A-32 - T-32 (with a 76-mm L-10 cannon and thick armor). The new tank created a sensation - it successfully combined speed, armor, and powerful weapons. After K.E. Voroshilov personally stated that “this is exactly the kind of vehicle the Red Army needs,” the fate of the tank was decided. Based on the test results, the T-32 was modified (in particular, the armor was further strengthened) and put into production under the name T-34.

This marked the end of the era of high-speed tanks in the USSR. With the advent of the T-34, the production of BT tanks was curtailed (although tank repair plants continued to restore BT tanks until at least mid-1942).

Types of BT

• BT-2: The first version of BT, essentially a trial series. Produced in 1931-32. Armed with a 37 mm cannon and a DT machine gun. Crew - 2 people.
• BT-4 is a modification of the BT-2 tank, developed in the Kharkov Design Bureau under the leadership of engineer A. O. Firsov
• BT-5: Reinforced armor and armament (45 mm cannon and DT machine gun; some tanks had a second DT in the turret niche, some also had an anti-aircraft DT). Crew - 3 people. They were produced in the version of a linear tank and a command tank (with a walkie-talkie).
• BT-5PH: Underwater tank - distinguished by devices that allow it to overcome water obstacles along the bottom. Experimental.
• PT-1A: Amphibious tank. Experimental.
• BT-5A: Artillery support tank with a 76 mm cannon in an enlarged turret. Experimental.
• BT-7: Welded body of a slightly modified shape. New engine -M-17 (licensed BMW -VI). Armament - like BT-5. It was produced, like the BT-5, in a version with a walkie-talkie and without a walkie-talkie.
• BT-7A: Artillery support tank with a 76 mm cannon in an enlarged turret.
• OT-7: Flamethrower tank.
• BT-7M (pre-production vehicles were called BT-8): V-2 diesel engine. The purpose of installing a diesel engine on the tank was to increase fuel efficiency, range and reduce fire danger during operation and combat damage.
• BT-9: Light, high-speed, wheeled-tracked tank, a prototype of the A-20. The project was rejected in the fall of 1937.

In addition, a large number of experimental tanks based on BT (missile-carrying, shielded, radio-controlled, etc.). Also, on the basis of BT, experimental and small-scale armored vehicles were created (engineering vehicles, bridge laying vehicles, control vehicles, ARVs, etc.).

Some sources claim that there was a version of the tank with two turrets (like the first T-26). However, this is not true. There were no two-turreted BTs either in the mock-ups or in the projects.

Other wheeled-tracked tanks

Despite the complexity of the wheeled-tracked system, BT tanks were generally quite successful vehicles and were popular among the troops. In addition, due to their high speed, wheeled-tracked tanks ideally fit into the “deep operation doctrine” declared by the Red Army generals. All this led to a kind of “boom” of wheeled-tracked vehicles, which manifested itself, among other things, in the search for opportunities to convert tanks already in production to wheeled-tracked vehicles. Within design work In this direction, the following prototypes were created:

• T-46 is a light wheeled-tracked tank, structurally close to the T-26 light tank;
• T-29 is a medium wheeled-tracked tank, three-turret, created using components and assemblies of the T-28 medium tank.

Application and evaluation

BTs went through a glorious military path, taking part in all the conflicts and wars in which the USSR took part from the early 1930s to 1945. BTs also fought in Spain, where they showed complete superiority over German and Italian tanks (more precisely, machine-gun wedges). They performed well in clashes with the Japanese, demonstrating excellent qualities for delivering deep and sweeping strikes (in accordance with the theory of deep operation).

45 mm guns were guaranteed to hit any armored vehicles of that time. The armor of the BT reliably protected against bullets and shrapnel, but when faced with troops saturated with anti-tank weapons (as, for example, in Finland), problems began. Not only did the BTs not withstand hits from armor-piercing shells, the vehicles also turned out to be highly flammable due to the gas tanks installed along the sides of the BTs in order to increase the power reserve. If a shell hit the side, fire was almost inevitable.

Nevertheless, the tank proved its high combat qualities, and the death of the vehicle from anti-tank fire was then considered a necessary evil.

BT was appreciated by the British. After attending the Kyiv maneuvers of 1936, in which hundreds of BT tanks took part, the British military department purchased one tank of his design from Christie. On its basis, the A13 tank was created, which (in different versions) became the basis of the British tank forces. The famous English tanks “Cromwell” and “Crusader” became the development of the A13.

BT were actively used at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. In terms of their combat qualities, they were completely superior to the German light tanks Pz-I and Pz-II. When compared with Pz-III, Pz-IV, 38(t) and 35(t), it is clear that BTs are superior to them in power characteristics. A. B. Shirokorad in his book “Tank War on the Eastern Front” notes that the Pz-III at the 1939 training ground turned out to be an unpleasant surprise for Soviet engineers and military personnel. The German tank, with a lower specific power, developed a speed equivalent to the BT; and its cemented armor proved to be a tough nut to crack for “soft” Soviet shells. BT tanks were comparable in firepower to the Pz-III (37- or 50-mm gun), while the Pz-IV was not intended to fight armored vehicles at all (until 1942, these tanks were armed with a short-barreled 75-mm gun). But at a distance of actual fire, both BT and German tanks could hit each other - the armor on everyone was thin. And here its “blindness,” generally characteristic of Soviet tanks of that time, worked against the BT. The absence of a commander's cupola did not allow the commander to observe the battlefield. The fact that the commander combined the functions of a gunner also did not increase the combat effectiveness of the tank. Contrary to the opinion imposed by literature, BT tanks were quite heavily armed. The 45 mm tank gun appeared as a result of a deep modification of the 37 mm purchased in 1930 from Rheinmetall. anti-tank gun, which was in service with the Wehrmacht on June 22, 1941. The result of the alteration was a heavy high-explosive fragmentation projectile, which the prototype could not boast of, and a slight increase in armor penetration. Poor optics did not allow full use of the artillery system's capabilities, however. even the Panther T-V had projections that could be hit by the Magpie. (A. B. Shirokorad “Encyclopedia of Domestic Artillery”)

The last time BTs went into battle was during the Soviet-Japanese War in 1945. By that time, a number of these tanks remained in the Far East and they proved effective in defeating the Kwantung group.

Comparative characteristics of wheeled-tracked tanks

Performance characteristics of wheeled-tracked tanks
Characteristic	M.1928 "Christie"	M.1931 (T.3) “Christie”	BT-2	BT-5	BT-7 (issue 1937)	BT-7A	PT-1	T-29
Crew
3						4	5	5
Dimensions
Combat weight, t	7,8	10,5	11,3	11,5	13,8	14,65	14,2	28,8
Case length, mm	5180	5500			5660		7100	7370
Case width, mm	2130	2230			2290		2990	3220
Height, mm	1830	2280	2200	2250	2420	2450	2690	2820
Ground clearance, mm	450	360	350		400	390	425	500
Armament
Gun caliber, mm		37		45		76,2
Barrel length, calibers		45		46		16,5
Ammunition, shots		126	92	72 (115 - without radio station)	132 (172 - without radio station)	188	88	67
Machine guns, quantity	2	1			1 + 1 anti-aircraft		4	5
Machine guns, mm caliber	7,62
Ammunition		3000	2709		2394		3402	6930
Reservation, mm
Body forehead	12,7	13			22	20	10	30
Hull side		16	13		10	13	10	20
Stern		16	10		20	13	10	30
Tower		16	13			15	10	30
Bottom			10				6
Roof			6				5	8
Mobility and permeability
Engine	"Liberty" 338 l. With.		M-5 400 l. With.		M-17T 450 l. With.	AT 2 500 l. With.	M-17F 500 l. With.
Fuel tank capacity, l	132	337	360		650	580	400	660
Maximum highway speed on wheels, km/h	112	75	72			86	90	57
Maximum speed on highways on tracks, km/h	68	44	52			62		55
Highway range on wheels, km	185	240	300	200	500	900	230	328
Cruising range on highways on tracks, km	120	240	200	120	230	400	183	230

see also

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Notes

Literature

• Vasilyeva L. N., Zheltov I., Chikova G. F. The truth about the T-34 tank. - Moscow: Regional cultural and educational public organization “Atlantis - XXI century”, 2005. - 480 p. - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-93238-079-9.
• Pavlov M. V., Zheltov I. G., Pavlov I. V.. - M.: Eksprint, 2001. - 184 p. - (Military Museum). - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-94038-019-0.

Links

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An excerpt characterizing the BT series tanks

Stella was already waiting for me, ready for “the most terrible feats,” and we, together and collected, rushed “beyond the limit”...
This time it turned out much easier for me, maybe because it was not the first time, and maybe also because the same violet crystal was “discovered”... I was carried like a bullet beyond the mental level of the Earth, and It was then that I realized that I had overdone it a little... Stella, according to the general agreement, was waiting at the “borderline” to insure me if she saw that something had gone wrong... But it had already gone “wrong” from the very beginning, and where I'm at this moment was, she, to my great regret, could no longer reach me.
All around me in the cold of the night breathed the black, ominous space that I had dreamed of for so many years, and which now frightened me with its wild, unique silence... I was completely alone, without reliable protection my “star friends”, and without the warm support of my faithful friend Stella... And, despite the fact that I saw all this not for the first time, I suddenly felt very small and alone in this unfamiliar, distant world surrounding me stars, which here did not look at all as friendly and familiar as from Earth, and a petty panic, cowardly squeaking with undisguised horror, gradually began to treacherously engulf me... But since I was still a very, very stubborn little person, I decided , that there was nothing to become limp, and began to look around to see where this had taken me after all...
I was hanging in a black, almost physically tangible void, and only occasionally some “shooting stars” flashed around me, leaving dazzling tails for a moment. And right there, seemingly very close, such a dear and familiar Earth shimmered with a blue radiance. But, to my great regret, she only seemed close, but in fact she was very, very far away... And suddenly I wildly wanted to go back!!!.. I no longer wanted to “heroically overcome” unfamiliar obstacles, but I just really wanted to to return home, where everything was so familiar and familiar (to grandma’s warm pies and favorite books!), and not to hang frozen in some kind of black, cold “peacelessness”, not knowing how to get out of all this, and, moreover, preferably without any -or “terrifying and irreparable” consequences... I tried to imagine the only thing that came to mind first - the purple-eyed girl Wei. For some reason it didn’t work - she didn’t appear. Then I tried to unfold her crystal... And then, everything around sparkled, shone and swirled in a frenzied whirlpool of some unprecedented matters, I felt as if I was suddenly, like a big vacuum cleaner, being pulled somewhere, and immediately “unfolded” in front of me "in all its glory, the already familiar, mysterious and beautiful Weiyin world.... As I realized too late - the key to which was my open purple crystal...
I didn't know how far away this unfamiliar world was... Was it real this time? And I absolutely didn’t know how to get home from it... And there was no one around whom I could ask anything...
A marvelous emerald valley stretched out in front of me, filled with a very bright, golden-violet light. Golden clouds slowly floated across the alien pinkish sky, sparkling and sparkling, almost covering one of the suns. In the distance one could see very tall, spiky, alien mountains shining with heavy gold... And right at my feet, almost earthly, a small, cheerful stream was babbling, only the water in it was not at all earthly - “thick” and purple, and not a little opaque... I carefully dipped my hand in - the feeling was amazing and very unexpected - as if I had touched a soft teddy bear... Warm and pleasant, but certainly not “fresh and wet”, as we are used to feeling on Earth. I even doubted whether this was what was called “water” on Earth?..
Then the “plush” stream ran straight into a green tunnel, which was formed by intertwining “fluffy” and transparent, silver-green “vines”, hanging in thousands over the purple “water”. They “knitted” a bizarre pattern over it, which was decorated with tiny “stars” of white, strong-smelling, unprecedented flowers.
Yes, this world was extraordinarily beautiful... But at that moment I would have given a lot to be in my own, maybe not so beautiful, but for that reason so familiar and dear, earthly world!.. For the first time I was so scared, and I wasn’t afraid to honestly admit it to myself... I was completely alone, and there was no one to give friendly advice on what to do next. Therefore, having no other choice, and somehow gathering all my “trembling” will into a fist, I decided to move somewhere further, so as not to stand still and not wait for something terrible to happen (albeit in such beautiful world!) will happen.
- How did you get here? – I heard a gentle voice in my fear-tormented brain.
I turned around sharply... and again ran into beautiful violet eyes - Veya stood behind me...
“Oh, is it really you?!!..” I almost screamed from unexpected happiness.
“I saw that you unwrapped the crystal, I came to help,” the girl answered completely calmly.
Only her big eyes again they peered very carefully into my frightened face, and a deep, “adult” understanding glowed in them.
“You have to believe me,” the “star” girl whispered quietly.
And I really wanted to tell her that, of course - I believe! But Veya apparently understood everything perfectly, and, smiling her amazing smile, said affably:
– Do you want me to show you my world, since you’re already here?..
I just nodded my head joyfully, having completely perked up again and ready for any “exploits”, just because I was no longer alone, and this was enough for all the bad things to be instantly forgotten and the world to seem exciting and beautiful again.
– But you said that you’ve never been here? – I asked, having gained courage.
“And I’m not here now,” the girl answered calmly. “My essence is with you, but my body has never lived there.” I never knew my real home... - her huge eyes were filled with deep, not at all childish sadness.
“Can I ask you how old are you?.. Of course, if you don’t want to, don’t answer,” I asked, a little embarrassed.
“According to earthly calculations, it will probably be about two million years,” the “baby” answered thoughtfully.
For some reason, because of this answer, my legs suddenly became completely weak... This simply could not happen!.. No creature is able to live for so long! Or, depending on what kind of creature?..
– Why then do you look so small?! Only our children are like this... But you know that, of course.
- This is how I remember myself. And I feel that this is right. So that's how it should be. We live for a very long time. I'm probably the little one...
All this news made me dizzy... But Veya, as usual, was surprisingly calm, and this gave me the strength to ask further.
– And who do you call an adult?.. If there are such people, of course.
- Well, of course! – the girl laughed sincerely. - Want to see?
I just nodded, because suddenly, out of fright, my throat completely closed up, and my “fluttering” conversational gift was lost somewhere... I understood perfectly well that right now I would see a real “star” creature!.. And, despite the fact that, as long as I could remember, I had been waiting for this all my adult life, now suddenly all my courage for some reason quickly “gone to the ground”...
Veya waved her palm - the terrain changed. Instead of golden mountains and a stream, we found ourselves in a marvelous, moving, transparent “city” (at least, it looked like a city). And straight towards us, along a wide, wetly shining silver “road”, a stunning man was slowly walking... He was a tall, proud old man, who could not be called anything else other than - majestic!.. Everything about him was somehow... sometimes very correct and wise - and thoughts as pure as crystal (which for some reason I heard very clearly); and long silver hair covering him with a shimmering cloak; and the same amazingly kind, huge purple “Vain’s” eyes... And on his high forehead there was a shining, marvelously sparkling gold, diamond “star”.
“Rest in peace, Father,” Veya said quietly, touching her forehead with her fingers.
“And you, the one who has left,” the old man answered sadly.
There was an air of endless kindness and affection from him. And suddenly I really wanted how to a small child, bury yourself in his lap and hide from everything for at least a few seconds, inhaling the deep peace emanating from him, and not think about the fact that I’m scared... that I don’t know where my home is... and that I I don’t know at all where I am, and what’s really happening to me at the moment...
“Who are you, creature?..” I mentally heard his gentle voice.
“I’m a man,” I answered. - Sorry for disturbing your peace. My name is Svetlana.
The elder looked at me warmly and carefully with his wise eyes, and for some reason approval shone in them.
“You wanted to see the Wise One - you see him,” Veya said quietly. – Do you want to ask something?
– Please tell me, does evil exist in your wonderful world? – although ashamed of my question, I still decided to ask.
– What do you call “evil”, Man-Svetlana? - asked the sage.
– Lies, murder, betrayal... Don’t you have such words?..
– It was a long time ago... no one remembers anymore. Just me. But we know what it was. This is embedded in our “ancient memory” so that we never forget. Have you come from where evil lives?
I nodded sadly. I was very upset for my native Earth, and for the fact that life on it was so wildly imperfect that it forced me to ask such questions... But, at the same time, I really wanted Evil to leave our Home forever, because that I loved this house with all my heart, and very often dreamed that someday such a wonderful day would come when:
a person will smile with joy, knowing that people can only bring him good...
when a lonely girl will not be afraid to walk through the darkest street in the evening, without fear that someone will offend her...
when you can joyfully open your heart without fear that your best friend will betray you...
when you can leave something very expensive right on the street, without fear that if you turn your back, it will be stolen right away...
And I sincerely, with all my heart, believed that somewhere there really was such a wonderful world, where there is no evil and fear, but there is a simple joy of life and beauty... That is why, following my naive dream, I took the slightest opportunity to at least learn something about how it is possible to destroy this same, so tenacious and so indestructible, our earthly Evil... And also - so that I will never be ashamed to say to someone somewhere that I am a Man. ..
Of course, these were naive childhood dreams... But then I was still just a child.
– My name is Atis, Man-Svetlana. I have lived here from the very beginning, I have seen Evil... A lot of evil...
- How did you get rid of him, wise Atis?! Did someone help you?.. – I asked hopefully. – Can you help us?.. Give me at least some advice?
- We found the reason... And killed her. But your evil is beyond our control. It is different... Just like others and you. And the good of others may not always be good for you. You must find your own reason. And destroy it,” he gently put his hand on my head and a wonderful peace flowed into me... “Farewell, Man-Svetlana... You will find the answer to your question.” May you rest...
I stood deep in thought, and did not pay attention to the fact that the reality around me had long ago changed, and instead of a strange, transparent city, we were now “swimming” through dense purple “water” on some unusual, flat and transparent device, which there were no handles, no oars - nothing at all, as if we were standing on a large, thin, moving transparent glass. Although no movement or rocking was felt at all. It slid across the surface surprisingly smoothly and calmly, making you forget that it was moving at all...
-What is this?..Where are we going? – I asked in surprise.
“To pick up your little friend,” Veya answered calmly.
- But how?!. She can't do it, can she?
- Will be able. “She has the same crystal as you,” was the answer. “We’ll meet her at the “bridge,” and without explaining anything further, she soon stopped our strange “boat.”
Now we were already at the foot of some shiny “polished” wall, black as night, which was sharply different from everything light and sparkling around, and seemed artificially created and alien. Suddenly the wall “parted”, as if in that place it consisted of dense fog, and in a golden “cocoon” appeared... Stella. Fresh and healthy, as if she had just gone for a pleasant walk... And, of course, wildly happy with what was happening... Seeing me, her sweet little face shone happily and, out of habit, she immediately started babbling:
– Are you here too?!... Oh, how good!!! And I was so worried!.. So worried!.. I thought something had definitely happened to you. How did you get here?.. – the little girl stared at me, dumbfounded.
“I think the same as you,” I smiled.
“And when I saw that you were carried away, I immediately tried to catch up with you!” But I tried and tried and nothing worked... until she came. – Stella pointed her pen at Veya. – I am very grateful to you for this, girl Veya! – out of her funny habit of addressing two people at once, she thanked sweetly.
“This “girl” is two million years old...” I whispered in my friend’s ear.
Stella's eyes widened in surprise, and she herself remained standing in a quiet stupor, slowly digesting the stunning news...
“Huh, two million?.. Why is she so small?..” Stella gasped, stunned.
- Yes, she says that they live a long time... Maybe your essence is from the same place? – I joked. But Stella apparently didn’t like my joke at all, because she immediately became indignant:
- How can you?!.. I’m just like you! I’m not “purple” at all!..
I felt funny and a little ashamed - the little girl was a real patriot...
As soon as Stella appeared here, I immediately felt happy and strong. Apparently our common, sometimes dangerous, “floor walks” had a positive effect on my mood, and this immediately put everything in its place.
Stella looked around in delight, and it was clear that she couldn’t wait to bombard our “guide” with a thousand questions. But the little girl heroically held back, trying to seem more serious and mature than she really was...
– Please tell me, girl Veya, where can we go? – Stella asked very politely. Apparently, she was never able to get her head around the idea that Veya could be so “old”...
“Wherever you want, since you’re here,” the “star” girl calmly answered.
We looked around - we were drawn in all directions at once!.. It was incredibly interesting and we wanted to see everything, but we understood perfectly well that we could not stay here forever. Therefore, seeing how Stella fidgeted in place with impatience, I invited her to choose where we should go.
- Oh, please, can we see what kind of “living creatures” you have here? – unexpectedly for me, Stella asked.
Of course, I would like to watch something else, but there was nowhere to go - I offered her to choose...
We found ourselves in something like a very bright forest, bursting with colors. It was absolutely amazing!.. But for some reason I suddenly thought that I wouldn’t want to stay in such a forest for a long time... It was, again, too beautiful and bright, a little oppressive, not at all like our soothing and fresh, green and light earthly forest.
It's probably true that everyone should be where they truly belong. And I immediately thought about our sweet “star” baby... How she must have missed her home and her native and familiar environment!.. Only now I was able to understand at least a little how lonely she must have been in our imperfect and at times dangerous Earth...
- Please tell me, Veya, why did Atis call you gone? – I finally asked the question annoyingly swirling in my head.
– Oh, that’s because once upon a time, a long time ago, my family voluntarily went to help other beings who needed our help. This happens to us often. And those who left never return to their home... This is right free choice, so they know what they're getting into. That's why Atis took pity on me...
– Who leaves if you can’t come back? – Stella was surprised.
“Very many... Sometimes even more than necessary,” Veya became sad. “Once our “wise” people were even afraid that we wouldn’t have enough Viilis left to properly inhabit our planet...
– What is viilis? – Stella became interested.
- This is us. Just like you are people, we are Viilis. And our planet is called Viilis. – Veya answered.
And then I suddenly realized that for some reason we didn’t even think of asking about this earlier!.. But this is the first thing we should have asked!
– Have you changed, or have you always been like this? – I asked again.
“They changed, but only inside, if that’s what you meant,” Veya answered.
A huge, crazy bright, multi-colored bird flew over our heads... A crown of shiny orange “feathers” sparkled on its head, and its wings were long and fluffy, as if it was wearing a multi-colored cloud. The bird sat on a stone and stared very seriously in our direction...
- Why is she looking at us so carefully? – Stella asked, shivering, and it seemed to me that she had another question in her head – “has this “bird” already had lunch today?”...
The bird cautiously jumped closer. Stella squeaked and jumped back. The bird took another step... It was three times larger than Stella, but it did not seem aggressive, but rather curious.
- Did she like me, or what? – Stella pouted. - Why doesn’t she come to you? What does she want from me?..
It was funny to watch how the little girl could barely restrain herself from shooting away from here. Apparently beautiful bird I didn't really like her...
Suddenly the bird spread its wings and a blinding light came from them. Slowly, slowly, a fog began to swirl above the wings, similar to the one that fluttered over Veya when we saw her for the first time. The fog swirled and thickened more and more, becoming like a thick curtain, and from this curtain huge, almost human eyes looked at us...
“Oh, is she turning into someone?!..” Stella squealed. - Look, look!..
It really was something to look at, since the “bird” suddenly began to “deform”, turning either into an animal, with human eyes, or into a man, with an animal body...
-What is this? – my friend bulged her brown eyes in surprise. -What is happening to her?..
And the “bird” had already slipped out of its wings, and a very unusual creature stood in front of us. It looked like a half-bird, half-man, with a large beak and a triangular human face, very flexible, like a cheetah, with a body and predatory, wild movements... She was very beautiful and, at the same time, very scary.
- This is Miard. – Wei introduced the creature. – If you want, he will show you the “living creatures”, as you say.
The creature, named Miard, began to have fairy wings again. And he waved them invitingly in our direction.
- Why exactly him? Are you very busy, “star” Wei?
Stella had a very unhappy face, because she was clearly afraid of this strange “beautiful monster,” but she apparently did not have the courage to admit it. I think she would rather go with him than admit that she was simply scared... Veya, having clearly read Stella’s thoughts, immediately reassured:
– He is very affectionate and kind, you will like him. You wanted to watch something live, and he knows this better than anyone.
Miard approached cautiously, as if sensing that Stella was afraid of him... But this time for some reason I wasn’t scared at all, rather the opposite - he interested me wildly.
He came close to Stella, who at that moment was almost squealing inside with horror, and carefully touched her cheek with his soft, fluffy wing... A purple fog swirled over Stella’s red head.
“Oh, look, mine is the same as Veiya’s!..” the surprised little girl exclaimed enthusiastically. - How did it happen?.. Oh-oh, how beautiful!.. - this already referred to the new area that appeared before our eyes with absolutely incredible animals.
We stood on the hilly bank of a wide, mirror-like river, the water in which was strangely “frozen” and, it seemed, one could calmly walk on it - it did not move at all. A sparkling fog swirled above the river surface, like a delicate transparent smoke.
As I finally guessed, this “fog, which we saw everywhere here, somehow enhanced any actions of the creatures living here: it opened up the brightness of their vision for them, served as a reliable means of teleportation, in general, it helped in everything they could at that moment these creatures were not engaged. And I think it was used for something else, much, much more, which we could not yet understand...
The river meandered like a beautiful wide “snake” and, smoothly going into the distance, disappeared somewhere between the lush green hills. And on both its banks they walked, lay and flew amazing animals... It was so beautiful that we literally froze, amazed by this stunning spectacle...
The animals were very similar to unprecedented royal dragons, very bright and proud, as if they knew how beautiful they were... Their long, curved necks sparkled with orange gold, and on their heads there were red spiked crowns with teeth. The royal beasts moved slowly and majestically, with every movement shining with their scaly, pearlescent blue bodies, which literally burst into flames when exposed to the golden-blue rays of the sun.
- Beauty-and-and-more!!! – Stella barely exhaled in delight. – Are they very dangerous?
“Dangerous people don’t live here; we haven’t had them for a long time.” I don’t remember how long ago... - came the answer, and only then did we notice that Vaiya was not with us, but Miard was addressing us...
Stella looked around in fear, apparently not feeling too comfortable with our new acquaintance...
– So you have no danger at all? – I was surprised.
“Only external,” came the answer. - If they attack.
– Does this also happen?
“The last time it was before me,” Miard answered seriously.
His voice sounded soft and deep in our brains, like velvet, and it was very unusual to think that such a strange half-human creature was communicating with us in our own “language”... But we are probably already too accustomed to all sorts of wonderful miracles, because within a minute they were freely communicating with him, completely forgetting that he was not a person.
- And what - you never have any troubles?! – the little girl shook her head in disbelief. – But then you’re not at all interested in living here!..
She spoke of a real, unquenchable Earthly “thirst for adventure.” And I understood her perfectly. But I think it would be very difficult to explain this to Miard...
- Why isn’t it interesting? – our “guide” was surprised, and suddenly, interrupting himself, pointed upward. – Look – Saviya!!!
We looked at the top and were dumbfounded.... Fairy-tale creatures were smoothly floating in the light pink sky!.. They were completely transparent and, like everything else on this planet, incredibly colorful. It seemed as if marvelous, sparkling flowers were flying across the sky, only they were incredibly large... And each of them had a different, fantastically beautiful, unearthly face.
“Oh-oh.... Look... Oh, what a miracle...” for some reason Stella said in a whisper, completely stunned.
I don't think I've ever seen her so shocked. But there really was something to be surprised about... In no way, even the wildest fantasy, could it be possible to imagine such creatures! , spraying sparkling golden dust behind him... Miard made a strange “whistle”, and the fairy-tale creatures suddenly began to smoothly descend, forming above us a solid, huge “umbrella” flashing with all the colors of their crazy rainbow... It was so beautiful what was breathtaking!..
The first to “land” to us was pearl-blue, pink-winged Savia, who, having folded her sparkling wings-petals into a “bouquet”, began to look at us with great curiosity, but without any fear... It was impossible to calmly look at her whimsical beauty, which She attracted me like a magnet and I wanted to admire her endlessly...
– Don’t look too long – Savia is fascinating. You won't want to leave here. Their beauty is dangerous if you don’t want to lose yourself,” Miard said quietly.
- Why did you say that there is nothing dangerous here? So this isn't true? – Stella was immediately indignant.
“But this is not a danger that needs to be feared or fought against.” “I thought that’s what you meant when you asked,” Miard was upset.
- Come on! We, apparently, will have different concepts about many things. This is normal, right? – “nobly” the little girl reassured him. -Can I talk to them?
- Speak if you can hear. – Miard turned to the miracle Savia who had come down to us, and showed something.
The wondrous creature smiled and came closer to us, while the rest of his (or her?..) friends still floated easily right above us, sparkling and shimmering in the bright rays of the sun.
“I am Lilis...lis...is...” an amazing voice echoed. He was very soft, and at the same time very sonorous (if such opposite concepts can be combined into one).
- Hello, beautiful Lillis. – Stella joyfully greeted the creature. - I'm Stella. And here she is – Svetlana. We are people. And you, we know, Saviya. Where did you come from? And what is Saviya? – questions again rained down, but I didn’t even try to stop her, since it was completely useless... Stella simply “wanted to know everything!” And she always remained like that.

Tank was adopted by the Red Army in May 1931. It was developed on the basis of a wheeled-tracked vehicle designed by the American designer Christie and was the first in the BT family (Fast Tank ), developed in the Soviet Union. The tank hull, assembled by riveting from 13-mm thick armor plates, had a box-shaped cross-section. The driver's entrance hatch was mounted in the frontal plate of the hull. The armament was housed in a cylindrical riveted turret.The tank had high speed qualities. Thanks to the original design of the chassis, it could move both on tracks and on wheels. On each side there were four large-diameter rubber-coated road wheels, with the rear road wheels serving as drive wheels, and the front wheels being steerable. The transition from one type of propulsion to another took approximately 30 minutes. The BT-2 tank, like subsequent tanks of the BT family, was produced at the Kharkov Locomotive Plant named after. Comintern.

Several years from the late 20s and early 30s of the 20th century Tank Christie was used as a basis in the creation of the first Soviet combat vehicles, of course with a number of upgrades and additions relating to weapons, transmission, engine and a number of other parameters. After installing a specially designed turret with weapons on the chassis of the Christie tank, the new tank was adopted by the Red Army in 1931 and put into production under the designation BT-2.

On November 7, 1931, the first three cars were shown at the parade. Until 1933, 623 BT-2s were built. The first production wheeled-tracked tank bore the designation BT-2 and differed from the American prototype in numerous ways. design features. First of all, the tank had a rotating turret (developed by engineer A.A. Maloshtanov) and was equipped with lighter (with numerous lightening holes) road wheels. The fighting compartment was rearranged - the ammunition stowage racks were moved, new instruments were installed, etc. Its body was a box assembled from armor plates connected by riveting. The front part of the hull had the shape of a truncated pyramid. To enter the tank, there was a front door that opened towards itself. Above it, in the front wall of the driver's booth, there was a shield with a viewing slot that folded up. The nose section consisted of a steel casting to which the front armor plates and bottom were riveted and welded. In addition, it served as a housing for mounting the rack and steering arms. A steel pipe was threaded through the casting, externally welded to the armor limits and intended for attaching sloth cranks.

Consoles in the form of triangular armor sheets were welded (or riveted) to the nose of the hull on both sides, which served as the fastening part of the pipe to the nose of the hull. The consoles had platforms for attaching rubber buffers that limited the travel of the shock absorbers of the front steered wheels.

The side walls of the tank hull are double. The inner sheets of the walls were made of simple non-armored steel and had three holes for the passage of seamless steel pipes for mounting the axle shafts of the road wheels. On the outer side, 5 struts are riveted to the sheets for attaching cylindrical spiral springs of the suspension. Between the 3rd and 4th struts there was a gas tank on wooden supports. The final drive housings were riveted to the rear lower part of the inner body sheets, and struts for attaching the rear spring were riveted to the upper part. The outer sheets of the walls are armored. They were bolted to the spring brackets. Wings were installed outside on both sides on four brackets.

1. Guide wheel bracket. 2.Guide wheel. 3. Mountain brake lever. 4.Hatch for boarding and disembarking the crew. 5. Steering column. 6. Gear shift lever. 7.Driver's front shield. 8.Manual turret rotation mechanism. 9.Front steered wheel. 10.Tower. 11.Tower shoulder strap. 12.Liberty engine. 13. Engine compartment partition. 14.Main clutch. 15. Gearbox. 16.Blinds. 17.Muffler. 18.Earring. 19. Crawler drive wheel. 20. Final drive housing. 21.Guitar. 22.Drive wheel. 23.Fan. 24. Oil tank. 25. Track roller. 26.Horizontal spring of the front road wheel. 27.Front steered wheel. 28. Track control lever. 29.Onboard clutch

The stern of the tank hull consisted of two final drive housings, mounted and welded onto a steel pipe, riveted to the inner side sheets; two sheets - vertical and inclined, welded to the pipe and crankcases (two towing brackets are riveted to the vertical sheet), and a removable rear shield that covered the transmission compartment at the rear. There were holes in the vertical wall of the shield for the passage of exhaust pipes. A muffler was attached to the outer side of the shield. The bottom of the body is solid, made of one sheet. Under the oil pump there was a hatch for dismantling the engine and two plugs for draining water and oil. The roof at the front had a large round hole for the turret with a riveted lower ball bearing strap. Above the engine compartment in the middle, the roof was removable, with a sheet that folded upward and was locked with a latch from the inside; The latch was opened from the outside with a key. In the middle of the sheet there was a hole for the air supply pipe to the carburetors to exit.

On the sides of the removable sheet, radiator shields were attached to the racks, under which air was sucked in to cool the radiators. Above the transmission compartment there was a square hatch for the exit of hot air, closed with blinds. Longitudinal armor plates above the space between the side walls were attached to the spring brackets with studs. Each sheet had three round holes (the outer ones for the passage of the spring regulating cups, and the middle one above the filler neck of the gas tank); another hole with a through slot was located above the gas line plug, and three brackets for the belts for fastening the track on the folded wing were also installed here.

The inside of the tank hull was divided by partitions into 4 compartments: control, combat, engine and transmission. In the first, near the driver’s seat, control levers and pedals and an instrument panel were located. In the second, ammunition, tools were stored, and there was a place for the tank commander (aka gunner and loader). The fighting compartment was separated from the engine compartment by a collapsible partition with doors. The engine room contained the engine, radiators, oil tank and battery; It was separated from the transmission compartment by a collapsible partition that had a cutout for a fan.
The thickness of the front and side armor of the hull was 13 mm, the rear of the hull was 10 mm, and the roof and bottom were 10 mm and 6 mm.

The turret of the BT-2 tank is armored (armor thickness is 13 mm), round, riveted, offset by the rear by 50 mm. In the stern there was a device for storing shells. On top of the tower there was a hatch with a lid that folded forward on two hinges and was locked in the closed position with a lock. To the left of it is a round hatch for flag signaling. The top of the tower was slanted at the front. The side wall was assembled from two riveted halves. The upper shoulder strap of the ball support was attached to the bottom of the tower. The rotation and braking of the tower was carried out using a rotating mechanism, the basis of which was a planetary gearbox. To rotate the turret, the tank commander turned the steering wheel by the handle.
The standard armament of the BT-2 tank was the 37-mm B-3(5K) cannon of the 1931 model and the 7.62-mm DT machine gun. The cannon and machine gun were mounted separately: the first - in movable armor, the second - in a ball mount to the right of the cannon. Gun elevation angle +25°, declination -8°. Vertical guidance was carried out using a shoulder rest. A telescopic sight was used for targeted shooting. Ammunition for the gun is 92 rounds, for the machine gun - 2,709 rounds (43 discs).

The first 60 tanks did not have a ball machine gun mount. The tank's armament presented a definite problem. It was supposed to arm the tank with a 37-mm cannon and a machine gun, but due to a shortage of guns, the tanks of the first series were armed with two machine guns (located in one installation) or not armed at all.
A 37 mm tank gun with a barrel length of 60 calibers was an option anti-tank gun caliber 37 mm model 1930, was completed only in the summer of 1933. The first order provided for the production of 350 tank guns at Artillery Plant No. 8. Since by that time a tank version of the 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1932 model had already appeared, further production of the 37-mm gun was abandoned.

350 tanks were armed with twin DA-2 machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber, which were mounted in the gun embrasure of the turret in a specially designed mask. The mask on its axles rotated around a horizontal axis, which made it possible to give the machine guns an elevation angle of +22° and a declination angle of -25°. Horizontal pointing angles (without turning the turret) were imparted to the machine guns by turning a specially designed swivel inserted into the mantlet using vertical pins, and the rotation angles were achieved: 6° to the right, 8° to the left. To the right of the twin ones there was a single DT machine gun. One shooter fired from a coaxial installation, standing, resting his chest on the breastplate and his chin on the chinrest. In addition, the entire installation lay shoulder-padded on the shooter's right shoulder. The ammunition load consisted of 43 disks - 2709 rounds.
The tank's engine is a four-stroke aircraft engine, brand M-5-400 (some vehicles were equipped with an American Liberty aircraft engine identical in design), with the addition of a winding mechanism, a fan and a flywheel. Engine power at 1650 rpm - 400 hp. With.

The mechanical power transmission consisted of a multi-disc main dry friction clutch (steel on steel), which was mounted on the toe of the crankshaft, a four-speed gearbox, two multi-disc side clutches with band brakes, two single-stage final drives and two gearboxes (guitars) driving the rear road wheels - leading during wheel travel. Each guitar has a set of five gears located in a crankcase, which also acts as a balancer for the last road wheel. The tank control drives are mechanical. To turn on a caterpillar track, two levers are used, and to turn on a wheeled track, a steering wheel is used.

The tank had two types of propulsion: tracked and wheeled. The first consisted of two track chains, each with 46 tracks (23 flat and 23 ridged) 260 mm wide; two rear drive wheels with a diameter of 640 mm; eight support rollers with a diameter of 815 mm and two sloth guide rollers with tension devices. The track rollers were individually suspended on cylindrical coil springs located for... six rollers vertically, between the inner and outer walls of the hull, and for the two front ones - horizontally, inside the fighting compartment. The drive wheels and road wheels are rubber-coated. BT-2 was the first tank put into service with such a suspension. Along with the large power density, this was one of the the most important conditions creating a high-speed combat vehicle.