T 70 drawings. The most massive of the lungs. Equipment strengths and weaknesses

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

Alabino T-70 tank biathlon opening photo 2013

A more realistic solution was to solve the problem by creating two autonomous drives from two engines with a gearbox, each to its own track. For a confident rectilinear movement, it was only required to connect the engines to each other through friction clutches. But then no comprehensive tests were carried out, and the hidden flaw of such a scheme came to light later.
After four unsuccessful attempts to install two N.A. Astrov proposed a serial direct connection of the engines in single file, transferring the power developed by the rear engine through the coupling to the crankshaft end of the front running engine. And such a "twin", consisting of two GAZ-M1 engines, was created at plant # 37 on the eve of the war.

The T-70 tank, the GAZ-203 power unit consisted of two GAZ-202 engines (GAZ-70-6004 front and GAZ-70-6005 rear)

Now, in November, the first version of a twin unit of two GAZ-11 engines was made in metal and put on the stand. It soon became clear that the stiffness of the rubber "barrels" in the elastic coupling that connected the engines played an important role. Not trusting the devices, the selection of rigidity (elasticity) was carried out by the chief designer himself - Lipgart, evaluating the rigidity of the rubber, pressing the fingernails into it. Too soft rubber bands were missed hard blows in the inter-motor connection, and too rigid - led to overloading of the main bearings of the motors. We were looking for the middle. Found that mutual arrangement crankshafts play no role.

Brief description of the design of the light tank T-70

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

Padded 70, street battles for Stalingrad 1942

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

Column of light tanks T-70 on the outskirts of Krasnoe Selo

In a single faceted turret with 35 mm armor thickness (for comparison, the T-34 is 10 mm thicker), a 45-mm tank gun mod. 1932-1938 with vertical wedge gate. A 7.62 mm DT machine gun was paired with the cannon. Vertical aiming angles - from -6 ° to +20 ". Direct fire range was 3600 m, maximum - 4800 m. Gun ammunition consisted of 90 shots (on machines of the first release - 70 shots). Turret turning mechanism - manual gear; it was located on the left, and the lifting mechanism - to the right of the commander. The sights were telescopic or periscopic (partially), as well as mechanical. There was an entrance hatch for the commander in the roof of the tower.
The greater length and mass of the power unit, reinforced components and assemblies of other systems, as well as more powerful armor protection led to an increase in the combat weight (compared to the T-60) of tanks of the first releases to 9.2 tons (later - up to 9.8 tons) ...

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

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

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

T-70 with amphibious assault on armor on the Stalingrad front

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

light tank t 90 photos

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

A bridgehead near Peskovatka. Tank T-70 and Sd.Kfz.250. 3rd motorized division photo August 1942

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

Combat use of light tanks of the T-70 family. The bulk of the vehicles hit the southwestern direction, where they suffered heavy losses. And which tank formations did not carry them that year. Estimates of combat activity vary to the exact opposite. Someone complains about weak armor who are on weak weapons. Although the 45-mm tank gun 20K mod. 1932, was quite enough for 1942, she could successfully fight all types of Wehrmacht tanks at a distance of up to 500 m. The more advanced and Panther began to produce in 43, upon meeting with which the chances of a seventy were zero. But these heavyweights were few in 1943. The tank regiment of the Red Army at that time consisted of 23 T-34 and 16 T-70 or 70M.

Tank T-70 with a landing party on board, in the background and destroyed by Pz.KpfwIV

For some reason, they always compare the German tanks of the latest modifications, and certainly head-on, a kind of tank battle. In fact, knocking out tanks was almost always entrusted to anti-tank artillery... And for direct comparison, not everything is so sad for the T-70, about the PzKpfw I with machine-gun armament and a weight of 5 tons with a penny we will modestly keep silent (bulletproof booking, and even then it did not always fulfill its functions). Next comes our classmate, the 9-ton PzKpfw II with an automatic 20 mm cannon, almost the same as on our T-60 (in the 42nd production was curtailed just because of the weak weaponry). Then comes the more serious average PzKpfw III, almost 20 tons on which a decent cannon did not appear immediately. Pz.Kpfw. IV this is already a serious machine, only really mass production was launched just in 1943, and before that the cat had cried them. And for some reason they treat the tank sorakopyatka just as dismissively as the anti-tank magpie, forgetting that the Germans have the main anti-tank gun The Second World War was a Pak 35/36 in 37 mm caliber.

Tank T-70M of the Guards crew of the le-ta I. Astapushenko takes position December 1942

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

Southwestern Front December 42 light tank T-70M

And here is the course of the battle on July 9, 1943 for the village of Izotovo. Two T-70 tanks meet three retractable Tigers. the German lead vehicle knocks out one T-70. The second, under Trubin's command, actively maneuvering, enters the rear of the Tiger and from a close distance thrust an armor-piercing projectile into the side of it, lights up, continuing the maneuver, the T-70 has already begun to approach the next Tiger. Wanting to escape the fate of the lead vehicle, the remaining two began to retreat. As proof, the padded "Tiger" was delivered to Moscow and was exhibited in Gorky Park at an exhibition of captured weapons.

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

For lovers military history the Soviet T-70 tank designed by Nikolai Aleksandrovich Astrov is familiar.

The characteristics of this combat vehicle immediately speak for themselves: this combat equipment of the battlefield belongs to the light type.

The military was prompted to create a new tank by a depressing fact: combat tests light and medium tanks of the Red Army (models from T-38 to T-60) during the first year of the Second World War revealed their non-competitiveness.

In January 1942, the 70th tank was shown to Stalin as a reinforced version of the previous representative of the T-60 light tank line, and its serial production began in March.

Brief performance characteristics of the light tank T-70

Consider the main characteristics of Astrov's brainchild:

Frontal armor thickness: bottom - 45 mm; top - 35 mm;

Side armor thickness - 15 mm;

Main armament: 45 mm 20-K cannon (previously used in the T-50 tank);

Ammunition - 90 shells;

Machine gun 7.62 mm, 15 discs with 945 rounds;

Two four-stroke six-cylinder gasoline engines with a capacity of 70 liters. With.;

Speed ​​over rough terrain - up to 25 km / h, on the highway - 42 km / h;

Cruising in store over rough terrain - 360 km, on the highway - 450 km;

On the command vehicle - a 12T or 9P walkie-talkie.

The project of the T-70 tank was initially critical.

T-70 - tank Great Patriotic War, reviews of which are quite contradictory. And this - despite the fact that the number of such manufactured tanks (almost 8.5 thousand units) was second only to the famous T-34! Objective view on its merits and demerits reveals the main reason this historical and technical incident. It is banal: often a project that is initiated and promoted not by end users (in this case, by the military), but by the top party leadership is a failure.

The original pre-war development thesis armored forces- "The army needs good light tank!" - turned out to be wrong. The strategists did not take into account the prospect of arming the Wehrmacht (and this happened in 1942) with artillery of 50 and 75 mm caliber. Reinforced enemy guns effectively hit the T-70 from any angle. The tank was inferior to the German "tigers" and "panthers" with 75-caliber guns both in firepower and in armor protection. Commander of the fifth tank army Katukov M.E. unflatteringly wrote about them to G.K. Zhukov, pointing out the impossibility of using the T-70 in an oncoming tank battle due to the guaranteed losses in advance.

Wrongly chosen design direction?

Indeed, the Russian tanks of the Second World War were initially created by a banal way of improving the previous model, without forecasting based on intelligence information about the weapons of the battlefield created by the enemies. Based on the foregoing, unflattering reviews about the imperfection of the T-70 seem logical. Simply improving the T-60 tank was not enough. Now, more than 70 years after the implementation of the project of this weapon, we can already justify the deadlock of such motivation.

Light tanks (their photo is proof of this) would be ideal on the fronts of the First World War. It was for the guns of that time that the armor of the tank of the designer Astrov was practically impenetrable. The second important trump card was the speed and maneuverability of the T-70.

In other words, the need to produce light tanks for the army in the middle of the 20th century was a fantasy of Soviet strategists of that time, who had not grown either tactically or strategically since the Civil War. Customers of weapons should think adequately to their contemporary military thought!

Identified design flaws of the T-70 - an indicator of its failure?

Similar shortcomings were typical for almost all light tanks of that time, therefore, looking ahead, we state the fact: none of them became really effective on the battlefield.

All light Russian tanks of the Second World War were designed to order by the leading designer Nikolai Alexandrovich Astrov, like the T-70. Tests of new weapons, carried out in 1941, revealed the directions for improving the tank:

Enhanced armor;

Replacement of a single cast tower with a two-seat hex tower;

Strengthening the transmission, tracks, road roller tires;

Replacing the main weapon with a more modern one (the latter was never implemented).

What can I say here? Were there too many flaws in the base model? Was it really such a basic model that the Red Army was in demand?

The inappropriateness of light tanks on the battlefield was proved by the further evolution of tank building: armies different countries gradually, in principle, they abandoned such weapons of the battlefield. Instead of them, other light armored vehicles were developed, mainly performing the role of support, which no longer act as the main armored fire force of the battlefield. However, on the other hand, the very process of creating and modifying the T-70 turned out to be very creative.

Serial types

The industrial production of light tanks T-70 was carried out in a version corresponding to the original project of the designer Astrov, as well as in a modified version of the T-70M.

The first version had unreinforced armor, lighter weight - 9.2 tons and more ammunition - 90 shells; the second - a greater weight (9.8 tons), achieved through additional booking, reinforcement of units and parts. The ammunition capacity of the upgraded tank was reduced to 70 shells.

In fact, these were structurally different combat vehicles with different, non-interchangeable parts.

- fiasco for the light tank T-70

In reality, the army needed medium and heavy tanks capable of effectively hitting enemy armored vehicles.

Didn't hear the party bosses of Marshal, dishonestly repressed and shot in the basement of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Soviet Court Soviet Union Mikhail Nikolaevich Tukhachevsky: "The future war will be a war of tank formations!"

And, accordingly, the defense industry of the USSR since 1942 has been mass-producing the T-70 - a tank, the combat potential of which in 1943 did not withstand the severe test - an uncompromising oncoming tank battle near the village of Kursk Bulge).

The armor did not save: the 75th and 50th caliber of enemy artillery easily penetrated even its frontal part. Moreover, the tank turned out to be vulnerable even to the outdated German regimental artillery of 37 mm caliber. The examination by a head-on tank battle was failed and, accordingly, after the Kursk Bulge, the mass production of the T-70 was discontinued.

However, oddly enough, it was at the second stage of the Great Patriotic War, when the Red Army was uncontrollably advancing, that a number of qualified military commanders expressed regret for the premature farewell to the T-70. The tank turned out to be useful despite the obvious shortcomings!

On the positive fighting qualities of the T-70

It was not given to reveal its positive to novice tankers. At the same time, the aces of tank combat in rugged and wooded terrain even preferred this light car more armored medium T-34. How did they motivate this choice? First, German heavy guns and heavy tanks hit the T-34 and T-70 almost equally. In addition, in view of the smaller lung size tank aimed fire at it is possible from a distance of half a kilometer, while on the T-34 - from a kilometer distance.

Also, with the help of the T-70, it was possible to use the surprise factor when attacking the enemy. At the same time and heavy tank The IS and the medium T-34 were deprived of this capability due to the noisier diesel engines.

Almost close, unnoticed, a light tank T-70 drove up over rough terrain to the enemy camp. After all, the noise of a twin gasoline car engine with a capacity of 140 liters. With. the sound level resembled only a passenger car. Lieutenant General Bogdanov reported to the main armored directorate that the T-70, due to its low noise, ideally performed the function of pursuing a retreating enemy.

The location of the fuel tanks in the rear of the hull contributed to the extremely rare detonation of fuel when it enters the tank.

In 1944, when about 1,500 T-70 tanks remained in the tank divisions of the Red Army, the OGK of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry stated its effectiveness in urban battles. The "Seventy" was difficult to hit with "faust patrons" and grenades due to its small size and high maneuverability.

Manufacturability

It should be admitted that the Soviet T-70 tank in its design turned out to be one of the most efficient technologically. For its manufacture, a thoroughly balanced production base of the GAZ plant was used. Cooperation with factories-suppliers of assemblies and parts was efficiently established.

The repair of weapons on the basis of the T-70, damaged at the fronts, was efficiently organized.

Initially, the designer Astrov set up its production at the Gorky Automobile Plant.

In 1942, the plant workers produced 3495 units of this weapon, and in 1943 - 3348. Then, the production of the T-70 in 1942 was also debugged at the plant # 38 (Kirov). 1,378 of these tanks were manufactured here.

It was also planned to involve the Sverdlovsk plant number 37 in the production of the tank. However, it was not prepared here, and the technological costs turned out to be critically high. It took twice more engines than for the T-60, the manufacture of more powerful rolled armor was more laborious. As a result - a modest result: 10 tanks and the discontinuation of production.

An objective look at the design flaws of the tank

The fact is clear: the idea effective lung tank on the fronts of World War II turned out to be a complete utopia. Therefore, the work on the project for the creation of the T-70 (despite the mass of original engineering findings, which we will write about later) obviously resembled, that is, it was doomed to failure.

Let's start with the fact that the Soviet tanks of the Second World War (and the subject of our description as well) had a layout design that was not devoid of obvious shortcomings, which involved 5 compartments:

Managerial;

Motor (on the right - in the middle of the body);

Combat (tower and on the left - in the middle of the body);

Stern (where the gasoline tanks and radiator were located).

A tank with similar compartments was front-wheel drive, so its undercarriage was characterized by increased vulnerability.

T-70 - an exhibit of the armored museum in Kubinka (Moscow region)

It's no secret that light tanks (a photo of the Japanese "Ha-Go" and the German PzKpfw-II, modern from the T-70, is presented below) should be designed taking into account technical and combat criteria mutually exclusive of each other:

Effective distribution of responsibilities between crew members (functional overload of the tank commander in a crew of two, which also included a driver);

The firepower of the gun turned out to be insufficient (the design of the light tank assumed as the main armament a 45-mm rifled automatic cannon 20-K of the 1932 model).

For those wishing to see the typical T-70 armament - the main gun and the 7.62 mm DT-29 machine gun paired with it - we recommend visiting the specialized military armored museum (Kubinka). Museum guests can see both the equipment and the equipment of the crew members' seats.

The tank commander was in the turret compartment, which is shifted to the left relative to the longitudinal axis, and also captures the left middle part of the hull. According to his duties, he supervised the actions of the driver through intercom, monitored the situation, loaded and laid out of the weapon and a machine gun paired with it.

The driver was in front of the copus, in the middle.

Since the museum exhibits have been carefully restored and, as they say, are on the move, sightseers can examine the operating units and assemblies of the T-70, making a visual impression for themselves. What do we mean when we mention the functional overload of the tank commander? Too many mechanical, routine processes were not automated in it. Visitors to the museum (Kubinka) can also notice this drawback. One has only to carefully examine the mechanisms of the restored combat vehicle. Judge for yourself:

Manual drive of the turret turning device;

Manual gun lift;

When firing fragmentation projectiles, the semi-automatic did not work, and the commander was forced to manually open the bolt and pull out the red-hot spent cartridge case.

Due to these factors, objectively interfering with the fight, the design rate of fire - up to 12 rounds per minute - was unattainable. In reality, the T-70 fired up to 5 shots per minute.

By the way, in the same museum, namely in pavilion 6, visitors will be able to see the tanks of Nazi Germany: "tigers" and "panthers", which opposed the Soviet tank we are considering.

Rapidly evolving, but still far from perfect, Soviet tanks from the Second World War invariably enjoy the attention of visitors.

The demanded undercarriage of the T-70

The GAZ-203 twin engine was specially developed for the T-70. In front is the GAZ-70-6004 engine, and in the back is the GAZ-70-6005. Six-cylinder four-stroke engines - both have been derated to improve reliability and durability.

The T-70 transmission inherited from the previous model received generally positive reviews. It consisted of:

Two-disc clutch;

4-speed gearbox;

Cardan shaft of stepped type;

Bevel main gear;

Multi-disc onboard clutches;

Single row final drives.

The T-70 track consisted of 91 tracks 26 cm wide.

Instead of a conclusion: military equipment based on the T-70

However, the T-70 tank was not a dead-end model. was developed by the design bureau of plant No. 38 (Kirov) on the basis of its elongated undercarriage. The main armament of this SPG was the 76mm ZIS-3 cannon. The T-70 itself turned out to be technologically advanced and promising.

The design of the new weapons was dramatic. The first designer Semyon Aleksandrovich Ginzburg was accused of non-existent "sins" after the depressing consequences of the Kuska Duga, deprived of the right to design, sent to the front, where he died. The commissar of tank construction, IM Zaltsman, who was in conflict with him, had a hand in this. However, this ambitious official was soon reasonably removed from office.

Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Malyshev, who was appointed to his position, appointed a competition for the modification of the SU-76, which involved representatives of GAZ and Plant No. 38.

As a result, the ACS was rearranged and put into mass production. The 75-mm gun made it possible to successfully destroy enemy self-propelled guns, light and medium tanks. She was also relatively effective against the Heavy Panther, penetrating the cannon mask and side armor. In the fight against the newer and more armored "tiger", the SU-76 turned out to be ineffective before the introduction of cumulative and

In the second half of 1944, the Red Army entered service with the T-70 tank, which was based on the undercarriage.

Today, amateur collectors have the opportunity to purchase any model of the T-70 tank. The price of the base model (in full size) is 5 million rubles. Let's make a reservation that it is equipped with an original chassis, but, of course, it is not intended for combat. At the same time, the latest improvements are offered: from the leather interior to the echo sounder.

adopted, everyone understood that he was only a temporary measure - his armor was too thin to withstand enemy tanks. At first there were attempts to modify the T-60 by installing a new turret on it, but this experimental tank The T-45 was not put into production due to insufficient engine power.

The design of the new tank, named GAZ-70, was completed at the end of 1941. Its assembly was very slow, and the first prototype was completed in February 1942. At first, the tank did not cause much enthusiasm - in terms of armor protection, the new tank was not much superior to the T-60, and its combat power was minimized due to the fact that one person had to combine the functions of a loader, gunner and commander. Soon the shortcomings were eliminated, and the T-70 in frontal armor was compared with the T-34-76, which was a major achievement. As a result, it was decided to launch the tank into mass production.

TTX T-70

general information

• Combat weight - 9.2 tons or 9.8 tons (T-70M);
• Crew - 2 people;
• The number of issued - 8231 pieces.

Dimensions (edit)

• Body length - 4285 mm;
• Case width - 2348 mm (2420 mm for the T-70M);
• Height - 2035 mm;
• Clearance - 300 mm.

Reservation

• Armor type - homogeneous rolled high hardness;
• Body forehead (top) - 35/61 ° mm / deg;
• Body forehead (bottom) - 45 / -30 ° mm / deg and 15 / -81 ° mm / deg for T-70M;
• Hull side - 15/0 ° mm / deg;
• Hull feed (top) - 15/76 ° mm / deg;
• Hull feed (bottom) - 25 / −44 ° mm / deg;
• Bottom - 10 mm and 6 mm for the T-70M;
• Hull roof - 10 mm;
• Gun mask - 50 + 15 mm / deg;
• The side of the tower - 35/23 mm / deg;
• The roof of the tower is 10 mm and 15 mm for the T-70M.

Armament

• Caliber and brand of the gun - 45 mm 20-K;
• Barrel length - 46 calibers;
• Gun ammunition - 90 (70 for T-70M)
• HV angles: −6 ... + 20 °;
• Angles GN - 360 °;
• Sights - TMPP or TOP, mechanical;
• Machine gun - 7.62 mm diesel fuel.

Mobility

• Engine type - twin in-line 4-stroke 6-cylinder carburetor;
• Engine power - 2 × 70 HP;
• Highway speed - 42 km / h;
• Cross country speed - 20-25 km / h;
• Cruising on the highway - 410-450;
• Cruising in store over rough terrain - 360 km (250 km for the T-70M);
• Specific power - 15.2 hp / t (14.2 hp / t for the T-70M);
• Suspension type - individual torsion bar;
• Specific ground pressure - 0.7 kg / cm²;
• Climbability - 34 °;
• Overcoming wall - 0.7 m;
• Passable moat - 1.7 m;
• Overcome ford - 1.0 m.

Photos T-70

Modifications

The T-70 was produced in two modifications, which differed in the design of the chassis:

• T-70, tank weighing 9.2 tons and 90 rounds of ammunition, the original version of the infantry support tank;
• T-70M with widened tracks and road wheels and reinforced torsion bars. It has a mass of 9.8 tons and a reduced ammunition load of 70 rounds.

Modification of the T-70 to the T-70M was impossible due to incompatible structural units.

Experienced tanks

The T-70 became the basis for many development work, in which they investigated the strengthening of the tank's armament and the improvement of ergonomics.

• T-70 with Sh-37 cannon. It had unsatisfactory crew compartment ergonomics, despite the extended turret and the absence of a machine gun;
• T-70 with a more powerful 45mm VT-42 cannon. The tank successfully passed the tests, but by that time the T-70 was discontinued and the VT-42 gun was decided to be installed on the new T-80;
• T-70 with additional space in the turret for the loader. Work on this prototype resulted in the creation of the T-80 tank, while the T-70 was never equipped with a two-man turret;
• T-70-3, anti-aircraft tank. Had a converted tower with two heavy machine guns DShK. Together with the anti-aircraft T-90, he participated in tests that did not pass due to an unbalanced weapon installation;
• T-90 - anti-aircraft tank based on the T-70M with DShK machine guns. Passed comparative tests with the T-70-3, but had a number of disadvantages. They needed to be eliminated, but they did not have time to do this - the requirements for the performance characteristics of such machines changed, and work on the T-90 was closed.

Application

The T-70 was actively used as part of many divisions and units of the Red Army along with other tanks, most often with the T-34. These tanks received their baptism of fire in the summer of 1942, in battles in the South-West direction, and it was then that their vulnerability was revealed.

However, the T-70 also had advantages - for example, they were ideal for pursuing retreating enemies, and in 1943 this task became very urgent. In addition, the T-70 had a reliable chassis and power plant, which made it possible to march over longer distances than the T-34 could. The relative noiselessness of the car was also a plus.

Best of all, the T-70 showed itself in the Battle of Kursk. Despite the fact that the "seventy" was hit quite easily, they had a much lower percentage of irrecoverable losses in comparison with the better armored T-34s.

The effectiveness of the T-70 is very big influence provided the crew with knowledge of the characteristics of the tank - in really skillful hands, it became a formidable force. For example, in July 1943, during the battles for the village of Pokrovka, one T-70 was able to knock out one Panther and three medium German tanks. And in August 1943, another unique incident occurred. The T-70 managed to catch up with the retreating enemy tank and get into a dead zone, while the crew commander jumped on the enemy tank's armor and threw a grenade into the open hatch. So the Soviet troops received almost an entire German tank, which was then used in battles.

In 1944, one T-70 was able to knock out as many as two Panthers, which was a real achievement.

The operation of the T-70 actually ended immediately after the war, although in January 1946, the Red Army still had 1502 T-70s in service.

Tank memory

The T-70 in both modifications is presented in many museums around the world - in Russia, in the countries the former USSR and even in the tank museum in Parola in Finland. Also, the T-70 in the form of monuments is installed in many cities of Russia, as well as in Ukraine and Belarus.

The second most popular after the T-34 Soviet tank during the Great Patriotic War there was a light tank T-70.

Already in October 1941, it became clear that new light the T-60 tank, the serial production of which began a month earlier, is almost useless on the battlefield. Its armor was freely penetrated by all anti-tank weapons of the Wehrmacht, and its own armament was too weak to fight enemy tanks. It was not possible to reinforce both without a radical change in the design. The engine and gearbox were already operating under overstressed conditions. An increase in the mass of a combat vehicle, which is inevitable with an increase in armor and weapons, would simply lead to the failure of these units. A different solution was required.

CREATION

The design of a new tank at the GAZ Design Bureau began at the end of October 1941. At the end of December 1941, for the tank, which received the factory designation GAZ-70, an armored hull was welded and a turret designed by V. Dedkov was cast. Along with the cast one, a variant of the welded tower was also developed. The assembly of the tank began in January 1942 and, for a number of reasons, proceeded rather slowly. It was only completed on February 14, after which the tank was sent to Moscow, where it was shown to representatives of the GABTU. The new car did not arouse much enthusiasm among the military. In terms of armor protection, the tank only slightly surpassed the T-60, and the nominally increased power of the armament, thanks to the installation of a 45-mm cannon, was leveled by the location of one man in the turret - a jack of all trades, a master, simultaneously directing and loading, - the commander. Chief designer N. A. Astrov promised to shortest time correct deficiencies. We managed to build up the armor rather quickly, bringing the thickness of the lower frontal hull plate to 45 mm, and the upper one to 35 mm. As a result, by the GKO decree of March 6, 1942, a new fighting machine was adopted by the Red Army under the designation T-70. Two days later, the GKO decree on the production of the tank saw the light, according to which factories No. 37 and No. 38 were involved in its production since April. However, reality did not allow these plans to be fully realized. For example, the new tank required twice as many engines as the T-60. It was not possible to establish the production of a cast tower and GAZ had to hastily provide other factories with documentation for a welded tower. As a result, the April plan for the production of the T-70 was fulfilled only by GAZ, which assembled 50 vehicles. Plant No. 38 in Kirov managed to produce only seven tanks, while at plant No. 37 their assembly was not possible either by April or later.

PRODUCTION

At the beginning of October 1942, GAZ, and in November, plant number 38, switched to the production of T-70M tanks with an improved chassis. The width (from 260 to 300 mm) and the pitch of the tracks, the width of the road wheels, as well as the diameter of the torsion bars (from 33.5 to 36 mm) of the suspension and gear rims of the driving wheels were increased. The number of tracks in the track was reduced from 91 to 80 units. In addition, the carrier rollers, stop brakes and final drives have been strengthened. The mass of the tank increased to 10 tons, and the cruising range on the highway dropped to 250 km. The gun ammunition was reduced to 70 rounds.

From the end of December 1942, Plant No. 38 stopped producing tanks and switched to the production of SU-76 self-propelled guns. As a result, starting in 1943, light tanks for the Red Army were produced only at GAZ. Moreover, in the second half of 1943, the release was accompanied by great difficulties. From 5 to 14 June, the plant was subjected to concentrated attacks by German aviation. 2170 bombs were dropped on the Avtozavodsky district of Gorky, of which 1540 were dropped directly on the territory of the plant. More than 50 buildings and structures were completely destroyed or seriously damaged. In particular, the chassis workshops, wheel, assembly and thermal No. 2, the main conveyor, the locomotive depot were burned down, and many other workshops of the plant were seriously damaged. As a result, the production of BA-64 armored vehicles and automobiles had to be stopped. However, the production of tanks did not stop, although it slightly decreased - only in August it was possible to cut off the May production volume. But the century of the light tank had already been meted out - on August 28, 1943, a GKO decree was issued, according to which, from October 1 of the same year, GAZ switched to the production of SU-76M self-propelled guns. In total, in 1942-1943, 8226 tanks of the T-70 and T-70M modifications were produced.

Description of the structure

The layout of the T-70 light tank repeated the layout diagrams of almost all the predecessor tanks of the light class and did not fundamentally differ from that of the T-60 tank.

The driver was located in the bow of the hull at the port side. The tank commander was located in a rotating turret, also shifted to the left side. In the middle part of the hull along the starboard side, on a common frame, two engines paired in series were installed, making up a single power unit. The transmission and drive wheels were located in front.

TOWER HOUSING, RESERVATION

The body of the tank was welded from rolled armor plates with a thickness of 6, 10, 15, 25, 35 and 45 mm. The welded seams were reinforced with riveting. The frontal and stern hull plates had rational angles of inclination. In the upper frontal sheet of the hull there was a driver's hatch, in the cover of which the tanks of the first issues had a viewing slot with a triplex, and then a rotary periscope observation device was installed.

A welded faceted tower, made of armor plates 35 mm thick, was mounted on a ball bearing in the middle of the hull and had the shape of a truncated pyramid. The welded joints of the tower walls were reinforced with armored squares. The frontal part had a cast swinging mask with embrasures for installing a cannon, machine gun and sight. An entrance hatch for the tank commander was made in the roof of the tower. A periscopic mirror observation device was installed in the armored hatch cover, which provided the commander with an all-round view. In addition, there was a flap in the cover for a flag signaling.

WEAPON

The T-70 tank was equipped with a 45-mm tank gun mod. 1938 and to the left of it a coaxial machine gun DT. For the convenience of the tank commander, the gun was shifted to the right of the longitudinal axis of the turret. The length of the gun barrel was 46 calibers, the height of the line of fire was 1540 mm. The vertical aiming angles of the paired installation were from -6 ° to + 20 °. For shooting, sights were used: telescopic TMPP (a TOP sight was installed on some of the tanks) and mechanical - as a backup. Sighting range was 3600 m, maximum - 4800 m.

When using a mechanical sight, only direct fire was possible at a distance of not more than 1000 m. The rate of fire of the gun was 12 rds / min. The gear turret rotation mechanism was installed to the left of the commander, and the helical lifting mechanism of the twin installation - to the right. The trigger mechanism of the cannon was foot, the triggering of the cannon was carried out by pressing the right pedal, and the machine gun - by the left. The ammunition load included 90 rounds with armor-piercing and fragmentation shells for the cannon (of which 20 shots were in the store) and 945 rounds for the DT machine gun (15 disks). starting speed an armor-piercing projectile with a mass of 1.42 kg was 760 m / s, a fragmentation projectile with a mass of 2.13 kg - 335 m / s. After firing a shot with an armor-piercing projectile, the spent cartridge case was ejected automatically. When firing a fragmentation projectile, due to the shorter recoil length of the gun, opening the bolt and removing the sleeve was carried out manually.

ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, UNDERWEAR

The power plant GAZ-203 (70-6000) consisted of two four-stroke 6-cylinder carburetor engines GAZ-202 (GAZ 70-6004 - front and GAZ 70-6005 - rear) with a total capacity of 140 liters. With. The crankshafts of the engines were connected by a coupling with elastic bushings. Flywheel housing front engine to prevent lateral vibrations of the power unit, it was connected by a rod to the starboard side. The battery ignition system, lubrication system and fuel (excluding tanks) system were independent for each engine. Two gas tanks with a total capacity of 440 liters were located on the left side of the aft compartment of the hull in a compartment isolated by armored partitions.

The transmission consisted of a two-disk semi-centrifugal main dry friction clutch (ferrodo steel); four-speed gearbox of automobile type (4 + 1), main gear with bevel gear; two side clutches with band brakes and two simple single row final drives. The main clutch and gearbox were assembled from parts borrowed from a ZIS-5 truck.

The composition of the propeller of the tank in relation to one side included: a drive wheel with a removable toothed ring gear, five single-sided rubberized road wheels and three all-metal support rollers, a guide wheel with a crank track tension mechanism and a fine-link caterpillar of 91 tracks. The idler wheel and track roller designs have been unified. The width of the cast track track was 260 mm. Suspension - individual torsion bar.

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE T-70 TANK

Combat weight, t: 9.2
Crew, pers .: 2
Overall dimensions, mm:
length: 4285
width: 2420
height: 2035
ground clearance: 300
Armament: 1 x 45 mm 20K cannon and 1 x 7.62 mm DT machine gun
Reservation, mm:
body forehead (top): 35 mm
body forehead (bottom): 45 mm
side of the case: 15 mm
body feed: 25 mm
tower: 35 mm
roof: 10 mm
bottom: 10 mm
Engine: 2 x GAZ-202, gasoline, 6-cylinder, liquid-cooled, with a total capacity of 140 hp. With.
Max speed, km / h: 45
Cruising in store, km: 250

The T-70 tank was developed at the design bureau of the Gorky Automobile Plant under the leadership of N.A.Astrov at the end of 1941. Mass production was organized in 1942-1943. at the Gorky Automobile Plant, factories No. 37 (Sverdlovsk) and No. 38 (Kirov). A total of 8226 tanks of the T-70 and T-70M modifications were produced. The vehicles took part in the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, as well as in other operations of the Great Patriotic War.

Tank T-70
Combat weight - 9.2-10 tons; crew - 2 people; weapons: cannon - 45 mm, machine gun - 7.62 mm; armor - bulletproof; power unit power - 140 hp (103 kW); maximum speed - 45 km / h

The T-70 tank was designed to replace the T-60 tank in the army and differed from it mainly in size, more powerful weapons, enhanced armor protection and higher specific power... The general layout of the vehicle was fundamentally the same as that of the T-60 tank. The tank had five compartments: control - in the front of the hull, combat - in the middle part, transmission - in the front part of the hull on the right along the course, motor - in the middle part along the starboard side of the hull and aft. The crew of two was housed in the hull and turret. The driver was in the bow of the hull at the port side. The tank commander was located in a rotating turret, shifted to the left side from the longitudinal axis of the hull. In the middle part of the hull along the starboard side, on a common frame, two engines paired in series were installed, making up a single power unit. This constructive solution was first implemented in the domestic tank building. The transmission and drive wheels were front-mounted.

A 45-mm tank gun mod. 1938 and a 7.62 mm DT machine gun paired with it, which was located to the left of the cannon. For the convenience of the tank commander, the gun was shifted to the right of the longitudinal axis of the turret. The length of the gun barrel was 46 calibers, the height of the line of fire was 1540 mm. The machine gun was mounted in a ball mount and, if necessary, could be removed and used outside the tank. The vertical aiming angles of the paired installation were from - 6 to + 20 °. When firing, sights were used: a telescopic TMPP (a TOP sight was installed on some of the tanks) and a mechanical one as a backup. Direct fire range was 3600 m, maximum - 4800 m. Rate of fire - 12 rds / min. The gear-type turret rotation mechanism was installed to the left of the commander, and the helical lifting mechanism of the twin installation - to the right. The trigger mechanism of the cannon was connected with a cable to the right foot pedal, and the machine gun - to the left. The tank's ammunition consisted of 90 rounds with armor-piercing and fragmentation shells for the cannon (of which 20 shots were in the store) and 945 rounds for the DT machine gun (15 discs). Additionally in fighting compartment the vehicles were packed: one 7.62-mm PPSh submachine gun with 213 rounds of ammunition (3 discs) and 10 F-1 hand grenades. On the machines of the first releases, the ammunition for the gun consisted of 70 rounds. The initial velocity of an armor-piercing projectile with a mass of 1.42 kg was 760 m / s, a fragmentation projectile with a mass of 2.13 kg - 335 m / s. After firing a shot with an armor-piercing projectile, the spent cartridge case was ejected automatically. When firing a fragmentation projectile, due to the shorter recoil length of the gun, opening the bolt and removing the sleeve was carried out manually. Created in the spring of 1942, a new armor-piercing sabot projectile for a 45-mm cannon penetrated a 50-mm-thick armor plate at a distance of 500 m.

Reservation scheme for a light tank T-70

Armor protection - bulletproof, made of rolled armor plates with a thickness of 6, 10, 15, 25, 35 and 45 mm. Frontal and aft hull plates and turret plates had rational angles of inclination. In the upper frontal sheet of the hull there was a driver's hatch, in the armor cover of which a rotary periscope observation device was installed (on the machines of the first releases, a viewing slot with a triplex was made in the hatch cover). To facilitate opening the hatch cover, a counterbalancing mechanism was used. In addition, at the bottom right (along the course of the tank) in the frontal sheet there was a hatch for access to the transmission units, which was closed by an armored cover on bolts.In the lower frontal sheet there was a hatch for the engine crank, which was closed by an armored cover. Each side of the hull consisted of two sheets welded together. The weld seam was reinforced with rivets. In the lower part of each side, five cutouts were made for the installation of the balancer brackets, as well as holes for attaching the rear roller balancer stop and for three carrier roller brackets. In addition, in the starboard side there was a hatch for installing a starting heater lamp, and along its upper part an armored air intake box of the power plant was welded.

The roof of the hull consisted of a turret plate resting on a longitudinal beam and a partition of the aft compartment; a removable sheet above the engine compartment and air intake armor, mounted on hinges and simultaneously serving to access the engines; a removable horizontal sheet above the water radiator of the cooling system, in which there were: a hatch for filling the cooling system with water and shutters for the outlet of cooling air, as well as two removable sheets above the fuel tank compartment, one of which had two hatches for refueling fuel tanks. The bottom of the hull was made of three armor plates and, to ensure rigidity, had box-section cross beams, in which the suspension torsion bars passed. It housed: an emergency hatch-manhole located under the driver's seat, two small hatches for draining oil from the engines, two hatches for draining fuel and two hatches for access to the water radiator mounting studs.

A faceted welded turret, made of armor plates 35 mm thick, was mounted on a ball bearing in the middle of the hull and had the shape of a truncated pyramid. The welded joints of the turret were reinforced with armored squares. The frontal part of the tower had a cast swinging mask with embrasures for installing a cannon, machine gun and sight. An entrance hatch for the tank commander was made in the roof of the tower. A periscopic viewing mirror was installed in the armored hatch cover, which provided the commander with an all-round view. The blind space around the tank ranged from 7.5 to 16.5 m. For flag signaling, there was a special hatch in the hatch cover, which was closed by an armored flap. Providing all-round visibility through the installation of a rotatable viewing device was a novelty for the lungs. domestic tanks... In the sides of the tower there were holes for firing from personal weapons, which were closed with armored plugs.

Two manual tetrachloride fire extinguishers were used as fire-fighting equipment in the tank.

The power unit GAZ-203 (70-6000) consisted of two four-stroke six-cylinder GAZ-202 carburetor engines (GAZ 70-6004 - front and GAZ 70-6005 - rear) with a total power of 140 hp. (103 kW) with M-type carburetors. The crankshafts of the engines were connected by a coupling with elastic bushings. The flywheel housing of the front engine was connected by a rod to the starboard side to prevent lateral vibrations of the power unit. The battery ignition system, lubrication system and fuel (excluding tanks) system were independent for each engine. The oil-water radiator had two sections for separate servicing of the engines. The cooling system of the engines compared to the cooling system of the T-60 tank was significantly modified, the water pump was made common for the two engines. An oil-inertial air cleaner was used in the air system. For the accelerated start of the engines in winter, a heater was used, which was powered by a portable blowtorch. A preheater boiler and an oil-water radiator were included in the cooling system. The engines were started from two 1.3 hp ST-40 electric starters connected in parallel. (0.96 kW) each or with a manual winding mechanism. On the command tanks(with a radio station) instead of ST-40 starters, two ST-06 starters with a power of 2 hp were installed. (1.5 kW). The engines ran on KB-70 or B-70 aviation gasoline. Two fuel tanks with a total capacity of 440 liters were placed on the left side of the aft compartment of the hull in a compartment isolated by armored partitions. On the right side of the aft compartment there was a fan and a radiator for the engine cooling system. Two cylindrical mufflers were located on the starboard side behind the armor cover of the air intake.

The mechanical transmission consisted of a two-disk semi-centrifugal main dry friction clutch (ferodo steel); a four-speed simple car-type gearbox providing four forward gears and one reverse gear; main gear with bevel gear; two multi-disc dry side clutches (steel on steel) with band brakes with Ferodo linings and two simple single row final drives. The main clutch and gearbox were assembled from parts borrowed from a ZIS-5 truck.

The suspension system used a reinforced individual torsion bar suspension and travel stops for the balancers of the fifth road wheels. Carrier rollers played the role of travel stops for the first and third road wheels. The tracked propeller consisted of two drive wheels with removable pinion gear rims with tracks, ten single-sided support wheels with external shock absorption and six all-metal support rollers, two idler wheels with crank track tensioning mechanisms and two fine-link tracks with OMSh. The design of the idler wheel and track roller has been unified. The width of the cast track track was 260 mm. To prevent the displacement of the fingers towards the body when the machine was moving, special fists-bumpers were riveted to the housings of the final drives from above and to the bottom of the body from below.

The electrical equipment of the machine was made according to a single-wire circuit. The voltage of the on-board network was 12 V (on the tanks of the first releases - 6 V). The sources of electricity were two 3STE-112 rechargeable batteries connected in series with a voltage of 6 V and a capacity of 112 Ah and a GAZ-27A generator with a power of 225 W with a RRA-14 relay-regulator or a G-64 generator with a power of 250 W with a relay regulator PPA-44 or PPA-4574. Since August 1942, generators GT-500S or DSF-500T with a power of 380/500 W with relay-regulators RRK-37-500T or RRK-GT-500S began to be installed on command tanks, and on line tanks- generator G-41 with relay-regulator PPA-364. The command tanks were equipped with a 9P or 12RT radio station located in the turret and an internal intercom TPU-2F. On line tanks, a light signaling device was installed for internal communication between the commander and the driver-mechanic and an internal intercom TPU-2.

During production, the mass of the tank increased from 9.2 to 9.8 tons, and the cruising range on the highway decreased from 360 to 320 km.

In September 1942, plant No. 38 and GAZ switched to the production of T-70M tanks with an improved chassis. The gun ammunition was reduced to 70 rounds. As a result of work on the modernization of the chassis, the width and pitch of the tracks (up to 300 mm and 111 mm, respectively), the width of the road wheels (from 104 to 130 mm), as well as the diameter of the suspension torsion bars (from 34 to 36 mm) and gear rims were increased. driving wheels. By increasing the track step, their number in one track was reduced from 91 to 80 pcs. In addition, the carrier rollers, stopping brakes were strengthened (the width of the brake band and drum was increased from 90 to 124 mm) and final drives. The mass of the tank increased to 10 tons, and the cruising range on the highway dropped to 250 km.