T 70 tank Gorodok operation. The most massive of the lungs. Who used combat vehicles

In October 1941 it became clear that new lightweight The T-60 tank, which was launched in September, is practically useless on the battlefield. The fact is that it had too weak weapons and armor, which was easily penetrated by enemy tanks. It was impossible to correct these shortcomings without a radical change in the design, since its engine and gearbox were already working in overstressed mode. An increase in the mass of the tank, which is inevitable with increased armor and weapons, would put these units out of action.

At the end of October 1941, specialists from the design bureau of the Gorky Automobile Plant began developing a new tank, which received the index GAZ-70 or military designation T-70.

The work proceeded very quickly, using a prima standard commonly used in the automotive industry, which was unusual for tank designers. General types combat vehicles were made life-size on special aluminum plates measuring 7x3 meters, which were painted with white enamel and divided into squares measuring 200x200 mm. To reduce the area of ​​the drawing and increase its accuracy, a plan, as well as full and partial cross sections, were superimposed on the main view - a longitudinal section. The drawings, which included all the parts and components of the external and internal equipment of the tank, were carried out in as much detail as possible and in the future they served as the basis for control when assembling the prototype.

Design and description

The T-70 light tank had a classic design, with a front-mounted transmission. The driver-mechanic's seat was located in the bow of the hull on the left side, and the tank commander's seat was in a rotating turret shifted to the left side. In the middle part of the hull along the starboard side, two engines paired in series were installed on a common frame, which made up a single power unit. The transmission and drive wheels were in front.

The hull was welded from rolled armor plates, which had a thickness of 6, 10, 15, 25, 35 and 45 mm. In particularly critical areas, the welds were reinforced with riveting. The front and rear plates of the armored hull had rational angles of inclination. A welded faceted turret made of 35 mm thick armor plates was mounted on a ball bearing in the middle part of the hull. The welded joints of the turret were reinforced with armored angles. The frontal part of the turret had a cast swinging mantlet with embrasures for mounting a cannon, machine gun and telescopic sight. An entrance hatch for the tank commander was made in the roof of the turret. A periscopic mirror observation device was installed in the armored hatch cover, which provided the commander with all-round visibility. There was also a hatch in the lid for a flag alarm.

As weapons, the T-70 tank was equipped with a 45-mm tank gun of the 1938 model and to the left of it a coaxial DT machine gun. The gun was shifted to the right of the longitudinal axis of the turret, which provided greater convenience for the commander's work. The gear mechanism for turning the turret was installed to the left of the commander, and the screw lifting mechanism of the twin installation was on the right. The gun had a foot trigger mechanism, which was operated by pressing the right pedal, and the machine gun by pressing the left pedal. The ammunition consisted of 90 rounds of armor-piercing and fragmentation shells for the cannon and 945 rounds of ammunition for the DT machine gun.

Gun characteristics:

• height of the firing line – 1540 mm;
• vertical tilt angle of the coupled installation – from -6 to +20 degrees;
• target firing range – 3600 m;
• maximum firing range – 4800 m;
• rate of fire – 12 rounds/min.

As power plant The GAZ-203 engine was chosen, which consisted of two four-stroke six-cylinder GAZ-202 carburetor engines with a total power of 140 hp. The engine crankshafts were connected using a coupling with elastic bushings. The front engine flywheel housing was connected by a rod to the starboard side, which prevented lateral vibrations. For each engine, the battery ignition system, lubrication system and fuel system were independent. The tank was equipped with two fuel tanks with a total capacity of 440 liters, which were located on the left side of the rear compartment of the hull in a compartment isolated by armored partitions.

The transmission of the T-70 tank consisted of a two-disc semi-centrifugal dry friction main clutch, a four-speed automotive-type gearbox, a final drive with a bevel gear, two final clutches with band brakes and two simple single-row final drives. The main clutch and gearbox were assembled from parts borrowed from the ZIS-5 truck.

The note: “The command tanks were equipped with a 9R or 12RT radio station, which was located in the turret, and an internal intercom TPU-2F. On linear tanks We installed a light-signal device for internal communication between the commander and the driver-mechanic and an internal intercom TPU-2.”

The propulsion unit on each side included: drive wheels with a removable pinion gear, five single-pitch rubber-coated road wheels and three all-metal support rollers, a guide wheel with a crank mechanism for tensioning the track, and a fine-link caterpillar of 91 tracks with a pitch of 98 mm. The design of the idler wheel and support roller were unified. The width of the cast track track was 260 mm. Suspension – individual torsion bar.

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

Tactical and technical characteristics and overall dimensions of the T-70 tank:

• length – 4285 mm;
• width – 2420 mm;
• height – 2035 mm;
• ground clearance - 300 mm;
• armament - 20K cannon, model 1934, 45 mm caliber, DT machine gun, model 1929, 7.62 mm caliber;
• communication means - intercom TPU-2 and on command tanks radio station 12RT or 9P;
• obstacles to be overcome – angle of ascent 28 degrees, ditch width 1.0 meters, wall height 0.6 meters, ford depth 0.9 meters;
• maximum speed– 45 km/h;
• Power reserve – 250 km.

Assembly and testing

At the end of December 1942, a hull was made for the first tank and a turret designed by V. Dedkov was cast. Simultaneously with the cast one, a welded version of the turret was also developed. In January 1942, assembly began, which, for a number of reasons, was completed only on February 14. The tank was then sent to Moscow and shown there to representatives of the Main Armored Directorate. The military reacted rather coolly to the new tank, since in terms of armor protection it was only slightly superior to the T-60 and had an increased mass due to the installation of a 45-mm cannon, and the power of the weapons was offset by only one place for a person in the turret, who must perform the duties of commander, gunner and loader However, chief designer N.A. Astrov promised short term eliminate all shortcomings.

Then tests were carried out on a prototype of the T-70 tank and test firing from the main weapon. The new tank, compared to its predecessor, had a higher power density(15.2 hp/t versus 11 hp/t), more powerful weapon(45 mm gun instead of 20 mm) and enhanced armor protection (45 mm armor instead of 20-35 mm).

Based on test results new tank By decree of the State Defense Committee (GKO) of March 6, 1942, it was adopted by the Red Army. Two days later, the following GKO decree was issued on the production of the tank from April at factories No. 37 and No. 38, as well as the Gorky Automobile Plant. However, the new tank required twice as many parts as the previous tank, and it was not possible to organize the production of the turret and the Gorky Automobile Plant quickly had to provide documentation for the welded turret to other factories.

The T-70 tank was produced from spring to November 1942, and then it was replaced by a modernized one.

The use of T-70 tanks during the Great Patriotic War

Tank and mechanized corps could include tank brigades consisting of 32 tanks T-34 and 21 T-70 tanks. However, by the spring of 1944, this tank model was excluded from the states. tank units Red Army, but in some brigades they continued to be used for quite a long time.

The first to receive new tanks were the 157th and 162nd separate tank brigades, which were formed in the city of Murom in the first half of 1942. in each of these brigades there were 65 such vehicles. Even before the outbreak of hostilities, both brigades were reorganized into a more traditional mixed organization. The new tanks received their baptism of fire during battles in the southwestern direction in June-July 1942, where they suffered significant losses. Already the first battles showed their low fighting qualities, insufficient armor protection when using tanks as infantry support, and weak weapons that did not allow them to fight German medium tanks.

However, in capable hands the T-70 tank was a formidable weapon. So, on July 6, 1943, in the battles for the village of Pokovka in the Oboyan direction, the tank crew under the command of Lieutenant V.V. Pavlovich from the 49th Guards Tank Brigade was able to knock out three medium German tanks and one Panther.

On August 21, 1943, tank commander Lieutenant A.L. Dmitrienko of the 178th Tank Brigade discovered a retreating german tank and began to pursue him. Having caught up with the enemy, Dmitrienko noticed that the hatch in the turret of the enemy tank was open, he climbed out of his tank, jumped onto the armor of the enemy vehicle and threw a grenade into the hatch. The crew of the German tank was destroyed, and the tank itself was towed to our location and, after minor repairs, was used in battle.

Fact: « A large number of T-70 tanks took part in the Battle of Kursk. Thus, the tank forces of the Central Front on the eve of the battle had 1,652 tanks, of which 369 or 22% were tanks of this model.”

Often these tanks were used for ramming. For example, in the combat log of the 150th Tank Brigade, which operated as part of the 40th Army of the Voronezh dandy in January 1943, the following entry was preserved:

“Senior Lieutenant Zakharchenko and driver-mechanic Senior Sergeant Krivko, repelling tank counterattacks and expending shells, went with their company to ram German tanks. Zakharchenko himself personally rammed two tanks and captured the commander and chief of staff of the 100th Special Purpose Tank Battalion.”

Fact: “During the Second World War, in addition to the Red Army, the T-70 tank was in service with the Polish Army in the amount of 53 copies and the Czechoslovak Corps in the amount of 10 copies.”

The hastily developed design clearly lacked firepower and security, and the designers were aware of this. But there was no longer any possibility of returning to production of a rather perfect one. A new armored vehicle had to be created on the basis of the T-60. Immediately after its launch into production, Nikolai Astrov began work on further improving the machine.

The T-70 prototype was assembled at the beginning of 1942, and at the end of February it went for testing and officially entered service in March. In the same year, mass production of the “seventieth” began, quickly displacing its predecessor from the production lines.

Description of design

The T-70 inherited its layout from its predecessor. The transmission was located in the front part of the welded hull, in the stern - fuel tanks and cooling system, fighting compartment combined with motor. But the power plant itself has changed - instead of one six-cylinder car engine, two began to be installed. Accordingly, doubled - up to 140 hp. – power has increased. The engines were started by electric starters connected in parallel; a pre-heater boiler was available.

The T-70 four-speed gearbox was manufactured based on components from the ZiS-5 truck gearbox. The chassis has changed somewhat due to an increase in the overall length - the road wheels have become five instead of four. The suspension remains torsion bar, without shock absorbers.

Two tankers sat behind each other, to the left of the engines. The commander remained overloaded with responsibilities - he also performed the tasks of a gunner and loader. On the T-70, unlike its predecessor, an intercom for crew members became standard equipment for linear light tanks. Only command vehicles were still equipped with radio stations.

To ensure the operation of the radios, more powerful generators were installed on the commander's T-70s.

The thickness of the upper frontal sheet of the T-70 was increased to 35 mm (it had an angle of inclination of 62⁰), the lower (with a smaller angle of inclination) - up to 45 mm. Such armor could protect against 37 mm and 50 mm shells. The thickness of the vertical sides is 15 mm, sufficient for protection from bullets. The driver's cabin disappeared from the front plate; now it only had a hatch with an inspection slot.

The octagonal turret was welded from 35 mm armor plates, instead of 25 mm for the T-60. The front was covered with a 50 mm cast mask. The turret hatch cover had one rotating viewing device for the commander. As with the T-60, during the production of the T-70 its security improved somewhat due to the replacement of homogeneous armor with surface-reinforced armor.

Armament

The 20 mm TNSh automatic cannon on the T-70 was replaced by a 45 mm 20K gun. Developed back in the early 30s, this gun was successfully used on many pre-war Soviet tanks and armored vehicles.

The main ammunition was unitary rounds with BR-240 armor-piercing shells.

At a short distance, they pierced a vertical sheet of armor about 50 mm thick, and 18-19 grams of hexal provided armor protection.

The BR-240SP solid projectile did not have a bursting charge, but its penetration was slightly better - up to 60 mm of armor. In 1942, to defeat new German tanks with better protection, developed sub-caliber projectile BR-240P with a tungsten core. It could also penetrate 90 mm armor plate, although only from short distances.

To combat groups of infantry and unarmored vehicles, the O-240 fragmentation projectile could be used. Its use was associated with some difficulties - due to the smaller initial speed shell, the automatic gun did not work, and the cartridge case had to be removed manually. On other vehicles this could only mean a loss of rate of fire. For the T-70, this meant that the cartridge case, in a cramped turret, would be “picked out” by the commander, who at such moments completely lost control over the situation.

In an attempt to improve the combat qualities of the T-70, they tried to rearm it with a more powerful gun of the same caliber, and replace the turret with a double one. From this project in the end.

Technical characteristics in comparison with analogues

In 1942, light tanks began to fall out of widespread use. The American Stuart was outdated, and they were actively looking for a replacement. The German Pz.II was transferred to training units. The newest American and British light tanks were specialized vehicles for airborne troops.

The American light tank, developed before the war, was superior to the T-70 in both size and weight. At the same time, its 37 mm gun was inferior to the Soviet “forty-five”, and its voracious engines “provided” a small power reserve. The German light tank had the advantage in terms of communications and surveillance, but could not boast of anything else.

It is worth noting that more modern American tank The M24, whose production began in 1944, was almost twice as heavy as the T-70 and was equipped with a more powerful 75 mm cannon. That is, although it was considered “light”, it was actually a car of a slightly different class.

Combat use

By state in each tank brigade The Red Army was supposed to have two companies of light tanks armed with T-70s. One company each was to be part of separate tank regiments and battalions.

The T-70's service in the Red Army began in the summer of 1942.

The first light tanks to arrive in the 4th tank corps, were completely lost when repelling the German offensive. It soon became obvious that despite the enhanced armament, the “seventieth” was not superior to its predecessor in combat effectiveness. Of course, experienced and talented crews acted quite effectively in the “seventies”.

The light weight of the light tank made it possible to effectively use it in forests and swamps; its maneuverability and small size played into its hands in urban battles. In the Battle of Kursk, the T-70 suffered heavy losses, but the high technology of the design contributed to a lower percentage of irretrievable losses, even compared to the T-34. However, in the same 1943, the T-70 was decided to be discontinued.

Not everyone supported this decision - for example, Lieutenant General Bogdanov reported that the T-70 is excellent for pursuing retreating units and operating from ambushes. However, production was stopped, and the “seventies” began to go into educational units. Light tank companies were removed from the staff.

T-70 light tanks were transferred to the Polish and Czechoslovak armies formed in the USSR.

Immediately after the war they were withdrawn from service. A small number of "Seventies" captured by the Nazis were officially adopted by the Wehrmacht and used in police units. More than four thousand tanks were produced, and up to today About two dozen have survived.

conclusions

The T-70 light tank inherited from the T-60 simplicity and manufacturability in production and operation. But that's where everyone came from negative sides designs. In addition, despite the enhanced weapons, the real firepower increased slightly - the Germans in 1942 began to receive armored vehicles with enhanced protection. Using the T-70 in open battles was fraught with high losses.

A light tank could still make a good reconnaissance vehicle, but primitive observation devices and an overloaded crew were a hindrance. The low-power engine also contributed. But it was precisely the “intelligence” qualities that helped the obviously outdated “Stuart” serve until the end of the war.

Of course, the designers tried to solve these problems, but the T-80 with a two-man turret immediately lost its remarkable reliability. To ensure the mobility of the heavier structure, the motors had to be boosted - and this had a deplorable effect on their service life. Probably, if the T-50 with a diesel engine had remained in production, the conclusion about the uselessness of light tanks would not have been made.

The T-70 developed the ideas inherent in its predecessor to create a simple and reliable armored vehicle, mass production which could be deployed in the shortest possible time.

And the designers succeeded fully in this. Side effect This approach resulted in a very low potential for modernization.

By 1943, there was no longer a need to ensure the production of “at least some” tanks, and the T-70, unfortunately, was not suitable for performing the tasks that faced the new generation of light tanks.

Video

Hello to all those who like to fight in the sandbox, the site is here! Tankers and tankmen, now we will talk about a really worthwhile small machine, a Soviet light tank third level, in front of you T-70 guide.

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

TTX T-70

According to the already established tradition, we will start with what our light tank there is a standard view by the standards of classmates, and also a weak Soviet view range of 310 meters.

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

If we talk about the frontal projection of the hull, then thanks to the excellent slope of the armor plates, the upper frontal part T-70 World of Tanks it has 72 millimeters of armor over its entire area, and the small red square on the side of the model is also reinforced, here the thickness of the metal reaches 113 millimeters. At the same time, it is better to hide the NLD, because it is only a 51-mm section that can ricochet, but in general it penetrates easily.

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

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

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

gun

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

First of all, you should know that T-70 gun Alphastrike has an average level, but in addition it has a high rate of fire, thanks to which we have the opportunity to inflict decent damage per minute, which is approximately 1320 units.

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

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

In general, all weapon indicators T-70 tank I received good results, but there is one serious flaw - the vertical aiming angles. Our barrel only goes down 4 degrees, this is very sad and it will be really difficult to play due to the terrain.

Advantages and disadvantages

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

Equipment for T-70

Despite the fact that at the third level the choice additional modules is very limited, it is possible and necessary to strengthen the tank, especially since everything necessary for this device is, in principle, available. To achieve maximum results for tank T-70 equipment It's better to put the following:
1. – as can be seen from the list of shortcomings, this device needs to improve its mixing speed, which is what we will do first.
2. is a good and thoughtful choice that will give a 5% boost to the most important parameters, improving damage, accuracy and slightly increasing visibility.
3. – there is no point in inventing anything, because you can radically increase the viewing range and gain an advantage over the enemy only by choosing this module.

Crew training

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

Equipment for T-70

As always, the process of purchasing consumables remains standard, and therefore simple and understandable. If you have little silver in stock or are saving up for a tank, take , , . However, you will feel much more confident in battle if you buy for T-70 equipment in the form of , , , especially understanding the problems with shell shock of such a multifunctional commander. By the way, Soviet tanks rarely burn, so you can also replace the fire extinguisher with one.

Tactics for playing the T-70

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

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

Of course, fighting at the top of the list for T-70 tactics combat consists of taking a position on the front line, where, having hidden your NLD and taking cover from enemy artillery, you can confidently tank, holding back or pushing through the direction together with your allies.

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

No less confident T-70 tank feels like standing on the second line, because such tactics are much safer and make it possible to inflict damage with impunity. Fortunately, for remote firing we have pleasant accuracy and good penetration, all that remains is to shine less and target vulnerable areas in the enemy’s armor.

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

. Based on the totality of characteristics, it is the Soviet T-70 tank that is the best in the light category. Sometimes the T-50 is given the palm, but taking into account that their production was limited to only 7 dozen (design complexity), compare with the T-70, more than 8000 units, the second most popular result is second only to . Who cares here =>>, let's go back to the end of 41 years.
Already at the end of October 1941 N.A. Astrov, in the design and experimental department (DED) of GAZ, began developing 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, assemble it using automotive components and components as much as possible. It was quite obvious that without a significant increase in the power of the engine installation further development light tanks are almost impossible. But in 1941, increasing the power of a mass-produced engine by boosting it seemed to be a difficult task to solve, except in the long term.

Alabino T-70 opening tank biathlon photo 2013

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

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

Now, in November, the first version of the twin unit of two GAZ-11 engines was manufactured in metal and put on the stand. It soon became clear that important role plays the rigidity of the rubber “barrels” in the elastic coupling connecting the engines. Not trusting the instruments, I selected the stiffness (elasticity) myself chief designer- Lipgart, assessing the hardness of the rubber, pressing his fingernail into it. Rubber bands that were too soft allowed hard impacts in the inter-engine connection to pass through, while rubber bands that were too hard led to overloading of the main bearings of the engines. We were looking for the middle. Found that mutual arrangement crankshafts do not play any role.

Short description lung structures T-70 tank

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 shift lever. This box had four forward gears and one reverse gear. Both the cooling system fan and its drive were modified - a gear drive was introduced instead of a V-belt drive.
At the same time, they developed a frame on which the power unit assembly was mounted, installed in the tank body 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.

Shot down seventy, street battles for Stalingrad 1942

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

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

A 45-mm tank gun mod. 1932-1938 with a vertical wedge valve. 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. The gun's ammunition consisted of 90 rounds (70 rounds on first-production vehicles). The turret rotation mechanism was manual gear; it was located on the left, and the lifting mechanism was on the right of the commander. Sights were telescopic or periscope (partially), as well as mechanical. There was an entrance hatch in the roof of the turret for the commander. A periscope viewing device for all-round visibility was mounted in the armored cover.
The greater length and weight 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 the first production tanks 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 BR-240P sub-caliber armor-piercing projectile
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. USH-243 with Shch-240 buckshot

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

The best light tanks of the Second World War T-70 photo and T-70M were assembled until mid-1943. The entire workshop was abandoned 8.3 thousand such cars.
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 Stalin Prize II degree.

T-70 with troops 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 targeted machine-gun fire at ground and air (anti-aircraft) targets, operating in close cooperation with other light tanks.

light tank t 90 photo

The tank, based on the T-70M, had a turret open at the top and shifted to the left side, armed with coaxial 12.7-mm DShKT machine guns. The absence of an armored roof in the octagonal turret, made of 35 mm rolled armor, ensured free observation of air targets and firing at them. From above it could be 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 shooting and a telescopic sight for ground targets. Sighting range was 3500 m, maximum - up to 7000 m.
The most advanced light tank T-80 of the family .
In the second half of 1942 - the first half of 1943, work to improve the T-70M was carried out in several directions. Thus, designs of a cast and then a two-seat welded turret appeared, which made it possible to free the tank commander from the functions of a gunner. The crew size increased to 3 people. An increase in the volume of the tower required the introduction of additional viewing devices. The gunner was located to the left of the gun, and the commander-loader was to the right. On the roof of the tower above the commander's position there was a stationary commander's cupola with an entrance hatch closed by a lid equipped with a periscopic all-round viewing device. A hatch was made above the gunner's position, which was also closed with a hinged lid. In front of it there was a periscope viewing device and a collimator sight with folding armor. The gunner's sights remained the same as on the T-70.
In addition, the collimator sight was used for shooting at air targets or on 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.
Vertical aiming angles of the 45-mm cannon mod. 1938 ranged from -8e to +65°. A 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 rounds.
The tank used a power unit with increased power. The forced 6-cylinder GAZ-80 engines developed a power of 85 hp. every. Starting was carried out either using two electric starters or a manual crank. The armor protection of the hull was strengthened by replacing the 15 mm thick side armor plates with 25 mm sheets. As a result, the combat weight increased to 11.6 tons.
The tank was accepted for production as the T-80 at the Mytishchi plant No. 40. After the production of 81 cars, their production was discontinued.

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 light tanks of the T-70 family. The bulk of the vehicles hit the southwestern direction, where they suffered heavy losses. And what tank formations didn’t carry them that year? Assessments of combat activity vary to the exact opposite. Some people complain about weak armor, others about weak weapons. Although the 45-mm tank gun 20K mod. 1932 was quite sufficient for 1942; it could successfully fight all types of Wehrmacht tanks at a distance of up to 500 m. More advanced ones and the Panther began to be produced in 43, when meeting with them the chances of the seventy were equal to zero. But these heavyweights were few and far between in 1943. The Red Army tank regiment of that time consisted of 23 T-34 And 16 T-70 or 70M.

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

For some reason they always compare German tanks of the latest modifications, and certainly head-on, like tank battle. In fact, knocking out tanks was almost always assigned to anti-tank artillery. And for direct comparison, not everything is so sad for the T-70; we will modestly keep silent about the PzKpfw I with machine gun armament and a weight of 5 tons (the bulletproof armor, and even that 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 (production was curtailed in 1942 precisely because of weak weapons). Then comes the more serious middle one PzKpfw III, almost 20 tons, on which a decent gun did not appear immediately. Pz.Kpfw. IV is already a serious machine, only real mass production was launched only in 1943, and before that they were a cat's cry. And for some reason they treat the tank forty-five with the same disdain as the anti-tank forty-five, forgetting that the Germans have the main anti-tank gun World War II was the Pak 35/36 in 37 mm caliber.

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

It's all a matter of skill, examples: a tank under the command of Lieutenant B. Pavlovich knocked out three German medium tanks and... a Panther, as they did. Another out of the ordinary case. Ours are advancing, squeezing the Fritz. They gather forces and organize a counter-attack. Ours fight back, and the Germans begin to retreat. A. Dmitrienko saw a retreating German tank and lined up behind it dead zone, I wanted to hit him with a cannon. But he saw an open turret hatch (which is typical, the Germans often left the turret hatch open), he jumps onto a German tank and throws a grenade into the hatch. The crew was destroyed, the tank, after minor repairs, was used as a captured tank in battle. The crew, consisting of driver-mechanic Art. Sergeant Rostovtsev and tank commander Lieutenant A. Dorokhin, destroyed two in battle 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 while repelling an attack by the 100th flamethrower tank battalion special purpose, 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 with three Tigers advancing. head German car knocks out one T-70. The second, under the command of Trubin, actively maneuvering, enters the rear of the Tiger and with close range thrusts into him armor-piercing projectile into the side, lights up, continuing the maneuver, the T-70 has already begun to approach the next Tiger. Wanting to avoid the fate of the lead vehicle, the remaining two began to retreat. As evidence, the damaged Tiger was delivered to Moscow and was exhibited in Gorky Park at an exhibition of captured weapons.

Interesting facts: when the T-34 tank was damaged, about 60 percent could not be restored (detonation of ammunition), for the T-70 light tank this figure was lower, 40 percent. Due to its low noise and mobility, it was used in reconnaissance, although the lack of a radio station in the tank reduced its effectiveness. In 1943, a decision was made to stop production; from the middle of the year the car ceased 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 manufactured self-propelled guns of all types (light, medium and heavy) during the war years amounted to 22.5 thousand units, 12.6 thousand of them were SU-76 and SU-76M.