If you start talking about USSR tanks during the Great Patriotic War, the first thing that comes to mind, of course, is the T-34. Following him, the IS or HF will probably come to mind. Someone will mention pre-war armored vehicles, which were used to a limited extent at the end of the war. Meanwhile, the brunt of the battles of the early period of the war fell on the T-60.
This light tank, created in the shortest possible time on the basis of an already outdated design, defended Moscow and Leningrad. Sometimes “sixties” receive unflattering assessments, even to the point of declaring them “unnecessary” altogether. But it was precisely these “unnecessary” “wedges” that turned out to be critically needed by the Red Army, and the significance of their role cannot be underestimated.
History of creation
Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow plant No. 37 developed and began producing the T-40 light amphibious tank. According to the classification of that time, such equipment was considered a special class of “small tanks”. They were instructed to conduct reconnaissance and participate in counter-guerrilla warfare - that is, to solve tasks usually assigned to armored vehicles.
Tank T-40
The T-40 became the most advanced “small tank”, but in the outbreak of war it was of little use. The lack of middle-class equipment led to attempts to use the T-40 for direct infantry support. Bulletproof armor and machine gun armament were too weak for such tasks.
Plant No. 37 received an order to curtail the production of small T-40s and begin production of the T-50 light tank.
Yes, the T-50 was much more heavily armed, well armored and at the same time mobile - but the plant simply could not carry out the order. A complete re-equipment of the enterprise was required, but there was no time or money for this. The forced downtime could not have a positive effect on the overall rate of tank production.
Chief designer of the plant N.A. Astrov put forward a counterproposal - to prepare a new combat-ready tank, the T-60. The prototype with an unarmored hull was built in just a month. Astrov personally drove it to the GAZ plant, where they began to master serial production of the car. In the fall of 1941, new Soviet tanks were already fighting.
Modifications of the CH-47 helicopter
The cargo versions of the Chinook, from CH-47 A to F, differed from each other by installing more powerful engines, increasing payload capacity, and improving electronics. The F series helicopters also have a new fuselage design that simplifies maintenance.
The MH-47D modification should support special forces operations. The 160th Special Purpose Aviation Regiment received 12 pieces. They were equipped with an in-flight refueling system and a device for launching troops on cables.
The next series, E, had an increased flight range and new avionics. 26 units were built. In the mid-90s, the Royal Air Force ordered its own version of the Chinook for special operations - the Chinook HC3. Eight such helicopters were assembled, but due to problems with avionics they were converted into transport ones.
To meet the needs of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, the CH-47 J model was produced under license with different engines and avionics.
Civilian Chinooks were designated “model 234”. There were three options: passenger, transport, cargo-passenger. Passenger CH-47s could carry 44 passengers, with seats installed in four rows inside.
The “civilian” version of the D-series Chinooks began to be called “model 414”.
In 1965, four Chinooks were converted into ACH-47 heavy attack helicopters. Three of these attack aircraft, powerfully armed and protected by armor, were sent to Vietnam to undergo military tests, but logistical difficulties stalled the program. The helicopters that fought were lost in battle, and the only one that survived is still used as a training helicopter.
Construction, crew, communications
The T-60 was greatly simplified compared to the background of pre-war vehicles. Aluminum and duralumin parts were replaced with cast iron, the floor in the body and the engine shield were removed. All amphibious equipment has been removed.
The hull and turret of the T-60 were welded from rolled homogeneous armor of high hardness.
Replacing cemented T-40 armor with homogeneous armor made it possible to increase production volumes while maintaining acceptable bullet resistance. The armor plates of the forehead and stern were installed at rational angles of inclination, with the exception of the vertical sides. Some armor plates were removable to make it easier to service the units.
The maximum armor thickness initially reached 20mm. When the first battles showed the vulnerability of the T-60 even to anti-tank rifles, the armor was strengthened. At first the problem was solved by installing additional screens, and from 1942 the cases were assembled from thicker sheets - up to 35 mm. The octagonal turret with sides 25mm thick was shifted to the left, since the right side of the hull was occupied by the engine compartment. From February 1942, the thickness of the sides was also increased to 35 mm.
The crew of the vehicle consisted of two tankers. The driver sat in the center of the hull; he had at his disposal a viewing device with an armored shield. To leave the vehicle (or enter it), the tank driver used the hatch in the roof of the armored cabin on the front plate. The tank commander, who was also a gunner and loader, sat in the turret. For emergency evacuation of the crew there was a hatch in the bottom of the hull.
Communications on linear T-60s were reduced to a light-signal device with colored bulbs, through which the commander gave orders to the driver. Such a device was available in early series, and was quickly abandoned. Communication with the infantry and other vehicles was ensured by flags - a special hatch was provided for them in the turret. Command vehicles, unlike linear vehicles, had both a tank intercom and a walkie-talkie with a communication range of up to 16 km.
The first vehicles retained the T-40 armament - DShK and DT machine guns.
But in July 1941, a decree of the State Defense Committee ordered that the T-60 be armed with a ShVAK 20mm aircraft cannon. Its tank version, created from wing and turret gun assemblies, received the designation TNSh (Tank Nudelman-Shpitalny). Ammunition - 750 rounds, in belts with a capacity of 58 rounds. Armor-piercing incendiary and fragmentation shells were used for firing.
Armor-piercing shells made it possible to fight light equipment, and the low barrier effect to some extent compensated for the high rate of fire of the gun (up to 800 rounds per minute). Likewise, with a low power fragmentation projectile, a high rate of fire made it possible to create a high density of fire. According to some reports, since 1942, the selection of projectiles has been expanded with sub-caliber shells with a tungsten core, but there is no reliable evidence of this.
The insufficient effectiveness of the ShVAK cannon was already noted during testing of the T-60, so work on creating a more effective weapon began immediately.
A DT machine gun was paired with the cannon; its ammunition capacity consisted of 15 discs (945 rounds). If necessary, the machine gun was removed and used like a manual one. The installation was aimed at the target using a TMFP telescopic sight and a spare mechanical one. Boxes with shots were stacked in a rack on the bottom, machine-gun disks were placed above the stack with cannon ammunition. For self-defense of the crew there was a bag with 10 F-1 grenades.
The entire right side of the hull was occupied by the engine compartment. The GAZ-202 engine is an in-line six-cylinder, four-stroke - a version of a car engine with hp reduced from 85 to 70. power. When there were not enough engines, less powerful units from the GAZ-M1 were installed.
The engine was started using the crank; the starter was only allowed to be used in combat conditions.
In the stern, behind an armored partition, radiators and fuel tanks were located. Two hand-held fire extinguishers served as fire-fighting equipment.
A manual transmission with a four-speed gearbox was placed in the nose of the tank. Control was carried out through simple mechanical drives.
The T-60 chassis was borrowed from the T-40. The suspension design remained torsion bar, there were no additional shock absorbers.
Housing design
In the manufacture of the T-70 welded faceted turret, rolled sheets are used. Their thickness is 3.5 and 4.5 cm. They provided differentiated bulletproof armor protection. Rivets are used to strengthen welds. For the welded faceted turret, steel sheets 3.5 cm thick are used. The tank turret was in the form of a truncated pyramid, for installation of which a ball bearing is used. Its location is the middle part of the tank hull. To strengthen the turret, the designers used armored angles. They were intended specifically for welded joints between rolled tower sheets. Armored plates were used for manufacturing. In the tank they were connected to each other by welding.
There was a hatch in the upper part of the hull, which was used by the driver. Landing and disembarking were carried out through the hatch. The bottom of the tank was equipped with an emergency hatch - a manhole. In the first version of the tank, the hatch cover was equipped with a special viewing slot. Later, it was decided to replace it with a rotating mirror periscope observation device. Using this device, the commander could provide all-round visibility.
Performance characteristics in comparison with similar vehicles
The airborne “Tetrarch” was chosen as the British analogue of the T-60, as it is the closest in terms of the year it was put into service and its mass-dimensional characteristics.
| T-60 | Pz.Kpfw.IIAusf. C | M3 | Mk.VII "Tetrarch" | |
| Dimensions | ||||
| Length, m | 4,1 | 4,81 | 4,53 | 4,6 |
| Width, m | 2,4 | 2,28 | 2,24 | 2,39 |
| Height, m | 1,7 | 2,02—2,15 | 2,64 | 2,02 |
| Combat weight, t | 6,4 | 9,5 | 12,68 | 7,6 |
| Armament | ||||
| Armament | 1 x 20 mm TNSh-20 1 x 7.62 mm DT | 1 × 20 mm KwK 30, 1 × 7.92 mm MG-34 | 1 × 37 mm M6 5 x 7.62 mm M1919A4 | 1 x 40mm QF 2-pounder 1 x 7.92mm BESA |
| Booking | ||||
| Body forehead | 30-35 mm | 29—34.5 mm | 16—44 mm | 16 mm |
| Sides and stern of the hull | 15- 10 mm | 14.5 mm | 25 mm | 14-10 mm |
| Tower forehead | 20 mm | 34.5 mm | 38 mm | 16 mm |
| The sides and stern of the tower | 25 mm | 14.5 mm | 25 mm | 14-10 mm |
| Mobility | ||||
| Engine | carburetor 6-cylinder in-line GAZ-202, 70 hp | carburetor 6-cylinder in-line Maybach HL 62 TRM, 140 l. With. | carburetor 7-cylinder radial "Continental" W-670-9A, 250 l. With. | carburetor 12-cylinder opposed Meadows MAT, 180 hp |
| Specific power, l. s./t | 12 | 14,7 | 17,9 | 21,0 |
| Maximum speed on the highway, km/h | 42 | 40 | 58 | 64 |
| Cruising range on the highway, km | 450 | 190 | 113 | 224 |
In terms of armor protection parameters, the T-60 was generally not inferior to its competitors; combined with its smaller dimensions and visibility, this greatly reduced its vulnerability. On the other hand, British and American vehicles were armed with more powerful guns.
The main light tank of the Wehrmacht, the Pz.II, like the T-60, carried a 20-mm air cannon, which roughly equalized their combat capabilities.
Battle of Kursk
The largest tank battle in history is the Battle of Kursk. About 8,000 tanks took part in the battle; the battle area was 150x200 km, most of which was previously occupied by fertile fields. The encirclement and capture of about half a million Soviet soldiers near the city of Kursk was the last chance of the German command to turn the tide of the war. The extensive operation took 3 months to prepare; large forces of the fascist army flocked to Kursk: 780 thousand people, 10,000 guns, 2,500 tanks.
However, the Soviet army could not help but notice such regroupings and also pulled together forces, and much larger ones at that. The Soviet Union gathered about 2 million people, 25,000 guns and more than 5,000 tanks. Trenches were dug along the Kursk Bulge, more than 400 km of anti-tank trenches were dug, and minefields were prepared.
On July 5, 1943, USSR artillery opened fire on German positions, and this was done exactly an hour before the start of the planned large-scale German offensive operation. Only an hour after the planned time, having recovered from the unexpected attack, the German tank forces moved forward. The main Soviet tank in this battle was the T-34; on the German side, Tigers and Panthers, as well as Ferdinand self-propelled artillery mounts, entered the battle.
Combat use
In the battles near Moscow, the T-60 received its baptism of fire. The 21st Tank Brigade was the first to receive these light tanks in October 1941. By November, all of its T-60s were lost in battle. The production of medium tanks at that time was insufficient, and light tanks had to be forced to replace them. Participating in frontal attacks together with T-34s and KVs, T-60s suffered heavy losses. Light vehicles were able to knock out German tanks only under a fortunate combination of circumstances.
In the spring of 1942, 60 light tanks were transferred along the river to Leningrad.
By the beginning of the Kharkov operation, the number of T-60s in the troops was still significant, but by this time the Nazis had already received more powerful anti-tank guns and tanks with enhanced protection. Experienced tankers were still able to operate effectively on the T-60.
In general, its weapons and armor were clearly insufficient - even for infantry support tasks. The T-60 performed best in reconnaissance, but only in the presence of experienced commanders. From the end of 1942, light tanks moved from the front line to the rear. In the same 1942, the production of the T-60 was completed - it gave way to the more powerfully armed and better protected T-70.
But this does not mean that the T-60’s combat journey is over. When they broke through the blockade of Leningrad, it was the T-60s that captured the bridgehead, crossing the Neva, and were the first to link up with units of the Volkhov Front. Tanks received this important role for objective reasons - the light weight of the T-60 made it possible to cross the river on ice. And even after leaving the front line, the T-60 continued to be used for the very tasks that the “small” T-40 tank was supposed to perform - fighting saboteurs in the rear, guarding troops on the march, reconnaissance in force.
Light tanks were actively used as training vehicles. They were removed from service after the end of the war. It is noteworthy that all surviving T-60s were sent for processing. The museum's T-60s of the present time are vehicles restored by restorers that were lost in battle.
A number of T-60s were captured by the enemy.
The Wehrmacht and the Romanian Army used them in rear units, in police divisions and as artillery tractors. The Romanians even converted about 30 vehicles into self-propelled guns with a 76.2mm F-22 cannon.
German tanks “Tiger” and “Ferdinand”
The new tanks had a number of advantages, for example, the Tiger had armor 10 cm thick and was practically invulnerable. Contrary to the expectations of the Germans, however, the breakthrough failed and the offensive met desperate resistance. By the end of the day, in the southern part of the front, the German 4th Panzer Division had advanced only 15 km, the 9th Division in the north only 10 km, while suffering heavy losses. In two days, the battlefield was littered with tens of thousands of dead, hundreds of burned and dying tanks.
Destroyed Ferdinand self-propelled artillery installations on the Kursk Bulge
From July 13, when the command of the German troops decided to retreat, the Soviet army launched a counteroffensive and actually took the initiative to wage war until May 9, 1945. It is worth noting that the victory in the Battle of Kursk by the Soviet Union was more likely not a consequence of success in battle, but rather the presence of significantly larger reserve forces. If you compare losses on both sides, it is easy to see that German military units suffered less than Soviet ones. Thus, losses on the part of the USSR were:
- killed, captured, missing – more than 250 thousand people;
- wounded - more than 600 thousand soldiers and officers;
- losses of tanks and self-propelled guns - 6,064 units.
From the German side these figures look like this:
- killed, missing – more than 100 thousand people (according to Germany, according to the USSR, more than 500 thousand total losses),
- wounded - 433,933 soldiers and officers,
- losses of tanks and self-propelled guns 2,900 pcs.
The advantage of the new tanks of Nazi Germany after the Battle of Kursk became obvious. The tankers said that with the Tigers and Panthers in the armored T-34s, they felt as if they were naked. The facts confirm this: if the effective firing range of the T-34 tank for the Tiger was 2 km, for the Panther - 1.5 km, then the T-34 inflicted damage on the new combat vehicles from a distance of no more than 300-500 m. The only advantage in battle of the legendary tank was maneuverability and speed.
The task of Soviet designers was to strengthen the armor and armor-piercing power of the T-34 while maximizing its speed characteristics.
In war conditions, it was also important that the production of a new tank did not require significant reworking of production equipment, since this required a lot of time and resources
The new tank acquired a turret, inside of which there was a cannon with an 85 mm caliber, instead of 76 mm, the turret had enhanced armor protection, the number of fighters in the crew increased from 4 to 5. The T-34's armor was still inferior to the heavy Panther and Tiger tanks “However, the main advantage of the tank compared to the heavy tanks of Germany has been preserved - speed.
Footprint in history, project evaluation
If you do not take into account the conditions in which the T-60 was created, then it is very easy to brand it as an obvious step back. The T-50 tank was superior in all respects and met the needs of the troops much better. But the T-60 was not a simplified version of the “fifty”, but, in essence, a deep modernization of the obviously outdated T-40.
The aircraft gun, which was never intended to fight armored vehicles, could barely cope with this task. It was difficult for a crew of two - instead of controlling the situation in battle, the commander fired and loaded the weapon. Primitive observation devices and the lack of radio communications (on most tanks) did not allow the “sixty” to become a full-fledged reconnaissance vehicle.
But the designers, led by N.A. The Astrovs did not need to develop a tank that was “ahead of its time” and “unparalleled” to satisfy imperial ambitions - they created a reliable, combat-ready vehicle, the production of which could easily be established at their plant.
When any tanks were needed for defense - as long as they were massive - and time was ticking by the days, the adoption of even an “unnecessary” tank seemed completely justified.
At the same time, there are no flaws in the design of the T-60 - it would even be one of the best in its class. It’s just that the whole class has become outdated.
Result
In 1942, assembly of the T-70 began. The tank was only fully constructed in February. In the same year he was sent to Moscow. During an inspection by representatives of the Main Armored Directorate, shortcomings of the T-70 were identified. The tank, whose characteristics were slightly superior to the basic T-60, did not arouse enthusiasm among the commission members. In terms of armor protection, it was slightly superior to the T-60, and the presence of a 45-mm gun was leveled out, since the tank's turret was designed for only one person, who was forced to simultaneously perform the duties of commander, gunner and loader. Astrov N.A. assured the commission that this uselessness of the T-70 tank would be corrected by March.
Miscellaneous about CH-47
The already mentioned British Chinook with the call sign Bravo November, deployed in the Falklands, is famous not only for the volume of cargo transported. Along with the Atlantic Conveyor ship, not only other heavy helicopters were lost, but also all spare parts for the CH-47 along with tools.
During one flight, BravoNovember, “thanks to” an altimeter malfunction and poor visibility, hit the water at a speed of 175 km/h. The crew retained control of the vehicle and returned to base, and the damage was considered minor.
20 years later, the old Chinook (ordered back in 1978) distinguished itself in Iraq, delivering Royal Marines to the battlefield, and in 2006, in Afghanistan, evacuating wounded soldiers from Taliban fire. Four of the pilots who flew Bravo November were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
One American “Chinook” took part in a not so heroic, but no less interesting story. In 1988, Libyan forces abandoned an Mi-24 attack helicopter in the desert. To capture a sample of enemy equipment, the CH-47 took it out at night during a sandstorm. The operation ended successfully.
