Wednesday 21 March 2018

T-45

"To Lieutenant-General Fedorenko

Factory #37 in Sverdlovsk installed a 45 mm gun on the T-60 tank without widening the turret ring, but in a new turret. The positioning is the same as on the T-70. 

The loading conditions are the same as on the T-70.

The weight of the vehicle increased by approximately 400 kg. Ground pressure increased by 0.03. 

Top speed dropped by 5-8 kph (used to be 45 kph, now 38-40 kph). Range not affected.

Ammunition capacity:
  • Shells: 66
  • Machinegun rounds: 945 (same as on the T-70)
Armour:
  • Lower front plate: 35 mm
  • Upper front plate: 30 mm
Others without change, same as on T-70.

I inspected the tank myself.

Gave directions to move the trunnions and commander's seat carrier, move the machinegun to be next to the cannon, and the sight on the left. The factory agreed, and will telegraph you, asking to approve the decision. The factory guarantees delivery according to the schedule assigned by the government. This change will free the factory from producing the T-70, thus avoiding a drop in production.

I consider the proposition to be tempting, since the commander's conditions will be no worse than on the T-70.

I ask for a commission to perform the trials, as follows:

Chair: Chief of the Ural Military District Armoured Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Yevdokimov
Members:
  1. Commander of the 106th Tank Brigade
  2. Senior military representative at factory #37, Engineer-Major Koptsov
  3. Senior Engineer of the 5th Department of the BTU, Engineer-Major Goryushkin
  4. Assistant to the Chief of the 4th Department of the BTU, Engineer-Captain Yezernitskiy
  5. Senior designer of factory #37, comrade Popov
  6. Representative of the People's Commissariat of Tank Production (your choice)
I ask for your directions. I am at the Chelyabinsk factory.

Engineer-Colonel Afonin

May 8th, 1942"

2 comments:

  1. While it might be argued that two man light tanks were of little value. The Soviet T-70/80 were no doubt far cheaper to produce yet possessed thicker very well sloped armor and a larger higher velocity gun then similar sized French tanks. No doubt they were also easier to work on. And in the early days of the war on the wars longest front, any tank was better than none. As such they served a needed purpose.

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    1. T-70 was also designed about half to nearly a full decade later than those little French infantry-support crawlers so there's that... 'Course it was also supposed to handle recon duty too; IDK if the one-man turret was a serious shortcoming there (the inherent limitations being less important in infantry-support work than in mobile action, nevermind against other tanks).

      Same underlying concept though - small "cheap and cheerful" AFVs that can be churned out in sufficient numbers to saturate at least the more important parts of the frontline, Estienne's old "bee swarm" paradigm. Long as they don't need to try to fight anything too heavy duty any armoured mobile gun platform is an obvious asset, especially for the "poor bloody infantry" who tend to greatly appreciate their ability to snuff out MG nests and similar showstoppers.

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