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GAZ BA-64

1942 COLD WAR KOREAN WAR WORLD WAR 2

History

Despite extensive conversion to tracked armoured fighting vehicles during World War II, the huge Soviet army understood the value of retaining wheeled armoured vehicles due to its ease of manufacture and maintenance, inherent mobility, and lower operating and acquisition costs. The Red Army's defeat in the Winter War against Finland in late 1939-early 1940, and during the initial push for the German invasion of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, demonstrated the need to deploy all viable vehicle types in the Soviet Union.

Work on the design of this vehicle (under the direction of Vitaliy Grachev) began in July 1941, culminating in the creation of the "BA-64" family of light armored vehicles - over 9,000 built by GAZ (Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod = "Gorky Automobile Plant" ") ) from 1942 to 1946.

The BA-64 evolved from the chassis of the existing GAZ-64, a 4WD utility vehicle equivalent to the Soviet equivalent of the American JEEP (the Gorky plant did get Ford to some extent car's support company). Production of the car spanned from 1941 to 1942, of which only 646 were produced.

Eventually, the GAZ-64 vehicles were abandoned and replaced by the quantitative GAZ-67 series, which began in 1943 with a total production of a staggering 92,843 vehicles.

Nonetheless, the existing GAZ-64 chassis provided the required specifications in the new armored wheel design. As much of its armor was borrowed from the German SdKfz 222 armored car family, the new BA-64 was suitably equipped with an angular fuselage structure that accommodated the front engine and a crew of two. The driver sits behind an armored visor in the center of the fuselage, while the second crew member sits in a position in the rear of the fuselage, below the open-topped armored bay, and holds a trunnion-mounted general-purpose machine gun.

The weapon is a 1 x 7.62mm DT series machine gun with 1,260 rounds of ammunition. Power for the BA-64 chassis is provided by a 50 hp liquid-cooled 4-cylinder GAZ MM series engine. This enables a top speed of 80 km/h and a range of up to 600 km.

The hull is suspended on a 4x4 wheel suspension system, providing the necessary off-road capability. The vehicle weighed a total of 2.6 tons (short), had a barrel length of 12 feet, a body width of 5 feet 6.5 inches, and an overall height (assuming a Type B turret existed) of 6 feet 28 inches.

Armor protection is minimal, ranging from 4mm to 15mm on the various fairings shown.

A pilot vehicle (prototype) was evaluated in January 1942, and after passing the required state tests, the design was officially accepted by the Soviet Army in March 1942 under the designation "BA-64A" . After some hands-on use and 3,900 units produced, this original model was slightly modified into the 1943 "BA-64B" series. The B variant instead uses the increased wheelbase of the GAZ-67B JEEP series and uses an armored machine gun turret.

The BA-64 series has been expanded to include several notable characters useful on the battlefield. The BASh-64 was a related personnel carrier that carried dignitaries under armor protection, while the BA-64D was eventually scrapped, although the idea was similar, the prototype armored personnel carrier was designed to carry six combat-ready infantrymen.

To support the limited effectiveness of the original brand's 7.62mm weapon, the BA-64DShK was duly equipped with a 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun and appeared in large numbers from 1944 onwards. The BA-64ZhD was a proposed railcar defense vehicle, but was cancelled, and the BA-64SKh became a proposed "Winter War" hybrid design using half-track components and front axle-mounted skis.

The initiative exists only as a prototype and has never been adopted on a large scale.

Despite the inherent advantages of an economical light vehicle, the BA-64 series has several distinct disadvantages. The gunner's lack of cover in early forms exposed him to various battlefield hazards and inclement weather.

The range of the trunnion-mounted machine guns limited the angle of attack, and the 7.62mm machine gun was really adequate as an anti-infantry weapon. The car's fairly tall profile makes it an easy target to identify from a distance, and drivers must take extra care when cornering or on rough terrain to prevent the vehicle from tipping over. The BA-64's light armor protection system also makes it highly vulnerable to large-caliber weapons, mines, anti-tank (AT) weapons, and artillery.

A flat tire can also severely weaken the vehicle, making it a tactical liability in the heat of battle (a spare tire is carried on the rear hull panel for replacement).

In any case, the BA-64 is available in large quantities, and its speed and maneuverability in the field are hallmarks of its design. When properly used for self-support, and equipped with infantry and armour, the BA-64 can hold its own when called upon to suppress or eliminate embedded enemy units.

Its agility could be used as a front-line reconnaissance or battlefield surveillance vehicle, and its machine gun armament was sufficient to engage enemy infantry when deployed to support advancing Allied forces.

Although production numbers vary, it is generally believed that 9,110 BA-64 vehicles were eventually produced (of which 5,209 were modified BA-64Bs). The model was in service outside the Soviet Union and eventually entered inventory in China, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, North Korea, Mongolia, Poland, Romania and Yugoslavia.

The BA-64 was still in service during the Korean War (1950-1953) and was used by both China and North Korea. Amazingly, the car is still in service with the North Korean Army (2013), more than 70 years after it was taken over by Soviet Red Army units.